Page 7

The group of maids and their mistress were sobbing together, but Pei Yuanxi was still relentless.

"She hit me, it hurts so much!"

"It's a pain in your body, but in Auntie's heart. Third Miss, you should be good from now on, don't make your aunt angry anymore. From now on, we'll stay quietly in the courtyard, not going anywhere else, alright?" Old Lady Huang coaxed her, trying to pull her up.

Lady Li had a face full of sorrow, holding her tightly as she cried in pain.

Seeing this, Old Lady Huang only pulled Chunyue up. One went to prepare hot water, the other went to the kitchen to fetch food, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"Third, Auntie only hopes that you're well, do you promise Auntie that you won't run around anymore?"

"I didn't run around." Pei Yuanxi stubbornly held her head high, like a sulking child.

"Why are you so disobedient? Are you trying to kill Auntie with worry?" Lady Li pinched her waist hard, causing her to frown in pain as she pushed Lady Li away and ran out.

Lady Li's expression changed drastically as she chased after her.

Pei Yuanxi ran desperately, crying loudly as she did. She ran towards the outer courtyard, where Xuanping Marquis would pass through when he returned to the residence.

Seeing Xuanping Marquis and his son in the distance, she rushed over.

"Dad, dad, aunt hit me!"

In the entire residence, Xuanping Marquis Pei Zhi had only heard one child call him father, and that was his third daughter, Yuanxi. When Third was young, she was particularly smart, at that time he even lamented that if Third was a son, the marquisate might have produced a top scholar.

He had never encountered a child as intelligent as Third, almost understanding everything at a glance.

Later, when Third became silly, he still remembered that daughter. He visited her from time to time, wanting to talk to her. Even if she had become silly, she was still the child he once loved.

Every time he went, Lady Li would cry. Lady Li said he was a marquis, the master of the residence, and could not linger in the back house, otherwise it would be her fault as a concubine. She also said she would take care of Third and didn't want him to be distracted by this.

At first, he was very displeased, thinking that Lady Li was making a big deal out of nothing. Who knew that Lady Li was so fierce, almost forcing him to death before he stopped visiting Third.

Lady Li's actions were highly praised by his mother, but he was annoyed and never went to her room again.

"Father, it's sister." Pei Ji exclaimed, seeing Pei Yuanxi hug Xuanping Marquis.

"Dad, aunt hit me, why didn't you come to save me?" Pei Yuanxi cried with red eyes, pitifully. "Dad, I miss you so much, why don't you visit me?"

Xuanping Marquis had been strict all his life, stern with any child, even his only son Pei Ji was always treated seriously. Suddenly being hugged by his daughter felt like something had crashed into the softest part of his heart.

He looked at Lady Li, who was chasing after them, unpleasantly. "What mistake did Third make for you to hit her?"

Lady Li's mouth was bitter. "My Lord, this servant loves Third Miss the most, she is my servant's life. If she hadn't run to the Chongming Pond today to play, this servant wouldn't have been angry with her. This servant just wanted to scare her, how could I bear to hit her. Third Miss, come here quickly, don't trouble your father."

Pei Yuanxi shook her head, looking frightened.

"I'm not going over, you're a bad aunt, I want to be with dad."

Lady Li's pupils trembled violently, squeezing her palm tightly.

Being hugged so intimately by his daughter, Xuanping Marquis's heart melted. He remembered how Third used to like to stick to him, he even carried her on his lap to learn to write. He now turned cold to Lady Li, telling her to go about her business while he wanted to have a good chat with Third.

Lady Li made a move to kneel, and Xuanping Marquis knew what she was going to do. It was simply another attempt to suppress him with some great principle, telling him not to interfere with Third's affairs.

It had been ten years since Xuanping Marquis had enjoyed the feeling of being relied upon by his daughter. His face was black with anger, knowing that Lady Li's intentions were good, but he couldn't help but feel an inexplicable disgust.

"If you want to kneel, then kneel, for as long as you want."

Lady Li's face turned pale, watching him take Pei Yuanxi and Pei Ji to the study in the front yard.

This outer study was a place Pei Yuanxi often came to as a child, at that time only she and Pei Ji were allowed to follow Xuanping Marquis. Pei Ji had grown up following Xuanping Marquis, not only did he look like Xuanping Marquis, but his character and demeanor were also very similar.

Pei Ji didn't have much affection for the other sisters in the residence, even his eldest sister, who was born of the same mother, wasn't close to him. Because they had spent day and night together since childhood, he had the deepest feelings for his sister.

After his sister became silly, he had gone to see her. Due to Lady Li's advice and his own aunt's objections, he hadn't gone back after a few visits.

Over the years, he had always thought of his sister, visiting her several times on his way. She was playing with mud on the ground, catching bugs in the grass, no longer resembling the person he knew.

He was sorry for her, and had also been melancholy.

Pei Yuanxi found a place to sit down, he asked in confusion: "Sister, do you remember your spot?"

"I remember, this is my place, that is brother's place."

He was even more surprised. "Has Sister gotten better?"

Xuanping Marquis was also shocked, a person who had been silly for ten years still remembered what happened ten years ago, did this mean she wasn't that silly, or was she slowly getting better?

"Third, come here, write a few words for dad to see."

Pei Yuanxi obediently went over, picked up a brush and dipped it in ink, without hesitation she put pen to paper on the snow-white xuan paper. Her movements were skilled and her writing flowed smoothly, her handwriting was delicate yet exuded a sense of grace, having a boldness of its own style.

Xuanping Marquis couldn't believe it, these were the words written by his daughter. Ten years ago, when Third was taught by him, she was indeed smarter than many children, but at that time her handwriting was childish and immature.

The words on the paper, if not seen with his own eyes, he would never have believed that Third wrote them. Such handwriting and style couldn't be practiced overnight.

Pei Ji was also greatly surprised, he thought his sister would forget what father had taught her. He didn't expect that his sister not only hadn't forgotten, but also showed off such stunning handwriting.

He carefully looked at his sister's handwriting, feeling incredibly ashamed. He had been learning with his father all along, yet his handwriting wasn't as outstanding as his sister's.