Chapter (6): Everyday Life Together

“Hey, hey, hey, did you see that?”
“See what?”
“Ahem, our own Ice Beauty Ye from the Xiao household! Ever since the young master was born, our Beauty Ye has completely thawed!”
“What’s so strange about that? The young master is so adorable—who wouldn’t like him?”
“No, the main thing is, have you noticed? All the maids are scrambling to serve tea and water wherever the young master stays! That thawed Ice Beauty Ye, tsk tsk, now that’s something to behold...”
A group of maids huddled together, whispering about the trivial affairs of the Xiao household, their eyes shining with excitement, clearly relishing the gossip.

Xiao Jiu was five years old. His chubby little face was rosy and full of health, and at that moment he was curled up on a lounge chair with Ye Min, holding a pastry in his hands and chewing away contentedly.

He hadn’t even swallowed the food in his mouth when he saw Ye Min turn another page in his book. Xiao Jiu looked up at Ye Min, who was engrossed in reading, tugged at his sleeve to get his attention, and mumbled, “What are you reading?”

Ye Min glanced down, gently wiped the crumbs from the corner of Xiao Jiu’s mouth, and smiled. “A biography.”

Xiao Jiu blinked in confusion. “What’s a biography? Can you eat it?”

Ye Min’s smile grew even softer as he explained, “A biography is a record of a person’s life story.”

As soon as Xiao Jiu heard the word “story,” he perked up and tugged Ye Min’s sleeve again, more eagerly. “So what’s this one about?”

A flicker of amusement passed through Ye Min’s eyes. “This one tells of a young master in a grand household who spends his days eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. Every night, he falls asleep still clutching a half-eaten pastry in his hand...”

Xiao Jiu had a vague sense that something was off. “And then? What happened to the young master?”

Ye Min suddenly grew serious. “Then the young master fell ill—so ill he could only lie in bed. The doctor said he could never eat pastries again.”

Ye Min rarely teased Xiao Jiu like this, and it took all his restraint not to burst out laughing.

Xiao Jiu frowned. “That poor young master!”

Ye Min nodded. “Yes. Can you guess what illness he had?”

Xiao Jiu still looked puzzled. “What illness?”

Ye Min replied, “He was so fat that he couldn’t even walk.”

Xiao Jiu’s lips pouted and he glared at Ye Min. So, Ye Min was actually calling him fat in a roundabout way! Xiao Jiu kicked his legs, slid off the lounge chair, puffed up his cheeks, and ran to the bed, burrowing under the covers. He was angry—he’d never speak to Ah Ye again.

Ye Min couldn’t help but laugh. The blanket was all puffed up from Xiao Jiu hiding underneath. Hearing Ye Min’s laughter, Xiao Jiu gave a cold snort from under the covers. Just as Ye Min was about to go over and coax him, there was a knock at the door.

Ye Min glanced at the lump still hiding under the quilt, feeling a bit regretful—he shouldn’t have teased him. He opened the door and asked coldly, “What is it?”

The messenger was someone who would be joining Ye Min on a mission this time. He whispered, “Captain, there’s been a change in the plan. Someone must’ve leaked word—the target is moving tonight. If we don’t act now, something might go wrong!”

Ye Min nodded. “Understood. Gather the brothers involved. We’ll set out soon.”

The man replied hastily, “Alright,” and hurried away.

Under the covers, Xiao Jiu’s little face was turning red from holding his breath. He finally threw off the quilt and poked his head out, aggrieved. “You’re leaving again?”

Ye Min walked over helplessly and patted Xiao Jiu’s head. “Be good and wait for me. When I come back, I’ll take you out to play, alright?”

Xiao Jiu’s eyes lit up at the promise. “You said it! When you come back, you have to take me to the temple fair!”

Ye Min smiled. “Alright.”

After all, the Xiao family’s profession was that of assassins. Having enemies was only natural, which was why they always kept a strict watch over the children—afraid that one day, an enemy might seize an opportunity.

There came another knock at the door. Ye Min left, his face unreadable. Xiao Jiu’s eyes were still red. For as long as he could remember, apart from his mother and father, Ah Ye was his favorite person. Ah Ye played with him, always brought him delicious pastries when he went out, and held him in his arms to tell stories.

Ah Ye always smiled at him—such a beautiful smile. He always carried a fresh, clean scent, different from the powdery fragrance of his mother, but even more pleasant. Xiao Jiu loved that scent best of all, which was why he liked to nuzzle close to Ah Ye and sniff as much as he could.

Xiao Jiu hated when Ah Ye went away. He’d seen others leave and come back only to be carried in, pale and unconscious, with red marks all over their bodies. He’d heard people say that person was injured, that they might be crippled for life. He didn’t really understand what that meant, but he instinctively knew it was nothing good.

From his heart, Xiao Jiu didn’t want Ye Min to leave—he didn’t want him to end up like those others. Thinking of this, Xiao Jiu threw off the covers completely and ran outside. A young servant sweeping the courtyard saw him and quickly put down his broom to chase after him. “Young master, oh young master! Slow down! What if you fall and hurt yourself?”

But the more Xiao Jiu heard the servant call, the faster he ran. The servant just couldn’t catch up. Xiao Jiu reached the front gate of the Xiao household and stopped. Ye Min had already departed; there wasn’t a soul at the entrance.

Xiao Jiu stood there in a daze, waiting until the sky was almost dark. The young servant’s face was flushed with worry, but he didn’t dare force the young master away. “Young master, it’s getting dark. Please come back inside with me!”

Madam Xiao soon arrived, having heard what happened. The young servant wanted to bow, but Madam Xiao quietly signaled him not to. She saw Xiao Jiu still standing stubbornly at the gate and sighed inwardly. She walked over, knelt down, and asked, “Jiu’er, what are you looking at?”

Xiao Jiu pressed his lips together. “I want to wait for Ah Ye to come back.”

Madam Xiao answered honestly, “Ye Min has gone far away—he won’t be back even if you wait until tomorrow.”

Xiao Jiu’s small body trembled. His legs were already sore from standing so long, and hearing his mother’s words, his heart ached even more. He choked out, “Mother, why does Ah Ye always have to leave? Can’t he just stay with me?”

Madam Xiao turned him around and said firmly, “Jiu’er, remember this: Ah Ye goes because he has something very important to do. Even if he didn’t go, someone else would have to. If Ah Ye goes, he might return safely, but if someone else goes, they might lose their lives. Would you want any of the uncles and elders who’ve always been kind to you to come to harm?”

Xiao Jiu shook his head and whispered, “No... Ah Ye promised he’d take me to the temple fair.”

Madam Xiao smiled gently. “Since Ye Min made you a promise, he’ll keep it. I’ll wait with you, alright? But first, let’s have dinner. You need food to have the strength to wait. If Ye Min comes back and sees you’ve grown thin, he’d feel terrible.”

With that, Madam Xiao stood up and led Xiao Jiu inside. The gates of the Xiao household were quietly closed by the young servant.