Chapter 223: Chapter 223
Li Jing held a pair of earrings, curiously saying, "Why are Aunt Chai’s earrings in Father’s sachet?"
The Princely Heir turned back with a slight frown. These earrings...
That day, Miss Chai and Li Yuzhu had brought tea to the fields for him.
When Miss Chai returned home, she said an earring had dropped.
He thought that it was quite unfair for them to lose an earring while bringing him water.
He searched with a torch overnight between the vegetable racks and found the lost earring.
When she brought water again, he secretly placed it in the teacup.
"Father, can you tell me why Aunt Chai’s earrings are in the sachet?" Li Jing asked, looking at the sachet in confusion.
The Princely Heir grasped the sachet in his hand.
He crouched down and whispered a warning to Li Jing, "Your Aunt Chai must’ve been careless, putting the earrings in the powder and then together in the sachet. I will return them to her quietly, and you mustn’t tell anyone, not even your little aunt."
"Why?" Li Jing couldn’t understand.
"Because...losing one’s belongings is a foolish thing. If people find out Aunt Chai lost her earrings, they would laugh at her for being silly. Do you want others to laugh at her?" said the Princely Heir.
Li Jing really liked Miss Chai, as she patiently played with him, unlike his biological mother who would scold him impatiently and chase him away, making him play with others. His mother never played games with him.
When he felt hungry, his mother wouldn’t care, telling him to find his father or grandma.
However, when he said he was hungry, Aunt Chai would immediately make him something to eat.
Li Jing seriously looked at his father, "No, I don’t want others to laugh at Aunt Chai for being foolish. She’s not foolish at all; she can draw pictures in books, build houses with wood, and cook."
"So, let’s keep this a secret as if it never happened, okay?" The Princely Heir ruffled his son’s hair.
"Okay, I won’t tell anyone." Li Jing nodded earnestly.
"Let’s make a pinky promise then." The Princely Heir extended his little finger and hooked it with his son’s.
The little guy seriously hooked fingers with the Princely Heir.
"Good boy." The Princely Heir breathed a sigh of relief.
He held Miss Chai’s earrings, planning to find an opportunity to return them.
Being a married man, he understood Miss Chai’s subtle intentions.
She patiently played with his child, quietly mended his clothes, brought him tea, and now sent him earrings.
But, he didn’t want to mislead her.
The situation of the Li Family was worlds apart from the Chai Family.
Moreover, she was a young girl, and he was a married man with children.
They were not a match.
Time dragged like an ox pulling a cart.
In the difficult waiting, the Princely Heir finally awaited nightfall.
Clutching the earrings, he walked under the cover of darkness to Miss Chai’s house.
The bamboo window was closed, and the Princely Heir gently lifted it, about to toss the earrings in when suddenly inside, Miss Chai said, "Nanny Jiang, it’s so hot, and my fan is broken. Could you borrow one from Yu Zhu’s room?"
Afraid to alarm the mistress and servant, he quickly withdrew his hand.
"I don’t know if they have any extras," said Nanny Jiang.
"They do. Yu Zhu and the second girl each have one, and their eldest sister has two. Borrow one from the eldest girl," Miss Chai said.
"Alright, I’ll go borrow one," Nanny Jiang said.
Nanny Jiang picked up a small lantern and opened the door, entering the house.
The Princely Heir quickly hid in the shadows.
Nanny Jiang didn’t notice him and left with the small lantern.
Seeing Nanny Jiang knock on the neighboring house and enter, the Princely Heir went to Miss Chai’s door and tossed the earrings inside.
As he was about to turn away, a voice inside sighed softly, "Does Brother Li dislike me that much?"
The Princely Heir was startled.
"I can’t match up to Brother Li," Miss Chai said with a bitter smile.
The Princely Heir turned back, staring at the girl inside the house, "You..." He hadn’t expected her to be bold enough to say it.
"What if I say I want to marry Brother Li? Would Brother Li marry me?" Miss Chai looked at the Princely Heir with a faint smile.
She wore her underclothes, her long, thick hair hanging in front, the candle flame illuminating her face, making her cheeks appear exceptionally soft.
Her appearance wasn’t stunning, inferior to the Xue Family, even less so than his three younger sisters. She had a simple and elegant look, but her smile was genuinely uplifting.
Especially her eyes, they seemed to speak. If you looked into them, you’d find she was a very empathetic person.
These eyes compensated for her plain appearance.
The Princely Heir didn’t dislike her looks, but...
He felt he wasn’t a good match for her and didn’t want to hurt her.
The current situation of the Li Family might never recover, otherwise, Xue Family wouldn’t have run away!
Xue Family must’ve learned something, making her leave so decisively.
"I..." The Princely Heir opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the sound of Nanny Jiang returning from the neighboring house interrupted him.
He quickly hid in the shadows, quietly leaving.
Miss Chai sighed disappointedly.
Nanny Jiang was thanking Li Yuzhu.
"No need to thank, just use it," Li Yuzhu yawned.
Nanny Jiang returned to the room to find Miss Chai standing dumbly and said in confusion, "Why did you come out of the tent? There are mosquitos outside, hurry back inside."
Miss Chai said, "I’ll go out for a bit, Nanny, don’t follow!"
With that, she hurried out, her footsteps quick.
Nanny Jiang blinked, puzzled by the girl’s behavior.
Miss Chai chased towards the Princely Heir’s house.
The Princely Heir had just entered his house when Miss Chai caught up with him.
She ran, panting heavily, leaning against the door frame to rest before saying, "Brother Li!"
The Princely Heir’s room wasn’t lit, engulfed in darkness.
He turned towards the sound, "Why did you run here?"
Miss Chai looked at him, "You didn’t finish your sentence earlier. I’m here to ask what you were going to say."
The Princely Heir slowed his tone, calmly saying, "You’re too young and don’t think things through. Let’s act like today never happened; I won’t speak of it outside. You should head back now; your nanny might be worried about you."
He walked over, pulled the door wide open, and gestured for her to leave.
Miss Chai looked at him for a while, then took a deep breath and suddenly threw herself forward, hugging him.
The Princely Heir was stunned, "What are you doing? Let go." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel·fire.net
"I won’t let go unless you propose to my family," Miss Chai said with her eyes closed.
"Nonsense! Let go!" The Princely Heir sighed, "I go propose? Aren’t you afraid of the villagers laughing at you? Besides, your big brother wouldn’t agree."
"In my family, I make the decisions," Miss Chai said, holding him tightly.
The Princely Heir looked at her seriously, softening his tone, "Have you thought about it? As I’ve been married before, marrying me would make you a second wife."