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Xiao Liulang"s body stiffened.
How long had it been since he last heard that voice? It felt as if ages had pa.s.sed since he last heard it.
He slumped to the ground, his back turned to Princess Xinyang. Despite that, he could still sense her gaze on him.
He didn"t dare to turn around or look away. He forcefully suppressed the trembling of his body and calmly said, "I"m fine."
"You..." Princess Xinyang heard his rea.s.surance, but her peripheral vision caught sight of the crutch that had fallen away.
Calling it a crutch didn’t seem like it; it seemed more like a cane, suitable for someone with limited mobility but not completely unable to walk.
Princess Xinyang was unsure whether the other person had a congenital disability or had recently been injured, but either way, it seemed that everything wasn"t fine.
She said, "It seems like I tripped you earlier. Can you get up? I"ll call a physician for you. Someone, help this gentleman up."
As soon as she finished speaking, the servant girl who had been supporting her stepped forward, reaching out to a.s.sist Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang hastily raised his sleeve to stop her, "Don"t come any closer!"
The servant girl was taken aback and turned to look at Princess Xinyang, confused.
Collecting himself, Xiao Liulang said, "I"m not accustomed to being touched by others."
At the age of fourteen, his voice still hadn’t undergone a change; it was still youthful and childish back then. Now that his voice had changed, he had a matured tone that fell somewhere between a teenager and an adult, deep and clear.
Princess Xinyang didn"t immediately notice anything wrong with his voice, but she clearly sensed his avoidance and resistance.
Considering the rules of propriety between men and women, him wearing the attire of a Hanlin official, and the proximity to the Hanlin Academy of this place, it was indeed wise to be cautious to avoid tarnishing his reputation.
Princess Xinyang didn"t press further, saying, "If you need anything, you can inform me at Princess Xinyang Mansion."
Although she didn"t live in the princess mansion, her servants were there, and they could notify her.
Xiao Liulang made an effort not to turn around, "There"s no need. I"m fine."
Princess Xinyang couldn"t help but feel that this person was strange, and she felt a peculiar emotion herself that she couldn"t explain, "Where are you headed? I can have a guard accompany you."
"No need." Xiao Liulang refused flatly, "I can manage on my own."
After saying that, he used his hands to support himself and stood up, limping to the door under Princess Xinyang"s gaze. He bent down and picked up the cane that Gu Jiao had made for him with her own hands.
Never before had he felt so disheveled. He knew she was watching him from behind, even though he didn"t want her to see him like this.
His hand holding the cane trembled slightly. He didn"t look back and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Princess Xinyang watched his retreating figure, her expression thoughtful.
"Princess!" Yu Jin rushed in shortly after, gasping for breath.
Princess Xinyang snapped back to awareness and glanced at her, asking, "How did you manage to turn yourself into such a mess when you’re just buying a pastry?"
"I..." Yu Jin opened her mouth, hesitating whether or not to tell her about the scene she had witnessed earlier.
Princess Xinyang said, "Just say what you want to say. Since when did you become so indecisive?"
Yu Jin looked at her and mustered up the courage to speak, "Princess, I think I just saw the Little Marquis."
Princess Xinyang"s expression slightly changed, but it quickly returned to her usual calm. "Yu Jin, how many times do I have to tell you, he"s dead."
……
Xiao Liulang hurriedly returned to the Hanlin Academy.
Ning Zhiyuan had just come out of the Hanlin Academy and saw Xiao Liulang looking somewhat lost. He pulled him aside and asked in confusion, "Liulang, is something wrong? Weren"t you supposed to be giving a lecture at the examination compound? Did someone bully you? I knew it! Those who take the makeup exams are all officials" favored sons. They"re all troublemakers! Next time, I"ll go in your place!"
"I"m fine, nothing happened at the examination compound." He managed to handle even the super p.r.i.c.kly head of all, namely the Crown Prince, so those smaller p.r.i.c.kly heads were even less of a concern.
"But you seem troubled about something." Ning Zhiyuan didn"t believe that Xiao Liulang was fine. After knowing him for so long, he understood Xiao Liulang"s character. Even when Reading-in-Waiting Yang used to find all sorts of ways to make things difficult for him, he had never seen Xiao Liulang in such a disheveled state.
A thought suddenly struck Ning Zhiyuan"s mind, "Is it... because of what happened this morning? I broke the inkstone and offended Princess Xinyang, right? You, don"t worry, I"ll go and explain to her! It was me who broke the inkstone, it"s my fault——"
"I"m really fine." Xiao Liulang interrupted.
Ning Zhiyuan looked at him skeptically, "But you look terrible."
Xiao Liulang casually said, "Maybe I didn"t sleep well last night."
Ning Zhiyuan was doubtful, "Is that so?"
Xiao Liulang nodded, "Yeah."
"Well..." Ning Zhiyuan glanced towards the entrance of a particular alley, "Your wife didn"t come to pick you up today. Let me find a carriage to take you home."
"No need." Xiao Liulang declined his offer.
Xiao Liulang was easygoing in front of his friends, but once he became stubborn, no one could persuade him. Ning Zhiyuan couldn"t do anything and could only let him go.
Xiao Liulang walked aimlessly on the street, leaning on his cane. When he left the clothing store, he practically fled without even looking back to see her expression...
But her voice was deeply imprinted in his mind, constantly swirling and lingering.
The sky had started pouring rain at some point, and pedestrians were taking shelter, but Xiao Liulang seemed unaware, walking slowly in the heavy rain.
It wasn"t until a childish voice sounded beside him that he suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.
"Brother-in-law, what are you doing? Why don"t you have an umbrella?"
It was Little Jing Kong.
Little Jing Kong held a small yellow umbrella made by Gu Jiao and looked up at the drenched Xiao Liulang with a puzzled expression on his face.
Only then did Xiao Liulang realize that he had unconsciously arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Academy.
"Are you here to pick me up today?" Little Jing Kong asked, holding the small yellow umbrella.
It was still early for school to be over, but Little Jing Kong had finished his homework ahead of time and had been allowed to leave early.
"Yeah." Xiao Liulang replied indifferently and said to the little guy, "Let"s go."
Little Jing Kong didn"t move, "You don"t even have an umbrella!"
"I don"t have one with me." Xiao Liulang said, pausing for a moment, then added, "I don"t need one."
"Here, take it." Little Jing Kong handed him his yellow umbrella.
"You use it yourself." Xiao Liulang couldn"t possibly accept a child"s umbrella. If he took it, what would happen to the little guy? The umbrella was so small it definitely couldn"t fit two people.
Little Jing Kong said, "I have a raincoat."
The raincoat made by JiaoJiao!
There were even big red flowers drawn by his own hands on it!
Little Jing Kong handed the umbrella to Xiao Liulang, but Xiao Liulang still held it over him. Little Jing Kong took out his own little yellow raincoat from his backpack, quickly put it on, and then took off his shoes. He held them in his hands and stepped on the water barefoot.
Xiao Liulang: "..."
You just wanted to splash in the water, didn"t you...
Little Jing Kong splashed in the water all the way, jumping into puddles wherever he found them. Since JiaoJiao wasn"t around, he didn"t have to worry about maintaining his tough little image!
He had so much fun splashing around, like a little jumping frog that had fallen into a pond.
It turned out that going home with his bad brother-in-law could be this much fun!
When they arrived at the doorstep, he generously said to Xiao Liulang, "Alright, from now on, I’m allowing you to come and pick me up on rainy days!"
Xiao Liulang: Hehe, who cares about picking you up?Raz P."s Thoughts
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