The little boy was holding the snowball that had just run away.
Fortunately, Xue Tuan'er is only a kitten; otherwise, the little boy, who seems to walk a bit unsteadily, would not have been able to hold her.
“It’s my cat!” An Ran quickly stepped forward and took Xue Tuan’er from his arms.
Snowball nestled obediently in Anran's arms. After running around on the ground, its snow-white fur was all dirty and covered in mud. A perfectly good white cat had turned into a little tabby.
The little boy just stared longingly, as if he had used up all his courage just now by speaking.
"Thank you so much!" An Ran looked at the timid little boy in front of her. She wanted to reach out and touch his head, but before she could put her hand down, she saw a look of fear flash in the little boy's eyes. He shrank back, looking frightened.
An Ran was secretly amazed. Although she wasn't exactly gentle and kind, she wasn't scary either.
She forced a gentle smile to appear more approachable. "Don't be afraid, I just wanted to thank you."
The little boy just looked scared, his big eyes flashing with unease.
Yu Sili was also surprised; it was rare for someone to be afraid of a fairy sister. He stepped forward and said to the little boy, "The fairy sister is very kind; she won't hurt you. Don't be afraid."
An Ran maintained a gentle and harmless smile while secretly observing the little boy.
The little boy was very handsome. Even as dusk fell, the setting sun cast a soft golden glow on his face, making his fair complexion resemble that of a porcelain doll. However, he looked somewhat frail.
Judging from his clothes and appearance, he didn't seem like a farmer's son, but rather like a young master from some noble family. However, if he were a young master from a prominent family, his demeanor was rather timid and hesitant, unlike Yu Sili, who was poised and graceful.
And why is he all alone?
When An Ran's face was almost frozen from smiling, the little boy stopped resisting her and said in a low, sweet voice, "You're welcome."
He seemed convinced that Anran was harmless, staring at the world with wide, round eyes, like a newborn animal, with innocent kindness.
An Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Qingmei, Anmu, and Anxi had all returned. When they saw Xue Tuan'er in Anran's arms, they all gathered around her.
The little boy was startled by the sudden increase in the number of people, even though there were two other children among them, and took a step back. However, his eyes still followed Snowball, clearly showing his fondness for it. He had mustered up the courage to pick it up earlier, but now that there were so many people, he probably wouldn't even dare to touch it.
This child is so timid!
An Ran frowned slightly. She handed the snowball to Qing Xing and walked over to the little boy. "Thank you so much for today, but it's getting late. I'll have someone take you home. You can play with your older brothers and sisters again tomorrow, okay?"
A look of longing appeared in the little boy's eyes.
"Tell your sister what your name is?" An Ran realized that he didn't have a name yet, and she couldn't just call him a little boy.
He was no longer so afraid, and said softly, "My name is Nian Ge'er."
"Where do you live?" An Ran squatted down, completely disregarding the fact that her skirt would get dirty. She pointed to the cat in Qing Xing's arms and said softly, "Tomorrow you can play with Xue Tuan'er too."
Nian Ge'er finally nodded vigorously.
But by then, dusk had fallen, and in the fading light of twilight, the little boy could no longer see the way he had come from.
He had run away secretly and had only been here a few days ago; he was completely unfamiliar with the area. Thinking that Aunt Ping might worry when he returned, his eyes reddened, and large tears streamed down his face, rendering him speechless.
Seeing this, Anran quickly took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away his tears, softly comforting him. "Don't be afraid. Can't you find your way home? I'll have someone take you there, okay?"
Nian Ge'er still had tears welling up in his eyes, but with An Ran's coaxing, he finally stopped crying.
His fearful demeanor earlier had deterred An tide, An Mu, and Yu Sili from approaching. Now, Yu Sili stepped forward and said, "Sister, let me take him back. My brother should be back by now; let him take him home."
Yu Sili had thought things through carefully, since his family was more familiar with the area. Besides, it was obvious that Nian-ge'er had sneaked out to play on his own. If the people from the Nan'an Marquis's residence went there in a big commotion, it would only make it known to Nian-ge'er's family, which wouldn't be good either.
An Ran gave him an approving look and nodded, saying, "Si Li has thought this through very thoroughly. Let's do it this way!"
"Sister, can I go with Sili?" Anmu asked from the side.
“Of course you can. Qingmei and Song Ma, you take the two children with you and make sure they get to Sili’s house.” An Ran gave Qingmei and Song Ma a few instructions, then smiled at Yu Sili and said, “Please tell him when you get back. Thank you, Brother Yu.”
Yu Sili nodded somewhat embarrassedly after being praised by An Ran.
Now that everything was arranged, Anran said softly to Niange'er, "Niange'er, goodbye then. If you'd like, my word still stands, and you can come and play with them. Let Sili bring you over."
Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Nian Ge'er's eyes.
"Okay!" he replied earnestly, and then obediently let Yu Sili and An Mu hold his hands.
An Ran stood up, smiled, and patted Nian Ge'er's head. Only then did he stop dodging. "Nian Ge'er is such a good boy!"
After a while, the group left. An Ran watched them walk towards Yu Sili's house, then took An tide, Qing Mei, and the three maids back home.
At this moment, Qin Feng, who was hiding in a large tree not far away, suddenly had a very complicated expression.
He first followed Nian Ge'er and his group to Yu Sili's house, where he met Yu Zhou. After An Mu and Yu Sili explained their purpose, Yu Zhou readily agreed to take Nian Ge'er back. Yu Zhou knew that a new family had settled in the west of the village.
Sure enough, the family was in an uproar over finding Nian-ge'er.
Yu Zhou explained that Nian Ge'er ran away and encountered Yu Sili, so he took Yu Sili and brought Nian Ge'er back.
He kindly omitted mentioning An Ran.
The person who spoke was a young woman who could still be described as beautiful. When Nian Ge'er saw her, he seemed a little scared and was even more reserved than when he was in front of An Ran. He called out softly, "Aunt Ping."
"Thank you so much for bringing him back!" The woman, whom Nian Ge'er called "Aunt Ping," looked extremely anxious. She thanked Yu Zhou repeatedly, saying, "If this child had been lost, I wouldn't be able to live either!" As she spoke to Yu Zhou, she called Nian Ge'er over, tears streaming down her face. "My boy, if anything were to happen to you, how could I face your parents!"
Nian-ge'er's small body shrank back slightly.
Yu Zhou keenly noticed that the look in her eyes when she looked at Nian Ge'er was not only one of worry and fear, but also had a rather stern tone.