Xie Pan’Er’s lips couldn’t help but twitch as she looked at the child led by the shopkeeper, her mind buzzing.
"This... child can’t even tell her directions. How am I supposed to question her?!"
Hearing this, the old shopkeeper of Zhiwei Restaurant grew anxious.
"Oh, Third Miss! You can’t refuse to help this old man! This child is clearly an acquaintance of yours. You can’t just see her in distress and not help!"
Seeing the shopkeeper’s anxious expression, Xie Pan’Er found it hard to refuse and said, "Alright, I’ll try asking her."
"Thank you, Third Miss. This old man will have soone bring you a pot of tea. You can take your ti asking."
The Xiao Er brought them tea. As he was leaving, Xie Pan’Er caught a glimpse of him subconsciously rubbing his eyes.
The Xiao Er himself found it very strange. His eyes seed particularly itchy today, and it felt like he had rubbed out so sleep crust from them.
Xie Pan’Er picked up a teacup and asked Xiaosuisui, "Would you like so tea?"
Xiaosuisui nodded. Although it was already September, the weather outside was still quite hot. She had been searching for Xiaobai all this way and was extrely thirsty.
"Drink!"
Xie Pan’Er held the teacup, personally blew on the tea to cool it, and then carefully brought it to her lips.
She gently lifted the Girl’s veil and slowly helped her drink the tea.
"Is it good?" Xie Pan’Er asked.
Xiaosuisui nodded. "It’s delicious. Third Aunt said that while the preserved fruit from Zhiwei Restaurant is tasty, their brewed tea is truly exceptional. It’s cooling in sumr and warming in winter, fragrant, sweet, and llow, with an endlessly delightful aftertaste."
The little Girl recalled when she had just arrived at the Ji Family’s ho to recover from her injuries. Because the dicine was too bitter and she refused to drink it, Third Aunt would use preserved fruit from Zhiwei Restaurant to coax her into taking her dicine. So, during their casual chats, Third Aunt had ntioned other specialties from Zhiwei Restaurant.
The shopkeeper and Xie Pan’Er were very surprised. While the preserved fruit and Dim Sum from Zhiwei Restaurant were famous in the Capital City, their brewed tea was even more outstanding. Any woman who could co to Zhiwei Restaurant for tea was definitely of high status, holding at least a Third Grade imperial title. This was because the Restaurant only had three private rooms and received only three tables of guests each day.
"Your Third Aunt has had tea at Zhiwei Restaurant before?" Xie Pan’Er stared at the little Girl’s face, but unfortunately, with the black veil she wore, Xie Pan’Er couldn’t see the expression underneath it at all.
"It *is* my Third Aunt!"
The little Girl was truly very young and rarely interacted with outsiders. The Ji Family hadn’t taught her social graces. So, she quite naturally assud that everyone should know who her Third Aunt was!
"No, I’m asking what your Third Aunt’s na is. And which Mansion’s young lady are you?"
Xiaosuisui tilted her head, thinking.
"First Aunt and Second Aunt call Third Aunt ’Xiuxiu’. I’m the little young lady of the Ji Mansion."
Xie Pan’Er put a hand to her forehead. With this kind of conversation, forget the shopkeeper; even she couldn’t make sense of it.
She tried hard to recall the scene of her first eting with this little Girl in Yang City, desperately seeking a breakthrough. Finally, she decided to focus on the matter of the Girl’s Guards.
"You told Shopkeeper Grandpa that your na is Suisui, right?"
The little Girl took another sip of tea and nodded.
"Then, may I call you Suisui as well?"
Still, she nodded.
Xie Pan’Er considered her words for a mont before tentatively asking, "Suisui, last ti I saw you in Yang City, you had several Guards with you. Whose orders do they follow?"
The Guards who were with her in Yang City?
Xiaosuisui tilted her head, thought for a mont, and said, "Those people were sent by His Majesty, my adoptive father, to pick up!"
"His Majesty... adoptive father?"
Xie Pan’Er’s heart clenched. Was it ’His Majesty’ or ’Bi Xia’? Or so other homophone?
Heavens, please don’t let it be the possibility she was dreading!
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