“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, can you please not tell my mother…” Little Qingyao, held in Lu Zhao’s arms, nervously grasped his sleeve. Her dirty little hands left numerous uneven prints on his moon-white robe, causing the nearby servants to feel anxious.
Everyone knew that the young master was extremely particular about cleanliness. Normally, just a speck of dust would make him frown for a long time. How could he tolerate such stains on his clothes?
However, little Lu Zhao didn’t even glance at his sleeve. With a cold face, he already had the air of a grown-up looking down on everyone from the clouds. A single glance from him scared off the servant who wanted to step forward and take little Qingyao. He still didn’t say a word.
Little Qingyao was terrified and spoke with a sobbing voice, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, don’t ignore me… I know I was wrong. If… if my mother finds out again, she will definitely punish me, and then I won’t be allowed out of the house anymore…” She choked, and big tears started to fall. Even though she had just escaped from a dangerous situation, she was already thinking about sneaking out again.
Lu Zhao was a bit angry. How could she be so careless about protecting herself? With a blank face, he lifted his hand to wipe her tears and said his first words after rescuing her, “You shouldn’t be allowed out of the house again! If you sneak out and something happens, and I can’t save you in time, what then?!”
His voice carried reproach, making little Qingyao’s crying pause for a moment. She looked at him with a red nose, stunned, and the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, causing her tears to flow even more.
She wasn’t just playing around or intentionally trying to run away. She went out because she wanted to play with her Elder Brother Lu Zhao! But it was because Elder Brother Lu Zhao wasn’t at home waiting for her that she got tricked by those who offered to guide her. Clearly, Elder Brother Lu Zhao was also at fault, so why was he scolding her!
Little Qingyao cried louder and more miserably, almost fainting from the distress several times.
Seeing her like this, Lu Zhao’s anger dissipated. His heart ached, knowing she had just been scared and wasn’t feeling well. Realizing his harsh words were wrong, he softened his tone to comfort her, “Alright, alright, Yaoyao, don’t cry anymore. It’s my fault. I wasn’t scolding you. I promise I won’t tell your mother, okay?”
But little Qingyao couldn’t hear anything he was saying anymore. She continued to cry heartbreakingly. The little Lu Zhao had no choice but to secretly take her back to the Duke’s mansion and carefully comfort her.
Seeing her beautiful little dress all muddy, he feared her family would scold her, so he dared not let anyone know. He had to sneak out again, cautiously buying her a new dress to change into.
In her dream, Shen Qingyao watched from an outsider’s perspective, finally relaxing her worried frown and showing a knowing smile. She thought the two little kids were quite cute.
Outside the dream, Lu Zhao saw her breathing stabilize and smiled softly, pulling her closer into his embrace.
In the dream, little Qingyao was taken home by Shen Yushu from the Duke’s mansion that night. As expected, Lu Zhao didn’t mention what happened during the day to anyone. He kept it a secret.
He thought the matter was over, but not long after little Qingyao got home, the Shen family urgently called several doctors from across the city. Her illness was too severe, and Mother Shen cried by her bed all night. When Lu Zhao heard about it, he also stayed up all night.
A few days later, when little Qingyao got better, Lu Zhao immediately found an excuse to visit the Shen family. Unfortunately, the little girl bore a grudge and still remembered his cold face and scolding. She wouldn’t let him in, keeping the door closed.
Shen Yushu, not knowing what misunderstanding had occurred between them, could only regretfully pat his friend on the shoulder, smiling, “Yaoyao is feeling unwell and in a bad mood lately. She doesn’t want to see anyone. Don’t take it to heart.”
Little Lu Zhao nodded silently, glanced at the door again, and then turned to leave with Shen Yu Shu.
Behind the door, little Qing Yao peeked through a crack, saw that they had really left, and stomped her foot in anger. She didn’t open the door, but couldn’t Elder Brother Lu Zhao come and coax her? She felt even more aggrieved.
She turned and walked away, burying herself in the bed and pounding the mattress in frustration.
But soon, someone knocked on the door. Little Qingyao, her hair a mess, emerged from the blankets with a sour face, swung the door open without asking who it was, and was about to angrily demand why they were back when she saw little Lu Zhao standing outside, surprised to see her.
He stared at her messy hair for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. The young boy already had the demeanor and beauty of a distinguished gentleman, and his smile immediately extinguished all of little Qingyao’s anger. She awkwardly brushed her hair with her hand and pouted, on the verge of tears.
The boy quickly brought his hand from behind his back, revealing a bunch of red candied hawthorns. In a doting and gentle voice, he said, “Yaoyao, be good. Elder Brother brought you some candied hawthorns. Drink your medicine first, then you can eat this. The medicine won’t taste bitter anymore. Please don’t be mad at Elder Brother, okay?”
In the dream, little Qingyao stayed rooted to the spot.
Outside the dream, Shen Qingyao turned over and opened her eyes.
It was already broad daylight, and the sunlight made her squint. She turned over again and saw that she was alone in bed. Lu Zhao was nowhere to be found.
Thinking about the vivid dream, Shen Qingyao hugged the blanket and smiled. She wondered if the little Qingyao in the dream ever got to eat that candied hawthorn, but she felt as if she had already tasted it.
Hmm, it did seem quite sweet.
“What are you smiling about?” Lu Zhao entered just then, catching her smile before she could hide it. Seeing that she didn’t seem uncomfortable anymore, Lu Zhao felt relieved, and his tone became lighter.
Seeing him, Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but recall the little boy in the dream who always wore a serious face and acted mature beyond his years. People are indeed fascinating, she thought. Some people change as they grow, while others, like Lu Zhao, remain good-looking and even become more attractive over time.
Unaware that he had just been given an imaginary award, Lu Zhao walked closer. The girl on the bed was still in a daze, staring at him so intently that it made his ears warm. Finding it amusing, he raised an eyebrow and squatted down to look her in the eye.
The sudden closeness jolted Shen Qing Yao back to her senses. She coughed, realizing belatedly that she had been ogling him early in the morning. She quickly sat up, cleared her throat, and wiped the expression from her face, replacing it with a displeased look.
She still remembered how little Lu Zhao had scolded little Qingyao in the dream. Even though it wasn’t really her who got scolded.
Shen Qingyao pouted. Although little Qingyao was eventually coaxed, it wasn’t her who was coaxed in real life.
She felt a bit unbalanced and wanted him to coax her again.
[Host, you’re being unreasonable,] the system couldn’t help but say. As an accompanying system, it could see Shen Qingyao’s dream and understood her motives. The system sighed; if it were another supporting character acting so capriciously, they would have been exiled long ago. But Shen Qingyao, being the favored one, always acted with impunity.
“Yaoyao?” Lu Zhao, seeing her expression change several times without saying anything, asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Shen Qingyao shook her head, then sat on the bed and craned her neck to look at the food box in Lu Zhao’s hand.
She wasn’t sure when it started, but as long as Lu Zhao was around, he somehow took over the task of bringing her food and drinks. As a result, Cui Qiao and Hong Yun found themselves with nothing to do. Shen Qingyao still remembered that before leaving the capital, Cui Qiao had once quietly complained to her about this.
Shen Qingyao felt a slight sweetness in her heart and almost couldn’t keep the serious expression on her face. She asked slowly, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, what delicious food did you bring?”
Lu Zhao chuckled softly, feeling gratified. Finally, she had an appetite for food? She had vomited all day yesterday and was probably starving now. He opened the food box to reveal two plates of fragrant and soft pastries. Both the appearance and the aroma were exactly what Shen Qingyao liked. On a normal day, she would have eaten three to five pieces, but now she only glanced at them and lost interest.
Why aren’t there any candied hawthorns? Even something flavored like them would be nice.
“Don’t like it?” Lu Zhao asked again.
Shen Qingyao shook her head, then nodded, feeling very conflicted. She tugged on Lu Zhao’s sleeve and said softly, “Elder Brother, I want to eat candied hawthorns…”
“Mm?” A trace of confusion crossed Lu Zhao’s face. A fleeting image flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t grasp it. He didn’t understand why she suddenly wanted to eat that. Normally, if she wanted to eat something, she could just have it. But now they were on a boat, and making candied hawthorns required fresh hawthorns, which weren’t easy to find.
However, seeing the longing on the young girl’s face, Lu Zhao’s heart softened. He thought, after all, she still had a child’s nature, wanting whatever came to mind. So, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He nodded and said, “Eat some of this first, and I’ll get you some later.”
Shen Qingyao didn’t really want to eat them; she just wanted to experience the feeling of being indulged. With Lu Zhao agreeing to everything she wanted, she felt a bit embarrassed to continue being willful. She responded with an “oh,” quickly got out of bed to wash up, and then slowly began to taste the food Lu Zhao had brought.
Lu Zhao left the cabin and gestured to the shadows. The secret guard who had appeared last night immediately revealed himself. “Master.”
Just as the guard thought Lu Zhao had some important orders, he heard Lu Zhao say, “Find a way to get some fresh hawthorns, the big, red, and sweet ones.”
“…?” The secret guard was a bit puzzled. Did his Master remember that he was trained as an elite guard by the Duke’s mansion, not for tasks like this? But he didn’t dare ask more questions and nodded before leaving.
That evening, Shen Qingyao ate the candied hawthorns she had been longing for.
She was surprised, not expecting that they could actually be found. The sweet and sour taste of the candied hawthorns, combined with her good mood, unexpectedly alleviated her seasickness.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, you’re so kind!” Shen Qingyao said, squinting her eyes in enjoyment, unable to resist praising him.
Lu Zhao laughed at her words and asked, “This counts as being kind?”
Shen Qingyao nodded eagerly and said flatteringly, “So kind!”
Lu Zhao turned his head away with a smile, looking very modest, as if saying she couldn’t sway him with mere flattery. But the long-lasting smile on his lips still betrayed his good mood.
“By the way, there’s news from the capital today.” After a while, Lu Zhao suddenly said.
hen Qingyao turned her head, “What news?”
Even her system perked up its ears.
“Fifth Prince is marrying your Eldest Sister tomorrow. Don’t you remember?” Lu Zhao tapped her forehead gently to remind her.
Shen Qingyao suddenly realized it. Indeed, when they left, there was only half a month left until her sister’s wedding, and now they had been delayed on the road for several days. Counting the days, it really was tomorrow.
“Time flies so fast, I didn’t even notice!” Shen Qingyao’s eyes lit up with surprise and delight. She was both happy and excited that the main leads were finally completing the first stage of their journey! Then, she felt a bit regretful and sighed, “It’s a pity that I can’t attend my Eldest Sister’s wedding.”
She suddenly missed her family, with whom she had only spent a few months, and wondered how they were doing in the capital.
Lu Zhao walked over and held her, encircling her frail body in his embrace. This longing for family was something he couldn’t replace with anything else, so he could only stay by her side silently.
The two of them hugged quietly for a moment. Suddenly, Lu Zhao’s eyes glanced outside the window. The boat was still moving slowly, and tonight there was no wind, the moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. It was perfect weather for a relaxing distraction. He then said, “We are about to sail past Liuyue Bay, which is said to be the best place along the river to see the moon. That’s why it’s named ‘Flowing Moon.’ Yaoyao, would you like to see it?”
Shen Qingyao looked up from his embrace and suddenly realized that Lu Zhao seemed to particularly enjoy showing her the moon.
Clearly, he was a hundred times more beautiful than the moon. Shen Qingyao smiled, nodded, and thought, Fine, you look at the moon, and I’ll look at you…