This time, Li Yu knew that she was truly angry.
But why was she angry? Because he didnât help her? Didnât she always have a smile on her face?
However, no matter how much she loved to laugh, she had a temper.
She was a protective person, and would never back down when it came to matters related to her family. She could not bear to watch Ouyang Yi bully Ah Xun and order her around. That would make her very angry.
Li Yu was not on her side, and he was on the same side as Ouyang Yi. This made her even more unhappy. She thought back to how he had left her in the study with Ouyang Yi to take a look at the bird, and then she pushed Li Yu aside and said, âBrother Xiao Yu, if you donât want to play with me, I wonât play with you anymore! Go away, I want to go home!â
As Xie Xun continued to shed tears, she turned her head to glare at the lapdog on the floor. âDonât be smug, we donât care about you!â
Not only was the dog not intimidated by her presence, but it barked even louder.
Xie Xun was timid and wailing even more.
âPlease watch over your dog,â Xie Rong said to Ouyang Yi as he comforted Xie Xun.
Ouyang Yi put her hands on her hips and revealed a complacent expression. âIf it insists on screaming, how can I control it?â
Originally, she thought Xie Rong would have nothing to do with her, but she didnât expect that he rolled up his sleeves expressionlessly and said, âSince you canât control it, let me help you manage it.â
Before Ouyang Yi could understand it, he carried one of the dogâs hind legs in one hand and a piece of Xie Zhenâs silk in the other as he walked under a prune tree.
The dog began to bark in alarm, but then it was lifted up into the air, and a leg was lifted upside down, without a trace of majesty.
Ouyang Yi chased after him. âWhat are you doing? Give me my Qiu Qiu!â
Xie Rong acted as if he didnât hear anything. He used a piece of silk to coil the dogâs back twice, hanging it upside down on the prune tree and tied the silk with a dead knot.
The dog flapped its forelegs and wailed in a sorry posture.
Ouyang Yi was fuming with rage as she argued with Xie Rong. However, Xie Rong remained unmoved and had no intention of letting the dog go. She could only turn around and beg Li Yu for help, âCousin, quickly get someone to chase them away!â
She turned her head and noticed that Li Yuâs expression wasnât good either.
Li Yu was pushed away by Xie Zhen just now and staggered two steps back. He had never been treated like this before, so he was stunned for a moment, âYouâre not playing with me anymore?â
âNo, you bullied Ah Xun with Ouyang. Iâm not playing with you anymore!â
Her aura was extremely strong, and it was obvious that she was really angry. However, it was unknown whether it was because Xie Xun had been bullied, or because Li Yu had left her behind.
She had made up her mind to go home, but Li Yu had no face to ask her to stay, so he stood in front of her, refusing to leave.
She met his eyes for a moment, then cleverly walked around him and continued on out of prune garden.
Li Yu still didnât know what he was wrong about, but he didnât want her to leave. After all, itâs been a long time since they met last time, and they had been playing well, right? He took hold of her hand and blurted out, âMother let you stay for dinner, and Aunt Leng has agreed.â
âI donât want to eat with you. I hate Brother Xiao Yu.â
Li Yuâs face stiffened as he looked at her blankly.
He almost asked her, âDidnât you just say you missed me?â Unfortunately, he did not have the courage to ask, what if she said something more hurtful? His heart was pierced by the words âI hate brother Xiao Yuâ and a cold wind blew in, sending chills down his spine.
âI hate you,â she said, fearing he didnât hear her clearly.
Li Yuâs face instantly darkened.
He felt like he had made a joke out of himself, and he glared at Xie Zhen, like he wished he could eat her whole. âThen you can leave, donât come looking for me in the future!â
Xie Zhen turned around and walked away, âIf you donât want to see me, then donât!â
So she took Xie Yun out of prune garden, under the lead of Jin Lv back to the main hall. One of them insisted on going home while the other cried till her eyes were red. Madam Leng thought that something serious had happened and nervously asked them the reason, but the two little fellows, whether it was planned beforehand or something else, refused to say anything. Their mouths were shut tight like everyone elseâs.
Madam Leng had no other choice, they could only bid farewell to Madam Song and promist to visit them another day.
When they got home, Leng called Xie Rong into the room and asked him a few questions.
After Xie Rong left, she had gotten a clear grasp of the situation. She knew that it wasnât a big deal but quarrels between children. She was finally able to relax.
However, this was not a small matter for Xie Zhen. She was furious. Brother Xiao Yu told her not to visit him in the future, then she wouldnât. Who would go, who would be a puppy!
The snow melted, and it grew warmer.
After the spring, everything revived, hundreds of flowers bloomed, and the yard was filled with colorful flowers, exuding an exuberant vitality.
In this period of time, Xie Zhen did what she said she would. She didnât even go to the Li family to look for Li Yu once.
At first because she was angry, then because Xie Xun was sick and had been in bed for most of a month, she was too worried. A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Today was a sunny day with a breeze blowing. It was a rare good day.
Xie Zhen remembered the kite Xie Liqing had made for her years before, and she was so excited that she moved it out of the storeroom to fly it in her own yard. It was a goose kite with a bamboo skeleton, bigger than three Xie Zhens, and she couldnât lift it on her own, so she asked for Xie Rongâs help.
Xie Rong took them to the back yard, where he taught them how to fly it.
The backyard was big enough for them to run around without a care. However, there was only a wall separating it and the Liâs backyard. The other side clearly heard what happened on this side.
With one hand holding the cotton thread and the other holding the kite, Xie Zhen ran ahead happily. âLook, brother, Iâm flying a kite!â
She turned around and smiled. All the flowers in the yard were overshadowed.
The kite flew higher and higher in her hand, and the goose, circling above her head, ran after her. Xie Xun followed behind her, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. âSister is so amazing!â
Xie Zhen was so proud of herself that she wanted to put the kite higher, but before she could react, the kite was blown into the Li âs next door.
She tugged at the broken cotton thread and looked at Xie Rong with a melancholic expression. âBig brother, what should we do?â
This was a kite her father had given her. She really liked it, but she hadnât played with it enough yet.
Xie Rong told her not to worry, so he went to the Li family to get it back for her.
When Xie Rong left, Xie Zhen and Xie Xun stared at the wall, hoping that their brother would appear at the wall with the kite. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed. The one who appeared on the wall wasnât Xie Rong, but Li Yu, who had a smelly face.
Xie Xun was too sick to stand in the wind for too long, so the nannie carried her away first, leaving Xie Zhen and the maidservants in the courtyard.
Xie Zhen blinked to make sure she wasnât wrong, that the boy was Li Yu.
But why did he show up on the wall? Didnât he stop playing with her?
While Xie Zhen was thingking about it, Li Yu held up the kite and asked her, âDo you still want it?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The two little fellows were still in an awkward position. They held their breaths, unwilling to admit defeat. She hesitated, pursed her lips, and nodded.
Li Yu snorted softly, âThen come up and get it.â
Xie Zhen looked up at him and said, âWhy donât you just throw it down?â
At that moment, the expression on Li Yuâs face changed. But he happened to be facing the sun, she couldnât see him clearly. She heard Li Yu saying: âDo you want it or not? If you donât want it, Iâll throw it away. â
âDonât throw it away, I want it!â
She had some of the women carry the ladder and put it in the corner, and they circled around below, carefully supporting her in case she should fall. She climbed up the ladder and looked up. Li Yu was on the other side. The two were too close, even their eyelashes could be counted.
There were beads of sweat on Li Yuâs forehead and nose, not just because he had been in the sun for too long, or something else. He had been looking at her with a glint in his eye, probably still angry with her.
âIâm up here. Can you give me the kite?â she asked innocently.
She really didnât smile at him.
Li Yu was angry and frustrated. He had already given her the kite himself, so why wasnât she smiling?
Last time, he had been taught a lesson by Madam Song and been told that he shouldnât have left her alone in the study room. After thinking about it for a while, he felt that he had done something wrong. If he didnât leave her in the future, wouldnât she forgive him once?
Noticing his lack of movement, she couldnât help but remind him, âMy kiteâ¦â
Li Yu had no reason not to give it to her. His expression became more and more unsightly as he handed the kite to her. âHere you go.â
The kite was too big for her to keep her balance, so she had to climb down the ladder first. However, just as she took the next step, Li Yu grabbed her hand.
âYouâre leaving now?â
âThank you,â Xie Zhen looked at him confusedly, but got to understand immediatly.
This wasnât what Li Yu wanted to hear. After being silent for a long time, he didnât dodge this time and looked straight at her. âDidnât you say you would take me to fly kite?â
He did not realize that there was a hint of anticipation and a subtle hint of complaint in his words.
Xie Zhen tilted his head and asked, âBut didnât you tell me not to meet you in the future?â
Li Yu choked. Since when did she become so obedient?