Lady Ji chuckled softly. "They’re my own kin; I know what they’re up to. How could I let them get out of hand?"
That night, Lady Ji went to sleep with a smile.
Xiaosuisui was awakened by something furry rubbing against her. Her cheeks felt ticklish, so she turned over and mumbled, "Xiaobai, stop messing around."
She closed her eyes, trying to drift back to sleep.
"Xiaobai... Am I dreaming?" she wondered aloud, still groggy. "Isn’t Xiaobai at the Ji Mansion? When did he get here?"
Then, her eyes snapped open. She sat up abruptly, rubbing them.
Xiaobai leaped into her lap, nuzzling his head against her small arm. Xiaosuisui’s eyes flew wide open. She scooped him into her embrace and exclaimed happily, "Xiaobai! It really is you! How did you get here?"
Xiaobai tilted his head back, looking at her with a wronged expression, his eyes glistening with accusatory tears.
"Er... you mean the big cat? His fur is so beautiful, and he has that ’King’ character on his head—so adorable! He’s so big too. If I rode him down Main Street in Capital City, I’d look so impressive!"
Xiaobai had been snuggled contentedly in her arms. But as soon as she finished speaking, he spun around and dashed off. Just as his front paws were about to cross the threshold, he glanced back at Xiaosuisui, his look utterly wronged and miserable!
Xiaosuisui was bewildered. She unconsciously touched her face. "I... why do I get the feeling Xiaobai is calling me a heartless person?"
"Do you even know what ’heartless person’ means? You’re just using words you don’t understand!"
Huo Xing’Er walked in from outside, dressed in practical attire suited for training—her favorite for morning exercise.
"Of course, I know! Grandmother told me. A heartless person is someone who abandons someone else. So, if Second Aunt doesn’t want Suisui anymore in the future, then Second Aunt would be a heartless person too!"
The little girl got up from bed, giggling and grinning, revealing two rows of small white teeth. She looked both adorable and exasperating.
Huo Xing’Er was torn between laughter and exasperation. "Don’t worry! Your Second Aunt will never be heartless towards you!"
Yun Duo came in with a basin of water for her to wash, and Yunxiang followed behind with a spittoon. Xiaosuisui peered around them but didn’t see Xie Pan’Er, so she asked in confusion, "Why haven’t I seen Pretty Sister?"
Previously, whenever she woke up, Sister Pan’Er would come to her room with Yun Duo and Yunxiang to help look after her. Not seeing Xie Pan’Er today naturally made her curious.
"Miss Xie left yesterday evening!" Yun Duo replied.
"Ah! She left? Why? Weren’t we supposed to have rituals today and tomorrow? We’re meant to stay here for two days!" Xiaosuisui exclaimed.
Although Xiaosuisui didn’t pray to Bodhisattvas or worship Buddha, and didn’t quite understand what the temple rituals entailed, she was intrigued because she heard they were some kind of ceremony.
"Someone from the Palace came," Yun Duo continued. "They said that yesterday afternoon, the great phoenix in the Palace suddenly became agitated. Neither the Empress Dowager nor Nanny Xiao could calm it, so the Empress Dowager sent people to fetch Miss Xie."
Xiaosuisui nodded. After mulling it over for a long moment, she finally understood why the Empress Dowager had summoned Pretty Sister to the Palace, and she fell silent.
Xiaosuisui got out of bed, dressed, and washed up. She then joined Huo Xing’Er for breakfast. Just as she had taken a couple of bites, Zhu Xiuxiu and Ji Youcheng arrived from outside.
"Well, well! Suisui, you’re just getting up, aren’t you? What are you having?" Zhu Xiuxiu asked.
Xiaosuisui scooped some rice porridge from her bowl to show Zhu Xiuxiu. "Rice Porridge!" Then she pointed to the side dishes on the table. "And pickles, pickled cucumbers, and a big steamed bun!"
Before Zhu Xiuxiu could say anything, Ji Youcheng chimed in, "Eating so much, are you turning into a little piglet? Look, you’ve already got some baby fat on your face. If you keep eating like this, your little arms will be as thick as your thighs!"
Hearing this, Xiaosuisui burst into tears with a WAAH! "Suisui is not a pig! Third Uncle, you’re the one who... BOO HOO..."