Chapter 469: Wild Mountain Ginseng
Ye Chutang looked at her.
"If you really can’t say it, don’t force yourself."
Xiao Wu opened her mouth, but her eyes instantly reddened.
’Big Sis knows.’
’She really does know everything.’
Ye Chutang had noticed before that when Xiao Wu was alone, she would often stare into space. Sometimes, she would open her mouth as if trying to speak, but no sound would come out. In the end, she would secretly wipe away her tears.
Xiao Wu’s lip trembled, and she threw herself into Ye Chutang’s arms, aggrieved.
In the past, she had never thought there was anything wrong with her situation. After all, Big Sis, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother all understood her gestures, and they all doted on her.
Life was already wonderful enough, and she wouldn’t have minded being mute for the rest of her life.
But not anymore.
Since their return to the capital, they had been beset by dangers and frequent mishaps. Countless eyes, both seen and unseen, were watching them.
It was too tiring for Big Sis to worry about them all by herself.
Although Third Brother was around, he had his own studies to focus on, and Fourth Brother had gone straight to the borderlands.
She was the one who spent the most time with Big Sis day-to-day, yet she couldn’t help with anything. She had become a burden to her.
She couldn’t even say a single word.
She felt so useless.
Ye Chutang gently patted her back.
"There’s no rush. Our Xiao Wu’s wishes will always come true."
A small patch on her shoulder grew damp as the little head nodded emphatically, as if making the most solemn of promises.
’One day, I’ll be able to protect Big Sis too!’
...
Ye Chutang peeled a chestnut and fed it to Xiao Wu, whose emotions finally began to settle.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from outside.
Ye Chutang lifted the curtain and saw a somewhat familiar carriage passing by. It seemed to have hit a streetside stall, scattering its goods all over the ground.
Ye Chutang glanced over; the items appeared to be mountain goods, like wild ginseng.
The carriage driver’s eyebrows shot up as he cursed, "Are you blind?!"
The stall owner, seeing he had offended someone powerful, quickly knelt and begged for mercy.
"Mercy, my lord! Mercy!"
The driver was about to say more when a gentle, refined voice suddenly came from inside the carriage:
"That’s enough. We were the ones who ran into the old man."
The driver’s expression changed instantly. He said repeatedly, "Yes, yes! It’s all this servant’s fault!"
He pulled a silver ingot from his robes and tossed it to the vendor. "My mistress is magnanimous and won’t hold this against you! Now hurry up and go!"
The vendor was overjoyed. He expressed his profuse thanks and hastily retreated to the side, not even taking the time to pick up his scattered goods.
The carriage sped away.
The weather was freezing, and there weren’t many people on the street. Only a handful witnessed the scene. After the carriage left, they glanced around and began to discuss it in low voices.
"I wonder which family that was. Such a display of status!"
"Tsk, if I’m not mistaken, that was Princess Yuhe’s carriage! Looking at the direction they’re headed, she’s probably going to Chengxin Lake to visit—"
At that, the person immediately fell silent.
’These matters and these people... how could common folk like us dare to gossip about them?’
The others exchanged covert glances. After a long moment, someone sighed softly and remarked:
"Speaking of which, this Princess Yuhe is truly affectionate and loyal! Her temperament is top-notch, too!"
Another person smiled at the vendor, who was now bent over picking up his things. "You really got lucky today, old man! If it had been anyone else, who knows how much trouble they would have given you!"
The vendor also let out a long sigh of relief.
"You can say that again!"
The brief interlude didn’t cause much of a stir, and the small crowd soon dispersed.
Just as Ye Chutang was about to lower the curtain, she caught sight of a middle-aged man dressed as a servant approaching the vendor.
"How much for this wild ginseng?"
Ye Chutang froze.