Chapter 66

Chapter 66

What happened?

Where's Kong Eleven?

Where's Lu Twelve?

Xiao Yu was full of questions, but Danzi was crying so hard that he couldn't speak clearly, drawing curious glances from the customers. Xiao Yu decided to pick up Danzi and said to Xia Qiu, "Xia Qiu, you guys watch the shop."

"Yes, boss," Xia Qiu immediately responded.

Xiao Yu carried Danzi from the Xiaohezi Tavern to the backyard.

Minghe also stopped helping with the breakfast sale and hurriedly followed.

Yu Tongtong, Jin Dabao, and Tian Liu followed as well.

Once in the backyard, Xiao Yu tried to put Danzi down.

Sensing this, Danzi clung tightly to his uncle's neck, as if afraid of being abandoned.

Xiao Yu said helplessly, "Uncle's going to fetch water to wash your face."

"No," Danzi still wouldn’t let go.

"Uncle, I'll get the water!" Minghe ran towards the well.

"Come back, what did I tell you?" Xiao Yu asked.

Minghe stopped and said, "Not to go near the water."

When Xiao Yu first arrived, he found Minghe dangerously leaning into a water barrel to scoop water, which alarmed him. Since then, he had forbidden Minghe and Danzi from going near the well or barrel, or any such dangerous places.

"But brother's face is so dirty," Minghe pointed out.

"Then you shouldn't go near the water either," Xiao Yu said sternly.

"Okay," Minghe obediently agreed. "I'll go near the water when I'm bigger."

"Alright, go find Yunxiu to help fetch some warm water," Xiao Yu instructed.

Minghe hurried off to the Xiaohezi Breakfast Shop.

Soon, a basin of warm water arrived.

Xiao Yu fished a towel out of the water, soothing Danzi while wiping his little face. After many wipes, his clean, fair cheeks were finally visible.

Danzi's mood stabilized slightly, but he remained nestled in Xiao Yu's arms.

Xiao Yu asked, "Are you thirsty?"

Danzi nodded.

Xiao Yu carried Danzi into the bedroom.

Danzi held the tea bowl and gulped down half of it.

Minghe and the others said, "Slow down, slow down."

Xiao Yu then asked, "Are you hungry?"

Danzi nodded again.

"I'll go get some buns!" Minghe ran out quickly.

Yu Tongtong asked, "Danzi, do you want some porridge?"

Jin Dabao asked, "How about some spicy soup?"

"Would you like some rice soup?" Tian Liu inquired.

Having drunk a lot of water, Danzi's belly felt sloshy, and he didn't feel like drinking anything else, shaking his little head.

Minghe returned with two buns, "Brother, your favorite radish bun and meat bun."

"Thank you, brother," Danzi took them and began to eat voraciously.

"Slow down, slow down," Xiao Yu said, watching Danzi eat a bun, "Don't eat so much at once, start with one."

Danzi obediently nodded.

Xiao Yu wiped Danzi's mouth and asked, "Danzi, Uncle asks you, where are Kong Eleven and Lu Twelve?"

"I don't know," Danzi replied.

Xiao Yu was surprised, "You don't know?"

Danzi nodded.

"Then how did you come back?"

"I came back by myself!"

Xiao Yu was shocked, "You came back by yourself?"

Danzi, recalling the event, said, "Yeah, it was raining that day, raining really hard. Uncle Kong and Uncle Lu didn’t take the boat because it was so dark. I hadn't seen Daddy yet, and I missed Uncle."

"And then what happened?" Xiao Yu asked.

"Then Uncle Kong said he missed him too."

What kind of answer is that!

Xiao Yu, trying to contain his anger, continued, "What happened after that?"

"After that, I saw a daddy hitting a child on the road, so mean. I didn’t want Daddy anymore, I wanted to come back. Uncle Kong and Uncle Lu wouldn’t let me, I cried, but they still wouldn’t let me, so I ran away secretly." Danzi felt aggrieved as he recounted the story.

Jin Dabao curiously asked, "Did you run away?"

Danzi nodded, "I told them Uncle Kong and Uncle Lu were kidnappers. The uncles, aunties, grandpas, and grandmas all helped me, and then I ran away."

The protagonist is truly a protagonist, so astute even at such a young age.

Yu Tongtong, intrigued, asked, "And then what happened?"

"After that, I asked for directions, asking 'how to get to Qingshi Town'. Then people told me, and I had silver, so I took a carriage, then a boat," Danzi explained.

"Weren't you afraid of encountering bad people?" Tian Liu's eyes widened.

Jin Dabao added, "If you met bad people, they could have taken you away."

"I didn't meet any bad people!" Danzi said firmly, then tiptoed to whisper into Xiao Yu's ear, "They didn't have white light or black aura above their heads, so they weren't bad people."

Xiao Yu nodded, "Hmm, smart."

"Brother, what are you talking about?" Minghe asked, puzzled.

"Brother is saying he was lucky not to meet any bad people. You guys can't imitate him; it's easy to encounter bad people, understand?" Xiao Yu said.

The children nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yu continued, "Danzi, keep going."

Danzi, with excellent memory, smoothly said, "Then I reached the main dock, and I asked uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters for directions. After that, I entered Shuiqing Alley and recognized the way, so I ran back here."

"Wow, Danzi, you're so awesome!" Yu Tongtong praised.

Danzi nodded vigorously, feeling proud that he had managed to find his uncle and brother on his own.

"Brother, you are a little hero!" Minghe said, cupping Danzi's chubby cheeks, "Unbeatably amazing."

Danzi smiled happily at his brother's praise.

Jin Dabao and Tian Liu joined in the compliments.

Yu Tongtong asked, "Danzi, you won't leave again, right?"

"I won't leave!" Danzi affirmed resolutely.

"That's great, brother, I missed you so much I almost cried!" Minghe said.

"I did cry!" Danzi added.

The children chattered excitedly.

With Danzi's emotions now stable, Xiao Yu reassuredly moved him away from his embrace, saying, "Danzi, you talk with your brother, Uncle will fetch water for your bath and get you clean clothes."

Danzi was reluctant to leave, but then he heard Jin Dabao say, "Danzi, you're really dirty!"

Yu Tongtong noted, "And your hair is messy."

Tian Liu observed Danzi and Xiao Yu, "You’ve even dirtied Uncle's clothes. If customers see this, they won’t come to eat at your house!"

Hearing this, Danzi immediately stood straight and said, "Uncle, I need a bath."

Xiao Yu smiled and gently touched Danzi's cheek, "Okay, stay here, Uncle will be back in a moment."

Danzi nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yu picked up the basin of water from the ground and walked out of the bedroom, only to see Kong Eleven and Lu Twelve standing in the yard. In contrast to Danzi's disheveled appearance, these two were neat and elegant, one exuding calm grace and the other bright and clean, which ignited a fire in Xiao Yu's heart.

"Xiao Yu! We meet again," Lu Ming greeted cheerfully, extending his hand.

"Yes, we meet again," Xiao Yu gritted his teeth and angrily splashed the basin of water at the two men.

They quickly dodged, but still got splashed with water.

Pei Yanli remained composed.

Lu Ming lamented, "Ah, my new clothes."

"Is this how you take care of Danzi?" Xiao Yu demanded.

Pei Yanli didn't speak, but Lu Ming exclaimed, "He almost killed us!"

Xiao Yu didn't believe it: "He's just a four-year-old child, so obedient and sensible—"

"Obedient and sensible?!" Lu Ming interrupted, "I can't believe you!"

Xiao Yu angrily retorted, "You're an adult, accusing a little child, aren't you ashamed!"

"I..." Lu Ming, at a loss for words, rolled up his sleeve to reveal a row of bite marks, clearly from a child.

Xiao Yu suddenly felt less confident.

Lu Ming explained, "Half a day after getting on the boat, it started raining. We worried about the safety of sailing and Danzi's well-being, so we went ashore at Qingshan Town to rest. But then we saw a father hitting his son, and Danzi immediately didn't want to find his father anymore, he missed his uncle and brother."

This matched exactly with what Danzi had said, so Xiao Yu continued listening.

"No matter how we tried to persuade or console him, nothing worked. He was adamant about returning to Qingshi Town. He tried to sneak away at night and in the morning. Every time I caught him, I endured his hitting, kicking, and biting. The next day at noon, he suddenly behaved, I thought he had calmed down, but then he threw a tantrum in the street, overturning a merchant's stall, kicking the owner, and screaming that we were kidnappers. This caused the merchants and bystanders to attack us, and the constables took us to the yamen," Lu Ming had never felt so humiliated and frustrated in his life.

"Fortunately, Lin Bao was secretly following us, or he could have been lost," Pei Yanli added.

"This... the egg didn't elaborate on."

Lu Ming looked at Xiao Yu and said sarcastically, "You say he's a four-year-old child, looking innocent and clever, but where do all these cunning ideas come from? Who taught him?"

Xiao Yu touched his nose, feeling somewhat guilty.

"What can we do? We can't hit or scold him. We just secretly followed him. Unexpectedly, the child knows everything, sweet-talking like honey, calling everyone uncle, aunt, grandpa, grandma, asking for directions, buying food, taking buses, boats, haggling with vendors and boatmen. When asked if he's alone, he turns and shouts uncle, aunt, grandpa, or grandma at the crowd, not even knowing who he's calling, but everyone thinks he's with adults." Lu Ming, though frustrated, felt reassured seeing the Crown Prince's courage and strategy at such a young age, and couldn't help but feel confident about the future of Great Jing.

"The egg's temporary linguistic abilities couldn't express these details, but after hearing Lu Shi Er's account, Xiao Yu felt even more proud."

Lu Ming complained, "We've suffered following him here, getting doused in water by you. Don't you and your nephew have any sense of reason?"

"It seems unfair to blame Kong Shi Yi and Lu Shi Er. Xiao Yu sought to defend himself and the egg, saying, 'You're adults, he's just a child. You need to be more tactful, the egg is easy to talk to.'"

"Still taking sides," Lu Ming grumbled, tugging at his clothes. "What's this water?"

"The face wash for the egg."

"With that little dirty face, rubbing against dogs and pigs along the way, no, I need to change my clothes," Lu Ming disdainfully walked out of the tavern.

Xiao Yu smiled and looked at Pei Yanli: "Aren’t you changing clothes?"

"Let me talk to you before I go," Pei Yanli said.

Suddenly remembering the phrase said by the egg, "I miss my little uncle. Then Uncle Kong said he did too," Xiao Yu felt an indescribable sensation in his heart and said, "Go ahead."

"I've already said it," Pei Yanli replied.

Xiao Yu was slightly stunned and asked, "What did you say?"

Pei Yanli quietly looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Anything is fine."

Xiao Yu was amused and laughed.

Pei Yanli also smiled lightly, gracefully and elegantly: "I'll go change."

Xiao Yu nodded.

Pei Yanli took a few steps, then suddenly stopped: "By the way, I’ll continue staying at the Shuiqing Inn."

Xiao Yu responded: "Got it."

Then Pei Yanli walked away.

Watching Pei Yanli's departing figure, Xiao Yu didn’t know why, but his mood, gloomy for several days, suddenly brightened. Flowers, grass, vegetables, trees, even the clothesline seemed exceptionally beautiful. Xiao Yu couldn't help but smile, then went to the kitchen to fetch a bucket of hot water, first washing the egg’s hair, drying it, and then placing the little one in the bathtub.

The egg let Xiao Yu scrub, but kept saying, "Little uncle, I missed you so much."

The child had said this several times, and Xiao Yu replied with a smile, "Me too."

"I cried several times."

"You've been through a lot," Xiao Yu said, cradling the little one's face and planting a kiss on it.

Finally feeling consoled, the little one changed the subject.

Xiao Yu deliberately inquired about the journey, finding the accounts exactly matching those of Lu Twelve and Kong Eleven. He realized that the egg truly lived up to its role as the main character, excelling in every aspect.

"Little brother, are you done washing?" Minghe called from outside the house.

"Not yet," the egg replied.

Minghe shouted, "Hurry up, let's go see the three piglets and four piglets!" referring to two pregnant sows.

"Brother, wait for me, just a moment."

Minghe urged, "Hurry up, come on."

"Okay." The egg then hurried Xiao Yu, "Little uncle, brother is rushing you."

Xiao Yu laughed, "Clearly, brother is rushing you, and you're rushing me, claiming it's brother rushing me. How articulate you are." A future emperor indeed needs to be skilled in rhetoric.

Caught by little uncle!

The egg covered its mouth with small hands, giggling.

Xiao Yu laughed, quickly finished bathing the egg, and dressed it in clean clothes, turning the little one back into a neat and pretty doll.

The egg hugged Xiao Yu's neck tightly, "Little uncle!"

"Being affectionate, are we?" Xiao Yu hugged back.

The egg said, "You're so good to me."

Xiao Yu, puzzled, asked, "How do you know what's good?" A comparison is necessary for that.

"Indeed, I saw many adults hitting children, but you never hit me," the egg said. "On the road, in the car, on the boat, adults were scolding and hitting children, but little uncle never scolded or hit me and brother. That's when I knew you were the best little uncle in the world."

"Then, should I hit you once?" Xiao Yu playfully patted the egg's soft bottom and said with a smile, "Go play."

The egg laughed and ran off.

Xiao Yu tidied up and went to the tavern, where Kong Eleven and Lu Twelve, now in clean clothes, were back to drinking tea by the window. He carried a tray of pastries upstairs.

"Sit down and rest a while," Pei Yanli suggested.

Xiao Yu, not being busy, chatted with them about trivial matters. Since neither mentioned taking the egg away again, he pretended to be oblivious and later joined the egg, Minghe, and other children in cutting grass for the pigs near the pig farm.

In the evening, the uncle and nephews played, told stories, and laughed together in bed.

Two days passed, and Pei Yanli and Lu Ming still hadn't discussed their next plan. They continued to stay at the Shuiqing Inn, taking their meals at the small river's early diner and tavern, seemingly at ease.

Xiao Yu didn't know what they were planning. He lived each day as it came, cooking meals, raising pigs, selling vegetables, and enjoying his time with the two children. They were especially delighted when Brother Hao brought them watermelons.

"Wow! Watermelons!" exclaimed the egg.

"So big!" Minghe couldn't resist lying on the watermelon.

Xiao Yu was also surprised, "Brother Hao, you're growing watermelons now?" He felt his three acres had become a treasure trove under Brother Hao's family's care, constantly yielding new fruits and vegetables.

"Yes, they're ripe now. We had one, and it's very sweet," Brother Hao replied.

"You eat, eat more," Xiao Yu, always generous with people, was even more so with the kind and honest Hao family.

Brother Hao said with a smile, "We are eating it. But it's our first time growing watermelons, so we didn't plant many, just enough for you."

"That's great, truly. Thank you for your hard work," Xiao Yu responded.

The two children also expressed their thanks.

Feeling his efforts appreciated, Brother Hao, in high spirits, unloaded the watermelon and vegetables at the door of the small river's early diner and then left.

Xiao Yu took some vegetables back to the kitchen, and when he came out, neighbors were already there to buy the fresh produce.

The vegetables sold out in no time.

The two children entered the tavern carrying the watermelon.

Xiao Yu cautioned, "Be careful."

"Wow, that's a big watermelon," Song Sanwu exclaimed.

"Sanwu Brother, here's one for you," Xiao Yu immediately offered a watermelon to Song Sanwu.

Song Sanwu waved his hands repeatedly, "We bought two yesterday, haven’t finished them yet."

Xiao Yu didn’t insist and asked, "Are you off to work?"

"Yes, it's not busy today, so I'm heading there later. I’m off now." Song Sanwu took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "By the way, Xiao Yu, my daughter has a formal name now!"

"Yaya is about to walk. The master finally gave her a formal name," Xiao Yu curiously asked, "What’s her name?"

Song Sanwu replied, "Her name is Song Yingying."

Xiao Yu, a bit surprised, asked, "Which 'Ying'?"

"One is 'Ying' as in 'welcome', the other 'Ying' means 'full'. Her name, Song Yingying, the master said my surname isn’t favorable for my daughter, as 'Song' sounds like 'sending away'. But pairing it with 'Ying', it negates that, leaving only the meaning of 'fullness'. Her nickname is Yaya, signifying fullness and perfection. Quite impressive!" Song Sanwu explained with satisfaction.

Song Yingying!

Song Yingying!

She's the heroine from the book "Emperor's Dream"!

The future Empress!

Xiao Yu, struck as if by lightning, dropped the watermelon from his hands.

"Ah, the watermelon!" Egg and Minghe shouted in unison.