Fu Yunzhu couldn’t help stepping forward and reaching out to take Hanghang into her arms. Then she explained to Xiao Jingchuan,
“Young Master, I left a white exercise notebook here, so I came back to look for it.”
Xiao Jingchuan nodded. “Mm.”
“Aunt Liu said she hasn’t seen it.”
Xiao Jingchuan looked at her. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes were fixed on him, full of expectation. He restrained himself for a moment, then let out another soft “Mm.”
The little girl was being indirect again. There were only a few people in the house after asking Aunt Liu, she could have just asked him directly. Yet she deliberately stopped at a statement meant as a hint, hoping he would follow up with his own conclusion. Even in such small details, she maintained an extremely strong sense of boundaries and propriety.
What kind of family had raised a girl like this?
But after he answered, he was met with her slightly stunned expression, and he suddenly found it amusing.
“Why didn’t you just ask me directly whether I’d seen it?”
Only then did Fu Yunzhu realize so he had understood her meaning all along. She had known it. Although she hadn’t interacted with this young master very often, she knew he was exceptionally perceptive and sharp.
She pressed her lips together.
“If I asked whether Young Master had taken my things, and someone found out, they’d say I forgot my place and dared to question Young Master like that.”
Hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan understood. She was taking the opportunity to complain. A trace of amusement flickered in his handsome eyes.
“You haven’t even started receiving a salary from the Xiao family yet, and you’re already taking such good care of Hanghang. In that sense, the Xiao family owes you a favor. So what requests or questions would be inappropriate?And even if you were getting paid, it would only be a superior–subordinate relationship. Where does this ‘forgetting your place’ idea come from?”
“But some people don’t think that way.”
Xiao Jingchuan explained again, “That’s other people not me, Xiao Jingchuan, and not my father, Xiao Tianwen either.”
This little girl really knew how to complain in layers.
“Even if it’s not you, there are people who rely on their family ties to your household to lecture and bully my mother and me.”
“You mean my cousin and my aunt?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Jingchuan nodded.
“You and Aunt Jiang have been wronged. How about this I’ll personally bring my cousin to your place tomorrow to apologize to you and Aunt Jiang. As for my aunt, she’s an elder, so my father would need to step in.”
Fu Yunzhu froze for a moment. Just like that he agreed?
No wonder he was a young master raised with upright, socialist values: principled and sincere, yet not rigid or pedantic. He understood all her intentions, empathized with her grievances, saw straight through everything, and still handled it calmly.
Seeing that she didn’t respond, Xiao Jingchuan asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I really was extremely angry yesterday. I wished your aunt and cousin would apologize to my mother and me on the spot. But now that I’ve calmed down and thought about it if they come to apologize in person, it might vent some of our anger, but if they’re not sincere, they’ll definitely hold a grudge and look for a chance to retaliate. Complaining too often isn’t a good thing either, and in the Xiao family, there are likely ears behind the walls.”
Xiao Jingchuan’s lips curved upward.
“Then what should we do?”
Ears behind the walls he recalled the way Aunt Liu had once run to complain to him. This time, she would probably add fuel to the fire as well.
This stubborn little temper wanting justice, yet worrying about the consequences. He could practically see her tangled, conflicted emotions, and for some reason, it made him want to tease her a little.
Fu Yunzhu was stunned again. She had said all that because she wanted him to solve the problem, not throw the question back at her. She’d just praised him for being perceptive, too.
In the end, she said, “Just warn them. That’s enough.”
Xiao Jingchuan nodded.
“Alright. I’ll do as you say. And thank you for taking care of Hanghang during this time. I’ve seen his progress. Your notebook is with me.”
Fu Yunzhu let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“From now on, call me ‘big brother,’” Xiao Jingchuan said as he turned to go get the notebook.
He had taken only two steps when he realized she hadn’t responded. He stopped and turned back.
“You don’t want to?”
“Why?” She actually already knew the answer in her heart.
His attitude suggested that he had already accepted Chief Xiao’s feelings toward her mother. The plot had returned to its original track.
Thinking this, Fu Yunzhu quietly let out a breath.
“So that next time you run into my cousin or aunt, you can push back on the spot,” Xiao Jingchuan explained.
After saying that, he went upstairs without waiting for her reply.
Only after Xiao Jingchuan’s figure disappeared did Fu Yunzhu realize that Hanghang hadn’t made a sound the entire time. She smiled and praised him,
“Hanghang is so good. Big sister’s arms are tired how about you come down and sit for a bit?”
Hanghang nodded.
Fu Yunzhu was a little surprised. This little guy could already understand such long sentences?
She immediately pulled him into her arms again.
“You really are such a good boy.”
Upstairs, Xiao Jingchuan took out the notebook and flipped through it again, reviewing the key points he had copied into his black leather notebook the night before. After checking everything, he closed it.
When he went downstairs, he saw the girl holding a paper frog folded from a sheet of paper, bending over to tease Hanghang. Her face was full of a gentle, patient smile.
“Yunzhu,” he called.
Fu Yunzhu handed the origami frog to Hanghang and stepped forward to take the notebook from Xiao Jingchuan. She asked,
“You’ve read what’s inside?”
She assumed he had otherwise he wouldn’t have taken it upstairs. Fortunately, she had already prepared an explanation.
Teaching Hanghang wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a day or two, and many methods couldn’t be explained simply as things learned in the countryside.
“I skimmed it at first. Seeing that it wasn’t a private diary, I read it more carefully. Where did you learn all this?”
“Because I’m preparing for exams, I go to the Xinhua Bookstore almost every day. I asked the librarian if there were any books on special education for children. She said there happened to be two English editions that a translator had translated, so I read those.”
After that, she added,
“I also learned a bit of English from her along the way.”
Xiao Jingchuan listened thoughtfully. It was a reasonable explanation. In the end, he nodded.
“You were very attentive. If you want to learn English, I’ll arrange a better tutor for you tomorrow. The school has already been contacted. There’s only one week left before the term starts prepare well.”
Fu Yunzhu naturally wouldn’t refuse.
“Alright.”
Xiao Jingchuan smiled.
“I happen to have a few days off. Tomorrow I’ll drive you to meet him, and we can also visit Aunt Jiang.”
“Okay,” Fu Yunzhu agreed again.
This was truly a great opportunity for her to regain her foreign language skills. There was no reason to refuse.
After all, she already had the image of a once-you-learn-you-master-it genius. Having strong learning ability wasn’t a problem.
“Then wait for me at home tomorrow,” Xiao Jingchuan added.
After agreeing, Fu Yunzhu said goodbye and left.
Xiao Jingchuan carried Hanghang upstairs. Back in the study, he made a phone call.
“Chen He, have someone look into the background of Aunt Jiang’s daughter from my family. The more detailed, the better everything from her habits growing up, her conduct with others, her personality, to her academic situation.”
After that, he gave the address of Jiang Youqing’s hometown.
“Aunt Jiang’s daughter is here?” the other person asked.
“Yes.”
“Is there anything suspicious about her?”