Chapter 962 - 956: Egg Dumplings
Hearing the child cry non-stop, Su Jin guessed that Housekeeper Zhou would eventually bring the child to her.
Su Jin quickly got out of bed, disguised herself again, and put on the mask.
Just as she was putting on the mask, there was a knock on the door.
Xingxing went to open the door.
The Young Master was still crying. He turned his head and saw Su Jin, struggling to get down from Steward Zhou’s arms.
Steward Zhou put him down.
He ran to Su Jin and held her tightly, "Daddy...".
Su Jin’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Never seen a child who likes their father so much, isn’t it usually the mother whom they seek at night?
But noble family children are usually raised by wet nurses and don’t sleep with their parents.
Su Jin picked him up and said, "Alright, alright, stop crying."
Su Jin held him and sat on the bed.
He sniffled and said, "I want to sleep with Daddy."
With such a pitiful look, how could Su Jin bear to refuse?
Moreover, the inn’s young attendant specifically reminded her to soothe the young master so as not to disturb other guests.
The night deepened.
Su Jin looked at Steward Zhou, who was dressed thinly, and said, "Steward Zhou, go back to rest."
Steward Zhou nodded and said, "If there’s anything, just call me."
Steward Zhou stepped out and closed the door.
Xingxing went to bolt the door.
Su Jin let the little boy sleep on the inside while she lay down as well.
The little boy held her tightly, afraid that Su Jin would leave.
Su Jin coaxed him, "Be good, close your eyes and sleep."
"I won’t sleep; if I fall asleep, Daddy will be gone again," said the little boy.
"...".
Su Jin promised him.
When he woke up, she’d definitely still be there.
The little guy stubbornly shook his head.
But no matter how he shook his head, he was just a few years old; he couldn’t control not sleeping.
His eyes blinked shut, and after a while, he fell soundly asleep.
Seeing him sleep so peacefully, not like her own young master who would kick down walls while sleeping, she finally blew out the candle, wrapped herself in a quilt, and went to sleep.
Meanwhile, the Young Master Li was sleeping sweetly, completely unaware that his mother had lost him and cried herself nearly unconscious.
In the entire Yuzhou Prefecture, every single government official was out searching the streets for him.
The cold wind whipped their faces red.
Li Family’s servants were in a complete panic.
Losing the young master meant certain death for them.
Just as the Li Family was frantic, an arrow shot in front of Zhang Family’s mansion gate.
Tied to the arrow was a letter.
The Zhang Family was the maiden family of Eldest Young Madam Li. This time, Madam Zhang was celebrating her birthday, and Eldest Young Madam Li had brought her child to the celebration.
Now that her great-grandson was lost, Madam Zhang nearly passed away from shock.
A servant took the letter and hurriedly sent it to Eldest Young Madam Li for review.
Eldest Young Madam Li read the letter and cried uncontrollably.
It was a ransom note, demanding that they stop the search and publicly claim that Young Master Li was found; otherwise, they would cut off one of his arms.
The Zhang Family didn’t understand why they had to claim that Young Master Li was found to the public.
But they didn’t think much of it, who knows what goes on in the mind of such a kidnapper; they could only comply.
The Zhang Family hurriedly went to the Magistrate to ask the officials to stop searching for him.
That night, neither Eldest Young Madam Li nor anyone from the Zhang Family could sleep.
The next day was supposed to be the day Su Jin and her team left Yu State.
Being identified as the child’s father on the street, surely they couldn’t take the child to the border?
They had to help find the father before they could leave.
Moreover, the gates of Yu Zhou City were shut tight, not allowing anyone to enter or exit, so even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t.
Inside the room.
Su Jin and Xingxing, along with Young Master Li, sat together eating.
Su Jin looked at him and asked, "Do you know how to feed yourself?"
"I do," Young Master Li nodded repeatedly.
Su Jin gave him an egg dumpling.
He wasn’t very skilled with chopsticks and couldn’t pick up the egg dumpling for a while.
Just as Su Jin was about to help him, Young Master Li looked towards the door, "Hey...".
Su Jin turned around, but saw nothing.
When she looked back at Young Master Li,
he already had an egg dumpling in his mouth, chewing happily.
Watching him eat with such satisfaction, Su Jin couldn’t help but find him exceedingly adorable.
His rosy sculpted face, eyes like grapes washed by water, was so beautiful that his parents must be extraordinarily good-looking.
It’s just too irresponsible to lose a child like that.
After he finished eating, Su Jin fed him porridge.
After two dumplings and most of a bowl of porridge, Young Master Li wouldn’t eat anymore, "I’m full."
"Is that so little enough to fill you up?" asked Xingxing.
"I’m really full," Young Master Li patted his full belly to show Xingxing he wasn’t lying.
Underneath his thick cotton clothes, Xingxing couldn’t really see whether he was full or not.
All she saw was a tear in the cotton clothes.
"The servant who bought the clothes clearly didn’t check carefully; there’s a tear. How is this worth two taels of silver?" complained Xingxing.
Young Master Li’s brocade robe was dirty and unwearable, so Steward Zhou had to send someone to buy two sets for him to wear temporarily.
After eating his fill, Young Master Li was playing in the room.
His favorite toy was that broken bamboo basket.
He either hid in it or stood with it covering him, hiding in the corner.
Steward Zhou came in, and Su Jin asked him, "Is there a family in the city that lost a child?"
Steward Zhou replied, "Last night during the lantern festival, when the lanterns caught fire, someone took advantage of the chaos to kidnap a child. The officials searched all night, and it’s said they’ve found him."
Steward Zhou never thought that the child taken would be Young Master Li.
Su Jin didn’t think of it either.
Since he had been kidnapped, how could they have let him run about alone?
Su Jin looked at Young Master Li, who was playing happily with Xingxing, and said, "Later, we’ll take him for a stroll around town to see if anyone recognizes him."
If someone loses a child, they’re bound to be desperately searching for him.
Su Jin took Young Master Li downstairs, starting their walk from the inn.
Young Master Li called her "Daddy" one after another, affectionately.
Whatever Young Master Li wanted, Su Jin bought it for him.
Behind them, two servants followed, looking speechless and helpless.
Because they were carrying so many things.
They had never seen anyone spoil a child this much.
The child calls him "daddy" twice, and he truly treats him like his own son.
Moreover!
How did a Second Steward of the Beauty Pavilion have so much money?
He must have embezzled money from the Beauty Pavilion.
No one becomes wealthy without sudden wealth.
Su Jin merely felt sorry for Young Master Li, such a small child, walking alone on the street in the middle of the night.
It was fortunate that he encountered her, but if he met someone else, who knows where he might end up sold to.
She had always been soft-hearted; when Young Master Li smiled at her, she couldn’t resist anything.
Only his repeated calling her "daddy" pulled Su Jin back to sanity time after time.
She couldn’t possibly be someone’s father, maybe reluctantly a mother.
But Su Jin never anticipated that because she pampered Young Master Li so much, when the maid from the Zhang Family saw Young Master Li, she thought he resembled her young master and hesitated to approach and recognize him.
The maid had only seen Young Master Li two or three times and wasn’t familiar with him.
Furthermore, since Young Master Li was abducted openly on the street, how could the kidnapper dare to stroll around with him so boldly, buying things this and that?
And the young master calling "daddy" so familiarly, clearly like his own son.
Young Master Li grew tired from walking, extended his arms, and Xingxing picked him up.
Young Master Li pointed ahead and said, "Go there."
Xingxing carried him over.
Xingxing had grown very fond of Young Master Li, wishing wholeheartedly he was her family’s young master, and calling him "young master" came especially naturally.
The maid from the Zhang Family shook her head.
This definitely couldn’t be her young master.