The other children were friendly toward Dongdong now, so they openly expressed their envy.

Dongdong noticed the noise, glanced at the spicy strips, asked Zhou Zhaoheng, and then willingly offered them: “Here you go.”

“Thank you, Pingzhou!” The children joyfully accepted the extra spicy noodles and shared them.

Hiss!

They were a bit spicy, but absolutely delicious!

Most of the kids were teary-eyed from the spice, but a few were used to it and claimed it could be spicier.

The children chatted excitedly. The little follower also grabbed two pieces and ate them, asking, “Your Highness, are you really not going to eat it?”

Unexpectedly, with those words, Zhou Zhaoqin suddenly stood up, deep in thought for a few seconds, then ran out without saying a word, startling the other children and causing them to forget to chew.

Dongdong was puzzled: “What’s wrong with him?”

Zhou Zhaoheng shook his head in confusion: “I don’t know…”

The other children chimed in: “We didn’t bother him. He just didn’t want to eat!”

The little boy, overwhelmed by the crowd, dashed out of the palace.

Although it was class time, Zhou Zhaoqin, the emperor’s grandson, wore a troubled expression, so the palace servants dared not stop him. They simply sent someone to follow him as he left.

I assumed he was heading back to the Third Prince’s Palace.

To my surprise, the child climbed into a carriage and declared, “Take me to the Xiao family!”

The driver nearly dropped his jaw in shock: “Huh? The Xiao family?”

“Yes! Hurry up!” Zhou Zhaoqin insisted, his eyes wide with determination.

With no choice, the driver complied, and with Zhou Zhaoqin’s urgency, the journey that usually took fifteen minutes was cut down to just over that time.

Upon arriving at the Xiao family estate, the doorman didn’t dare to stop him and let him in right away.

As a royal, he had learned to order servants around from a young age. So, when he arrived at the Xiao family, he was completely unafraid. He grabbed a maid to guide him and rushed straight to the yard where Yan Qiushu was.

“Sister Shu!” The boy’s clear voice startled the busy Yan Qiushu.

That wasn’t the sound she expected.

She emerged from the kitchen with her arms crossed and saw the little boy storming into the living room. His expensive clothes made his status clear, and Yan Qiushu immediately recognized him, calling out, “Over here!”

Zhou Zhaoqin paused, then ran toward her, his eyes red and filled with unshed tears. He looked up at her with a mix of grievance and urgency, saying, “Sister Shu, I’m sorry! I was wrong. Please don’t be angry with me!”

Yan Qiushu was taken aback: “?”

She felt a mix of amusement and exasperation: “Your Highness, what do you mean?”

Zhou Zhaoqin stepped closer, tilting his head with hopeful eyes. His face, thinner than the last time they met, held an expression full of anticipation: “Come back with me and tell my father you’re not angry anymore, okay?”

Yan Qiushu squatted down. Despite his earlier naughtiness, he looked so pitiful in that moment that she found it hard to be harsh. She gently asked, “Why do you want me to come back with you?”

Zhou Zhaoqin bit his lip and started to cry more. He whispered, “Because my father has been really angry lately. He’s been throwing things around at home and hitting my mother, saying she shouldn’t have taught me wrongly. He blames me for offending the Xiao family. It must be because I wanted to get rid of you last time, so the Xiao family is angry and bullying my father. Sister Shu, please don’t be mad anymore!”

He regretted his previous actions, but thankfully, he had managed to repair his relationship with Xiao Pingzhou, which had helped ease his guilt. However, after recent troubles in his maternal grandparents’ home, everyone blamed the Xiao family. His father echoed these sentiments, even blaming his mother, which flooded him with regret once again.

At such a young age, he didn’t know what to do. He was too scared to visit the Xiao family, fearing they would retaliate against his father. After pondering it for a while and reminded by some spicy snacks, he thought of Sister Shu, whom Dongdong had mentioned.

If he hadn’t asked Sister Shu to come back and cook for him, his father wouldn’t have offended the Xiao family, and none of this would have happened.

The warmth in Yan Qiushu’s eyes faded as she stared silently at the boy before her.

Adult conflicts often lead to serious consequences, yet all a child sees is whether their father is angry or not. Zhou Zhaoqin didn’t understand that his father’s anger stemmed from greed and a desire for the Xiao family’s military power. His accusations against his mother reflected nothing but the cowardice of a man too weak to confront his own failings.

Whether she was present or not, and regardless of the birthday party, things would still unfold as they did.

Especially since the Third Prince was self-serving and employed underhanded tactics behind the scenes, there were bound to be other incidents involving the Qiao family.

But Zhou Zhaoqin didn’t comprehend that. He simply believed that if she was no longer angry, the Xiao family would follow suit, leading his father to calm down and stop hitting his mother. Everything would return to normal.

In truth, she was partly responsible for revealing everything far earlier than it should have been.

Feeling a lump in her heart, Yan Qiushu sighed, “I’m sorry, but we can’t control these things.”

Zhou Zhaoqin’s tears fell at her words, and he sobbed silently. His act of courage in coming to see Yan Qiushu felt futile now that she had turned him down. The anger within him ebbed away, leaving him speechless.

Even as a five-year-old, he sensed that many matters were beyond his grasp.

He didn’t say anything further and turned to leave.

Yan Qiushu glanced at the clock. It was likely lunchtime at Taixue. His sudden visit made her realize he might not have eaten yet.

Coincidentally, she had also delayed her lunch due to some matters, so she called out, “Your Highness, would you like to stay and have something to eat?”

Zhou Zhaoqin hesitated, blinking his watery red eyes and looking at her, silently questioning: Is she really going to treat him to a meal?

Yan Qiushu smiled, “Come here! I’m making dumplings and could use some help.”

“Can I help?” Zhou Zhaoqin asked.

She was taken aback by his response. It seemed his father’s recent temperament had affected him greatly. The once bold little boy now hesitated, a stark contrast to his usual assertive demeanor.

She nodded enthusiastically: “Of course! Shui Yu, take him to wash his hands. After that, we can knead the dough and make dumplings together!”

Zhou Zhaoqin’s eyes brightened, and he hurried over, his little feet pattering along. Following Shui Yu, he washed his hands, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his chubby, fair wrists. Yan Qiushu generously took a piece of dough from the larger batch and handed it to him: “This is your portion. Knead it well, and when it’s ready, we can start making dumplings!”

“Okay!” He nodded eagerly, his youthful face glowing with curiosity.