After turning around, Huo Qinwu coldly closed the door behind him, but the window was left open.
“Hey, don’t be so gloomy.”
The red-clad child, who had been chattering incessantly, leaned against the window, flashing a bright smile, and said, “It’s not wrong to make a few friends here.”
Huo Qinwu, with his stern, handsome face, said nothing and shut the window.
The red-clad child, almost hit by the window, rubbed his nose and grumbled, “If you don’t want to come out and play, then don’t. Why be so grumpy?”
After muttering this, he turned and left.
Inside the room, Huo Qinwu was alone. He closed his eyes and thought about the pretty child Teng Liang had mentioned, imagining his own beautiful little one.
He hadn’t been able to attend his child’s third birthday party.
He had received news about the frequent dangers his child faced in the palace and, after receiving the news, he cursed Emperor Ling as useless in his mind and then made arrangements.
He hadn’t received any updates on the latest situation yet.
While Huo Qinwu was thinking about his own beautiful child, the child was now upset like a pufferfish.
The reason was that the child had been bumped by a carriage and, before he could even return to the inn, had run into more trouble.
His little purse had been stolen.
With the guards and secret agents unable to come in, only the three children remained at Guan Shan Residence Academy. On the very first day, the little one’s purse was stolen.
“Report it! I want to report it!”
The little one, extremely upset, went with Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou to report the theft.
They searched for a place to report the theft for a long time, but when they arrived, the person responsible for handling the matter had a very laid-back attitude.
The little one, very angry, had to stand on tiptoe to see over the high desk to the person behind it.
After standing on tiptoe for a while, he found a low stool, climbed up, and leaned on the desk to stare at the person behind it.
“My purse had a lot of money. When can I get it back?”
The man behind the desk blinked at him and said gently, “Don’t rush. I’ve already recorded your case. I’ll notify you once we catch the thief.”
“When will you notify me?” The little one persisted.
The man made a thoughtful expression and then slowly said, “It’s uncertain.”
“If it can’t be found, just consider it as money spent,” the man added kindly.
The little one slammed the desk, “I didn’t spend any money!”
The man smiled kindly, “Who says you didn’t? Isn’t this a lesson bought and learned?”
The little one: “…”
The little one was so upset he nearly fell over.
Chen Zhou quickly supported him, squeezed his little chubby hand, and comforted him, “Don’t be upset. My purse hasn’t been stolen; I still have money.”
“Little Seven, calm down.”
Chen Zhou took the fuming little one away. Before leaving, the little one pointed angrily at the office, wanting to smash their door.
Returning from the office with the sign “Report Office” on it, the three children became very cautious at the inn.
“No big brother guards to protect us.”
The little one puffed up his cheeks and clenched his fists, “Jiang Yan, Chen Zhou, we have to rely on ourselves!”
Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou exchanged glances and nodded.
To prevent further theft, the little one counted all his valuable belongings and hid them carefully in the room.
Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou still had money. They divided it and put it back into the small purse, then hid the small purse inside a mouthpiece.
This way, it was less likely to be stolen. Even if it was, they had other purses.
“Little Seven, should we go find Master Sui first?”
They had a bit of an acquaintance with a man in a blue robe at the temple in Jiangyu County. This man, named Sui An, was a teacher at Guan Shan Residence Academy and had returned there two months ago.
When Sui An left, he told Ling Rui that they could find him at Guan Shan Residence Academy.
Chen Zhou asked, and the little one scratched his head, puzzled, “I want to find him too, but Master Sui didn’t say where he lives.”
Jiang Yan: “…”
Chen Zhou: “…”
Jiang Yan, with optimism, said, “It’s okay. If we can’t find Sui An, we can look for Master Jue.”
Master Jue was another contact arranged by Madam Chi!
“But where does Master Jue live? I don’t know either.”
The little one had only brought a token, and he was clueless about where to deliver it.
The three children gathered together, genuinely worried this time.
Madam Chi had said they would see these teachers during the assessment.
According to the usual process at Guan Shan Residence Academy, they would be assessed as soon as they arrived. So Madam Chi thought they would meet the contacts she arranged right away.
But no one expected that Guan Shan Residence Academy had changed the rules and procedures two days ago. Now, the children had to survive independently for half a month before the assessment.
After surviving the half-month, they would undergo the assessment.
They were also given a red, round object, which was unknown in terms of material but very peculiar in use.
Pressing the red round disk would produce a loud, harsh sound, and then the child who pressed it would be taken away and expelled from Guan Shan Residence Academy.
The person who gave them the small disk explained that pressing it meant giving up on the assessment at Guan Shan Residence Academy.
When they arrived, their little names were recorded, and from then on, they would be called only by their little names.
Ling Rui hesitated between “Zai Zai” and “Little Seven,” and ultimately chose the latter.
The name “Zai Zai” was used by Ah Wu.
He didn’t want other unfamiliar children to call him Zai Zai.
“Garlic Spicy.”
After sitting together for a while, the little one perked up and said, “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
First, let’s get through the first month, then we’ll deal with the assessment!
The little one would not face difficulties in the assessment, but Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou might.
Madam Chi had only arranged connections for the little one. One can’t get too many of these minor connections all at once.
After eating and sleeping at the inn, the three little ones held hands and continued to stroll around the street in the evening.
Finding Ah Wu was actually quite simple for Ling Rui.
He could easily talk to Ah Wu by asking Jiang Yan or Chen Zhou for a premonition. However, he was a bit nervous and hadn’t yet made up his mind to ask.
“Jiang Jiang, if we blend in better here and then find Ah Wu, we can look after him.”
Having been protected by Ah Wu, the little one, after being the boss of the little Zaizai gang in Luocheng for a year, had developed a bit of ambition.
He wanted to protect Ah Wu in return.
“Little Seven, I don’t think this place is easy to mix in.”
Jiang Yan spoke the truth. After observing the street for a while, he felt that every child here seemed quite formidable.
Only his little lord was the youngest, with a cute, soft face that looked quite vulnerable.
Before he could voice his concerns, someone truly took notice of the little one’s soft, cute face.
“Indeed easy to pinch.”
A red-clad child approached them and rudely pinched Ling Rui’s cute face repeatedly.
“Smack—”
He tried to pinch again but was swatted away by the little one.
“Wow, quite fierce.”
Teng Liang had been strolling around the street all day looking for this soft, pretty child. Now that he had finally found him, he was even more interested after the little one swatted his hand away.
“Little one, are you interested in being my little sidekick? If you become my sidekick, I can protect you.”
The little one: “…”
The little one: “No!”
He didn’t need anyone to protect him; he was once the boss!
“You must be new here, little one. You might not know that this place is different from outside.”
“No matter what status you had outside, here, you are nothing. Tsk, I almost forgot, anyone sent to this place probably didn’t have a good situation outside either.”
After saying this, Teng Liang looked at the little one with even more pity.
A child so small and pretty, yet seemingly not well treated at home.
Teng Liang imagined a child being mistreated at home and showed sympathy: “Poor thing, if you listen to me, I’ll make sure you aren’t bullied.”
“Otherwise, within three days, someone will target you, and then you’ll have a hard time.”
Teng Liang’s words did not sway the little one.
“I won’t be your sidekick!”
The little one added, “I’m doing great outside!”
Teng Liang: “Hahaha.”
Teng Liang: “A pitiful little thing deluding himself.”
The little one thought he was crazy.
“Jiang Jiang, Zhou Zhou, let’s go. We don’t need to talk to him anymore.”
The little one felt this person didn’t understand him.
Annoyed, the little one bypassed Teng Liang and continued walking forward.
This scene of the three children in the street was observed from a nearby inn by guests on the second floor.
“Such a cute little bun.”
A child in purple, leaning against the second-floor railing, watched Ling Rui’s back with interest and said, “Even Teng Liang couldn’t handle him. Seems like this little bun has quite a temper.”
“Do you want to play?”
“Of course.”
“Anything Teng Liang is interested in is mine.”
After the child in purple spoke, another child, only slightly older, nodded and said calmly, “I understand. I’ll bring him to you now.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
As soon as the two on the second floor finished speaking, Teng Liang, still standing on the street, suddenly looked up in their direction.
In the next moment, Teng Liang’s gaze turned cold as he moved his lips.
The purple-clad child read his lips and understood he was saying—
“Don’t seek death.”
Seeing Teng Liang’s expression, the purple-clad child’s smile became even brighter.
He responded, “I want to seek it.”
Teng Liang’s cold gaze contained a hint of murderous intent.
They looked at each other from a distance.
Finally, Teng Liang withdrew his gaze and followed the direction where the little one had left, striding ahead.
The little one walked ahead, familiar with the terrain.
After walking for an unknown length of time, the little one sat down and shared the food they had bought earlier with Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou while enjoying the evening breeze.
“Little Seven, do you think we should stay at the inn for a month and wait for the assessment?”
“After the assessment, you’ll definitely get to meet the teachers. With Master Sui and the others around, it’ll be easy to protect Ah Wu.”
Jiang Yan’s suggestion made Chen Zhou frown.
Staying at the inn for a month might bore the little prince to death.
The three little ones sat on the ground chatting while Teng Liang watched them from a distance.
As night fell, the three little ones didn’t encounter any further trouble. They strolled back to their inn and ended the uneventful day by sleeping on a large bed.
However, the next day, their belongings in the inn were stolen.
The innkeeper just shook his head and said, “Not my problem. Your doors and windows have no signs of being broken. I can’t be sure that you were actually robbed.”
The innkeeper’s words made the little one so angry that he went to report the theft again.
This time, the case was handled by the same person.
Seeing the little one come again, the man couldn’t help but sit up straight and take a closer look at his little face.
“You’ve been robbed again?”
The little one nodded angrily, “They even stole my blanket!”
When he arrived, he had brought many things with him. Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi had prepared almost everything he needed for eating, wearing, living, and traveling.
To ensure he slept well, Noble Consort Yi had even prepared his favorite small blanket.
And his little pillow was a gift from Emperor Ling.
This time, the thief had stolen his blanket and little pillow.
“That’s really unfortunate.”
The man at the office propped up his chin and offered this assessment after hearing what was lost.
“Are you not going to search for them?”
The little one, no longer being polite, said to the man at the office, “I lost so many things. Aren’t you going to find them?”
“I will do my best to find them.”
The man said gently, “Once I find them, I’ll let you know.”
The little one: “…”
Hearing this response again, the little one knew he was being given a brush-off.
The last time he lost his small purse, there hadn’t been any clues.
The little one caused quite a commotion at the office, his frustration boiling over due to the man’s indifferent attitude.
“I will complain.”
The little one declared, “I’m going to complain to Master Sui and Master Jue!”
The man: “…”
The man burst into laughter, “Little friend, you’re going to complain to them? Not to mention whether you even know them, you won’t last a month here.”
“I’m giving you a sincere suggestion: you can press the red button to forfeit and leave.”
“Children who come here are all troublemakers.”
“Until these troublemakers have been dealt with, the teachers won’t intervene.”
After saying this, the man handed the little one some candies, “These are milk candies, very sweet. Try them.”
“Once you’ve eaten the candy, have your family come to pick you up. It’s better to be at home, even if it’s tough, than to stay here. The troublemakers here are not nice children. A soft little one like you won’t fare well here.”
The little one refused the milk candies, slammed his hand on the table, and left with Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou.
Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou’s small purses had not been stolen. They used the money in their purses to buy new supplies and asked the innkeeper for a blanket and pillow.
Since the inn was supposed to provide blankets and pillows, the innkeeper gave them a set.
Replacing all the lost items wasn’t feasible, so the little one, who had learned arithmetic from Madam Chi, calculated carefully and said with a serious face, “From now on, we need to save money.”
Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou weren’t afraid of hardship; they just didn’t want the little one to suffer too much.
After the little one redistributed the money, they had a meal and rested.
The little one slept soundly. Although he was still upset before going to bed, once asleep, his little face looked so obedient and pinchable.
“Chen Zhou, are you asleep?”
“Not yet.”
“Neither am I.”
“Shall we… go outside and talk?”
The two little ones got out of bed quietly and went outside to talk.
Since arriving at Guan Shan Residence, they had felt quite defeated. They had come with high hopes of making the little prince comfortable, but instead, they had also faced harsh realities.
The inn that allowed thieves in, the thief who stole their purses and belongings, and the strange people who blocked their path all added to their stress.
“We can’t wait for the assessment.”
Jiang Yan said with a serious face, “We must find Master Sui and Master Jue.”
“Yes, we need to find them.”
While the two little ones were pondering their survival strategies, Teng Liang was causing trouble at another inn.
He, under the impatient gaze of Huo Qinwu, forced his way in to talk: “Do you remember that pretty child I told you about? I haven’t even had a chance to play with him yet, and he’s already been targeted by Zhai Bai. Zhai Bai’s people have been following him.”
“If I weren’t also following, Zhai Bai’s people might have already taken him away.”
“And this child is so small, even his two sidekicks are only slightly bigger.”
“When they go out, they’re like little meat buns.”
“The little meat bun has been mostly stolen from, and their inn seems problematic. But since they paid for half a month’s stay in advance, even if they know there’s an issue now, they probably can’t get a refund.”
“Hey, I’ve told you so much. Why aren’t you reacting?”
Huo Qinwu looked up at him, finally showing a reaction. However, his response was cold: “Other people’s matters have nothing to do with me.”
“If you pity him, go find him yourself. Don’t stay here with me.”
“You don’t even feel sympathy?”
“None.”
“Tsk tsk, no wonder your father doesn’t favor you. You’re not big but have a hard heart.”
“Even if you don’t feel sympathy, at least help me out. Go give Zhai Bai a warning.”
Teng Liang spent a long time here, ultimately trying to get Huo Qinwu to solve this problem for him.
Huo Qinwu was disinterested in dealing with others’ issues.
As time passed, the little one stopped going out much. He wasn’t stupid; he had already noticed, “There are two perverts following us.”
These two troublemakers aren’t in cahoots, but neither of them seems like good kids!
Although the little ones didn’t leave the inn, their bad luck continued.
They ran into the innkeeper’s price hike.
The kids opposed the price increase, wanting the innkeeper to refund them so they could find a new place to stay.
But the innkeeper refused.
For the third time, they went to the office, and the clerk was surprised to see them.
“Hey little guy, you still haven’t gone home?”
The little one shook his head, then laid out his remaining luggage and made a bed on the floor of the office.
Clerk: “?”
After making his bed, the little one kicked off his little shoes, laid down, and sprawled out on the floor, no longer pouting.
He stared at the ceiling and said to the dumbfounded clerk, “I’ve been robbed again, and now we don’t have any money.”
“If you don’t help us find it, we’re staying here.”
With that, he pulled the blanket he had taken from the inn up to his chest and closed his eyes, promptly falling asleep.
The clerk looked at the three little kids all sound asleep and didn’t snap out of it for a while.
He mumbled, “This little guy sure is something.”
Sleeping in the office — what a clever move.
When the kids woke up from their nap, they got up, rolled up their blankets, and tucked them along with their small amount of luggage under the table.
They had already noticed that under the table was a safe spot. Even a crumpled piece of paper had gone unswept for days.
Having found a temporary, free sleeping place, the kids took some coins and went out to buy buns.
“Little Seven, Chen Zhou and I want to earn some money.”
The palace would send them money eventually, but they had just arrived, so it definitely wouldn’t come right away.
Determined to be self-reliant, the kids planned to make money themselves.
When Ling Rui heard them say they wanted to earn money, he nodded seriously and said, “I’ll go with you.”
The kids racked their brains for a long time, trying to come up with ways to make money.
Before they could figure anything out, a carriage sped past them.
The little one: “!”
The kid sprinted after it on his short legs.
He ran for a bit before the carriage left him behind.
“That—that carriage hit us!”
Pointing at the departing carriage, the kid came up with a new money-making idea: “That carriage owes us compensation.”
“If we find that carriage, we can get some money!”
This idea was quickly approved by Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou.
Over the next few days, they stayed at the office and went out to search for the carriage.
The office clerk, Zhang San, admitted he wasn’t good at his job and preferred slacking off.
So when the kids asked him to help them find the money or the stolen items, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to.
The kid wasn’t upset when he heard this.
“That’s fine. It’s nice and cool here, so we’ll just stay.”
The little one sat on the desk, staring longingly at the chicken leg in Zhang San’s hand while munching on a plain bun.
Zhang San: “…”
Zhang San: “You know I’m not going to share with you.”
The kid nodded, “I know. I’m just looking at it.”
“Your chicken leg smells so good.”
“I don’t want your chicken leg. I’m fine with my bun, really.”
Despite claiming he didn’t want the chicken leg, the little one stared at it without blinking, eventually making Zhang San give in and stuff the leg into his mouth.
“Fine, fine, now go sit down.”
After feeding the kid, Zhang San turned to see two more pairs of hungry eyes staring at him.
Zhang San: “…”
His mouth twitched.
After feeding all three of them his chicken legs, his bowl was empty.
A couple of days later, the kid finally found the inn where the carriage had stopped, just as Zhang San went to find Sui An.
He wanted to get rid of the troublesome kids who had turned the office into their personal lodging.
Sui An was stunned after hearing his story.
“I thought they left already?”
Sui An had just found out about the rescheduled assessment. He hadn’t seen the kids around and didn’t know where they were staying, but he did know about the child called Little Seven.
When he inquired, he found out that Little Seven had recently left without even waiting for the backdoor pass Sui An had planned to give him during the assessment.
He had thought Little Seven was long gone.
Turns out, the real Little Seven was still here, stranded in Guang Shan, sleeping on the floor and in dire straits.
“Go ahead and take them with you. I really can’t take it anymore.”
Zhang San urged him, “My office has turned into a daycare center. Not only are they sleeping in my space, they’re also eating my food!”
All the food Zhang San worked hard to make was eaten by the kids.
They had run out of money and couldn’t even afford buns anymore.
Every time mealtime rolled around, the three kids would sit in a row on their floor beds, looking up at him as he ate.
They would even make comments while watching him eat.
The smallest one always started with, “If only our money pouch hadn’t been stolen.”
The next one would chime in, “If only our luggage hadn’t been stolen, we could sell it and buy food.”
Then the last, a seemingly honest one, would turn to him and ask, “Uncle Zhang San, you’re an adult. You must know. How long will it take for kids to starve to death?”
Zhang San was truly exasperated with them.
He had never been able to keep his food safe from these hungry little ones.
“Sui An, when can you come and take them away?”
Zhang San was eager for him to take them away.
But Sui An looked troubled: “With the assessment coming up, it’s inappropriate for me to take them now.”
Too many eyes were on them. If he took them away now, the little ones would attract even more attention.
It would be difficult to make exceptions now.
He had promised the little ones that he would be lenient during the assessment, but outside of that, they had to fend for themselves.
Seeing that Sui An wasn’t going to take them all, Zhang San started making a fuss.
Sui An, annoyed by his persistence, finally frowned and said, “Taking all three would be too conspicuous. I can only take one.”
Originally, he intended to take Little Seven, but Little Seven decided to leave the opportunity for Chen Zhou.
He knew two teachers here. Master Sui would take Chen Zhou, and Jiang Yan will stay with Master Jue.
He would make do with Zhang San for now.
Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou disagreed with this arrangement. They said, “Little Seven, you’re much more important to us. Our purpose here is to take care of you. How could we leave you alone here while we go?”
Upon hearing this, Little Seven pointed to the equality plaque.
“We’re all the same, and as the leader, I should protect my little brothers.”
“No, I don’t agree. I refuse.”
Unable to reach an agreement on taking the little ones, they could only talk as they continued searching for the inn.
They had settled in the inn. Now they were certain that the owner of the carriage was also staying there.
As they approached the inn, the little ones still hadn’t reached a consensus.
Little Seven ended the discussion: “Let’s stop talking and focus on our business!”
“Alright.”
They stopped discussing their earlier topic and sneaked into the inn, then into the carriage.
The inside of the carriage was beautifully decorated.
The little ones climbed into the carriage, and Little Seven rolled up his sleeves to show Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou his little arm.
“Is my arm red?”
“It is red, but can anyone believe that it was bruised by a carriage a few days ago?”
“If they don’t believe us, we’ll lie down on the ground.”
The little one remembered the scene where an old man had faked being hit. He calmly instructed, “If we lie down on the ground, we won’t get up until we get money.”
The owner of this carriage had been reckless on the streets, bumping into them without paying or apologizing. It was clear he wasn’t a good person.
Although they were intentionally painting their arms red and lying, compared to the carriage owner—
They were still good little ones.
Their actions caught Teng Liang’s attention.
To the little one, Teng Liang had been like a stalker and a pervert these past few days.
But Teng Liang, considered a pervert, was actually quite pleased.
He knew the little ones were in trouble, but instead of helping them, he was more interested in seeing what they would do when pushed to their limits.
Now, he was watching.
The little ones had come to fake an accident.
“Huo Qinwu, come on, there’s some excitement to watch.”
“I’m not interested.”
“You have to come even if you don’t want to watch it.”
Teng Liang smiled at him with a pure expression: “Because it’s your excitement.”
Huo Qinwu: “?”
Huo Qinwu frowned.
Teng Liang pointed outside and said, “Count down from five now.”
Huo Qinwu was reluctant to cooperate.
But within a few seconds, a familiar small voice came from the courtyard: “Someone! A child was hit!”
The familiar voice continued: “This carriage hit a child!”
Huo Qinwu slowly turned his head, unable to believe his ears.
Teng Liang continued to laugh at him: “The carriage hit a child. Aren’t you going to check it out? I remember the carriage in the courtyard is yours.”
Huo Qinwu: “…”
Huo Qinwu’s expression changed several times before he strode outside.
Sure enough, in front of his carriage, he saw the little one lying on the ground.
The little one was lying there with his little arm exposed, showing it was red.
“Is this your carriage?”
Seeing someone approaching, the little one moved his outstretched hands and feet a bit.
Huo Qinwu pressed his lips together, his gaze dark and fixed on the little one lying on the ground, silent.
He just wanted to know, how did this little one end up here?!
Seeing Huo Qinwu staring at him, the little one prompted him again.
Huo Qinwu nodded.
Seeing him nod, Little Seven rolled over, increasing his fake distress: “Your carriage hit me. You need to pay!”
He rolled around, demanding money from Huo Qinwu.
The little one, focused on demanding money, forcibly suppressed the familiar feeling that arose in his chest when he saw Huo Qinwu.
He was sure he had never seen Huo Qinwu’s face before. Though the face looked as handsome as his own, if he had seen it, he would definitely remember it.
Huo Qinwu also realized his little one didn’t recognize him.
He stood there silently, watching the little one’s fake distress.
The little one grew tired of faking it.
His hands and feet stopped flailing around: “Are you going to give me money or not? I really was hit.”
He wasn’t just randomly faking an accident.
His fake accident had a basis!
“Where’s your money?” Huo Qinwu asked.
His little one couldn’t have come without money.
“It was stolen, and our luggage was stolen too.”
The little one lying on the ground sounded a bit aggrieved as he said quietly, “Now, only the little ones haven’t been stolen.”
Huo Qinwu: “…”
Huo Qinwu was stunned.
So, the unlucky fellow who had his belongings stolen for such a long time was actually his little one?
He thought about what Teng Liang had said and then looked at the little one on the ground, desperately faking an accident.
It felt like his heart was pierced by a thorn, and he bent down to pick up the little one who had been faking the accident for so long.
