There was a pond behind Nanyunzhai. The pond water was extremely clear. When Cheng Xiran rushed to look for Chu Liyin, she was crying her heart out by the pond.
"Why are you crying like this? If your clothes get wet, just change into another set. There's no need to cry like this." Cheng Xiran walked forward slowly. When she took another look at Chu Liyin, her eyes were already red and swollen from crying.
Only then did Cheng Xiran realize that something was wrong. She quickly pulled Chu Liyin over and whispered, "What exactly happened in the hall?"
Chu Liyin's eyes were red-rimmed and her voice trembled. "He, he bullied me. The princess just said a joke, but he really listened and poured the tea on me."
After hearing the whole story, Cheng Xiran also thought that Xue Lianyu had gone too far this time. She kindly comforted Chu Liyin, "Since he's done this, we'll teach him a good lesson later. Crying here won't solve anything."
Unexpectedly, Chu Liyin shook her head, seemingly not wanting to go back.
"You'd better go back and take revenge on him instead of wasting time crying here. It's really embarrassing." A childish voice came from behind.
When they looked back, they saw a baby who was less than five years old. Dressed in black, he looked as serious as an adult scolding them.
"Whose baby is this?" Cheng Xiran had never seen such a serious little guy. He was quite good-looking.
"He's the baby of an old friend of the prince. After that friend passed away, he's been raised in the mansion ever since." Chu Liyin whispered, forgetting to cry for the moment.
Cheng Xiran was a bit shocked. How could such words come out of a baby's mouth? "It was just a little joke. How could it turn into revenge?"
"Humph, that can't be an excuse for him to bully others. If you're weak, just wait until you're strong enough to take revenge later. Anyway, just keep it in mind." Jiang Yulang said in a childish voice. He ran over on his short legs and handed a piece of candy to Chu Liyin. "Here, this is what I've been hiding. You'll feel happy after eating it."
Although Cheng Xiran didn't know what had happened to Jiang Yulang, his actions were so charming. He was also good-looking. What would he be like when he grew up?
Little kids should be cultivated from an early age. Cheng Xiran picked up Jiang Yulang and stuffed him into Chu Liyin's arms. She smiled and said, "I heard that the red leaves over there are very beautiful. Why don't you go and take a look?"
Chu Liyin didn't think much and carried Jiang Yulang over. Looking at their receding figures, Cheng Xiran somehow imagined a big drama in her mind.
You were born before I was born; by the time I was born, you were already old.
Tsk tsk. If written into a novel, it would surely be popular.
About half an hour later, Chu Liyin carried Jiang Yulang back. Their smiling faces made Cheng Xiran's mind wander even more.
Just as they were approaching, suddenly there came the sound of footsteps from the weeds not far away. The rustling sound was getting closer in their direction.
Suddenly, a man emerged from it. Chu Liyin was so scared that she quickly hid behind Cheng Xiran. Then two more men walked out and followed the first one.
"Hey, your information is really accurate. There are really two little beauties here." Xiao You leered at the women in front of him.
"Yeah, they look really good. It's worth our while to come all the way over the mountains to take a look."
Xiao You was a collateral brother of Xiao Qi, a distant relative. He loafed around all day and didn't do anything proper. The two men who came with him were his friends, the Cui brothers, Cui Long and Cui Hu. They were also idle sons of official families.
When Xiao You saw Chu Liyin, he smiled even more happily. "Chu Liyin, I didn't expect to find you here. So, have you missed big brother these days?"
Seeing Xiao You, Chu Liyin was so frightened that her beautiful face turned pale. She grabbed the corner of Cheng Xiran's clothes and trembled. "They're all bad guys. All bad guys."