coobybook Chapter 176 Touched
Chapter 176 Touched
As Li Xiaonuan and her companions were worrying about how to spend the night, a few shouts of arguing rang out outside the courtyard. Then, the arguing stopped, and the courtyard gate was kicked open with a bang. In the darkness, Li Xiaonuan felt a light slowly approaching their room.
"Miss Li, we were sent by Doctor Jing to bring you food and bedding." A familiar voice rang out from outside the door.
Li Xiaonuan initially thought she was hallucinating. Everyone in the room stared in shock at the doorway. Even Xiao Zheng, who had been crying incessantly, stopped. It was just that the room was too dark for anyone to see their expressions.
"Miss Li, are you inside? Has something happened? This servant will open the door and come in right away. Is it alright?" The voice rang out again.
"Hey, we're inside, nothing happened. Come on in," Li Xiaonuan quickly said, fearing that it was all just an illusion.
As soon as Li Xiaonuan finished speaking, the light under the door flickered. With a creak, the door was pulled open from the outside. The sudden light made Li Xiaonuan and the others instinctively close their eyes.
"Miss Li, where should we put these things?" the voice rang out again.
Li Xiaonuan squinted, slowly adjusting to the light. Then, he saw the attendant who was always by Prince Jing's side.
"Oh, it's you!" Li Xiaonuan said happily. "No wonder that voice sounded so familiar. Come on, put all your things over here." Li Xiaonuan pointed to the empty bed board in front of them.
The attendant called out a few times towards the door, and then someone brought things in. Soon, the bed was piled high with things. Li Xiaonuan looked through it carefully and found that all the necessary items, such as eating utensils, were readily available.
"Xiaoman, please thank your master for me. I know I've dragged him into this today, so please apologize to him for me as well," Li Xiaonuan said to her attendant with a satisfied smile.
Xiao Zheng was already exhausted and crying from hunger. Seeing the food laid out on the bed, he forgot all about his tantrum. He huffed and puffed as he crawled out of Chen's arms and towards the bed. Chen, however, was staring intently at the bright, beautiful silk clothes on the bed, and paid no attention to Xiao Zheng.
"Hehe, it's alright. My master said that the young lady and her family should stay here for a few days. Once he has sorted things out outside, he will send someone to pick them up." Xiaoman scratched her head sheepishly, her shallow dimples especially adorable.
"Oh dear, my little brother. If you really jump down like that, your newly grown front teeth will break." Xiao Man, who had been shy in front of Li Xiaonuan, suddenly changed his expression and went straight behind Li Xiaonuan.
Li Xiaonuan turned around following Xiaoman's figure, only managing to catch a glimpse of Xiaozheng sticking out his little bottom, swaying precariously on the high edge of the bed. Xiaoman hurriedly rushed forward to catch Xiaozheng before he hit the ground.
"Xiao Zheng, what are you doing? Why are you running to the bedside? Xiao Qian, Xiao Ping, Xiao Sha, why aren't you watching your little brother?" Madam Chen didn't know what Xiao Man was so excited about. Only after Xiao Man caught Xiao Zheng did she realize her negligence.
But Chen was no ordinary woman; she wouldn't let others blame her first. So, she rudely snatched Xiao Zheng away and began berating the three Xiaoqian sisters who had been hiding in the corner.
Xiao Zheng found the moment when Xiao Man caught him in time after he let go extremely funny. So, he giggled at Xiao Man for a long time. He was thinking of having Xiao Man play with him again.
But suddenly, he was forcefully pulled away from Xiaoman's embrace, his arms aching from the pull. He was just a one-year-old toddler with teeth, and didn't understand much; when he was unhappy, he instinctively burst into tears.
Chen was already feeling guilty, and Xiao Zheng's crying made her even more embarrassed. The old lady glared at her, then got up and went to thank Xiao Man and the others with Li Xiaonuan. Li glanced at Chen, then reached out and pulled Xiao Jun, who had finally been released by the old lady, over to her side.
"Grandma, please don't thank me. It's what I should do. Miss Li has taught me a lot. I only lent a hand; it's nothing. Actually, I had a little brother when I was young, but he fell off the bed when he was one year old and died." Xiao Man's eyes were filled with sorrow as she recalled her childhood.
"Oh dear, look what I've been telling you!" Xiaoman slapped her forehead and said, "Miss Li, Madam, Master has also given me some other instructions, so I have to go back and take care of them."
At this point, Xiaoman thought for a moment and continued, "By the way, you can go for walks in the courtyard these few days. No one will lock the doors. But the courtyard gate must not be opened. It's dangerous outside. This is something Master specifically instructed me to tell you."
After Xiaoman left, Madam Chen couldn't wait to go to the pile of silk clothes. Xiao Zheng, who was sandwiched between her and her, cried even louder because he was uncomfortable. The old lady, in a fit of anger, stepped forward and slapped him.
Although the old lady's strength wasn't great, the blow to her face still stung. Chen was stunned; this was the first time the old lady had hit her in the years she had been in the Li family.
Ignoring the stunned Chen, the old lady picked up the sobbing Xiao Zheng and gently comforted him.
Li Xiaonuan coldly watched Chen Shi's unawareness of her mistake, silently took a few snacks from the pile of food, walked to the old lady's side and coaxed, "Xiao Zheng, are you hungry? If you don't cry, big sister will give you some sweet cakes."
In the end, hunger triumphed over everything. Xiao Zheng, sniffling, reached for the white sugar rice cake that Li Xiaonuan handed him. Li Xiaonuan seized the opportunity to take out a handkerchief and wipe his face.
"Alright, everyone must be starving, go and eat something." The old lady looked at the others on the bed who were staring longingly at the food, and kindly relented.
Xiaoxian couldn't wait any longer. She slid off the bed and ran over to hug Li Xiaonuan's leg, saying, "Big sister, I want to eat cake too."
Xiaoxian had cried and fussed for a while, so her voice had a heavy nasal tone and was soft and sweet, which sounded very pleasant.
Li Xiaonuan picked up Xiaoxian and let her choose her favorite from the snacks placed on the edge of the bed.
In no time, everyone gathered around the food, chatting amongst themselves. Only Chen stood to the side, covering her face, looking aggrieved.
"You're already eating? I was thinking of coming over to start a fire and cook some hot porridge for the kids." That was the voice of the fifth brother, Li Dali.
"Fourth brother, fifth brother, what brings you here?" The old lady asked in surprise as she looked at the two brothers who had suddenly appeared by the door.
"Someone just let us out. Everyone's coming over soon, they're looking for the outhouse." The fourth brother, Li Dagong, walked over to Xiaojun, whose mouth was full of crumbs, picked him up, and asked, "Xiaojun, it's been a few days, did you miss your dad?"
Xiao Jun swallowed the pastry in his mouth with difficulty, drank a few mouthfuls of water that Li Shi put to his lips, and then answered in a clear voice: "Ah, Xiao Jun misses Dad, and he misses Mom. And his sister, Sister Yan Yan's black bean cakes, Xiao Jun hasn't had them in a long time."
Over there, the fourth brother's family was enjoying a harmonious time. Meanwhile, the fifth brother, seeing Chen's expression—a mixture of anger and reproach—didn't know how to respond. Judging from her look, Chen had definitely gotten into trouble.
Before long, a large group of people poured into Li Xiaonuan's room. Xiao Yang and Xiao Gang were carrying a lot of things. The old lady sat peacefully on the edge of the bed, enjoying the greetings and care from her children and grandchildren.
Looking at this scene, Li Xiaonuan felt content. At least for this moment, her family was united. No one came forward to question or blame her for the trouble she had caused and the disaster she had brought upon them. This was especially touching to her.