Chapter 145: Torn Paper Fragments

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Those words were both arrogant and domineering. Even though the child had a charming and handsome little face, they still provoked a sense of aversion.

The pebble slid past Qin Wanru’s ear. She never expected such a pretty child to suddenly impulsively strike someone. Caught off guard, she only felt a harsh wind rush past her ear. Reaching out to touch it, she felt a dull ache at her earlobe—it had been grazed.

Yu Jie leaned closer and cried out in shock, “Miss, your ear is bleeding!”

The fair earlobe flushed red, a small wound bleeding slowly.

Qin Wanru pressed a handkerchief to her earlobe, her smile unwavering. “Why are you so fierce?”

Though the boy had been arrogant before, he never intended to hit anyone. His sudden action seemed more like bluster.

“None of your business!” Seeing Qin Wanru holding the handkerchief, the boy felt a flicker of guilt. Swallowing nervously, he instinctively backtracked, a rebellious glint flashing in his eyes.

“Fine, then I won’t care. Stay stuck there!” Qin Wanru stood, glanced around. “No one will come by here. The princess’s banquet is about to begin, so no one will be around for a while. This place is secluded—who knows what might pop out at night? It’s not a safe place.”

After speaking, she looked regretfully at the frightened child who tried to hide his fear behind wide eyes. Her lips curled into a deliberately terrified expression. “Yu Jie, we should leave quickly. Otherwise, some unsavory creature might come out and eat children. I heard those things particularly like to eat kids.”

“Miss, hearing you say that, I’m scared too. Could it really be...?” Yu Jie widened her mouth in cooperation, trembling as she pointed at the boy on the ground.

The boy stuck there was terrified!

Although he tried to hide his fear and not reveal his emotions, his eyes narrowed tightly in tension. Yet stubbornly, he refused to ask for help. He clenched his lips so hard they turned pale. Seeing Qin Wanru really about to leave, he shouted loudly, “If you don’t pull me out, I’ll have you caned to death when I get out!”

“Ah, that’s wonderful! When we come back to check tomorrow, I wonder if you’ll still be here!” Yu Jie turned and appraised him a few times, then winked proudly before continuing ahead without another word.

The two disappeared behind the Moon Gate, one after the other.

The wind rustled the leaves, sweeping a blank patch across the ground before rattling against the wall with eerie sounds that made the silent corner feel all the more frightening.

At first, the boy hadn’t been scared when he didn’t think about it, but now he whimpered, tears dropping one by one. His lips trembled as he muttered, “Sister, sister, come quickly, save Hao’er. Hao’er won’t be fierce anymore, please come save Hao’er!”

He struggled forward, but his small body remained stuck.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened and panicked he became. His soft whimpering turned into loud crying, his face turning pale as he desperately looked toward where Qin Wanru had disappeared, trying to reach out: “Sister, come save me! Sister, come save me!”

He looked pitiable beyond words, with none of the earlier arrogance left.

Suddenly, Qin Wanru appeared at the Moon Gate entrance, blinking her dark eyes and asking, “Are you still going to keep cursing?”

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“No more cursing, really no more. Sister, save me!” The boy’s hostility had vanished completely. Now all that remained was the surprise at Qin Wanru’s sudden appearance. He shook his head repeatedly, looking like a forsaken child—pitiful, nothing like the arrogant and detestable boy from before.

Even Yu Jie, who had been strongly opposed to him, couldn’t help but side with him now. She called out, “Miss,” hesitating as if wanting to say something.

Qin Wanru approached and squatted beside the boy, her bright eyes soft with a gentle smile. “You really won’t curse or hit others anymore?”

“No cursing, no hitting!” The boy nodded repeatedly.

“Are you being good?” Qin Wanru asked as she used the handkerchief to carefully wipe the dust off his face.

“Yes, sister, Hao’er is good!” The boy nodded eagerly, his watery eyes seeming to speak as he nodded nonstop.

Once cleaned, the child was truly beautiful, delicate as a finely carved jade figurine.

Seeing him behave so obediently and sensibly, Qin Wanru examined the spot where he was stuck. The hole wasn’t small, but a protruding brick near the opening had trapped him when he didn’t watch his step while crawling out.

After understanding this, Qin Wanru told Yu Jie to pry off the protruding brick beneath the boy. Together, they carefully pulled him free.

Once the boy was freed, Qin Wanru took him to a nearby corridor and sat down, gently wiping the dust and mud off his hands with the handkerchief.

“Where are the people who were with you?” Such a small child couldn’t be out alone. Judging from his attire and earlier words, it was clear he wasn’t an ordinary child. Besides, today was the grand princess’s banquet, where only notable guests attended.

“Just now, the wet nurse was here... Then I wanted to crawl into the hole... She said she’d get me some food... But then she disappeared!” The boy, still sobbing heavily, couldn’t stop. His rosy face scrunched up in distress.

Qin Wanru frowned. Leaving such a little child to play alone was reckless, and the wet nurse’s behavior was suspect—she had just left by herself. It was truly strange.

“Why did you want to crawl into that hole?” Qin Wanru asked, not wanting to pry too much into the family’s affairs but curious nonetheless.

“I... I saw Prince Xu crawling into the hole. He... he went in and came back out... It looked fun...” The boy’s hand was still in Qin Wanru’s as she gently cleaned his fingers. He sat obediently beside her, sobbing while answering.

“Prince Xu crawled into the dog hole? This one here?” Qin Wanru’s expression grew strange.

“He did, I saw it... But... not this one. The wet nurse said that hole leads outside. Crawling into this hole is inside the mansion, so it’s safer...” The boy pushed Qin Wanru lightly, blushing and shyly asking, “Sister, does your ear still hurt? Hao’er was bad just now!”

He liked this sister. She was gentle, played with him, and carefully wiped his hands and face. Usually, the servants in the mansion did this, but sometimes they only wiped him off carelessly, saying he’d get dirty again soon.

“My ear’s fine, not very painful. Don’t worry, Hao’er! But I want to ask, how did you get to such a remote place?” Qin Wanru smiled, stroking his soft hair, feeling a tenderness swell in her heart. This was truly a sweet child, though for some reason, he had to put on a show of arrogance. In truth, he was soft-hearted.

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If the stone had really been meant to hit her, it would have been thrown directly at her, with a clearer target. But the stone was clearly thrown askew.

“The wet nurse told me few people come here, maybe it’s fun. We happened to see Prince Xu sneaking here, so we followed him. Then he left, and it was just me and the wet nurse!” The boy spoke fluently.

“What about the grown-ups in your family? Why would they trust a wet nurse to take you out alone? Where is everyone else?” Qin Wanru sensed something was wrong. If the wet nurse had ill intentions, it could lead to serious trouble. From what she saw, the wet nurse wasn’t trustworthy and something felt off.

“Hao’er has no parents!” The boy’s head drooped, lips pressed thin, his big eyes reddening with effort to hold back tears, trying to show a brave smile that looked more heartbreaking than crying.

Qin Wanru sighed inwardly, pulling the child into her arms and gently patting his back. Suddenly, he sobbed again, wrapping his chubby little arms around her like an octopus, burying his head in her embrace.

He was a child without parents. No wonder even the wet nurse harbored ill intentions. Qin Wanru thought of her own orphaned past and tenderly patted the boy’s back, full of pity.

In this world, she was not the only child without parents.

Yet, whose child was he? How could he be like her...

The entire mansion of the Grand Princess of Rui’an panicked. The Grand Princess’s grandson was missing, and rumors said it was connected to Prince Xu. Prince Xu was immediately called to the backyard. After the Grand Princess personally interrogated him, she followed him to the dog hole by the rear wall, but no one was there.

The Grand Princess nearly fainted with worry. Chu Liuxin helplessly demonstrated crawling through the dog hole to look outside. Such a thing might usually happen in secret, but now, in broad daylight, it was bound to bring punishment once they returned to the palace. Thinking of Chu Liuxin, she felt it was a calamity falling out of the blue.

That little rascal in the Rui’an Grand Princess’s household was truly unbearable! Could he really learn such things from her?

She vowed to give the boy a harsh beating next time. When she last saw him, she had found him cute and even gave him her favorite newly made cuju ball.

While Chu Liuxin was furious, the entire mansion was in an uproar. Meanwhile, Qin Wanru, holding the boy, began to doze off. Actually, Qin Wanru wasn’t tired, but the boy had cried himself to sleep in her arms. Qin Wanru was too weak to hold the chubby boy, and he clung tightly to her. Not wanting to wake him, she rested against the corridor railing and nodded off.

Yu Jie wanted to take the boy away forcefully, but Qin Wanru refused. She could only wander around nearby in boredom.

Not far from them, a maid suddenly appeared, seemingly surprised to see Qin Wanru there. Seeing the child in her arms, she hurried to hide.

After a while, the maid reappeared, looking around furtively, then dropped a slip of paper on the ground. The paper bore a few words: “Qin Wanru… child…”

A torn piece of paper fluttered up in the breeze...