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墨書 Inktalez
"Seventh Young Lady, don't be afraid. I will take care of everything," said Rong Mama with a meaningful smile.
It's because of you that I'm "afraid"! Yun Kexin thought to herself as she obediently allowed Rong Mama to carry her back to the Main Hall of the Third House. Yun Yang gave her a few instructions before letting her go out with Uncle and Second Uncle's family.
As night fell and the moon rose high, the market was bustling with activity, filled with cars and people. Walking through the lantern-filled night market during the Lantern Festival, the four adults laughed as they navigated through the crowd with the children.
The lingering chill of early spring did not dampen people's enthusiasm for celebrating the Lantern Festival—some groups admired the lanterns, others guessed riddles, and families held hands while buying lanterns, all enjoying themselves.
Yun Ke and Yun Yan insisted on holding Seventh Sister's hand despite Rong Mama's various excuses to keep them apart. They walked beside Yun Kexin like two guardians, while their two cousins from the First House followed closely behind, happily showing them this and that, competing in guessing riddles, with the loser buying candy for everyone.
The five cousins were inseparable. Rong Mama tried several times to pull Yun Kexin away to isolate her from that familial bond, but unfortunately, things never went as planned, and she could only follow behind like a little dog.
"Brother, you lost! Cousin guessed three more right than you; you have to buy us candy!" Yun Yan exclaimed excitedly in front of a row of riddle lanterns. "Buy us candy! I want candied hawthorn too."
"I want candy too, and candied hawthorn!" Yun Kexin chimed in. "Cousin, I want some as well."
"Alright, alright! I'll buy them for you," Yun Ke laughed. "Let's go together."
Yun Ke and his two cousins took their two younger sisters to a candy stall surrounded by a crowd. The five children squeezed in with difficulty as several masters were skillfully making sugar figurines in front of a heated charcoal stove. Next to the stove was a straw stack shaped like a pillar with various completed sugar figurines—flowers, white horses, flying birds, and phoenixes...
Yun Kexin's eyes sparkled with desire.
"Uncle, give me nine sugar figurines," Yun Ke said as he took out some coins from a sachet tied at his waist and handed them to the middle-aged man behind the stove. "Make sure they're warm."
"Sure thing!" The middle-aged man cheerfully accepted the coins and pulled out several sugar figurines from the stack to hand to Yun Ke. "Hold them carefully; don't let them stick to anyone else."
After politely receiving them, Yun Ke led his cousins and sisters away from the stall. Once they reached a quieter spot, he took four sugar figurines for his cousins to give to the adults and kept five for themselves. When it was time to distribute them to Yun Kexin, Yun Ke suddenly stopped—
"Seventh Sister, if you call me 'brother' and call Yun Yan 'sister,' I'll give you a sugar figurine." He waved the sugar figurines in front of her with a smile.
Just as Yun Kexin was about to call out "brother," she caught sight of Rong Mama's sharp warning gaze nearby and felt disgusted—she was already tightly controlled in the Third House; did she think she could restrict her even outside? Dream on!
Yun Kexin knew that her brother and sister had always been unwilling to accept the fact that she was adopted and disliked hearing her call them "cousin."
However, the adoption laws stipulated that once the adoption ceremony was held, it was a done deal and could not be violated. Yun Ke, as the legitimate eldest son of the Second House, could never act against the wishes of the Yun Clan's relatives. He could only privately get close to her to prevent their bond from fading and even try to gently inform her of the truth about her adoption.
In her previous life, she had been too unclear about things; in this life, she understood everything.
"Brother, Sister," Yun Kexin said playfully with a smile, reaching out to grab the sugar figurine from Yun Ke's hand. "I want to eat it."
Yun Ke stopped teasing her and cheerfully handed the sugar figurine to her. Yun Kexin happily accepted it, licking it as she put it in her mouth, deliberately enjoying it in front of Nanny Rong. Her eyes were innocent and naive, as if she were just a greedy child who understood nothing—serves that old woman right! Yun Kexin thought mischievously.
At that moment, Uncle, Aunt, and their parents were walking toward them with her cousins.
"Sister Xin, these four sugar figurines are for you," Yue Ziyun said with a serene smile as she handed over the sugar figurines originally meant for the four adults. "We won't eat these."
Yun Kexin paused for a moment; her nose felt sour, but her eyes only turned slightly red.
"Thank you, Auntie," Yun Kexin smiled but did not accept them. "Give them to my cousins instead; Mother says too much sugar is bad for your teeth."
It was as if someone had slapped Yue Ziyun in the face; her smile froze, revealing embarrassment, shock, and heartache. Yun Kexin couldn't bear to look at her and turned her face away: Mother, forgive your daughter for this temporary unfilial act. If I cannot endure this short pain now, what awaits us will be long-term separation and suffering.
The people from the Second House collectively wore expressions of undisguised disappointment, which made Nanny Rong feel delighted inside.
"Seventh Young Lady, it's getting late; Third Lady has instructed you to go early and return early. You see—" Nanny Rong lowered her head toward Yun Kexin, hesitating as if troubled, but in reality, it was meant for the Second House people to hear.
"Sister, why don't you stay at the Second House tonight instead of going back to Third Uncle and Third Aunt's place?" Yun Yan said stubbornly while holding Yun Kexin's hand. "My cousins have many fun things and delicious food for you."
Yun Kexin felt a pang in her heart: so this scene had indeed happened before; the people from the Second House had really tried to keep her.
"Then let's head back first so that Mother and Father won't worry at home," Yun Kexin steeled herself and pretended not to understand her sister's meaning. She coldly looked back at Nanny Rong and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Nursemaid, I'm a bit tired; could you carry me back?"
"Oh dear, yes, yes," Nanny Rong seemed eager as if afraid that this task would be snatched away by the Second House people. She reached out with her bony hands to pick up Yun Kexin and gently patted her back. "Having walked such a long way, it's no wonder Seventh Young Lady is tired. Rest your head on this old servant's shoulder; we'll be home soon."
"That's fine, it's getting late, we should head back," Yun You glanced at Yue Ziyun and interjected, "Let's go back together."
Yun Ci and Sun Rulan also agreed that it was time to return and the group set off on the way back to Duke's Residence.
Yun Kexin's face was pressed against Nanny Rong's shoulder, her eyes half-closed as if she had really fallen asleep from exhaustion. She heard Mother say, "Nursemaid, it's quite a long way from the market to Duke's Residence. You carrying Seventh Young Lady back alone might be too much for you. How about we take turns carrying Sister Xin?"
Nanny Rong frowned: Was this a comment on her age?
She usually disliked being reminded that she was "getting old," and felt displeased, but maintained a polite smile as she replied, "Thank you, Second Madam. I have taken care of several Young Masters and Young Ladies before; it’s not a problem. Before we left, I promised Third Lady that I would take good care of Seventh Young Lady, so there’s no need to trouble Marquise..."
In her "dream," Yun Kexin slowly curled her lips into a cold smile: Nanny Rong, I will grant you your "loyalty" and give you this opportunity to "take good care" of me—
A three-year-old child has some weight; carrying her for a while is manageable, but over time even a strong man would need to take a break, let alone Nanny Rong who was already forty-eight!
Sure enough, after carrying her for a while, Nanny Rong began to struggle. Sweat beads formed on her forehead, her hands ached and legs felt numb as she gasped for breath. Stealing a glance at the "sleeping" Yun Kexin, she dared not disturb her and could only grit her teeth and endure. After walking for some time, unable to hold on any longer, she had no choice but to shamelessly seek help from First House and Second House.
Yue Ziyun quietly agreed, taking Yun Kexin into her arms and gently patting her back with a long-lost smile on her face. Her goal had been achieved; letting Nanny Rong suffer a bit satisfied Mother.
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