At daybreak the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Yinzuo tiptoed toward the palace gates.
He had barely crossed the threshold of Yonghe Palace when Shulan caught him red-handed.
“Hmm? Where are you planning to go so early in the morning?”
Holding a steamed bun in one hand, she took a bite and looked at him with amusement.
“Hehe, going out to play, Mother!”
Little Six tilted up his tiny face, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Although Shulan knew the two brothers had met the day before, she had no idea they had arranged to meet again.
Still, she never stopped Little Six from running around outside.
“Fine. But take your nursemaid with you.”
“No!” He tugged gently at her sleeve and shook it. “Mother, no attendants. Little Six won’t go far. I’ll only play by the gate.”
His childish voice was sweet and pleading.
“All right, then. Go ahead.”
Shulan finished the last bite of her breakfast and dusted off her hands.
“Thank you, Mother!”
Standing on tiptoe, Little Six planted a kiss on her cheek before skipping happily out the door.
Shulan turned to the palace servants nearby.
“Keep an eye on him. You don’t need to stay too close. As long as nothing happens to him, let him do as he pleases.”
The attendants bowed in unison.
“Yes, Your Ladyship.”
And so, an amusing scene unfolded.
Little Six skipped merrily ahead while a group of attendants followed at a discreet distance.
When he reached his destination and immediately sprawled onto the ground to play, no one dared interfere.
They simply spread out nearby, keeping a careful watch over him.
Meanwhile, Yinzhen had already decided he wasn’t going to keep the appointment.
After all, he hadn’t actually agreed to anything.
Yet somehow, when he got dressed that morning, he found himself slipping a few pastries into his pouch.
After breakfast, he wandered aimlessly through the palace grounds.
Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Yonghe Palace.
Should I go or not?
If I go, that child is far too noisy. He talks too much.
If I don’t go…
Will he cry?
Still wrestling with himself, Yinzhen somehow found his feet carrying him to yesterday’s meeting place.
Today, the little boy was wearing a different furry outfit.
It was a cream-colored rabbit costume with long floppy ears hanging over his shoulders and a fluffy tail attached to the back.
Watching him bob his head from side to side, Yinzhen couldn’t resist reaching out.
He gave the little tail a gentle tug.
“Eh?”
Little Six, who had been lying on the ground, immediately looked up.
“Fourth Brother!”
His face lit up.
“So it was Fourth Brother pulling my tail!”
He scooted backward enthusiastically.
“If you like it, you can touch it! Besides Mother, no one else is allowed to touch my tail.”
Yinzhen coughed awkwardly and withdrew his hand.
“What are you talking about?”
“Fourth Brother, you can call me Little Six. Or you can call me Baby—I don’t mind either.”
With that, he promptly flopped down across Yinzhen’s feet.
“The ground is dirty. Get up first.”
Yinzhen reached down and hauled him upright.
Seeing those bright eyes fixed expectantly on him, he quietly said,
“Little Six.”
“No!”
The furry little head rubbed against his arm.
“Call me Baby.”
“Didn’t you say Little Six was fine?”
Yinzhen repeated firmly, “Little Six.”
But Little Six wasn’t satisfied.
Puffing out his cheeks, he tugged at Yinzhen’s sleeve.
“Call me Baby!”
Unused to such closeness, Yinzhen instinctively took half a step back.
“What are you planning to do today?”
Little Six stamped his foot in dissatisfaction before dropping back to the ground.
“Little Six is watching ants!”
Yinzhen looked down in confusion.
“What’s so interesting about ants?”
Tilting his head, Little Six pointed at one tiny ant.
“This ant is always slower than all the others.”
Yinzhen considered it seriously.
“Maybe its legs are shorter. Just like yours.”
“Little Six’s legs are long!”
He huffed indignantly.
“I think it got left behind because of me.”
That answer made Yinzhen laugh despite himself.
“Why would you think it got left behind because of you?”
Lying on his stomach, Little Six found it too tiring to keep looking up.
He tugged at Yinzhen’s robe.
“Fourth Brother, my head is tired. Lie down too.”
“It’s dirty. No.”
“Please? Please?”
After a long standoff, Yinzhen finally compromised.
Taking out a handkerchief, he spread it on the ground and sat down.
Satisfied, Little Six didn’t press any further.
“The ant must have stayed behind to play with me. That’s why it can’t find its way home.”
“Really?”
Yinzhen looked at him skeptically.
“Of course!”
Little Six lifted his chin proudly.
“Otherwise, why would it just happen to fall behind right where I am?”
“If you say so.”
Yinzhen genuinely wondered whether he’d lost his mind today.
He could have been reading books.
Instead, he was sitting here wasting time.
Having fully accepted his own explanation, Little Six carefully placed the ant on a leaf and held it against his chest.
Closing his eyes, he swayed gently from side to side.
“Little Ant, thank you.”
Yinzhen immediately stood up, snatched the leaf, and tossed it as far away as he could.
“What are you doing? That’s filthy!”
“It’s not dirty.”
Little Six protested seriously.
“Baby takes baths every day.”
“I’m talking about the ant.”
Yinzhen rubbed his forehead helplessly.
“The ant is dirty.”
“Ants don’t take baths?”
Little Six blinked.
“Should I give it a bath?”
His attention had instantly shifted elsewhere.
“That’s not the point.”
Yinzhen sighed.
“You crawl around on the ground every day and get your clothes filthy. Doesn’t your mother scold you?”
Whenever his own clothes got dirty, his mother always had them washed repeatedly before allowing him anywhere near her.
“Dirty?”
Little Six looked down at himself and gasped.
“Oh no! Baby got his clothes dirty!”
Seeing him finally realize it, Yinzhen felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
“So hurry back. I’m leaving.”
But after thinking it over, Little Six decisively shook his head and lay back down.
“Little Six isn’t going home.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I go back now, I’ll get scolded.”
He looked perfectly logical in his reasoning.
“If I stay out, I’ll still get scolded later. So I might as well play enough first.”
Then he suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, Fourth Brother! I brought you beef jerky. Do you want some?”
To Yinzhen’s horror, Little Six shoved a dirty hand into his pouch and pulled out a strip of beef jerky, preparing to stuff it straight into his mouth.
Yinzhen immediately stepped back.
“No!”
Little Six froze.
Holding the jerky in midair, he looked up at him with confusion.
“Fourth Brother, this is a gift for you. You don’t want it?”
His eyes lit up almost immediately.
“If you don’t want it, can Baby eat it himself?”
Mother didn’t let him eat too much.
This was part of his daily snack allowance.
If Fourth Brother didn’t want it, that meant he could have extra beef jerky today.
Grinning happily, he lifted the jerky to his nose and inhaled deeply before preparing to take a bite.
Seeing the dirt on his fingers and the oily snack, Yinzhen frowned.
Walking over, he grabbed Little Six’s wrist.
“Your hands are dirty. Wipe them first.”
Little Six struggled weakly.
“Not dirty! Little Six takes baths every day!”
Even so, he couldn’t break free.
He could only stare longingly at the beef jerky.
Watching him, Yinzhen let out a helpless sigh.
Taking out his handkerchief, he carefully wiped every trace of dirt from between the little boy’s fingers until his hands were spotless.
Only then did he place the beef jerky back into his hand.
“Go ahead and eat it.”
Little Six instantly beamed.
Taking a huge bite, he stuffed his cheeks full and mumbled through the mouthful,
“Fourth Brother is the best.”
“Slow down.”
Yinzhen shook his head helplessly.
He couldn’t understand how this child had become so familiar with him so quickly.
They had only met yesterday.
This was merely their second meeting.
He’s really not afraid I’d sell him off somewhere, Yinzhen grumbled silently to himself.