Chapter 168: Humoring a Child Earlier than Expected
Bai Xiangxiu was at a complete loss for words. He was perfectly fine, so why was he crying? What was she supposed to do? If it’d been anyone else, she would’ve left right then and there. But he was the wulin alliance head, a very formidable figure. She didn’t dare to torment him any further, and completely undid his bonds. She a.s.sumed that he’d thank her, but he actually pulled her into an embrace&h.e.l.lip; urk, no, he’d plastered himself into her chest to act like a spoiled child. “Thank you, big sister. You’re a really good person. Big sis, you smell really, really sweet, just like my mommy.”
Bai Xiangxiu’s ident.i.ty in this world seemed to have upgraded to another level. She’d somehow turned from a household concubine into a mother! But still, she wasn’t used to a full-grown man snuggling into her arms, so she tried to push that head of black hair away. However the head refused to budge and instead burrowed further. An almost heartbreaking voice spoke, “Big sis, don’t push Shū’er away, I’m scared.”
Bai Xiangixu felt a trace of reluctance cross her heart and creased her brows. “You’re called Shū’er, Yu Shū?”
“Yes, big sis is amazing! You even know Shū’er’s name.”
“Then what’s your relation to Yu Kuang?” Probably twins. She thought that to be a possibility. But it was strange. Why hadn’t she seen any other man appear in the last few days? There were various questions in her head, but she could only take this step by step.
“Don’t bring up that villain! He tied me up in this bed and maltreats me! Big sis, you have to help me. Help me, won’t you?” Yu Shū started sobbing even more after he spoke, forcing Bai Xiangxiu to trust him immediately.
“All right, all right, but what can I help you with?”
“I want to see the moon. I haven’t seen the moon for such a long, long time.”
That was a small request. It was very normal to see the moon or whatnot! Bai Xiangxiu nodded and extended a hand. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to see the moon.”
Bringing him to the window for a glimpse of the moon was no big deal. Yu Shū placed his large hand in Bai Xiangxiu’s smaller one and followed her slowly off the bed. But he seemed very curious about the act of walking, laughing every time he took a few steps. He kicked his feet and shook his arms before smiling at Bai Xiangxiu. “Big sis, I haven’t walked around for a long time. It feels really weird.”
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;,” said Bai Xiangxiu. This child might be slightly off in the head, but that didn’t mean they had to keep him tied up in bed. Could it be that he’d always been tied up in this tiny room? The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the wulin alliance head was a bit abnormal.
Actually, these situations existed in the modern world as well, with families grounding mentally deficient children at home. Sometimes they’d even tie them up to prevent them from causing other people trouble. But those children, much like this one, were probably just looking forward to seeing things they’d never seen before!
This Alliance Head Yu had a high position, so perhaps he saw this brother as a sign of humiliation. Thus, he locked him up so n.o.body else could see him! By the time Bai Xiangxiu had puzzled this out, she’d already brought Yu Shū to the window and opened it. The season was all wrong at the moment, so it was a little chilly with an open window. Despite this, Yu Shū was very happy and smiled like an innocent child as he tugged on Bai Xiangxiu’s hand. “Big sis, the moon is so pretty, so pretty!”
“Mm, the moon is very pretty. But very few people notice its existence.” Everyone in the modern world was always very busy. It was hard for them to even glimpse the moon between the skysc.r.a.pers. People in the ancient past were similarly busy, with the men competing for power and profit while the women competed for position and status. Even she had been too preoccupied with preserving her own life to ever look up and notice that beautiful moon. Truthfully, tonight should be her first time. The thought of that gave her a little thrill.
“I really want the moon. Big sis, can you help me pluck it?”
“Urk, big sis can’t do everything.”
“But I want it.”
“Then I’ll help you keep it for a while.” Bai Xiangxiu couldn’t help but humor this child. She ran over to fill a basin full of water and angled it so that the moon was reflected within.
“Wow, big sis is so amazing, so amazing. You even put the moon inside; it’s so pretty.” Just like that, the moon-loving Yu Shū perched on the side of the basin to stare at the moon, his face wreathed in a perpetual smile.
Though it was the exact same face as Yu Kuang, his childish innocence really made him lovable and adorable. It touched the softest, most tender nerves of a woman. Bai Xiangxiu reached out a hand to stroke his hair and said with a smile, “If you like it, then look at it for awhile longer.”
“Mm, big sis is really nice.” Yu Shū still thought like a child, so he expressed himself in simple terms. In this case, he raised his head and kissed Bai Xiangxiu’s face. Bai Xiangxiu froze in place. It’d be fine if he was a little kid, but he looked like a grown man. She couldn’t help but become embarra.s.sed by such a kiss. But then again, he lacked any mental maturity, so perhaps it was better if she didn’t think too much about it. He seemed to grow sleepy after looking at the moon for a while and closed his eyes with a yawn.
“Should we go sleep now?” Even if she pitied him, she couldn’t take him away, because she couldn’t leave this house herself. Her injury had yet to fully heal. Because she was worried that Yu Kuang was embroiled in a conflict with the imperial court, and that her own ident.i.ty would cause unnecessary complications, Bai Xiangxiu had yet to reveal her origins. She only said that she came from a large family in the capital and had been kidnapped by Luo Yunzheng.
Yu Kuang had agreed to send her back as well, so she didn’t bother to think any further than that. It was still best not to offend him right now. First, she had to get his brother back into that room, but he stubbornly refused to go in. It seemed like he feared the place very much. If Bai Xiangxiu tried to get strict with him, he’d start to cry. In order to avoid alarming anyone outside, she could only agree to his request to sleep on the same bed. In any case, he was just a child. He wouldn’t do anything to her.
When Yu Shū heard he could sleep with Bai Xiangxiu, he was happy again. In fact, he started jumping around in excitement. He accidentally knocked into her, and her finger sc.r.a.ped against the bed, but she was fine soon afterwards. It was just a little cut. Unfortunately, some of the blood dripped onto the bed, but she ignored it. This little kid had thoroughly tired her out. “Sleep. If you don’t sleep now, big sis will get mad.”
He really was too energetic, what with him jumping back and forth. It wasn’t like he was a flea! To her surprise, Yu Shū actually stopped at her words. Add that to the fact that he realized her injury was his fault, and he docilely lay down by her side after burrowing his head into her chest. “Big sis, Shū’er will be good and sleep.”
“Good Shū’er.” Bai Xiangxiu rubbed his head. Although everything that had happened tonight was fantastically queer, she was too exhausted to ponder over it too deeply. She didn’t even dream that night, much less feel the pain from her cut. Still, she woke up plenty early and was fully alert by the time the rooster crowed. She felt a sudden weight on her chest before recalling that there was a man sleeping by her side. Who knew that the first thing she would see upon opening her eyes would be a pair of pupils? They should have been calm and serene, but the sight of her caused a ripple within those unfathomable depths.
