Lao Fan tossed Xiao Linshuang onto the nearby chair and eyed the somewhat blurry Princess Anle with a touch of excitement in his heart. Nevertheless, unlike the Princess, he didn’t show his feelings but cleared his throat, masking the stir of emotions, and with a twist of his mustache, hummed, "You little girl, why have you come? Is that boy bullying you again? If he dares, tell this old man, and I’ll prepare you the strongest, most poisonous medicine. I’ll have him bedridden for three days, at your mercy!"
Not only did Princess Anle burst into laughter at his words, but even Xia He and Qiu Ju couldn’t help but cover their lips and chuckle. The "boy" Lao Fan was referring to was not Xia Zheng, but Xia Zheng’s father, Xia Yuan—the Protectorate Grand General who was unbeatable on the battlefield, yet in his eyes, was just a scoundrel.
Amused by what he said, Princess Anle’s reunion excitement also eased somewhat. She took out a handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her eyes before asking Lao Fan to take a seat. Then she personally poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "With you looking out for me, how would he dare to make me angry?"
"That’s more like it," Lao Fan hummed, posing as a senior, and took the tea that Princess Anle handed to him, taking a sip.
Lao Fan had been close friends with Princess Anle’s father, Prince Zhongyi. After the Prince passed away, Princess Anle was so stricken that she fell ill and could hardly recover. It was Lao Fan who cared for her incessantly, a mere child of a few years old. Therefore, in Princess Anle’s eyes, Lao Fan was equivalent to a senior family member and even a father figure.
Moreover, Lao Fan’s own family had a generational friendship with Princess Anle’s father-in-law, that is, Xia Yuan’s father. After Anle and Xia Yuan were married, Lao Fan became even closer to them.
However, Xia Zheng, that rascal, was always causing trouble and butting heads with him! Although Xia Zheng exasperated him to no end, Lao Fan was particularly fond of this mischievous boy, while he found Xia Zhen, the relatively more behaved, too dull.
Lao Fan was simply this kind of person—if no one opposed him, he would find life boring!
After having some tea, Lao Fan noticed Shopkeeper Liu standing there dumbly and waved him away, "Alright, alright, there’s nothing for you here, go tend to your business."
It was then Shopkeeper Liu realized and gave a sheepish look at Princess Anle and hurriedly bowed, laughing apologetically, "Turns out the Madam and our boss are acquainted. I was rude to you just now, please don’t take it to heart."
Princess Anle shook her head and said with a smile, "It’s alright, I came without giving prior notice this time, so please don’t think I’m being impolite, old sir."
Lao Fan, who was most annoyed by formalities, pursed his lips and waved dismissively.
Seeing there was no place for him anymore, Shopkeeper Liu bowed out and left. On his way out, he glanced at Xiao Linshuang and saw her big eyes darting around curiously on the face of the Madam. He couldn’t help but secretly smile.
After closing the door behind him, Shopkeeper Liu was about to leave when he suddenly remembered Princess Anle’s earlier request to meet the boss. Since she was an acquaintance of the boss and seemingly had a particularly good relationship, perhaps she wouldn’t be like Miss Su.
Shopkeeper Liu turned around and headed toward Lin Yuan’s room.
After pouring another cup of tea for Lao Fan, Princess Anle noticed the little girl who had come with him. Upon closer inspection, the child was pretty and cute, especially those sparkling eyes, which moved around frantically—as clever, if not more so, than her own Xia Zheng when he was young—a clear sign of a smart child.
"Old sir, this little girl is..."
Seeing the pretty sister finally showing interest in her, Xiao Linshuang immediately got up from the chair. Since she was too small and the chair too big, her little legs dangled, and she sat up extra straight, trying to make herself look taller.