Chapter 183: Chao Chao Changes Her Name
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
A piercing scream shattered the quiet of the Lu household, jolting everyone from their slumber. Yuhua, pale and trembling, staggered toward the main courtyard, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Madam! Madam…” she gasped, her voice breaking. “The young lady is missing!”
Madam Xu dropped her hairpin in shock. “What did you say?” She clutched her heart, her legs nearly giving out beneath her.
“She was just here last night, and now…?” Madam Xu’s voice trembled.
“I was guarding her room, but when I woke this morning, she was gone. We’ve searched the entire mansion; there’s no sign of her anywhere,” Yuhua stammered. “I was on duty with Yuqin last night. It was my turn to guard the door, but I… I just fell asleep. I wasn’t even tired. I don’t know how it happened.”
Madam Xu’s expression turned icy. [Whoever lulled Yuhua into sleep was no ordinary intruder—it must have been my little potato.]
“Let’s check the courtyard first,” Madam Xu suggested, leading a hurried group toward the Sunshine Courtyard.
The three Lu brothers, upon hearing of their sister’s disappearance, rushed to join the search.
Lu Yan Shu rubbed his forehead, looking bewildered. “There’s no sign of a struggle, no indication of an intruder. Her clothes and shoes are gone, which means she left on her own. A thief wouldn’t have bothered to dress her.”
“Her milk bottle is missing too,” added another voice.
“And her little blanket.”
“Madam, Chasing Wind is gone as well,” another servant announced.
“And a bag of Chasing Wind’s jerky.”
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances. Lu Yuan Xiao muttered, stunned, “She… ran away from home? Our little potato ran away?”
“Wait, there’s a note,” Lu Yan Shu interrupted, picking up a piece of paper from the table. It was more a scribble than a note featuring a stick figure and a dog.
“One person and one dog, wandering the world?” Lu Yuan Xiao echoed Chao Chao’s likely thoughts.
Madam Xu’s frustration was palpable. “It’s my fault. I told her last night she had to start school. She was upset, but I never imagined she’d run away!”
“Our little potato is quite the rebel,” Lu Yuan Xiao chuckled. “And so brave.”
Lu Yan Shu sighed, “Mother, don’t worry. Chao Chao has bodyguards. In her past life, she must have been someone of high rank, unbound by others. She naturally stands above us all.”
“When she was titled Princess Sunshine, she wasn’t surprised or pleased. It’s as if she’s always viewed us from a higher plane,” Lu Yuan Xiao added.
“And when she decides on something, she achieves it. No one has ever successfully opposed her,” Lu Yan Shu continued.
Madam Xu nodded reluctantly. “School means she has to follow rules and learn human etiquette. She’s used to wielding power, so it’s normal for her to resist.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. Chao Chao is just being defiant,” Lu Yuan Xiao said. “And with so many bodyguards, she won’t be in any danger.”
“Bringing her back now would just stir more trouble,” Lu Yan Shu advised. “She’s only two. Maybe she needs to face some hardships to understand how tough life can be outside.”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
“I bet she comes crying back home in three days,” Lu Zheng Yue wagered with a grin.
“I say two days. She won’t last three in this snow,” Lu Yuan Xiao retorted, excitement in his voice.
Little did they know, it wouldn’t be Chao Chao who would struggle to endure.
At that moment, Chao Chao was nestled warmly, her cheeks rosy from sleep. “Chasing Wind, you so warm,” she murmured, packing her little blanket into her bag.
Several beggars watched her, puzzled by how such a tiny bundle could contain a blanket.
“Little one, go home! If you don’t, you’ll freeze to death!” a beggar with a limp warned, attempting to intimidate her.
Another elder beggar added, “Stay out too long, and someone might snatch your dog for a hotpot.”
But Chao Chao was unafraid; she sensed no real threat from them. “I no go home!” she declared defiantly.
“I beg too,” Chao Chao stated, holding out a cracked bowl.
As snow began to fall once more, Chao Chao led Chasing Wind through the streets, the three beggars trailing behind with concern.
“Over there, more rich people…” Chao Chao knew where the officials and wealthy resided, and she headed in that direction.
“No, not there,” the limping beggar interjected, alarmed. “That’s Scar’s territory.”
“Beggars have territories too,” the elder beggar added, having almost been beaten to death recently for trespassing there.
Scar ruled over the richest streets; last time, they’d been beaten and chased away to the poorer northern district.
“Too many of them. Let’s find another spot.”
Chao Chao puffed out her cheeks, frustrated. “Why?”
“The world is big, why can’t we beg wherever we want?”
Angry, she dashed toward the busy street, smearing dirt on her face to look more pitiful.
“Uncle… please help? Uncle, a bun, please?” she asked sweetly, resembling a little stray.
The bun shop owner handed her two buns. She ate one and gave the other to Chasing Wind. “Chasing Wind, with me, you’ll never go hungry.” [We share everything… Meat… we’ll get that later.]
Relishing her bun, Chao Chao tasted the sweet success of her efforts.
“Hey, little beggar! Do you know whose territory this is? How dare you beg here!” a harsh voice barked.
Chao Chao spun around to see a group of beggars led by a man with a scarred face glaring at her.
The three beggars shivered. “Brother Scar, she’s just a child. She’s not trying to take over your territory…” The frail, old beggar stepped in front of Chao Chao to protect her.
Scar sneered, his eyes narrowing as he regarded Chao Chao. She looked familiar. He brushed the old beggar aside and knelt to scrutinize her closely. Indeed, she looked familiar.
In a tense moment, Scar inquired, “Little noble, is it you? Last time, during the provincial exams, didn’t you ask me to lead people to Marquis Zhongyong’s house to demand celebration money? And then you had me notify the Marquis again…” He was the beggar who had stirred up trouble. “You even gave me a reward. Why are you out begging now?” Scar, an old acquaintance, was puzzled.
Back at the Lu household, Madam Xu asked, “After a day of wandering, has the little potato learned her lesson?”
Deng Zhi, having received updates from the bodyguards, wore a strange expression. “Little potato changed her name.”
“She says she’s now called Fierce Biao.”
Bwahaha