Chapter 198: Don’t Tell Her
Xiao Fenghao and Xiao Yuxi froze. They thought that they had heard it wrong.
"Eldest Brother, did you say he is the emperor?" Xiao Yuxi let out a nervous laugh, waving her hand as if she was sure she must have a hearing problem.
However, Xiao Jingran’s next words shattered her hope.
"You didn’t hear it wrong," he answered calmly.
His younger siblings sucked in a deep breath, still enveloped in the feeling of disbelief. They almost thought they were dreaming.
"Second Brother, does it hurt?" Xiao Yuxi proceeded to pinch Xiao Jingran’s hand, causing him to let out a yelp in pain. She sighed, "So this is not a dream..."
She looked away from Xiao Fenghao’s glare and slapped her own cheeks lightly, mumbling, "the emperor."
Their father’s identity was indeed too troublesome.
If he was the emperor... Xiao Fenghao and Xiao Yuxi’s faces turned slightly gloomy. It was no wonder that their mother didn’t want to acknowledge him.
Xiao Yuxi let out a snort. "Let’s find another father."
A few seconds later, she let out a hiss, protesting to Xiao Fenghao while holding her forehead. "Second Brother, you are taking revenge on me!"
"Why did you hit me?!"
Xiao Fenghao rolled his eyes. "You are talking nonsense again."
At this moment, just as they were still processing their shock, the sounds of small footsteps echoed in their ears.
[Huh? Why are my elder brothers and sister gathering together like the Ling siblings? Who are they gossiping about?]
They all stiffened. When they turned around, they saw Xiao Qingya hugging Xiao Xue with a pair of curious eyes. There was also a hint of accusation for not inviting her to join.
Xiao Fenghao immediately walked over and picked her up. He needed his little sister’s cuteness to overcome the shock.
"Do you think we are going to meet our father here in the Capital? After all, we couldn’t find him back then in Qingshan County..." he muttered while secretly glancing at the little one.
[Ohh, they are talking about our cheap father!] She nodded slightly in understanding.
Xiao Yuxi played along. "Second Brother, you are talking nonsense. Our father was gone... not running away with another woman."
The little one widened her eyes, gasping. [So, it’s true that Father has run away with another woman?!]
She scratched the back of her little head. [I wonder if it’s just gossip or an established fact... oh, wait, did they find out about our father already? That’s pretty quick. They are actually so smart.]
Xiao Fenghao and Xiao Yuxi blushed slightly. It wasn’t that they were smart, but they had heard the voice in her inner thoughts.
Xiao Qingya wriggled in Xiao Fenghao’s embrace. "Second Brother, let me down."
She was a diligent kid and didn’t want to engage in the gossip when they should be focusing on watering the plants!
After her siblings saw her walking far enough, Xiao Jingran warned his younger siblings.
"Don’t tell Mother that you already found out about this for the time being," he put on a stern face and continued. "Mother is sensitive about this topic."
His younger siblings nodded.
Xiao Jingran fell silent for a moment before he carefully told them. "It’s still not certain whether he is really the emperor. We have to ascertain this matter too."
Now that they were in the Capital, it was easier.
Xiao Yuxi pursed her lips and scratched the back of her head. "But... Eldest Brother, I suddenly remembered that if that nobleman is really our father... I heard one of his guards calling him ’His Majesty’."
There was only one person who deserved to be called as such.
Xiao Jingran nodded. He wouldn’t tell his siblings what his Master told him before he ascertained the truth.
He let out a sigh. "Alright, now you water the plants. We can’t break our promise to Granduncle."
They nodded and went to separate ways to take care of the potted plants. Xiao Fenghao and Xiao Yuxi were still trying to digest the information they received from their eldest brother and youngest sister.
As they water the plants, they were quite absent-minded.
"Are you going to flush the flower plant out of the pot or water it?"
Xiao Yuxi suddenly heard a voice, and turned toward the source.
Zhou Cheng’an was standing not too far away from her.
She turned to the flower plant she had just watered and a tinge of embarrassment appeared on her face. She was a straightforward person, so she immediately apologized. "Sorry."
He snorted and took a wooden bucket, filling it with water and began to teach her.
"Watch me... so you pour them near their roots..."
Xiao Yuxi nodded and listened carefully.
However, she didn’t just run into one of Zhou Yanchao’s children today.
"Elder Brother!" Zhou Nianrong ran toward Zhou Cheng’an, snorting like a brat toward Xiao Yuxi. "You can’t even water the plants?"
Xiao Yuxi’s mouth twitched. She didn’t want to argue with this girl who was younger than her. Mostly because she was still living in Zhou Defeng’s home.
Still, she would admit that this Zhou Nianrong was indeed annoying.
"Rong’er," Zhou Cheng’an sent his younger sister a disapproving look, causing her to feel even more indignant. She shot Xiao Yuxi a glare.
She was not in a good mood, so Xiao Yuxi hurriedly excused herself from this pair of troublesome siblings before she couldn’t control her fists.
In another place, Zhou Defeng looked at Xiao Qingya kindly.
The little one was carrying a small wooden bucket, humming lightly as she watered the plants that had been recently infected with disease.
He approached her.
"Little Ya, these plants are already near beyond saving." He shook his head. "Look at the leaves. They all have become dry."
Xiao Qingya blinked and then smiled. "We should try!"
Zhou Defeng didn’t comment anymore, letting Xiao Qingya play with the plants. After all, they would be dead soon. He had deliberately separated them from other plants so that the ones with disease wouldn’t infect others.
That was what he had thought.
However, a few days later, he was taken aback when he saw the plants.