Chapter 33: Little Princess, You’re Too Fierce

“Get lost, get lost!” Yan Chuan rubbed his goosebumps. The image of a grown man humming lullabies to help him sleep was terrifying just to think about.

He might as well just rob him of a hundred gold directly.

“What? Are you complaining it’s too expensive? Back in the day, my song was worth far more than this. A hundred gold is already a favor to my good friend.” Qing’an boasted proudly.

“Alright, alright, I know that your smile is worth a thousand gold, let alone playing a tune,” Yan Chuan ignored his friend’s narcissism.

He moved a chair over and sat down at the door like a guardian deity.

Qing’an looked puzzled.

“What are you doing sitting at the door?”

“I’m waiting for the little princess to wake up. I came back this time specifically to see her.” He had learned about it from Wenshu.

The prince was delighted with his precious daughter, so he had to come back and take a look.

“Then you can wait.” Qing’an tossed aside a document and went to handle the affairs of the residence.

As Yan Chuan waited, he wondered what the little princess would be like.

Would she have a face as cold as the prince’s, with an ice-cold demeanor?

Haha, a big ice block standing next to a little ice block.

Just thinking about that image was amusing.

With the prince’s stingy personality, would they just stare at each other, unable to say a word all day?

The little princess calls out “Father,” and the prince responds.

Then, they would sit in silence together.

As Yan Chuan entertained himself with these thoughts, he almost drifted off to sleep when he finally heard some noise inside.

“Father?”

Yu Yu had just woken up, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a big face looming in front of her.

“Ah! A ghost!” Startled, Yu Yu threw her pillow at him.

Yan Chuan caught the pillow with one hand.

“The little princess throws a pillow at someone on their first meeting; that’s quite hurtful.”

“Who are you?” Yu Yu clutched another pillow, looking warily at Yan Chuan.

Yan Chuan looked at the little princess and couldn’t help but have a bit of fun.

“Me? I’m the one who specializes in kidnapping children.” Yan Chuan pretended to pull out a cloth bag to scare Yu Yu.

Yu Yu saw his bag and raised her voice, yelling.

“Father! Someone wants to sell Yu Yu!”

“Bad man!” Yu Yu bravely stepped forward and hit Yan Chuan with the pillow.

Yan Chuan didn’t expect the little princess to be so brave.

“Little princess, don’t hit me!”

Yu Yu didn’t listen; Yan Chuan reached out to grab the pillow.

With the pillow taken away, Yu Yu threw her small blanket at him and then picked up the jade qilin from her father’s bedside, swinging it at Yan Chuan with all her might.

Yan Chuan felt a sharp pain in his head and then heard the little princess shouting.

“Father, Brother Qing’an, there’s a bad man bullying Yu Yu!”

Hearing the commotion, Qing’an and Wenshu rushed over to check what was happening. As soon as they opened the door, the little princess dashed out.

Qing’an scooped up the panicking little princess.

“What happened?”

“There’s someone trying to kidnap Yu Yu!” Yu Yu clung tightly to Qing’an’s neck.

Qing’an and Wenshu exchanged glances, a hint of confusion in their eyes. Kidnapping children?

Wenshu and Qing’an hurried inside to check the situation.

Goodness, it was a complete mess, and their friend Yan Chuan was holding his forehead, groaning.

“Brother Qing’an, Brother Wenshu, it’s him, the bad man!” With both her brothers protecting her, Yu Yu was less scared and pointed at Yan Chuan, reporting him.

“Little princess, you’re too fierce!” Yan Chuan rubbed the bump on his forehead, looking at Yu Yu with a mournful expression.

“Little princess, he’s not a kidnapper; he’s one of the prince’s subordinates named Yan Chuan,” Qing’an gently explained while patting Yu Yu’s little head.

“But he said he’s a kidnapper!” Yu Yu scratched her little head in confusion.

Why would her father’s subordinate say he was a bad man?

“Little princess, I was just joking with you. I’m not a real bad man. Real bad men would never admit they are bad,” Yan Chuan stepped closer to explain to the little princess.

Yu Yu looked at her two trusted brothers.

Is he really not a bad person?

“Little princess, he’s not a bad person; he just has a little bump,” Qing’an said, looking at the large lump on his friend’s forehead.

Serves him right.

Wenshu glanced at Yan Chuan’s bump and couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing.

Yan Chuan looked at his two friends trying to suppress their laughter.

“Is it that funny?”

“Yes, it’s really funny,” Qing’an and Wenshu replied in unison, nodding their heads.

Yan Chuan: He wanted to cut ties with them!

Finally, Yu Yu believed that this brother wasn’t a bad person after all.

Qing’an helped Yu Yu put on her clothes, dressing her in a red woven gold top with rabbit fur trim and a matching pleated skirt.

Then, he styled her hair into two cute buns, securing them with hair ties adorned with red tassels.

Wenshu brought over the medicinal alcohol to help his friend with his injury.

Yan Chuan held the medicinal alcohol out to Yu Yu.

“Little princess, can you help me apply this? After all, it was you who hit me.”

“Okay.” Yu Yu looked at her brother’s large bump, realizing it was indeed her doing.

Wenshu and Qing’an tidied up the messy room.

“Little princess, you have to rub this medicine in vigorously for it to work,” Wenshu teased Yan Chuan.

Yan Chuan: ……

Following instructions, Yu Yu increased the pressure as she rubbed the medicinal alcohol.

Yan Chuan grimaced in pain, showing his teeth, while Yu Yu watched his contorted face.

“Brother, let me blow on it, and it won’t hurt anymore.” Yu Yu gently blew on Yan Chuan’s forehead.

Yan Chuan had been crouching down but, after Yu Yu blew on his forehead, he was so startled that he collapsed back onto the ground, scooting away repeatedly.

Yu Yu looked at her startled brother: ??

“Subordinate… Subordinate thanks the princess,” Yan Chuan stammered.

He was a street child, and as a kid, he often fought for food against fierce dogs and got hurt in the process.

He remembered clearly the day a little boy kindly gave him a meat bun and even a couple of silver coins to help him treat his wounds.

“Brother, hurry up! If we take too long, we won’t get any good pastries!” A soft, sweet voice called from a carriage as a little girl poked her head out.

“Okay!”

The little boy hurried back, but he tripped and fell.

“Brother!” The little girl jumped down from the carriage in a panic to help her brother up.

“Your hand is hurt; does it hurt? Let me blow on it for you.”

“After Ning Ning blows on it, it won’t hurt anymore. Quickly, get back in the carriage; if we’re late, we really won’t get your favorite pastries.”

“Alright.”

The siblings held hands and returned to the carriage, leaving Yan Chuan’s view.

At that young age, Yan Chuan learned for the first time that blowing on a wound could help it heal.

Then he thought that he could blow on his own wounds, and he wouldn’t have to fear getting hurt anymore.

Yan Chuan tried blowing on his own injuries, but found it didn’t work at all.

At that time, he thought maybe it didn’t work when he blew on it himself; it had to be someone else who blew it for it to be effective.

Later, he was picked up by Qing’an and taken to the prince’s side, who took him in.

At that time, the prince wasn’t a prince yet; his situation was quite difficult, but he still took Yan Chuan in.

Curiously, he asked the prince why he was taken in.

The prince simply replied, “To help take care of the children.”

By that time, the prince had already taken in the eldest son, the second son, the third son, the eldest daughter, the fifth son, and also Qing’an, Yunming, and Wenshu.

There were also a group of little girls whose names he didn’t even know; most of them had been abandoned or sold, and the prince brought them back. He had the eldest daughter and Yunming take care of them while he stayed out of sight, so many of them didn’t even know it was the prince who saved them.

He had also asked why the prince took in those girls, considering that the prince himself was struggling. The prince explained that their situation was even more difficult. While men might be able to rely on their strength to fight for food, women were weaker and might not be able to get food, facing even worse dangers.

Taking them in meant that although they wouldn’t be well-fed or warm, at least they wouldn’t starve and would be safe.

So, Yan Chuan stayed to help take care of the children.

And now, those girls had grown up and gotten married, some even working alongside the eldest daughter in business.

Yu Yu looked at her immobile brother.

Oh no, she had knocked him silly!