Tobanya didn’t expect to run into Meng Zhuqing, at first, she was taken aback but then she heard Meng Zhuqing’s extremely respectful address to her as Commandery Princess, she said nothing and left the mansion directly.
As they brushed past one another, both their hearts ached, an acute, searing pain.
And in both their hearts was the same thought: "You must take good care of yourself."
After seeing Tobanya walk straight past, Meng Zhuqing, afraid someone might notice something amiss, didn’t linger and quickly continued walking further inside to find Xiao Changyi, the master he served.
He didn’t even look back once.
But Tobanya did look back. After she left Prince Yi’s Mansion, and as she walked past the large stone lion at the gate, she slightly tilted her head to glance back, yet she did not pause in her steps.
Meng Zhuqing arrived at the main courtyard where Xiao Changyi and An Jing lived. Upon seeing Xiao Changyi and An Jing, he knelt on one knee, clasped his fist, and said, "My lord, my lady, your subordinate has returned."
Xiao Changyi and An Jing were in the courtyard with four little ones. Before Xiao Changyi and An Jing could speak, the four youngsters, curious about the masked Meng Zhuqing, toddled up to him.
"Hey, who is this uncle? I’ve never seen him before," An Yiqing asked curiously.
"I also want a mask like uncle’s, it’s so pretty," An Yiyun said excitedly. "Yun Er also wants one."
Su Yixing, looking up at Meng Zhuqing’s face mask, appraised its value while saying in a babyish voice, "This mask doesn’t look expensive, fourth brother, you probably shouldn’t want it."
Su Yi Jing, however, said nothing. Instead, with one small hand, she steadied herself by holding onto Meng Zhuqing, who was still kneeling and clasping his fist, tiptoed, and reached out with the other hand to grab Meng Zhuqing’s mask.
Meng Zhuqing turned his head to avoid her grasp, not wanting to let Su Yi Jing grab his mask. He feared it might frighten his four young masters if the mask were to come off.
Su Yi Jing immediately became unhappy and tried even harder to grab the mask from Meng Zhuqing’s face, her little hand chasing wherever his face turned.
An Jing quickly stepped forward to pick up Su Yi Jing, preventing her from continuing to reach for Meng Zhuqing’s mask.
"Please stand up," An Jing said to Meng Zhuqing while she held Su Yi Jing.
Meng Zhuqing then stood up.
"Jing’er, Star, Qinger, Yun Er, it’s been just over four months, haven’t you recognized your Uncle Zhuqing? This is your Uncle Zhuqing, ah, who used to often play with you," An Jing said, pointing at Meng Zhuqing to the four little ones.
"Uncle Zhuqing?" The four youngsters found it hard to reconcile the man in the mask with their Uncle Zhuqing.
Seeing their confusion, An Jing added, "Your Uncle Zhuqing’s face was injured, that’s why he’s wearing a mask."
Upon hearing that it really was their Uncle Zhuqing, An Yiyun reached out his little hand to tug on Meng Zhuqing’s pant leg, looked up with his big eyes, and asked in a soft, childish voice, "Uncle Zhuqing, can you give your mask to Yun Er? Yun Er really wants it."
The four children were two years and four months old, they could speak a lot now, and were quite able to express their own thoughts.
Hearing An Yiyun’s words, Meng Zhuqing bent down, gently grasping An Yiyun’s small shoulders, and said patiently, "Uncle can’t give it to you, okay? Uncle has an injury on his face, and it might scare you. If you want one, I’ll have someone make one for you another day."
An Yiyun, chewing on his finger, fixed his big, rolling eyes on Zhuqing with persistence, "But Yun Er really wants the one you’re wearing now, Uncle Zhuqing..."