The sound of him falling was loud. Ling Yi sat up instantly, reaching down to pick him up.
The room was dark, with only a sliver of moonlight coming through the window.
In the faint light, Ling Yi lifted the little one from the floor, carefully checking him over, “Did you hurt yourself? Does it hurt?”
“It hurts.”
Ling Rui’s eyes filled with tears as he obediently let himself be examined.
When Ling Yi touched his head, Ling Rui winced in pain. Besides his head, his knee had also been hurt.
Whether he slept on a big bed or a small bed, it didn’t prevent him from falling off.
Thinking about the previous times he had fallen, Ling Rui felt even more sorrowful.
Ling Yi, afraid that Ling Rui might have been seriously hurt, wanted to check him more thoroughly. But Ling Rui’s constant crying wasn’t helping.
“Little Seven, don’t cry.”
Ling Yi, holding the little one with one arm and patting the bed with the other, tried to comfort him, “It’s the bed’s fault. I’ll punish it for you.”
He smacked the bed a few times, and the crying little one sniffled and stopped, choking out, “Third Brother didn’t hold me well either.”
Ling Yi: “…”
Ling Yi’s mouth twitched. He smacked himself twice, “Alright, Third Brother will get punished too.”
This childish act to comfort the little one made Shui Shui, who had been awakened, silently turn over and sleep with his back to them.
In the darkness.
Ling Rui was back on the bed. This time, he dared not move within Ling Yi’s embrace.
“Third Brother, tell a story.”
“Tomorrow.”
Ling Yi gently patted his back and lowered his voice, “Shui Shui is asleep. We mustn’t wake him.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Rui immediately quieted down.
He closed his eyes but couldn’t sleep.
After keeping his eyes shut for a while, Ling Rui and Ling Yi heard Shui Shui’s voice: “Not asleep.”
It was Shui Shui saying he wasn’t asleep.
Seeing that Shui Shui was still awake, Ling Rui propped himself up, leaned over Ling Yi, and started talking to Shui Shui.
“Shui Shui, do you often stay here alone?”
“Mm.”
“What does your mother do when she’s not home?”
Ling Rui’s question made Shui Shui’s response slower than usual.
He patiently waited, almost yawning, when Shui Shui finally spoke, “Mother is busy, has to go out.”
“Go out for what?” Ling Rui asked instinctively.
Shui Shui continued slowly, “To make money, find father.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui rubbed his eyes to stay awake, “Your mother went to find your father?”
Shui Shui nodded.
Realizing Ling Rui might not see him nodding, he added, “Yes, find father.”
Ling Rui still felt something was off.
Even though Shui Shui’s mother protected him and left him food when she was around, she was away more often.
When she wasn’t home, Shui Shui would go hungry and get bullied.
Ling Rui thought about it and concluded that if he were a little one prone to being bullied, his father, mother, and siblings would never leave him alone at home to face such things.
“Shui Shui, we’re just kids. Adults shouldn’t leave us home alone.”
Ling Rui held Shui Shui’s hand earnestly, “We’re very vulnerable to danger.”
Shui Shui, holding his hand, didn’t pull away.
The two little ones unknowingly huddled together, with Ling Yi between them as their cushion.
“Shui Shui, do you want to find your father?” Ling Rui, engrossed in the conversation, continued talking. His small body laid atop his third brother, his bright eyes fixed on Shui Shui’s face.
Shui Shui slowly responded, “Father come back, eat.”
Ling Rui tried to understand and got it, “You want your father to come back so you can eat well. Is that right?”
Shui Shui replied with an “Mm.”
Seeing this, Ling Rui seriously thought for a few seconds and then said, “Shui Shui, my third brother can also make sure you eat well. How about letting my third brother be your father?”
Ling Yi: “?”
Ling Yi, who had been serving as a cushion for the two little ones, couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted, “I can’t. I’m not being anyone’s father!”
Hearing his opposition, Ling Rui felt a bit regretful, “Shui Shui is easy to take care of.”
“No matter how easy, I can’t take care of him.”
Ling Yi felt that if this conversation continued, he wouldn’t be able to sleep out of frustration.
So, he once again grabbed both little ones, one in each arm, and ordered them to stay quiet.
“Shui Shui, close your eyes. I’ll give you something to eat when you wake up.”
“Little Seven, close your eyes, or you’ll get spanked.”
Ling Yi’s different treatment made Ling Rui grumble discontentedly.
Shui Shui cooperated with Ling Yi, tightly closing his eyes and mouth, no matter how much Little Seven tried to get him to talk.
The night deepened.
Ling Rui, who had received two pats on his bottom, pouted but finally quieted down.
The fact that they stayed there was known to both the Emperor and Noble Consort Yi.
The messenger reported the situation clearly, including the fact that Shui Shui’s mother knew medicine.
Both the Emperor and Noble Consort Yi were intrigued. They knew there was a divine doctor in Luocheng, but they weren’t sure if Shui Shui’s mother was the one.
“Let them stay,” the Emperor said personally. “They can come back whenever they want.”
If Shui Shui’s mother was indeed the divine doctor, there might be hope for Ling Yi’s health.
After sending away the guard, the Emperor looked at Noble Consort Yi.
“Yi Er, do you think Little Seven can really find the divine doctor?”
“I don’t know.”
Noble Consort Yi couldn’t give any guarantees. She sipped her tea and said, “Little Seven cares a lot about his third brother’s health. On the way to Luocheng, he said he wanted to find the divine doctor for him.”
“If he can find her, it will fulfill his wish.”
The Emperor smiled, satisfied with the brotherly affection.
He praised, “Little Seven loves all his elder brothers and sisters.”
“They’re family. Of course, he loves them,” Noble Consort Yi said.
As the two talked about Little Seven, the Emperor looked pleased.
After chatting for a while, Noble Consort Yi casually mentioned the Empress: “The Empress has been at Ling Mountain praying for quite some time now. Do you know when she’ll return?”
“She mentioned she would come back soon to check on things.”
The Emperor replied, “She went to Ling Mountain to pray for Ling Yi’s health.”
While the adults discussed the children, the children themselves, gathered together, barely thought about the adults.
In the shabby little house, on the creaky wooden bed, lay three people.
To prevent the two little ones from falling off, Ling Yi, waking up in the middle of the night, adjusted their positions.
He slept on the outer side to act as a barrier, ensuring the kids in the middle wouldn’t fall off.
After sleeping like this through the night, Ling Yi woke up the next day with a sore back.
“This bed is really hard.”
Ling Yi rubbed his shoulder, wincing, “Little Seven, does your body hurt from sleeping?”
“Nope.”
Ling Rui sat on the rickety wooden bed, playing with Shui Shui.
Ling Yi glanced at him, recalling the events of the previous night, and said softly, “I almost forgot, you climbed onto me to sleep in the middle of the night. This hard bed didn’t bother you.”
The little one, uncomfortable while sleeping, had groped his way onto Ling Yi and finally slept soundly.
He, however, had been pressed and had nightmares half the night.
“Third Brother is softer, more comfortable.”
The little one playing with Shui Shui blinked at his third brother.
Ling Yi dressed the two of them, then let them off the bed.
After getting off the bed, Shui Shui didn’t leave.
He stood on a wooden stool, carefully smoothing the bed and folding the quilt before getting down and following Ling Yi to eat.
Ling Yi had brought food with him.
In the kitchen, he tasted a bite of the hard, cold cornbread, finding it tough to swallow.
“I’ll boil some hot water to eat with the pastries later.”
“Okay.”
Seeing his third brother start a fire, Ling Rui curiously came over, “Third Brother, I want to play.”
“Children shouldn’t play with fire.”
Ling Yi warned him, “Playing with fire during the day makes you wet the bed at night.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui furrowed his little brows, defiantly, “I don’t wet the bed.”
Even when he was younger in the Mountain and Sea World, he didn’t pee in his nest.
“You will.”
Ling Yi, who had never started a fire before, was learning on the spot. While struggling to start the fire, he told the little one to stay away, “Go play with Shui Shui. Don’t hang around here.”
Ling Rui was reluctant to leave.
He squatted on the ground, resting his chin in his hands, watching his third brother try to start the fire.
After a while, seeing Ling Yi still struggling, Shui Shui came over and easily started the fire.
The little one, with his chin in his hands, watched Shui Shui with admiration and praised, “Shui Shui, you’re amazing.”
After starting the fire, Shui Shui went outside and picked some herbs that even Ling Rui didn’t recognize.
He threw the herbs into the pot to boil.
“Bath.”
Shui Shui pointed to the pot of boiling herbs and said to Ling Yi.
He had heard Ling Yi say his body ached in the morning.
Even Ling Yi was impressed, “You’re quite considerate and capable.”
Praised by both brothers, Shui Shui didn’t respond, but his delicate face showed a more cheerful expression.
The three of them busied themselves in the house.
Ling Rui, excited and anxious, stuck close to his third brother, not venturing far.
Noticing his good mood, Ling Yi pinched his cheek and asked, “What are you so happy about?”
Ling Rui initially didn’t want to say.
Only after his third brother persistently pinched his cheek, he grabbed his brother’s hands and confessed, “No school today.”
And not going to school, the guards hadn’t taken him back.
Ling Yi, thinking about it, understood their father’s intentions.
Pinching Ling Rui’s cheek a few more times before letting go, he said, “You’re benefiting from me, understand?”
The little one, of course, didn’t understand.
He looked at his third brother, confused.
Ling Yi didn’t explain further.
The three of them stayed at Shui Shui’s house, with Ling Rui’s restless nature leading him to play around the yard before long.
He played hide and seek with Shui Shui; he hid while Shui Shui sought.
Ling Yi refused to join such a childish game, so he watched from the side.
“10, 9, 8… 3, 2, 1.”
Shui Shui, standing in the middle of the yard with his eyes closed, counted down accurately without missing a beat.
After counting, he began looking for Ling Rui.
The yard and house were small, so if he seriously searched, it would be easy to find Ling Rui.
But Shui Shui always took his time, making Ling Rui, hiding in a corner, feel both nervous and excited.
After watching them play for a while, Ling Yi realized that Shui Shui had already seen Little Seven but was deliberately taking his time to make Little Seven happier.
Ling Yi spent the afternoon watching the kids’ game.
As the sun began to set, he got up from his chair, planning to take the children back.
Not knowing when Shui Shui’s mother would return, waiting indefinitely wasn’t an option.
“Little Seven, Shui Shui, we—”
Before Ling Yi could finish, the yard gate creaked open.
A woman in plain clothes, carrying a basket filled with herbs, walked in.
She stopped in her tracks upon seeing the unfamiliar children in the yard.
“Shui Shui,” she called out, standing still.
After she called Shui Shui’s name, he finally responded, “Mom.”
Shui Shui’s mother beckoned him over.
She looked at Ling Rui and Ling Yi with some wariness, asking, “Who are you? Why are you here?”
“I’m Shui Shui’s friend.”
Ling Rui answered first, looking at Shui Shui’s mother. Although he had planned to talk to her, seeing her made him nervous. “I-I’m here to keep Shui Shui company.”
Shui Shui’s mother, with her delicate features, couldn’t hide her beauty even in simple clothes.
She bent down and ruffled Shui Shui’s hair, asking, “Are they your friends?”
Without hesitation, Shui Shui nodded, responding quickly this time.
Seeing this, Shui Shui’s mother smiled, “Since they are your friends, have fun with them.”
“I’ll make dinner for you guys.”
At the mention of dinner, Shui Shui nodded again.
Ling Rui looked up and exchanged a glance with his third brother. Both of them had something to discuss with Shui Shui’s mother.
One needed to talk about raising children, and the other wanted to verify if she was a divine doctor.
The brothers looked at each other, and finally, Ling Rui puffed out his chest and said firmly, “I’ll go first!”
He had to tell Shui Shui’s mother that she couldn’t raise Shui Shui this way!
They, as children, could easily be taught wrongly.
Shui Shui’s mother, with the basket on her back, went to the kitchen, and Shui Shui didn’t follow.
Seeing Ling Rui chase after his mother, Shui Shui didn’t follow either.
“Play?” he asked Ling Yi as he approached him.
Earlier, his mother had asked him to play with Ling Rui and Ling Yi. Since Ling Rui didn’t come over, he went to find Ling Yi.
Looking down at Shui Shui’s little face, Ling Yi sensed from their earlier interaction that the mother-son relationship wasn’t very close.
In this world, mother-child relationships varied from close to distant.
Shui Shui and his mother, indeed, didn’t seem close.
“Sure, show me around,” Ling Yi said.
After Ling Yi spoke, Shui Shui tilted his head and then led him to his little garden.
Calling it his garden was an exaggeration; it was just a patch of overgrown grass that no one wanted to tread on.
“Herbs.”
Shui Shui briefly explained, “Edible.”
“Do you remember all the herbs here?”
“Yes.”
“Can you read? How many characters do you know?”
“Many.”
Talking about this, Shui Shui added, “I remember after looking once.”
Ling Yi was taken aback, “You mean you can recognize characters after seeing them once?”
“Yes.”
While Ling Yi continued talking with Shui Shui, Ling Rui started a conversation with Shui Shui’s mother.
“When you’re not home, Shui Shui goes hungry.”
Speaking to an unfamiliar adult, Ling Rui’s tone remained cautious.
He clutched the hem of his clothes, mustering his courage to tell Shui Shui’s mother, “Shui Shui is little; he needs to eat well.”
He gathered all his courage to make Shui Shui’s mother realize that her current way of raising her child was wrong.
But Shui Shui’s mother, looking at his clothes, asked, “Are you a young master from a wealthy family? Judging by your attire, your family must be well-off.”
“As a young master who doesn’t worry about food and drink, likely loved by his parents, you’ve enjoyed all the good things in life. Do you know that there are young masters who enjoy life, and there are children who live in hardship?”
“Shui Shui is the latter. He isn’t as wealthy as you, nor does he have a family like yours. I can only raise him with a bit of hardship.”
While cooking, Shui Shui’s mother spoke.
Her words left Ling Rui at a loss.
“Young master, everyone lives their own way. Instead of blaming me, you should help the poor more often.”
“I’m not asking you to help Shui Shui. I am his mother; I won’t let him starve.”
After just a few words from Ling Rui, Shui Shui’s mother replied at length.
He wrinkled the hem of his clothes with his little hands, his face turning red, unsure how to continue the conversation.
Time passed.
Ling Yi returned with Shui Shui.
Though his expression was calm, he was inwardly shocked.
He wasn’t surprised by Shui Shui’s photographic memory but rather by the existence of a divine doctor.
The divine doctor wasn’t Shui Shui’s mother.
But some of the divine doctor’s medical skills were with Shui Shui’s mother.
The things she learned and taught Shui Shui came from books.
To Shui Shui, this wasn’t a divine doctor but an ordinary old man.
The old man had an ordinary appearance, wore ordinary clothes, and was very close to Shui Shui when they played.
He taught Shui Shui many characters and left books for his mother.
Ling Yi patiently coaxed this information out of Shui Shui.
“Third Brother.”
Unable to stay in the kitchen any longer, Ling Rui saw his third brother return and quickly ran over, hugging his leg.
“I want to go home.”
He buried his face in his brother and said.
Hearing his voice, Ling Yi sensed something was wrong. He bent down and picked up the little one.
“Alright, we’ve been out long enough; it’s time to go back.”
Ling Yi didn’t ask much more and directly bid farewell to Shui Shui’s mother.
She didn’t offer any pleasantries and simply watched them leave.
Seeing them walk away, Shui Shui chased after them.
“Come back.”
Shui Shui’s mother called from behind.
Hearing his mother’s voice, Shui Shui hesitated for a moment before continuing to run forward.
He ran outside.
Ling Rui was just getting on the carriage.
Ling Yi saw him first and, after seeing him, bent down to say something to Ling Rui.
The next moment, Ling Rui turned his head.
“Shui Shui.”
Ling Rui looked at him, sniffing, “I’m sorry.”
Shui Shui didn’t say anything.
Ling Rui’s small voice sounded sad, “I… I didn’t manage to talk to your mom properly.”
The two little ones stared at each other from a distance, and Ling Rui was filled with self-blame.
He had confidently told Shui Shui that he would get his mother to take better care of him.
But he hadn’t succeeded.
Seeing Shui Shui standing there silently, Ling Rui climbed down from the carriage.
“Shui Shui, let me see.”
Feeling guilty and worried, Ling Rui hugged Shui Shui and closed his eyes to sense Shui Shui’s future.
He wanted to see what Shui Shui’s future would look like if raised by his mother.
But in the vision, before he could see Shui Shui grown up, he saw his own third brother tied up.
His third brother was close to Shui Shui, so he appeared in the vision.
Ling Rui was dumbfounded, muttering, “Why is my third brother tied up again?”
Every vision involving his third brother was tragic.
Ling Rui couldn’t stand it anymore and called out to Ah Wu, “Ah Wu, should I hide my third brother?”
