"Hmm?" Xiqiu was puzzled, Min never mentioned anything to him: "He didn’t say, what’s the matter?"

Xing and Sheng exchanged glances and scratched their heads: "Then... let’s wait for Third Brother to come back and tell you."

Xiqiu thought of Min’s demeanor last night. Could it be that the matter he wanted to speak about but didn’t was this?

Finally, when Min came back from school, Xing asked him, "Third Brother, didn’t you tell Fourth Aunt?"

Xiqiu looked at Min.

Min froze, his eyes flashed quickly, and he pulled Xing: "You... you guys go, I won’t go!" Sheng frowned: "I told them you’d go today, they’re all waiting for you."

Xing held his hand and softly asked: "What’s wrong with you? Are you afraid Fourth Aunt won’t let you go? Then I’ll talk to Fourth Aunt."

"No need!" Min waved his hand, stole a glance at Qiu who was drinking tea with her head down, and pressed his lips: "I’ll go talk to her." Saying this, he bypassed Xing and went to Xiqiu’s side.

Xiqiu put down the tea cup and smiled: "What’s the matter?" Not forcing him to speak.

Min hesitated for a moment and then finally said: "Xing wants to go be a guest at Chengyi Bo Mansion... invited me... to go together!" Looking somewhat unsure, he glanced secretly at Xiqiu.

Ah, it’s about this matter!

Xiqiu frowned slightly, she had indeed intentionally or unintentionally kept Min from going out in the past two years. Even to Tong Mansion, she rarely took him out, and when guests came to the house, unless extremely familiar, she didn’t let Min often move around outside. The child felt it, so when mentioned going out as a guest, he was so nervous and uneasy?

She thought of the dark night with high winds when Fourth Master Xiao appeared in front of her cradling the newly born Min...

"Mother!" Min, seeing Xiqiu’s slightly dissatisfied expression, immediately panicked and said: "I... the teacher assigned a lot of homework today, I... I don’t want to go." After saying this, he turned back to Xing and Sheng: "You guys go, I need to do my homework, the teacher will check it tomorrow!"

Xing and Sheng stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"Min!" Xiqiu pulled him to let him look at her. She gently asked: "Do you want to go? Chengyi Bo’s family is also Aunt’s maiden family... do you want to go?"

Min paused for a moment, a strange color flashed in his eyes, yet he still shook his head: "I don’t want to go." Xing ran over from the back and said quickly: "Fourth Aunt, he wants to go, he’s just afraid you won’t approve!"

Xiqiu looked at Min without speaking.

Min hung his head, silent for a long time, and said: "...I heard the lotus is blooming beautifully at the pavilion in Chengyi Bo Mansion." Which indeed meant he wanted to go!

Xiqiu nodded, then smiled and said: "Then go with Xing, but remember to come back early!"

Min’s eyes lit up, Xiqiu also reminded Xing and Sheng: "Although it’s Chengyi Bo’s place, I am at ease, but it’s not home, you must be courteous, don’t run all around the garden." Then she pointed at Sheng who was smiling with a wrinkled nose and said: "Especially you, being so tall, you might scare the ladies!"

Xiqiu had agreed, so it wouldn’t make sense to add any more conditions, all three nodded repeatedly.

Xiqiu then instructed Nanny Cen and Nanny Rong to follow, bringing along servants and maids, as well as the maids and women sent by the Grand Dowager from the Marquis Mansion, the group protected the three children to Chengyi Bo Mansion.

Fourth Master Xiao returned from the government office, Xiqiu told him about Min’s matter: "...Judging from the way he was, he wanted to go out for a walk, I didn’t stop him." He was so grown now, cannot keep blocking him forever.

"Hmm." Fourth Master Xiao nodded, paused, and replied: "Let him go then, Chengyi Bo is not like other families, the kids going are also known to me, they’re well-mannered."

Their concerns differed slightly!

Xiqiu contemplated, wondering if she was overthinking things, perhaps it wasn’t the way she imagined.

Settled down, she played with Zhi while waiting for Min to come back, but just a quarter of an hour after dinner, Min returned, talking to Fourth Master Xiao and Xiqiu from behind the curtain: "Father, Mother, I’m back to sleep." His mood was low.

Xiqiu was taken aback, exchanging a glance with Fourth Master Xiao. She lifted the curtain and went out, seeing Min had already turned down the steps and walked quickly out of the courtyard.

"What’s the matter?" Xiqiu and Fourth Master Xiao questioned: "Was he wronged outside?"

Fourth Master Xiao knitted his brows, hands behind his back, said: "I’ll go have a look!" Finishing this, he followed Min out of the courtyard.

They were father and son; perhaps communication would be easier. Xiqiu returned to the room feeling uneasy, waiting for Fourth Master Xiao to come back. He hadn’t returned, but Xing and Sheng did, both sweating profusely: "Fourth Aunt, has Min come back?"

Xiqiu nodded and asked Xing: "He seemed unhappy, tell Fourth Aunt, who went there tonight, what happened?"

"Not many people. The three young masters of the Tang Family, Mr. Wu, Mr. Qian, and Mr. Ruan..." Xing enumerated them, then added: "We also don’t know why Min was unhappy, things were great earlier, Min even drew a picture, Mr. Wu and Mr. Ruan even wanted it, and argued over it... Later, Min said he wanted to change his clothes, Second Young Master Tang accompanied him to the front, when he returned only Second Young Master Tang was seen, Third Brother wasn’t... We got worried and came back quickly." He paused and then asked: "Third Brother is, okay?"

Xiqiu tightly furrowed her brows, shook her head: "Your Fourth Uncle went there, can’t say for sure now." She took out a handkerchief and wiped Xing’s sweat, told the two: "It’s getting late, you should return early to avoid worrying Grandmother."

"Hmm. We’ll go back now, will visit Min again tomorrow." Xing and Sheng left the Marquis Mansion together.

A while later Fourth Master Xiao returned from Rong’en Courtyard, Xiqiu asked: "Fourth Master, did you find out what happened?"

Fourth Master Xiao sat beside Xiqiu, took a sip of tea, recalling what Min had said earlier: Why did they look at me with such strange eyes, as if they saw something so terrifying...

"He said he met First Master Tang in the backyard." Fourth Master Xiao frowned: "Saw his suspicious expression, yet he grabbed Min asking lots of questions..."

How could it be?

Xiqiu’s face flushed with anger: "This First Master Tang is quite ill-mannered, First Young Madam always moves around in the Marquis Mansion, even if not familiar with Min, should know which kids went where tonight, acting so rashly!" Min’s self-esteem is very strong, being grabbed and asked all sorts of questions would inevitably cause his mind to run wild, affecting his self-esteem.