In the small courtyard of Yunshang Palace.
Looking up at the blazing sun, Shen Baozhu thought for a moment and decided to drag the Fourth Prince into the house. She and Qiuqiu were in good health and not afraid of the sun, but the Fourth Prince was different; he was a fool.
This decision was affirmed by Qiuqiu. She nodded in agreement. "You're right. He's a fool, so his health must be worse than ours."
Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu circled around the Fourth Prince a few times. Each grabbed one of his arms. The two little girls exchanged a look, then simultaneously exerted all their strength. But they both ended up falling to the ground with a thud.
The Fourth Prince had long been starved, so he was not only thin but also much lighter. Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu were unaware of this and used all their might, resulting in them falling due to over - exertion.
Qiuqiu sat on the ground, looking at the Fourth Prince in front of her. She imitated Mother Chen and sighed. "Oh, he's so light! Baozhu, will he really survive?"
"Of course he will! He managed to survive on his own for so long. Now that we're here to help, he'll surely live even longer." Shen Baozhu first confidently comforted Qiuqiu, but deep down, she wasn't so sure. After all, she had never taken care of anyone before and didn't know how to take care of the Fourth Prince.
In the end, it was the Treasure - Hunting Rat that came to the rescue. It carried the Fourth Prince into the house.
Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu sat there for a while longer. Qiuqiu whispered, "Baozhu, I'm hungry. What about you?"
"Should we go home?"
Although it was a question, Shen Baozhu could tell that Qiuqiu was extremely hungry and eager to go home. After some thought, she decided to take Qiuqiu home first.
The Dragon King: [What about the Fourth Prince?]
Just as Shen Baozhu was about to use the talisman to go home, she saw the Dragon King's message. She was stunned and asked in confusion, "What do you mean 'what about the Fourth Prince'?"
Lin Yu: [Baozhu, do you plan to leave the Fourth Prince here?]
Shen Baozhu nodded. "Yes. Isn't this the Fourth Prince's home?"
The Dragon King: [It is indeed his home, but it's in ruins!]
Shen Baozhu continued to nod, but there was a look of confusion in her eyes. "But no matter how shabby it is, it's still the Fourth Prince's home. Moreover, the Fourth Prince has his parents to take care of him. I can't take him home with me."
The Dragon King: [It sounds like the little cutie has a point, but Concubine Li can't be trusted!]
Shen Baozhu was extremely puzzled. "Why can't she be trusted? She's the Fourth Prince's mother!"
The Dragon King: [Concubine Li is a bad person. She even led the Third Prince astray. She's not a good person.]
Shen Baozhu argued reasonably, "That's because Concubine Li isn't the Third Prince's mother."
Seeing the Dragon King and Shen Baozhu talking past each other, Lin Yu was astounded.
The Qingyun True Man: [Baozhu has a good thought, but the Fourth Prince's situation is special. His mother is Concubine Li, who is a big villain and doesn't like the Fourth Prince.]
Afraid that Shen Baozhu wouldn't understand, Lin Yu quickly added, [Just like Baozhu's father. He's a big villain.]
With the example of Shen Yunfeng, Shen Baozhu immediately understood. She worriedly asked, "Then what should we do? Concubine Li will harm the Fourth Prince. Can I take the Fourth Prince home with me?"
The Dragon King: [That's the power of Shen Yunfeng. Mentioning him makes the little cutie understand that Concubine Li will harm the Fourth Prince.]
The Dragon King: [I still want to ask the little cutie. Why do you believe that Concubine Li won't harm the Fourth Prince? The Fourth Prince is clearly in a terrible state. Concubine Li doesn't even feed him!]
Facing the Dragon King's question, Shen Baozhu was a bit surprised. "Did Concubine Li not feed the Fourth Prince? I thought fools didn't know how to eat."
The Dragon King subconsciously remembered when Shen Baozhu unwrapped the oil - paper and stuffed the pastry into the Fourth Prince's mouth. So at that time, Shen Baozhu had misunderstood that fools didn't know how to eat.
Lin Yu: [Even fools get hungry. The Fourth Prince is being mistreated by Concubine Li, who refuses to feed him.]
Shen Baozhu immediately told Qiuqiu this new discovery. "Qiuqiu, the Fourth Prince knows how to eat, but his mother bullies him and doesn't feed him. I'm going to take the Fourth Prince home to eat."
"I have a lot of gold. I can make the Fourth Prince's belly round and plump!"
The Princess Jingning and her third brother, Shen Haiyan, often used the phrase "round and plump belly" to describe Shen Baozhu when she was stuffed.
Now Shen Baozhu had a new goal: to make the Fourth Prince's belly as round and plump as hers.
Qiuqiu was stunned. She tugged at Shen Baozhu's sleeve. "This is a person, not a rat or a puppy. Will Baozhu's mother agree?"
Shen Baozhu's eyes wandered as she looked at the Fourth Prince. It was as if she was trying to convince herself. "Once we're home, Mother should let me keep him."
The Dragon King was watching the fun. [That's right, that's right!]
With the Dragon King's affirmation, Shen Baozhu felt a bit more confident. She held the Treasure - Hunting Rat's paw. The Treasure - Hunting Rat struggled to hold the Fourth Prince, while Qiuqiu stood on tiptoe and gently pinched the rat's ears.
As Shen Baozhu used the teleportation talisman, the three girls and the rat appeared in Chen Ruxia's courtyard.
Qiuqiu curiously looked around. "Baozhu, where is this?"
"Qiuqiu, Baozhu, Treasure - Hunting Rat, why are you here?" Seeing Qiuqiu, Chen Ruxia was quite startled. She had just returned from inspecting the shop and hadn't even had time to change her clothes when she heard Qiuqiu's voice. She thought she had misheard, but when she came out to check, it really was Qiuqiu.
Chen Ruxia hadn't seen Qiuqiu for a long time. She quickly walked over, touched Qiuqiu's little face, and said with a smile, "Qiuqiu has lost weight. Haven't you been eating properly lately?"
Looking at Chen Ruxia, Qiuqiu's tears welled up and fell in big drops. She threw herself into Chen Ruxia's arms and coquettishly said, "Big brother is a bad guy. He hurt me. Qiuqiu doesn't want big brother. I only want sister."
Chen Ruxia hugged Qiuqiu into the house. The maid lowered her head and took the Fourth Prince from the Treasure - Hunting Rat. "Little Princess, this... let this maid take care of him."
Shen Baozhu looked at the Fourth Prince, then at the backs of Chen Ruxia and Qiuqiu. After a difficult struggle, she handed the Fourth Prince to the maid and told the maid to prepare food for him. Then she ran into the house to accompany Qiuqiu.
Inside the house, Chen Ruxia explained to Qiuqiu that she hadn't been able to go back to see her because her scars hadn't healed. Even when she went out, she wore three layers of veils for fear of scaring Qiuqiu.
Qiuqiu curiously asked, "Why do you have to wear three layers of veils?"
"Stupid Qiuqiu. One layer of veil might easily fall off! Wearing more layers ensures that no matter how Sister Ruxia moves, the veil won't fall." Shen Baozhu entered the room, moved a stool next to Qiuqiu, and sat down beside her.
Qiuqiu, who had been half - clinging to Chen Ruxia, immediately sat up straight and even leaned a bit towards Shen Baozhu.
Chen Ruxia reached out and poked each of them. She joked, "Well, Qiuqiu has a little friend now and doesn't want me as her sister anymore."
Qiuqiu grabbed Shen Baozhu's hand and replied confidently, "That's not true! Sister is more important than a little friend!"
"But Baozhu isn't Qiuqiu's little friend. She's Qiuqiu's forever friend!"
Chen Ruxia wanted to tease Qiuqiu and pretended to be sad. "So now that Qiuqiu has a friend, does that mean you don't want me as your sister anymore?"
Qiuqiu was deceived by Chen Ruxia and looked a bit panicked. She didn't want Chen Ruxia or Shen Baozhu to be sad and didn't know how to answer.
Shen Baozhu held Qiuqiu's hand back. "No. Between a friend and Sister Ruxia, of course Sister Ruxia is more important. But I'm Qiuqiu's little sister, a forever little sister."
Chen Ruxia was stunned for a moment, then asked, "So who's more important, the little sister or me?"
"Of course it's Sister Ruxia." A sly look flashed in Shen Baozhu's eyes. "But now I'm Qiuqiu's friend, not a little sister."
It took Chen Ruxia a while to understand what Shen Baozhu meant.
When compared with a friend, Shen Baozhu was a little sister. When compared with a little sister, Shen Baozhu was a friend.
No matter how they were compared, she was always the most important one. At the same time, Qiuqiu had avoided answering the most crucial question: who was more important, her or Shen Baozhu.
Chen Ruxia couldn't help but laugh. "What a clever girl."
There was laughter in the room, but Yan Mingli rushed to the Zuiyin Tower, sweating profusely. He was almost on the verge of collapse. "Miaochun, Baozhu and Qiuqiu are both missing. I've searched everywhere but can't find them!"