Xiaosuisui was clutching an old bowl, looking at the few copper coins inside and laughing, her saliva dripping down.
"Look at you, acting like you’ve never seen the world."
"They’re just a few worthless copper coins. Wipe that drool off your face!"
He found her utterly exasperating.
"Hee hee! I have money now too."
The Girl was ecstatic. She picked up the copper coins, stuffed them all into her little sleeve-pouch, and clutched them tightly.
Ji Youlin didn’t pay her any mind.
Several carriages left from the back gate of the Xu Mansion. Only when Ji Youlin saw the carriages disappear into the distance did he turn to pick up the birdcage and release the white pigeons inside.
After releasing the pigeons, Ji Youlin decided to take the Girl back home.
He wasn’t a court official, nor was he like his elder brother, who was so stubbornly principled, always placing righteousness above everything else. All he wanted was to live well, eat well, dress well, and enjoy a life of freedom and happiness.
Thinking this, Ji Youlin called out, "Suisui, let’s go back. Whatever comes next is a matter for your eldest uncle and the others."
He turned his head and was taken aback. Where was the Girl? Looking around, he saw a tiny figure with short legs running ahead, chasing the carriage that had just left the Xu Mansion!
"Suisui!" Ji Youlin shouted in a low voice, quickly dashing over and grabbing the back of the Girl’s collar. "What are you doing? Do you have a death wish?"
Held by Ji Youlin, the Girl was stamping her feet in frustration.
"Brother Yanchen, I saw him! I want to find him and take him home!"
The Girl was extremely anxious, constantly struggling to free herself from Ji Youlin’s grip.
"Who’s this Brother Yanchen? Didn’t your mother only give birth to you? Where did you get a brother?"
Ji Youlin had just returned and had no idea who Zhou Yanchen was. He also had no idea that Xiaosuisui had told Zhou Yanchen in a dream that she would personally go get him and bring him home!
His only thought right now was that he was just here to help out a little, not to get involved in dangerous activities. Staying alive was more important than anything!
"Brother Yanchen, the brother I killed piggies with! I said I’d bring him home."
The Girl tried hard to explain, but because she was so young, her words only left Ji Youlin completely bewildered.
"Alright, alright, your Brother Yanchen will be fine. Your eldest uncle and the others will rescue him. Come back with me. With your little arms and short legs, even if you wanted to save him, you couldn’t outrun a carriage, right?"
Couldn’t outrun the carriage? The Girl tilted her head and thought for a moment. She couldn’t outrun it, but she could fly over it. Before, when Seventh Uncle took her flying, they could fly really, really fast!
With this in mind, the Girl stopped and stretched her arms out towards Ji Youlin.
Seeing this, Ji Youlin thought to himself that a little girl was, after all, a little girl—so easy to coax.
So he bent down to pick her up.
"Good girl, Suisui. Let’s head back."
"No! I want to go get Brother Yanchen!"
Xiaosuisui was still thinking about her promise.
Ji Youlin said, "We can’t go back! The carriage has gone too far; we can’t catch up!"
"Feifei! If Sixth Uncle Feifeis, we can catch up."
Feifei? What on earth was that?
"What Feifei? Sixth Uncle isn’t a bird; he can’t fly."
The Girl tilted her head in thought, then, mimicking how Seventh Uncle looked, said, "Then, Sixth Uncle, hold on tight. Suisui will Feifei with Sixth Uncle!"
Ji Youlin was speechless.
Had he misheard?
But reality soon informed him that he had not.
"Feifei! Sixth Uncle, Feifei!"
Ji Youlin’s head was spinning. He looked up to find the Girl was carrying him up a large tree. Looking down from the tree at the miniature human heads on the ground, he shouted, "AH... get me down! I want to get down!"
Ji Youlin’s body was tense as he began yelling.