Chapter 276: The Not-So-Bright Child
This chapter is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
Lu Chao Chao had just finished drinking her milk.
A ring of white clung to her lips like a milk mustache.
Now, she had taken off her shoes and socks, hugging her plump, soft feet, sniffing them curiously.
“Weird, Third Brother said they stink?””Not stinky at all…” The little one swallowed her saliva.
The last time she had gnawed on her toes was when she was one year old…
Regretfully, she patted her chest. “No gnawing, no gnawing. Chao Chao is a big baby now…”
“Mama said, two-year-old big sisters can’t bite their toes anymore.” Her gaze lingered longingly on her feet.
Nan Mu Bai had just approached when he heard this statement.
He was about to speak when Lu Chao Chao lifted her foot brightly and asked, “Do you wanna gnaw too?”
Her eyes were sincere.
“Nope, can’t do that. Mama said no toe-gnawing after two years old.”
“How about… sucking fingers instead?”
After saying this, she let out a long, melancholic sigh.
“Aiiiii…”
Nan Mu Bai: ??????
He glanced at Lu Chao Chao’s chubby foot and her silly expression, then silently turned away.
In their lineage, those chosen as Celestial Attendants were favored by the heavens.
They couldn’t possibly be this dumb.
Yet, looking at her, there wasn’t much intelligence to be found.
Meanwhile, Madam Pei sat dazed on the ground, the area around her damp and reeking of urine.
“You peed your pants!” Lu Chao Chao pointed at her and shouted.
Madam Pei shrank under the disdainful gazes surrounding her, unable to lift her head.
A Nine-Headed Snake lowered its heads, and Nan Mu Bai stepped onto one, standing at the peak, overlooking all.
“Southern Kingdom Patrol, make way.”
“Southern Kingdom Patrol, make way…”
A grand procession moved toward the city gates.
Lu Yuan Ze, his body weak, forced himself to stand, his eyes dark and ruthless. “Drown Madam Pei in the pond.”
The Old Clan Leader, already aged, collapsed onto the ground, unable to rise.
“No, you can’t! You can’t drown me!” Madam Pei’s voice was hoarse as she fell to her knees with a thud.
“Brother Ze, I was wrong, I was wrong!”
“Please, spare Jiao Jiao! She won’t dare anymore. Brother Ze, I was wrong…”
“Clan Leader, save me!”
“Yuan Xi, Yuan Xi, you promised to protect me! Yuan Xi, please, save me…” Madam Pei’s throat bled, her lips smeared with blood.
But how could she struggle against the burly men holding her down?
The attendants bound her, ready to toss her into the water, when Lu Yuan Ze suddenly declared, “I will do it myself.”
He grabbed her firmly, dragging her toward the water.
Years of illness had weakened Lu Yuan Ze. He took three breaths for every step, exerting great effort to haul her to the riverbank.
The cold water swallowed Madam Pei bit by bit.
Terror, despair, and endless regret filled her eyes.
Suddenly, she recalled the year she traveled to the capital.
It had been a heavy snowstorm.
The Old Madam had brought her to the capital, giving her travel funds, which she spent on fine clothes and a personal maid, leaving almost nothing behind.
At that time, she had vowed never to return to the countryside.
She wanted to stay in the capital, to live a life of wealth and luxury.
And her cousin was her only means to that end.
But the money for her journey back was barely enough to rent an ox cart. A sudden blizzard had trapped them in the snow, with no village ahead nor inn behind, and no way to call for help.
For the sake of beauty, she had only chosen outfits that accentuated her figure, avoiding bulky, warm coats. She lay in the snow, shivering violently.
She thought she would freeze to death.
Then, she met Xu Shi Yun.
The young and radiant Xu Shi Yun, not yet of age, full of joy and light.
She had been riding in a grand and luxurious carriage, surrounded by numerous servants and maids.
Even after all these years, Madam Pei remembered that scene vividly.
Xu Shi Yun, still a young girl, had seen her lying in the snow and frantically called out, “Big Brother, stop the carriage! There’s someone in the snow!”
The man leading the riders had likely been Xu Yi Ting.
Xu Shi Yun had wanted to jump out of the carriage, but the man stopped her with disapproval. “The snow is cold. You mustn’t get down. If you fall ill, what will Mother do? You’ve always been frail since childhood. If you get sick, Mother will cry herself blind.”
He ordered hot water to be given to her, and a warm hand-warmer was tucked into her arms before she finally felt alive again.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the tall and handsome Xu Yi Ting.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Xu Yi Ting furrowed his brows and stepped away.
“Little sister, you should never travel in a snowstorm. You nearly lost your life today. Lucky you met me.”
The young girl covered her mouth gently, sitting gracefully in the carriage, protected, naive, and kind.
Madam Pei bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears.
“Miss, your family is wealthy. I cannot compare. My father died young, and my mother remarried. I have no such privileges. I came to the capital to seek shelter with relatives, to live under another’s roof.” She wiped the corners of her eyes.
Xu Shi Yun’s eyes turned red in an instant.
“I-I’m sorry, sister. It’s my fault!” She apologized frantically.
“Big Brother, can we take her to the capital?”
“There’s plenty of space in my carriage. Another sister won’t make it crowded. Big Brother, please… This snowy night, she will freeze to death. She’s so pitiful… Help her.” Xu Shi Yun’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“Her father is dead, her mother remarried, and she has to rely on others…”
“Or perhaps… we can find her a good job? A woman who earns her own living has dignity.” Xu Shi Yun, kind-hearted, saw Madam Pei’s distress and offered help warmly.
Madam Pei glanced at the carriage. Even before entering, she could feel the warmth.
Silver charcoal glowed, a small pot simmered milk with red dates and longans, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
Chestnuts and peanuts roasted in a brazier, their shells cracking open with soft pops.
Such happiness.
How wonderful it would be to sit inside that carriage. Yet, a flicker of resentment crossed her heart. Why was Xu Shi Yun so fortunate?
It seemed as if every good thing in the world belonged to her.
Madam Pei clenched her fingers.
“Jiao Jiao is a respectable lady. Please do not look down on me. Miss, you don’t truly wish to help me. You merely pity me,” Pei Jiao Jiao murmured.
Xu Shi Yun froze. “Earning an honest living, how is that degrading?”
Xu Yi Ting shot Pei Jiao Jiao a cold glance.
“I didn’t want to expose you and hurt my sister, but you shouldn’t have deceived her kindness.”