As evening approached, the humidity on the mountainside was quite high. Chen Xiao stood there for a while, enjoying the breeze, and his mind became clear and tranquil, as if standing in the mountain hollow, gazing at the verdant mountains, and absorbing all the distracting thoughts from his heart.
He silently gazed at the bamboo grove before him. A gentle breeze blew by, causing the bamboo to sway. Chen Xiao stared quietly, and suddenly felt a sense of unease. He couldn't help but raise a finger and lightly trace a line in the air with it towards a lush bamboo stalk in front of him...
Silently, a bamboo leaf blown down by a gentle breeze was split in two by an invisible force and landed softly at Chen Xiao's feet!
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes, raised his finger, and quietly looked at his fingertip. He gradually felt a different mood than he had felt in the past few days, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips...
“I…it seems like I’m ‘back’ again.” Chen Xiao stood in the courtyard, muttering to himself.
……
……
Dinner was brought by two young men from the inner quarters who were specially in charge of serving Old Master Xiao. There was a large bowl of braised pork with bamboo shoots, a plate of green vegetables, a plate of cucumber, and a plate of stir-fried fish slices. The combination of meat and vegetables was very good, and it looked fresh and delicious, making one's mouth water. There was also a small pot of light rice wine. Chen Xiao drank the wine and ate two bowls of rice with the dishes, clearly having a very good appetite.
In the evening, Chen Xiao came to the bamboo grove in the courtyard again, trying to recapture the feeling of the evening. But after standing there for a while, just as he was feeling quite moved, he suddenly heard the courtyard gate behind him being pushed open forcefully, and a person's footsteps hurriedly walked in.
"Hey! You're the kid they're talking about that the old man brought back?!"
A voice, clearly belonging to a young girl, came from behind me.
Chen Xiao smiled and turned around, only to see a chubby little girl standing in front of him. She looked to be about the same age as him, and was slightly short and chubby, but her face was quite pretty. There were a few light freckles on her cheeks, but for some reason, she was staring at him with her eyes wide open and her cheeks puffed out.
"Hmph! It's you!" The chubby little girl glared fiercely at Chen Xiao: "You're the toad who dared to dream of marrying Sister Xiao Qing! Let me tell you, don't even think about it! Sister Xiao Qing would rather die than marry you! Hmph! She's not home right now! If she were, she would have broken your legs long ago!"
With that, the little girl swung her fist fiercely: "Why are you looking at me! What are you looking at! I'll beat you up!! Your grandfather protects you, no one else dares to hit you! But I dare! Look again! Look again and I'll beat you until you're crawling on the ground looking for your teeth!"
After saying that, he suddenly ran to the side, picked up a broom from the ground in the yard (probably left by a servant), and held it with both hands, pointing it at Chen Xiao: "I'm warning you! The master isn't here now, so get out of here right now! Otherwise..."
Chapter 260 [Surprise or Delight]
Chen Xiao smiled.
For some reason, he felt increasingly at peace. Perhaps it was due to his different experiences. Looking at the chubby little girl who had suddenly jumped out in front of him, looking furious, he felt no anxiety at all.
As for what the other party was saying, Chen Xiao certainly couldn't understand it at all. He had no clue about Xiao Qing or getting married. However, with his intelligence, he could guess a little bit about it.
He chuckled to himself, thinking that there must be some other hidden reason why Old Master Xiao had lured him back.
"Little girl, is this how the Xiao family treats its guests?" Chen Xiao rubbed his nose. With his current composure, he really didn't want to get angry at a brash and impulsive girl.
"I..." The chubby girl was about to get angry when suddenly an idea struck her. She brandished the broom in her hand, snorted, and lowered her voice, saying, "Boy, don't think I won't touch you just because we're in the inner quarters."
Although she spoke boldly, this naive young girl, with her eyes darting furtively towards the back of the inner courtyard, clearly meant she "didn't dare."
Chen Xiao suppressed a laugh: "What do you want?"
"You..." The chubby girl's eyes darted around: "If you've got guts, dare to step out of this door!"
As she spoke, she deliberately took a few steps back and stood behind the threshold of the courtyard gate, holding a broom in one hand and putting the other hand on her hip.
Chen Xiao was too lazy to argue with such a young girl, and shook his head, saying, "Just pretend I don't dare."
With that, he smiled and turned to leave.
The girl immediately panicked and raised her voice, shouting, "Hey! You despicable fellow! I don't know where the patriarch picked up this kid, trying to covet our Xiao family's fortune!"
Chen Xiao sighed and turned to leave.
Seeing that Chen Xiao didn't answer, the girl thought she had hit his weak spot, and her arrogance soared. She continued to shout, "You brat, don't think that my Xiao family is greedy!! Not to mention that a goddess like Sister Xiao Qing wouldn't take a fancy to a guy like you."
Seeing that she was getting more and more absurd, Chen Xiao quickened his pace.
Seeing Chen Xiao head towards the inner courtyard, the maid suddenly became frightened, afraid that Chen Xiao would complain to the old master. If the old master got angry and locked her up for two days, she would be in big trouble. In a panic, she rushed forward, quickly reaching Chen Xiao's side and grabbing his wrist. As a child of the Xiao family, she had practiced Xiao family martial arts since childhood, and her movements naturally followed the Xiao family's grappling techniques.
This little girl was surprisingly strong. Chen Xiao didn't intend to resist, and his wrist was grabbed in an instant. The little girl immediately felt even more contempt for Chen Xiao. She tightened her grip on Chen Xiao's wrist and sneered, "Hmph, so you're just a pretty face. You've got a good face, but you're a good-for-nothing! Humph."
Chen Xiao looked down at his wrist, which was being held by the other person, and frowned slightly: "Let go."
"Hey! You dare to give me that attitude!"
This little girl was considered a little tyrant in the Xiao family. Among the younger generation, she was also favored by the old master, so she was quite spoiled. She was initially wary of Chen Xiao, but upon seeing how incompetent he was, she immediately became even more contemptuous of him. She twisted Chen Xiao's wrist harder, intending to make him cry out in pain and beg for mercy on the spot, thus embarrassing him.
Despite her repeated efforts, Chen Xiao's expression remained unchanged. Her strength seemed to vanish without a trace. The little girl's expression turned strange. She let out a "yikes" and put in even more force, but Chen Xiao didn't even flinch. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
The little girl finally got angry, forcefully shook off Chen Xiao's hand, and said angrily, "I'm not coming! You look honest, but you're actually a cunning fellow!"
Chen Xiao said calmly, "You're the one who came to me. I have no time to waste with you."
The little girl stomped her foot hard, then suddenly took a few steps back, angrily shouting, "You wild boy who came from outside!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao's expression immediately changed!
Chen Xiao was a mild-mannered man who rarely lost his temper, even when others spoke harshly to him. However, the term "wild boy" was something he dreaded most. As an orphan who had lost both his parents, hearing the term "wild boy" was a direct hit to his deepest wound.
Chen Xiao used to suffer a lot of bullying at school, but he endured it all. Later, others rarely bothered him, except for his good friend Xu Ershao, who stood up for him. The most important thing was that once, a guy insulted Chen Xiao at school, calling him a poor pauper and such. Chen Xiao didn't even blink an eye, but that guy called him a "wild brat without parents," and as a result, the usually good-tempered Chen Xiao chased that guy around the school and beat him for half an hour, breaking two of his bones. If Xu Ershao hadn't intervened, he probably would have been expelled.
But that incident made all the pampered rich kids at Kidd Academy realize how ruthless Chen Xiao could be when he went berserk, and gradually no one dared to provoke him directly anymore.
Although Chen Xiao had lost his memory, hearing the term "wild boy" still stung his heart. A surge of anger welled up inside him, and he turned around abruptly, staring coldly at the chubby girl: "What did you say! Who did you call a wild boy again!"
The young girl felt Chen Xiao's gaze suddenly become incredibly sharp, like that of a wolf on the mountain. She instinctively took a step back, nearly tripping over the threshold. She opened her mouth, stammering, "You, I..."
She suddenly realized that she had actually been intimidated by this good-for-nothing boy, and immediately felt embarrassed and annoyed… In truth, this impetuous girl was merely being used as a pawn by the others in the Xiao family, who all knew she was deeply favored by the old master. Since no one else dared to cause trouble in the inner quarters and provoke Chen Xiao, they encouraged this girl to come. She was used to being pampered in the Xiao family; even the elders doted on her, and her peers flattered her like a princess. Now, this wild outsider dared to yell at her?
"What are you being so arrogant about!" The chubby girl pointed at Chen Xiao with her hands on her hips. "Hmph! You're just some nobody from who-knows-where! I don't even know if you're an imposter! I'll just call you a wild boy, what are you going to do about it!"
Chen Xiao snorted, his face turning ashen, and strode towards her.