Chapter 274: Chapter 274 : Lucky Pearl Restaurant (2)

"Young Master, are you sure?"

Madam Chen swallowed hard.

"Yes, why not?"

Xie Jianyu lifted the big pail full of dirty plates, and Mingyu screamed murder.

"AHHHH MASTER DON’T!!!"

Mingyu threw the broom in her hands and rushed to take the heavy burden from Xie Jianyu.

"Master, you are...’that’! Please do not lift anything heavy!"

Xie Jianyu arched his brow at his maid.

"Mingyu, I am not an invalid. It is fine to lift this much of weight."

"No!"

Mingyu took the pail away with a hint of disgruntlement.

"Master, why don’t you just sweep the porch?"

The porch was but a small area.

Xie Jianyu ended up sweeping the entire dining area, and Mingyu almost suffered from cardiac arrest.

"Master, please don’t get too tired! Think about... ’that’!"

Xie Jianyu sighed.

He was tired indeed. Tired of sitting around and doing nothing.

"I am going to hunt some ghosts," he then announced.

Before Mingyu started screaming in horror, Xie Jianyu flashed her a playful smile. "Just kidding. Come, let us buy some food outside."

Mingyu’s ears perked up in full interest. Her master, interested in buying snacks? It must be the baby demanding some treats, and Mingyu was grateful for that.

The master and maid walked together side-by-side.

For the first time in Mingyu’s life, she witnessed Xie Jianyu actively looking for food. The Crown Prince nibbled at a roast squid skewer in his left hand, while at the same time chewing on a piece of osmanthus cake in his right hand.

"That cotton candy looks good," Xie Jianyu remarked. "Mingyu, why don’t you get one? I want the blue-colored one."

"Yes, Master!"

"Mingyu, I want to have that sugar figurine. Do ask the kind man to make one in dragon form."

"Yes, Master."

They stood in front of the vendor’s stall, watching the old man burn sugar sticks against a bright flame and slowly form the caramelized treat into a dragon.

"I want another in a tiger form," Xie Jianyu remarked when the old man handed Mingyu the dragon-shaped figurine.

Dragon and tiger together.

His child was going to be a tiger, though.

What would he look like?

At what age did tiger babies grow their ears and tails?

A wave of sadness washed over Xie Jianyu, causing tears to well in his eyes.

There was no point asking these questions, right?

He was never going to see his child grow bigger.

Xie Jianyu swallowed his tears and drove the depressing thoughts away.

He had to maintain a cheerful disposition.

If he was sad, it would impact the baby.

Besides, his death would save the world. It was worth it.

"Master?"

The tiger-shaped figurine was done. Mingyu held both figurines in her hand. They were attached to a stick each.

"What else do you want to eat?" She asked as she handed over the figurines to Xie Jianyu.

Xie Jianyu took a whiff and turned toward the source of the sweet smell that permeated the air.

"I want that sweet soup of glutinous balls."

"At once, Master."

Xie Jianyu stood in a slight daze, waiting for his bowl of sweets. He was lost in thought, his mind racing with the recent events that happened in a quick sequence, not waiting for him to be ready. He had barely noticed the people around him, until a small tug on his left sleeve startled him.

He looked down and saw a toddler of around three years old staring up at him with big, curious eyes and a slightly open mouth. The child had a sweet little face, with chubby cheeks and a round nose. His hair was dark and unruly, and he was wearing a simple grey robe that was slightly too small for him.

The child tugged on Xie Jianyu’s sleeve again and said, "Candy."

"..."

Xie Jianyu’s mind went blank for a split second. He had never been approached by a child before, let alone one who was asking for candy. He didn’t know what to do.

Whose child is this?

What should I do, give him candy?

Is it alright to give him candy?

Will his parents be upset?

Before he could overthink it, the toddler’s mother appeared. She had been bargaining over the price of radishes when she realized her son had wandered off on his own.

"Little Bo! Little Bo!" She called out to her son.

The toddler turned his head and cried out, "Mom, I am here!"

"Aiyah, Little Bo! Have you been bothering the good big brother??"

The woman bowed her head repeatedly.

"Young man, I am sorry if he disturbs you."

Xie Jianyu heaved a sigh of relief. He beamed at the mother and replied, "He did not bother me at all."

The woman was quite a talkative one. She launched into a litany of complaints about her son, Little Bo. "Children this age are so naughty and disobedient," she said, shaking her head. "I told him over and over again not to wander off, but one look at the candy shop and he forgets everything I say!"

She lifted Little Bo into her arms and cuddled him close. Despite her complaints, it was clear that she loved her son dearly. Her voice softened as she spoke to him. "Little Bo, you have to be more careful," she said. "What would I do if a bad man came to kidnap you, hm? Do you want to be sold off to another family?"

Little Bo shook his head, but his eyes were still locked on the two animal figurines in Xie Jianyu’s hand.

Xie Jianyu held out his right hand and presented the sugar figurines to Little Bo with a warm smile.

"Do you like them? Which one do you want?"

Little Bo’s eyes widened in delight as he gazed at the two delicate figurines in Xie Jianyu’s grip.

He couldn’t decide which one he liked better, so he made a grab and snatched both of them from Xie Jianyu’s hand.

"..."

"Little Bo! Aiyah, so embarrassing! Return both of them to the kind big brother at once!"

Little Bo began to whine. Instead of returning the treats, he started nibbling on one of them.

It was a pity to lose the treats, but he was an adult after all.

"Madam, do not worry about the figurines. I am full, anyway. I hope that Little Bo likes them."

Xie Jianyu shot the little boy a smile before he turned to go.

"But... Young man! Let me pay for the candies at least!" The woman shouted. Too bad that Xie Jianyu already disappeared into the crowd.

"Little Bo, you are so naughty," the woman sighed. "But that young man, he was so beautiful. And he had such gentle eyes.

Gentle, but somehow very sad eyes," she murmured to herself.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay