Chapter 303: They Liked To Marry Near Relatives
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
There was a small forest on the edge of the meadow, and one could see the end of it at a glance.
When the younger toddler Ling ran past the small forest, she discovered several children gathered together in front of her. She did not know what they were doing.
Ling walked over out of curiosity and saw the children throwing stones at a thin and frail child on the ground.
“Hand over the paper kite in your hand, or we’ll beat you up.”
“That’s right. Hurry up and give us the paper kite!”
The thin and frail child hugged the paper kite in his arms tightly and shook his head helplessly. “This is mine. I will never give it to you.”
“Hmph! If you don’t give it to us, we’ll snatch it.”
Those few children pounced on the child and tore the paper kite in his hand.
Ling, who was standing not far away, frowned when she saw this. “You bad guys! You can’t snatch other people’s things!”
Ling rushed over with puffed-up cheeks and glared at them reproachfully.
When the children saw that it was a pretty little girl dressed in beautiful clothes, they did not show any fear.
“What does it have to do with you? Get lost or I’ll beat you up.”
“Hurry up, you sickly bum! Give us the paper kite!”
Ling became very angry!
Mother told her that she mustn’t let others bully her, but she also mustn’t bully others wantonly. These few people were ganging up to bully one person. They were too much.
She took out a sandbag the size of her fist and threw it at one of the children who was trying to snatch the kite.
“Ouch!”
Ling had been practicing shooting for two years, and her strength was not weak at all. When the sandbag hit the child, he was in so much pain that he instantly released his hand.
“Ouch! It hurts!”
Ling threw out the small sandbags in her hands one by one, hitting the children squarely. They were in so much pain that they had no choice but to back off.
“Hmph! Bad guys should be beaten up.” Ling stood in front of the thin child and raised her chin to glare at them. “Apologize to him quickly, or I’ll hit you guys again.”
The children were a little afraid of Ling after getting hit, but it was impossible for them to apologize!
“Who are you? How dare you hit us!”
“I’m a little expert at beating up bad guys.” Ling shook the sandbag in her hand. “If you don’t listen to me, I’ll hit you guys!”
The children looked at one another and turned around to run off in fear. “Just you wait. We won’t let this matter rest!”
Ling stuck out her tongue at their retreating back profiles. She was not afraid of them at all.
She then turned around and looked at the child on the ground.
He appeared to be about the same age as Ling, but he was much thinner than Ling. His hair was yellow and withered. As he was thin, his tiny face made his eyes look particularly big.
His robe was wrinkled and had many grime marks on it. His face was scratched, but even so, he still tried his best to hold the paper kite in his arms tightly.
Unfortunately, the paper kite had already been torn into tatters by those children just now.
“Your paper kite is torn. 1’11 ask Aunt Bai Shuang to make you another one, okay?”
The child raised his head and glanced at Ling. Then, he lowered his head in a daze and looked at the paper kite in his arms that was almost torn to shreds. His eyes immediately turned red-rimmed.
Tears the size of beans fell drop by drop, and the hot tears dripped on the torn paper kite, making the red dye spread out. It made the kite look exceptionally gaudy.
Ling felt that he was a little pitiful. If her paper kite was torn, she would definitely be very sad.
“Don’t cry. I’ll give you a new one, okay?”
The child raised his head as he choked back his tears. His eyes were as helpless as a defenseless cub. “This… this is what my mother left for me…”
“Then can’t you ask your mother to make you another one?”
The child cried even more piteously. His mother had died when he was born, and this was made for him by his mother when she was alive.
When she saw the little boy cry even more piteously, Ling felt a little helpless. She took out an osmanthus candy from the small pouch hanging on her body and shoved it into his hand. “Don’t cry. I’ll give you candy. This candy is made by Grandpa Hea. The candy he makes is the best.”
The little boy choked and clenched the candy in his hand tightly, but he stubbornly refused to eat it.
“Where’s your family? Why aren’t you with them?”
The little boy lowered his head. His voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzzing. “They don’t like to be with me.”
Ling tilted her head and then held his hand. “Then come play with me and my Big Brother.”
Fu Zheng raised his head, his face full of astonishment. “You want to play with me?”
“That’s right. Let me tell you, I’m amazing. The kite I flew just now must be very, very high. I’ll bring you to take a look.”
Ling pulled him up excitedly and returned the way she came.
Fu Zheng was dragged along by Ling in a daze and followed her out of the forest.
What the two little fellows didn’t know was that Su Ying had seen everything that had just happened.
She ate an apple and came to look for the kids. Halfway there, she saw the younger toddler Ling. Before she could say anything, Ling went off to right a wrong like a hero. Su Ying didn’t know where Ling got the courage when the little one only knew how to throw sandbags.
Su Ying looked in the direction the two kids left and asked, “Do you know which family that child is from?”
Bai Shuang had been by Su Ying’s side just now and had also seen the entire episode. “I know this child. That’s the eldest grandson from Duke Zhenguo’s Residence. He should be seven or eight years old this year, but his physique looks about the same as the Young Princess.”
Su Ying raised her eyebrows. If that child was already seven or eight years old, then it was obvious that his growth was a little stunted. One could tell by just looking at his withered, yellow hair.
Duke Zhenguo’s Residence was a first-tier aristocratic family holding a dukeship. Even a low-class servant girl would not be raised to look like this. It was obvious that the child had been mistreated.
Sure enough, Bai Shuang continued, “Duke Zhenguo is already old. I heard that a few of the young masters in his residence have abandoned the path of military officials and switched to become civil officials. The most talented one is the eldest son, who is now the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs. Back then, the eldest son had a marriage alliance with Duke Huaguo’s Residence, but the young lady of Duke Huaguo’s Residence died of blood loss during childbirth. Later, in order to keep this connection with Duke Zhenguo’s Residence, Duke Huaguo’s Residence sent another young lady from their residence over to be the second wife…”
Su Ying frowned when she heard that. “Younger sister marrying the older brother-in-law?”
Bai Shuang nodded.
“Do people in the noble circle like to marry near relatives?”
Logically speaking, since the child’s stepmother was his biological mother’s younger sister, she should treat him well. However, looking at him, it didn’t seem like he was treated well at all.
Su Ying was a straightforward person, and she hated this kind of convoluted and shameful method the most.
She followed the younger toddler Ling to the place where they were flying the kites and saw that Ling was already happily holding Fu Zheng’s hand and flying her kite.
Ling was really a little fool who made friends easily.
“Big Brother, Big Brother! Your paper kite is about to fly away. Catch hold of it quickly!” Ling let go of Fu Zheng’s hand and turned around to run to Ji and hug him from behind so that he wouldn’t be dragged away by the kite.
Fu Zheng looked at the playful siblings and stood rooted to the ground in a daze. When he saw that Ling was struggling to hold her older brother, he suddenly mustered up the courage to walk over and hold Ling from behind.
“Who was the one who hit my Yun’er just now!”