novelraw Chapter 2249: Little Bun Romance 03
Chapter 2249: Little Bun Romance 03
"Aunt, don’t worry. I went to Dongling with my parents before. Although I didn’t get to see the legendary Goddess of the Sea, we did have a lot of seaside delicacies! And the blue sea, the cool sea breeze, it’s really comfortable! Aunt, please let us go, it’s been years since I last went, and I dream about it!"
Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng used to travel frequently, but back then Xia Ke was too young to be left at home. However, now that the child has grown, bringing her along is somewhat burdensome.
Ah Yin also wanted to go. Last time, he and his elder brother sneaked out to find their parents, but somehow they took the wrong road. After several days, they only ended up at the gates of the Capital city and didn’t even see the next town before being caught and brought back home.
Pitifully, they thought they had reached Dongling, but little did they know that their parents had already returned with their sister.
A poor brother like them probably cannot be found again in the world. Oh no, it should be the third one!
With no man to take charge at home, Tian Hui, being a woman, surely wouldn’t allow them to go as far as Dongling.
However, Ah Jin remained calm and took out the Flying Pigeon Letter he received today from his sleeve: "Aunt, this is what I received this morning, please take a look."
Ah Jin’s composed demeanor, akin to the weight of Mount Tai, is not at all like the offspring of a rascal like Xia Zheng.
Tian Hui smiled, took the letter, and was amused: "So your parents’ next destination is Dongling! That’s perfect; you can attend Princess Jing’s invitation."
"Really?"
Hearing this, Xia Ke also leaned in to have a look at the letter. Seeing Lin Yuan mention going to Dongling to eat seafood, Xia Ke couldn’t help but pout: "Parents are indeed unbelievable, going to eat seafood without taking me!"
Poof!
Tian Hui couldn’t help but laugh: "You little girl, wanting to eat seafood is not difficult. We have it at Dong Tian and Fuman Building too! Speaking of which, that little village girl from Dongling is really impressive. If it weren’t for her clever idea, we wouldn’t have been able to eat such fresh seafood at all!"
That’s true; Dayong Capital City is really far from the Dongling Sea. Forget about fresh seafood; even dried seafood is hard to find!
But the little girl is indeed amazing. I heard that after being pulled out of the sea, she completely changed. Not only did she learn to swim, but she also started doing things that others couldn’t!
Xia Ke’s eyes rolled: "Aunt, my parents have already gone to Dongling, so why don’t we go too? Please, Aunt, I really miss my parents!"
Ah Jin and Ah Yin couldn’t help but roll their eyes. Pretending to miss their parents, when in reality they probably just want to eat delicious food!
Despite their words, the two of them actually wanted to go to Dongling too, to fulfill their childhood dreams.
It was clear that having just Xia Ke plead wouldn’t work. With all three children wanting to go to Dongling, Tian Hui was having a hard time holding her ground, so she reassured them: "You wait. I can’t make a decision on such a big matter. I have to go to the military camp to ask your uncle!"
After all, they are not her own children, and she couldn’t bear the responsibility if something went wrong. Furthermore, even if they weren’t her own children, she really didn’t feel at ease letting three children travel alone. Discussing it with Xia Zhen might get her a good idea!
Resolving to act, Tian Hui immediately got up and took a carriage to the Xia Family’s military camp.
Ah Jin and Ah Yin, having to manage the business at the tavern, naturally couldn’t just leave everything behind. They had to coordinate with others before leaving.
So the two of them hurried back to have meetings with the shopkeepers and stewards.
For a moment, Xia Ke was the only one left at home.
After some thought, Xia Ke still felt uneasy about the little orphans in the old temple, deciding to visit them again and bring some golden sore medicine for Liang Zi.
Knowing that this trip to Dongling wouldn’t be short—possibly a year or longer—
Xia Ke returned to her room to change out of her clothes, back into the dirty clothes of a little beggar, and then sneaked out from the back door.
The back door of the Xia Mansion usually wasn’t frequented by anyone, but today, as soon as she stepped out, she bumped into someone she didn’t want to see.
"What is your identity, and why are you coming out of the Xia Mansion’s back door?"
He Lianyu’s voice suddenly rang out, startling Xia Ke nearly to leap up. Upon seeing it was He Lianyu, Xia Ke clutched her heart, annoyed: "Hey! What’s wrong with you, why are you scaring me? I told you, my parents are servants of the Xia family, why can’t I come out of the Xia family? Didn’t you bring your brain along? I suggest you quickly return to Xiliang and bring your brain!"
Initially, He Lianyu’s suspicions had subsided, but hearing her words, they arose again.
He squinted as he stepped forward, approaching: "How do you know I’m from Xiliang? A little beggar like you shouldn’t have the ability to overhear my conversation with Madam Xia. Speak, who exactly are you?"
Xia Ke silently cursed, it was bad, she lost control of her emotions for a moment and accidentally said something she shouldn’t have.
"Didn’t you tell me that yourself? You also said you didn’t know where the Xia Mansion was! Could it be you’ve forgotten?"
Feeling guilty, Xia Ke took a step back.
He Lianyu wasn’t about to easily believe her and said in a deep voice, "Did I say that? I only mentioned that I was new to Dayong Capital City and didn’t know the Xia Mansion’s location. I don’t recall saying I was from Xiliang, did I?"
Xia Ke’s eyes darted, "Did you not say that? Oh, you don’t need to say it for me to know. One look at you and I can tell you’re an outsider, with such fair skin, definitely not someone from the coastal areas of Dongling. So you can only be from Xiliang!"
"Hmm?" He Lianyu raised his eyebrows, "You, a little beggar, actually know about the Dongling coast and that people there don’t have fair skin. Boy, do you think these are things you should know? Shouldn’t you be explaining your identity to me properly?"
Identity, identity, why is it always about identity!
Xia Ke got anxious and shouted with her hands on her hips, "Explain what? I never bullied you or had any intentions against you, why should I explain anything to you? I’ll tell you, I, Xia Ke, walk upright and sit properly, I’ve never been involved in any sneaky business! You can rest assured!"
Xia Ke?
He Lianyu blinked, his eyes filled with a complex confusion as he looked at the little beggar in front of him.
Actually, he had already inquired before coming, Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan had three children, the first two were twin sons, named Xia Lang and Xia Yu, with nicknames Ah Jin and Ah Yin. The third child was a daughter named Xia Ke, who was a very beautiful but spoiled and willful little girl.
He initially thought this little beggar was one of the Xia Lang or Xia Yu brothers, but who would have thought that the little beggar in front of him was actually a girl, the very daughter Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan doted on!
Hearing her own name slip out, Xia Ke was also stunned, immediately covering her mouth. Oh no, how did she blurt her name out?
But so what if she said it out loud? She didn’t do anything to wrong He Lianyu and wasn’t afraid of her identity being discovered!
"Yes, I’m Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan’s daughter Xia Ke, now you know, so do you have anything else to say? Hmph, do I need to give you a reason for leaving my own home? Ridiculous!"
Xia Ke placed her hands on her hips, swaggering past He Lianyu with an air of arrogance.
"Wait, are you really the daughter of the Commandery Princess?"
He Lianyu was still in disbelief, "Are you really a girl?"
How could that be possible? What kind of girl would disguise herself as such an ugly little beggar!
Oh right, there was one! His mother, Little Peach, at the time also disguised herself as an ugly little matchmaker! If not for his father’s keen eyes, they might never have met and fallen in love.
But his mother had no choice to dress as an ugly matchmaker because she was initially quite plain, but Xia Ke wasn’t ugly at all! It is said that Xia Ke was called Dayong’s first beauty!
Girls all love to be pretty, yet she intentionally made herself so ugly. This girl really went hard on her own looks!
"Yes, so what? Are you going to use this to threaten me? Or tell that Da Qiangtou about my real identity? Go ahead, go ahead, I wish you would spread it around. It’s just as well since I don’t want to get married, let my reputation be ruined!"
Xia Ke waved her hands indifferently and continued walking forward, she still had to check on the little beggars in the ruined temple, she didn’t have the patience to waste time with He Lianyu.
He Lianyu didn’t expect her to say that, about marriage and all that, he hadn’t even thought that far ahead!
However, he had heard that the people of Dayong valued a woman’s reputation heavily. If they found out that she was acting like a little beggar and fighting, it would surely affect her marriage prospects!
"Don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell anyone about this."
Xia Ke curled her lip, not taking his words seriously at all.
The two of them started walking toward the ruined temple, with Xia Ke repeatedly telling him not to follow her, but He Lianyu didn’t know anyone in the Capital city and hadn’t even brought a young servant with him. He had nothing better to do, and it would be better to tag along with Xia Ke.
Having such a sudden tag-along, Xia Ke was extremely irritated but found herself powerless. She couldn’t beat him, and he wouldn’t listen, so she just let him follow along.
Soon, they arrived at the ruined temple, where Liang Zi was lying on a mat sleeping.