With Jin Qizhi’s arms wrapped around Jin Lanyue, she was carried along and formatly tumbled flat on her back as well.
It took a frantic struggle with all four limbs in the air for Jin Lanyue to finally roll over and scramble onto her brother’s chest. Looking at his utterly soul-weary expression, she panicked a little.
“Eldest Brother… Brother, Big Brother, what’s wrong?” Jin Lanyue placed her two tiny hands on either side of his face, shaking it back and forth. “Are you okay, Big Brother…?”
“You…” Jin Qizhi managed to speak with great effort. “Why… did you… eat the ice?”
“Because Yue’er wanted to eat an ice bowl…” Jin Lanyue whimpered tearfully. “I’m sorry, Eldest Brother. Yue’er will never eat it again, boohoo…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine…” Jin Qizhi pushed himself up off the floor and sat back up. “It’s my fault. I didn’t prepare any food for you.”
Jin Qizhi ordered the servants to fetch some food, and a servant quickly brought in a lacquer food box adorned with gold painting.
The moment the food box was opened, a sweet, fragrant aroma instantly permeated the room.
“It’s almond shortbread!” Jin Lanyue’s eyes lit up, her tiny nose twitching like a kitten smelling dried fish.
Although she didn’t know many characters and sometimes couldn’t even speak very clearly, she could accurately name these delicious treats.
Jin Qizhi frantically pushed the pastries toward her. “It’s all my fault for forgetting to prepare snacks for you.”
He tapped his forehead in frustration, his face filled with guilt. “On such a hot day, you must have been starving to resort to touching that ice.”
The little dumpling had already grabbed a piece of almond shortbread and was nibbling on it in tiny bites, the flaky pastry showering down rapidly.
She turned up her little face, which was covered in crumbs, and mumbled indistinctly, “Eldest Brother is too good~”
Jin Qizhi then fished out a small celadon jar. “This is chilled sour plum soup.”
He carefully poured a small cup. “Drink slowly, don’t choke.”
Little Jin Lanyue held the teacup and gulped down more than half of it, immediately gaining a brown “little mustache” around her mouth.
She licked her lips, wanting more, and let out a tiny burp.
“There’s also this sweet osmanthus lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice…”
The little dumpling cheered, her just-filled belly suddenly finding room again.
She watched expectantly as her eldest brother unwrapped the lotus leaf.
A fresh, sweet osmanthus fragrance mixed with the crisp aroma of lotus root rushed over her. She poked the crystal-clear sweet lotus root with her tiny finger. “So pretty~”
Watching her gluttonous look, Jin Qizhi felt both protective and amused.
He picked up a pair of silver chopsticks and carefully sliced the sweet lotus root into small pieces. “Eat slowly, it’s all yours.”
Yet Little Jin Lanyue used her tiny hand to pinch the largest piece, standing on her tiptoes to press it against her eldest brother’s lips. “Eldest Brother eat too~”
Jin Qizhi blanked for a moment, automatically opening his mouth to take it.
The flavor, sweet but not cloying, melted on the tip of his tongue, and only then did he suddenly realize that he was rather hungry as well.
Seeing him eat it, the little dumpling immediately beamed with joy, pinching another piece to feed him.
“Alright, alright, you eat.” Jin Qizhi gently pressed down her tiny hand. “I’ll have the kitchen send over some more pastries.”
He was just about to call for someone, but saw that Little Jin Lanyue had already climbed onto his lap to sit properly, happily eating a piece of almond shortbread held in her tiny hands.
The sleeves of her lotus-root-pink gauze dress slid down to her elbows, revealing two fair, tender little arms that looked exactly like fresh lotus roots just pulled from the water.
“Eldest Brother~” She suddenly turned her face up, frosting still smudged at the corner of her mouth. “Shall Yue’er sing a song-song for you?”
Without waiting for an answer, the little dumpling began to babble and sing, “Rock-a-by, baby, rock to Grandma’s bridge~”
Her milky tune was still completely out of pitch. After singing for a long time, she was merely singing the exact same line over and over using different ways to carry the tune terribly.
Jin Qizhi couldn’t help but smile, picking up the silk fan to gently blow air her way.
“Eldest Young Master, the Madam has sent over some chilled fruits.” A maid’s voice came from outside the door.
Four maids entered in single file, carrying translucent crystal bowls.
The bowls were filled with sliced watermelon, muskmelon, and peeled lychees, all emitting wisps of cool vapor.
The maid at the head said, “The Madam heard that the Eldest Young Master has to look after the Little Miss while doing his schoolwork, which is truly exhausting. She had us deliver some food, and also asked this servant to pass along a message—the weather is hot, so take care of your body. Rest when it’s time to rest, and do not overexert yourself.”
Hearing this, the guilt in Jin Qizhi’s heart deepened.
His mother cared so much about him, yet he had failed to perform his duty as the eldest brother properly, actually letting his sister starve to the point of eating ice…
He silently held his sister a little tighter in his arms, vowing in his heart that he would take excellent care of her and absolutely never let his mother down!
However, the thoughts of Jin Lanyue in his arms were much simpler—
“Wow!”
Looking at the chilled fruits, Jin Lanyue’s eyes sparkled. Her tiny body leaned forward, nearly sliding right off her eldest brother’s lap.
Jin Qizhi snapped out of his thoughts, quickly steadying her and picking up a bowl of lychees. “You can only eat a few. Too many will cause internal heat.”
The little dumpling nodded obediently, but her tiny hand was already eagerly grabbing a piece of crystal-clear lychee flesh.
She offered it to her eldest brother’s lips first. “Eldest Brother eat first~”
Jin Qizhi’s heart warmed, and he opened his mouth to take it.
Only then did Little Jin Lanyue start to enjoy her own portion with full satisfaction, her tiny mouth stuffed full as the juice trickled down her chin.
“Eat slower.” Jin Qizhi gently wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. “No one is going to snatch it from you.”
Jin Lanyue happily ate her snacks, kicking her tiny feet back and forth, when she suddenly gasped, “Eldest Brother’s schoolwork!”
She struggled to get down.
“It doesn’t matter.” Jin Qizhi pressed her back onto his lap. “Today I’ll just keep our Yue’er company.”
The little dumpling blinked her large eyes. “Then Yue’er will fan Eldest Brother!”
Saying this, she grabbed the silk fan and began to wave it with all her might.
Unfortunately, her tiny hand was too small and the fan handle was too long. Instead of fanning, she nearly let the fan slip from her grip, and she frantically scrambled to catch it.
Jin Qizhi couldn’t help but laugh, holding the silk fan together with her. “You have to fan like this.”
A gentle breeze drifted past, carrying the fresh aroma of fruits.
Having eaten and drunk her fill, Jin Lanyue gradually began to yawn, her tiny head nodding bit by bit, until she finally fell completely asleep in her eldest brother’s arms.
Her long eyelashes cast shadows on her face, and a sweet smile still hung from the corner of her mouth.
The twilight deepened, and the light in the study had already grown dim.
Jin Qizhi gently pinched the cheek of the little dumpling in his arms. “Yue’er, wake up. It’s time for dinner.”
Little Jin Lanyue rubbed her eyes groggily, let out a yawn, and mumbled in a milky voice, “Eldest Brother… Yue’er still wants to sleep~”
“Be good. Mother specifically had the kitchen make the hibiscus egg custard you love.” Jin Qizhi smoothed out her hair, which had been ruffled from sleep. “If you don’t get up soon, Second Brother is going to eat your portion all up.”
The moment she heard the words “Second Brother,” the little dumpling instantly woke up quite a bit.
She scrambled down from her eldest brother’s lap, her tiny feet stumbling slightly as they touched the ground. “Does Second Brother’s bottom still hurt-hurt?”
It had been whipped into stripes by Daddy; he was so pitiful.
Jin Qizhi smiled as he squatted down to put on her embroidered shoes. “Him? He forgot the pain long ago.”
Just as he spoke, a burst of boisterous noise came from outside the door.
Second Brother Jin Lizhi rushed in like a whirlwind, pinching a cricket. “Yue’er, look quick! The ‘Great General’ I just caught!”
Jin Lanyue scrambled right back onto her eldest brother’s body.
She… she was still a little afraid of bugs.
Especially Second Brother’s bugs—a single one was as large as her palm.
“Lizhi!” Jin Qizhi frowned and scolded.
Second Brother stuck out his tongue, stuffing the cricket into his sleeve. “Let’s go! Off to eat!”
The dining hall was brightly lit, and Marquis Beiding and Jiang Xiyue were already seated squarely at the head positions.
Seeing the children enter, Jiang Xiyue immediately reached her hands out toward Jin Lanyue. “Yue’er come, come to Mother.”
The moment the little dumpling threw herself into her mother’s arms, she heard Jin Qizhi suddenly drop to his knees. “Father, Mother, your son has erred. Today I failed to take proper care of my sister, causing her to catch a chill.”
The dining hall instantly fell silent.
Jiang Xiyue was taken aback. “You child… what happened?”
Jin Qizhi said, “I forgot to prepare food for my sister, and I failed to keep a close eye on her. By an oversight, I allowed her to eat the ice from the ice basin.”
“What?” Jiang Xiyue hurriedly felt her daughter’s forehead. “How is that something she can eat? Does Yue’er feel unwell anywhere? Does she have a fever?”
Marquis Beiding’s face had already darkened, and he slammed his chopsticks heavily onto the table. “Qizhi! As the eldest son, you cannot even look after your sister properly?”