"How about you sell this puppy to me? I will give you money."
She looked up and saw a little girl dressed very exquisitely, but the words she spoke were not very pleasant to hear.
Song Yi'an refused without even thinking: "Not for sale."
Wei Jingjing had grown up to this age and it was the first time she had been refused so bluntly by a peer. She was stunned for a moment, then persisted: "My mother is very rich! If you sell the puppy to me, you can get a lot, a lot of gold!"
As she spoke, she spread her arms to gesture a "lot."
Song Yi'an rolled her eyes, "Really?"
Wei Jingjing nodded vigorously: "Really."
"Alright then." Song Yi'an said with a serious, deceptive face: "If you give me one hundred thousand taels of gold, I will reluctantly let Xiao Bai go to you."
Wei Jingjing: "..." She was young, but she was not stupid.
Uncle Sun, the steward who had originally thought it was just children playing, was about to smile and smooth things over when his gaze caught sight of a flag with the character "Song" hanging on the carriage next door.
The character "Song" was very common, but paired with such a grand and imposing carriage, the meaning was completely different.
Uncle Sun's heart skipped a beat; he hoped it was not the carriage from the residence of Prime Minister Song in the Capital City.
He looked at the little girl again. Although her clothes were simple, her little face would surely look extraordinary once washed clean, especially those eyes—lively and bright. Her entire demeanor was certainly not something a child from an ordinary family could possess.
At a glance, she was not from an ordinary family.
Uncle Sun hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and apologized repeatedly: "I am sorry, I am truly sorry. My young lady is young and speaks without thinking. She was just joking; please do not take it to heart, little girl."
Having said that, he wanted to coax Wei Jingjing to leave in a low voice.
But Wei Jingjing was in high spirits and had been blocked by Song Yi'an with the "one hundred thousand taels of gold." Feeling aggrieved and seeing that Uncle Sun was not only not helping her but also trying to pull her away, she immediately pouted and burst into a loud cry. The sound was so piercing that it startled Nanny Zhou and the others who were resting over there.
Uncle Sun felt a headache coming on and groaned inwardly.
Oh, this little ancestor of his.
"What is going on?" Madam Gu walked over and asked her daughter in a low voice.
Song Yi'an looked innocent, "She said her mother is very rich and wanted to buy Xiao Bai. I said it would cost one hundred thousand taels of gold, and she cried because she couldn't afford it."
Song Yi'an explained the whole situation in a few words.
After listening, the adults present: "..."
Nanny Zhou glanced at the precocious Song Yi'an and disapproved in her heart. In her view, giving this little beast away at this moment would satisfy the social etiquette and save trouble, which would be for the best, so she did not step in to resolve it.
Song Yili silently stepped forward half a step, shielding his sister behind him, and looked at the loudly crying Wei Jingjing with confusion.
He and his sister had been sensible since they were young and rarely cried or made a scene like this, let alone wailing at the top of their lungs like Wei Jingjing.
Hmm, a bit noisy.
Being watched by so many people, Wei Jingjing's crying gradually softened, especially when she discovered that the handsome Little Brother was looking at her. Her little face turned slightly red; now she didn't know whether to cry or not, feeling very awkward.
Madam Gu noticed the little girl's embarrassment and gave her daughter a look.
Song Yi'an understood, pursed her lips, walked over with Xiao Bai, and offered a compromise: "Xiao Bai cannot be sold, but you can pet it."
Wei Jingjing sobbed and carefully reached out to touch Xiao Bai's soft body.
The fluffy sensation instantly healed her, and she immediately threw her previous unhappiness to the back of her mind, breaking into a smile and focusing on teasing the puppy.
Uncle Sun finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Nanny Zhou felt it was a pity that the puppy had not been given away.
After some conversation, they learned that the other party was the daughter of Minister of Rites Wei, and they were on their way to the Southern Region to visit her maternal grandmother and were now returning to the Capital City.
Since the two families were heading in the same direction, it was only natural to travel together, which would be convenient for looking after each other on the road.
However, this was hard on Song Yi'an. Wei Jingjing seemed to have found a playmate and stuck to her all day, begging her to play.
Song Yi'an could not resist the little girl's pleading eyes and spent most of her time in Wei Jingjing's carriage.
At first, Song Yili was worried about his sister and followed along, only to discover that Wei Jingjing was a total chatterbox, chirping non-stop about everything from gossip in the Capital City to things seen on the road.
After a day, even in his dreams, Song Yili heard Wei Jingjing's chattering voice. He found it unbearable and finally, on the second day, under his sister's condemning gaze, he resolutely fled back to their own carriage for some peace and quiet.
Wei Jingjing, however, felt more and more that her new friend Song Yi'an knew so much—even more than her father, the Minister of Rites.
When resting on the road, the wild fruits Song Yi'an picked were always edible, and she could find bird nests with perfect accuracy.
Xiao Bai was even more obedient to her, never going west if she told it to go east.
Wei Jingjing secretly made up her mind that after returning to the Capital City, she would definitely raise a puppy as smart and obedient as Xiao Bai.
Her bright, admiring eyes put quite a bit of pressure on Song Yi'an.
After traveling for more than ten days, everyone looked exhausted, except for the three of them—Madam Gu and her two children—who were inexplicably energetic.
This was a huge blow to Wang Yi and Wang Er, who were martial artists. Could it be that their stamina was not even as good as that of a woman and children?
Nanny Zhou was the oldest and her health was not as good as the young people's, so she finally could not help but speak up, suggesting they rest for a night at an inn they were passing by.
The inn was located by the official road outside the city and was a necessary stop for those entering the Capital City, making it quite lively with people coming and going.
Liveliness had its downsides; when asking for rooms, they were told that rooms were in short supply and only three were left.
One room was for Nanny Zhou and Madam Gu, one for Uncle Sun to stay with Song Yili, and the last one was left for Song Yi'an and Wei Jingjing.
Wang Yi and Wang Er stood guard by the carriage as usual.
As soon as she entered the inn, the first thing Song Yi'an did was beg her mother for hot water to take a bath.
Having only been able to wipe herself down for over ten days, she felt like she was going sour, and her hair was greasy and tangled.
Madam Gu looked at her disheveled eldest son and youngest daughter and calculated in her heart that since she was washing one, she might as well wash both. It would be better to get them cleaned up while they had a place to stay and hot water.
"Yili, Yi'an," she called the two children over, "Take advantage of the hot water and come wash your heads, faces, and bodies. Yili, use this tub; Yi'an, use this one. No dawdling."
Since the siblings were still young, Madam Gu let them wash in the same room, separated by a screen, so she could keep an eye on them from the outer room.
However, neither the sensible Song Yili nor the usually opinionated Song Yi'an would let their mother come close to help.
Song Yili: "Mother, I can do it myself."
"Me too." Song Yi'an hugged her little bundle and peeked from behind the screen.
Madam Gu had no choice but to put the soap cakes into the two wooden basins. As the hot water poured in, bubbles rose up, and the room was instantly filled with steam and the fresh scent of herbs.
"Call me when you're done," she instructed, then closed the door and kept watch in the outer room.
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