Chapter 293: Chao Chao’s Precious Treasure
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
At the Lu family residence, Little Lu Chao Chao knelt in front of the Buddha shrine, her small face scrunched up, looking like she might cry any second. Beside her, the family dog, Chasing Wind, tried to imitate her, kneeling with its front legs bent, panting with its tongue hanging out.
“Do you understand what you did wrong?” Madam Xu asked sternly, her chin raised as she looked down at Chao Chao.
Chao Chao looked up, her big eyes filled with tears. “Chao Chao knows I was bad, Mommy! Chao Chao is sorry! Won’t do it again! Please forgive Chao Chao…” she sniffled, her tiny eyelashes wet.
“And what exactly did you do wrong?” Madam Xu pressed, her expression still firm.
Chao Chao tilted her head, thinking hard. “Umm… Chao Chao didn’t tell Chasing Wind what to say?”
Madam Xu then turned to Chasing Wind. “Did you pee?”
Chasing Wind shook its head energetically, its ears flopping!
Madam Xu sighed, nearly at her wits’ end. “I’ll give you one more chance to tell the truth!”
Chao Chao scratched her head, her pigtails loosening. “Uhh… Chao Chao didn’t find secret spot?”
Madam Xu took a deep breath and pressed her hand to her forehead. “You… I’ve already told the Academy. You’ll have to do two sets of exam papers as punishment. Both of them!”
Chao Chao’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide with shock.
“Mommy!!!” she squealed, her voice rising in panic. “Why not just spank Chao Chao instead? Mommy wants to kill Chao Chao…” Her heart sank at the thought of spending her last day of vacation doing boring exam papers.
[Oh no! Only one day of vacation left, and now two big papers?? Someone help Chao Chao!!]
Madam Xu tapped her lightly on the forehead. “Next time, don’t make Chasing Wind take the blame! Look at him—always getting into trouble for you. Now he’s just a silly dog!”
Madam Xu couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Magistrate Yuan, who had to handle such a mischievous student like Chao Chao.
After Madam Xu left, Yuhua helped little Chao Chao to her feet. She wobbled up and tapped Chasing Wind on the head.
“Chasing Wind, you so silly! You were ‘posed to nod! And after all the chicken bones Chao Chao gave you!” she scolded, stomping off toward the door.
Chasing Wind looked at her, then followed, mimicking her limp. Yuhua and Yuqin giggled quietly at the sight.
Chao Chao noticed and puffed up her cheeks, clearly annoyed. “Stop copying Chao Chao!”
“Bad Chasing Wind! Silly Chasing Wind!!” she yelled, her tiny fists clenched in frustration.
Just then, Lu Yuan Xiao peeked around the corner with a smile. “Hey, Chao Chao, there’s a lantern festival tonight. Want to go see it? There’ll be a dragon dance too.”
“They set up a food street in the city today. Lots of yummy snacks from everywhere! I heard the Thousand Layer Beef Pie from the north side is super tasty. One bite, and it’s so crispy it crumbles, with juicy, tender beef inside… it’s really, really good…”
Before he could finish, Chao Chao’s eyes lit up, and she started drooling a little.
“Let’s go, let’s go!” she squealed, eyes sparkling with excitement. “Third Brother, hurry up! Is the beef pie really that yummy?”
“Sure is! But we might have to wait in line for a while,” Lu Yuan Xiao chuckled.
Evening at the Lantern Festival
As evening fell, the streets lit up with lanterns, glowing like a long, winding dragon through the city.
The food street was packed with people. Lu Yuan Xiao found a quiet spot for the carriage, and the maids joined the line for the famous beef pies.
Chao Chao bounced with excitement, craning her neck to see over the crowd. She waited almost half an hour before the pies were finally brought over.
As soon as the maid handed her one, Chao Chao took a big bite. Hot, savory juice burst out, burning her mouth, but she stubbornly kept it in.
“Quick, spit it out!” Yuhua urged, worried.
“No, it’s good! Ssss… hot!” Chao Chao puffed her cheeks out like a little chipmunk, tears forming from the heat, but she bravely swallowed the bite.
Lu Yuan Xiao could only shake his head, amused by her antics.
Chao Chao took a deep breath and blew on the hot pie in her hand. “Oooh, so hot but so yummy…” She nearly burned her mouth again but kept nibbling, determined to enjoy it.
Lu Yuan Xiao chuckled softly. “You’re such a little tiger, Chao Chao. I got two pies, so take your time. No rush!” His face softened, showing his affection for his little sister.
Chao Chao beamed, touched by her brother’s kindness. She decided to save the second pie for later and carefully tucked it into a small pouch Madam Xu had sewn for her.
Just then, a fancy carriage rolled by. She squinted and recognized a familiar face. “Brother Siqi! Brother Siqi!” she called out, waving her tiny arms and bouncing on her tiptoes. “You want to come to the lantern festival with Chao Chao?”
Inside the carriage, Li Siqi was hurrying home as the sun set. But at Chao Chao’s excited shouts, he peeked out from behind the curtain. Her wide eyes and eager smile made him pause.
“Brother Siqi, the lantern festival is super fun today! And there’s yummy food too! Do you want to come with Chao Chao?” she pleaded, her face full of hope.
A servant beside him tugged gently at his sleeve. “Young master, we should return home…” But Li Siqi couldn’t resist Chao Chao’s bright, innocent eyes. He sighed and nodded.
“Okay, okay,” he agreed, stepping out of the carriage.
Ignoring the servant’s worried whispers, he walked over and lifted Chao Chao up. “How could Brother Siqi say no to such a sweet invitation from Chao Chao?” he said gently, brushing a stray hair from her face. Chao Chao’s eyes sparkled, and her smile warmed his heart.
The servant behind grew even more anxious. The sun was setting quickly. If the young master didn’t return soon, there would be trouble. Everyone knew that the young master was blind—what would people say if they saw him wandering about?
But Li Siqi, holding Chao Chao in his arms, joined Lu Yuan Xiao as they enjoyed the lantern festival, solving riddles and munching on candied hawthorn. The servant had no opportunity to interrupt.
Chao Chao excitedly led Li Siqi through the crowd, her hair turning into a messy nest, but her eyes shone like stars. She was having the best time until she touched her side pouch.
Suddenly, Chao Chao’s face went pale, and her voice trembled, “Thief! Thief!! It’s gone!” she cried out, panic rising in her voice.
The bustling crowd fell silent. No one had ever seen Chao Chao so scared before.
“Where’s your little bag?” Yuhua, her maid, asked frantically, searching around.
Everyone looked down and realized the small pouch in front of Chao Chao had been cut off without anyone noticing.
The servants and guards were scattered around, and there were even shadow guards hidden among the crowd. How could a thief slip by all of them?
Yuqin, another maid, turned pale. “The jade pendant! Was the jade pendant in the bag?”
“Oh no! We have to tell the authorities!” Yuhua said, panicking.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival around the corner, security in the capital was already tight. Magistrate Zhong had been on high alert all evening. When he heard that Princess Sunshine had lost something, he rushed to the scene, sweating profusely.
“Princess Sunshine, did you lose something precious?” Magistrate Zhong asked, his face flushed.
“It’s super, super precious… It’s my life!” Chao Chao replied, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice on the verge of crying.
Seeing her distress, Magistrate Zhong felt weak in the knees.
He immediately ordered the city gates to be shut. No one was allowed to leave or enter!
Magistrate Zhong’s face was serious. “I heard there’s a royal jade pendant from His Majesty, the dowager’s personal jade, and tokens from the State Teacher and the Grand Princess in the bag. Is that true?”
Chao Chao wiped her tears with her sleeve. “Yes, yes! But also… my beef pie! It was hot and crispy… and I didn’t even get to eat it yet!”
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Princess Sunshine, don’t worry. I will catch the thief and get back your jade pendants!” Magistrate Zhong promised, sweating even more now. If those valuable items were lost, it would cause an uproar in the court!
“I don’t care about the jade! Just get back my beef pies!” Chao Chao demanded, stomping her little foot.
Magistrate Zhong’s voice shook as he asked, “How many jade pendants are there in total?”
Chao Chao cried, “Two! Two beef pies! That thief deserves a thousand cuts! I waited in line for half an hour and only got one bite!”
As she spoke, Chao Chao broke down, sobbing loudly, wiping away her drool with her sleeve.
[That thief is the worst! How could he do this to me?!]