Chapter 340 - 338: A Group of Little Rascals (Second Update)

Chapter 340: Chapter 338: A Group of Little Rascals (Second Update)

Jiang Yu looked at her with a half-smile, "Miss Xu, you’re not very good at lying either."

Xu Jing: "..."

Isn’t small talk a necessary skill for every adult?! Who would actually take the other’s courtesy words seriously?

Xu Jing’s mouth twitched slightly, unsure of what this fellow was thinking. Just as she was about to find an excuse to leave, she suddenly heard him say in a low voice, "Miss Xu likes to say pleasantries to me, but when I said I hoped you would visit my sister, I meant it. Today, I’ve been following Miss Xu, watching you solve cases like a god, taking every deceased person seriously and responsibly. I suddenly had a... unreasonable thought."

Xu Jing was slightly stunned when she saw the man in front of her suddenly give a self-deprecating smile and said, "If Miss Xu had gone to see my sister back then, or even became close friends with her like Miss Xu and Young Madam Zhao, would today’s tragedy not have happened to her?

Miss Xu was able to save my sister once before, and if Miss Xu were by her side, she would surely be able to save my sister a second time..."

If he had known her before Xiao Yi, if there wasn’t such a distance between them.

Then, would she also, like she treats those around Xiao Yi, carefully protect his loved ones?

Jiang Yu was not someone who would regret and feel lament for such intangible things. He was always confident, even somewhat arrogant, believing that anything or anyone he desired, he could obtain through his abilities.

Only this time, seeing his icy cold sister being fished out of the river, he doubted himself for the first time in his life.

It was also the first time in his life that he had such a strange thought.

Xu Jing was taken aback, her mouth tightened, and she looked at him without any emotion, saying, "It is indeed an unreasonable thought. Even if I were by Jiang San’s side, I might not have been able to prevent this tragedy from happening, let alone, Jiang San is your sister, not mine."

So it is his duty to protect her, not hers.

Having said that, Xu Jing no longer looked at Jiang Yu and turned to leave.

Jiang Yu watched her back silently for a moment, then suddenly let out a low laugh, crossed his arms, and leaned against a nearby pillar, his eyes slightly lowered, hiding the sadness in them.

He knew full well that those thoughts had grown so irrational and colossal due to his sister’s sudden death.

But if there hadn’t already been a seed of such thought buried in his heart, it wouldn’t have sprouted.

Truly... What a pity.

This thought came neither too early nor too late, but rather at the most inopportune time.

After some distance from Jiang Yu, Cheng Xiao, who was beside Xu Jing, seemed hesitant to speak.

As a fellow man, he inexplicably thought Jiang Erlang’s attention on their Madam did not harbor good intentions.

He wanted to warn Madam to be cautious of this Jiang Erlang but felt it wasn’t his place as a guard to say such things.

In the end, he sighed inwardly, saying nothing.

All right, their Madam has always been wise. If he could think of it, surely Madam could too?!

He better not worry needlessly!

Xu Jing, full of concern for Xiao Huai’an, got into the carriage and left the matters of Jiang Yu behind.

She wondered if Qiushui had managed to bake the cake, and whether Little Point would be upset not seeing her all day.

Upon returning home, she got off the carriage and walked inside. Before she even reached the courtyard, she could hear the sound of children laughing happily.

She paused slightly, slowed her pace, and walked over, seeing the usually quiet courtyard now lively. Zhao Shao Hua, Song Erniang, and the two Young Madams of the Zhao family, whom Xu Jing had met at a Zhao family banquet earlier, were all sitting under the pavilion in the courtyard, speaking with cheerful smiles.

On a small piece of open ground in front of the pavilion, several children were gathered together, chattering and playing a game of pitch-pot. The largest child, about eight or nine years old, was a robust little boy. Xu Jing remembered he was Zhao Chengyou, the eldest son of Zhao Jingxuan and Mrs. Pei.

The boy beside him, struggling to grab the arrow in his hand, was about the same age and was Zhao Chenglin, son of Zhao Jingming’s younger brother Zhao Jingyi, and his wife of the Yang family.

Xiao Huai’an was at another pitch-pot, playing with a chubby little boy and a toddler who was still wobbly on his feet. The chubby boy was Zhao Cheng’an, the second son of Zhao Jingxuan and Mrs. Pei, and the toddler was Song You’an, Zhao Shao Hua’s son.

Besides them, several exquisitely beautiful young girls stood nearby. Some were whispering and laughing, others teasing the boys who were clumsily playing pitch-pot. All were young ladies of the Zhao family.

A large number of attendants stood around the children, and the originally spacious courtyard suddenly felt cramped.

Xu Jing rarely saw the house so lively, and couldn’t help but blink.

She had returned in a hurry, having quickly written out a few invitations last night, inviting mainly Zhao Shao Hua, Song Erniang, the two Young Madams of the Zhao family, and Xiao He, as well as a few Lords of the Zhao family. Unexpectedly, it came with so many little ones.

Zhao Shao Hua was the first to notice Xu Jing’s presence, sitting in a position facing Xu Jing’s direction, her eyes lit up with delight. She quickly stood and approached, saying, "Jing, you’re back! We haven’t seen each other in a while. I heard you’ve done a lot in Lingzhou, even overshadowing my eldest brother and Yanci. I want to ask you all about it!"

Xiao Huai’an swiftly turned his head. Upon seeing Xu Jing, the arrow in his hand, which just moments ago seemed like a treasure, suddenly lost its appeal. He hastily shoved it to Zhao Cheng’an and ran towards Xu Jing gleefully, shouting, "Mom!"

The other children, upon seeing her, had their eyes light up like stars. They stopped what they were doing in unison and gracefully bowed to her, "Greetings, Aunt Jing!"

Children raised in noble families, no matter how mischievous they might usually be, never forgot their manners when necessary.

Xu Jing: "..."

This was the first time she had experienced such a scene, and she was somewhat at a loss as to how to respond.

In the end, she smiled and nodded to the group of children, taking on the role of the hostess, "Eat well, play well, and just feel at home here."

After saying that, she half-squatted down, patted Xiao Huai’an’s little head, and looked at Zhao Shao Hua with a smile, "You all came so early, I didn’t even have time to host you."

"Oh, what is our relationship, why should we fuss about that?"

Zhao Shao Hua said with a smile, "I know you and Yanci are busy people. I heard the people from the Western Capital court took you away early this morning. I was worried Chang Xiao would be bored alone at home, so I brought the sisters-in-law over earlier."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but smile, "You’ve helped me a lot. I’ve been feeling guilty for not having time to accompany this little one. But how did you know the Western Capital court invited me over?"

Zhao Shao Hua’s smile faded slightly, and she lowered her voice, "In Western Capital’s noble families, there are no secrets. Jiang San’s accident news spread early in the morning. Such a major event, I figured the Western Capital court would invite you, so I had someone investigate, and indeed, they did.

How is Jiang San’s case... Is it true she took her own life?"

Xu Jing sighed lightly and shook her head, "The matter is a bit complicated. The case is still under investigation."

Zhao Shao Hua’s face tensed. Her words implied that Jiang San did not simply commit suicide.

Seeing Xu Jing’s demeanor, she could tell it wasn’t appropriate to discuss this matter in detail and refrained from asking further. She tugged Xu Jing towards the pavilion, "Today is Chang Xiao’s birthday, let’s not talk about these ominous things. I told the little ones that coming to Chang Xiao’s house today, we won’t have that same old feast. Your Aunt Jing has many new and exciting things planned, promising to let you taste a kind of barbecue you’ve never seen before. The group of little ones was so drooling at the thought."

This was what Shen had told them when she delivered the invitations yesterday.

Xu Jing didn’t want to host the traditional birthday banquet and wanted to celebrate in a way Chang Xiao liked. Concerned Zhao Shao Hua and the others might not adapt, she had Shen give them a heads-up in advance.

However, she didn’t expect them to adapt so well.

No wonder when she came over earlier, the children’s eyes looked at her as if a pack of puppies had seen a delectable meaty bone.

She couldn’t help but chuckle softly and glanced at Qiushui beside her.

Qiushui immediately nodded with pride at Xu Jing, who then understood, and with an upturned mouth, said, "Barbecue is nothing. There’s something fresher today that will surely make you all reluctant to leave!"