CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: THE SECOND TIME!

"Miss, it’s time to eat!"

Chuntao, Sheng Xueyi’s close maid, came cheerfully carrying a food box to Sheng Xueyi.

As she took the dishes out of the food box, she began to chatter incessantly.

"Miss, didn’t they say the bandit soldiers from Great Yin have reached outside the city?"

"Why is it that nothing we left in the kitchen is missing at all?"

"If I’d known no one was coming to the estate, why did we run to the city?"

"These past days, we haven’t eaten or slept well, Miss, you’ve lost weight!"

Facing the chatter of her close maid, Sheng Xueyi just smiled slightly and said, "Silly girl, if we hadn’t left, wouldn’t we have to cook?"

"Cooking requires making a fire, and making a fire produces smoke!"

"If the bandit soldiers from Yin Country saw the smoke, do you think they’d come to the estate?"

Upon hearing her lady speak like this, Chuntao had a sudden realization and gently patted her own head, saying, "Oh right, Miss, you’re so clever, I didn’t even think of that!"

"Alright, it’s all over now!"

"Hurry up and eat!"

"By the way, tomorrow morning, have Mrs. Tian make some pastries, let’s take a stroll to Shiqu Village!"

With a shift in conversation, Sheng Xueyi shifted the topic to Shiqu Village.

Chuntao agreed at first, then asked her lingering question, "Miss, what are we doing at Shiqu Village?"

"Distant relatives aren’t as good as close neighbors!"

Sheng Xueyi forced a smile.

This time, Chuntao didn’t need much explanation before she quickly fell silent.

...

The next day, the sun rose, and the sky was clear.

Yuan Bao had just woken up when she saw her mother sitting beside her, looking at her eagerly.

"Jiaojiao!"

"Mom!"

Hearing Mrs. Xiao Li’s voice, Yuan Bao instinctively responded.

As a result, her response caused Mrs. Xiao Li to burst into tears, hugging her and starting to blame herself again.

"..."

Yuan Bao didn’t expect her mother’s reaction to be so intense.

She really wanted to be a good child immediately, but before figuring out the background of that young lady next door, Yuan Bao truly dared not act.

After Mrs. Xiao Li finished crying, Yuan Bao could only cooperate with a smile, as if the storm had passed and the sky cleared.

Of course, this clearing up was only for her mother.

As for her father, Yuan Zhaodi, Yuan Bao still wore a cold face.

From what her mother and father said yesterday, Yuan Bao already knew that her mother had told her father to bring both her and her brother, but her father casually only took her brother.

Given her father’s unreliability, Yuan Bao naturally couldn’t forgive him so quickly.

After having breakfast, Yuan Bao went out for a stroll.

It seemed Mrs. Xiao Li was worried she would have some issue again and followed her from a distance.

Yuan Bao didn’t say anything, she just went outside to play with the village kids, even ignoring a few cousins.

By mid-morning, while playing cat’s cradle with the village girls, Yuan Bao suddenly saw Sheng Xueyi gracefully approaching.

This young lady had her usual paper fan, and by her side was the ever-grievous Chuntao.

Seeing this young lady coming, a group of little friends all ran to her; after all, Sheng Xueyi’s presence meant there would be tasty pastries to eat.

Yuan Bao didn’t want to seem different.

So, she too followed the crowd like a crab crossing the river.

However, by the time Yuan Bao arrived, the pastries in Chuntao’s basket were already gone.

"Ah... boohoo..."

Yuan Bao didn’t hesitate and started wailing immediately.

Although it was all thunder and no rain, hey, when kids encounter something upsetting, don’t they just cry for a bit to express their inexplicable grievance, and start shedding tears?