Chapter 107: The Boy Holding a Dog

Lu Man looked Bao Qin up and down, smiling as she praised, “Qin, you have maintained yourself so well. After living in the north for over a decade, you still look like a young mistress who has never left the city gates. Thank you for remembering my mother, I truly appreciate it. It’s a pity, though. While I resemble my mother, I lack her knowledge, gentleness, and calm demeanor.”

Lu Man’s double entendre made the sensitive Bao Qin blush and reply with a forced smile, “Young Miss, you are too humble.”

Lu Fangrong also caught Lu Man’s implication, especially when she referred to Bao Qin as “Qin” instead of “Aunt Qin”, realizing that his daughter held some resentment towards Bao Qin. He reassured Lu Man, saying, “Manman, Qin made a mistake due to being careless. Don’t take it to heart, I will reprimand her and advise her to think carefully before speaking or acting.”

She hadn’t thought it through? A hint of sarcasm crossed Lu Man’s lips, and she remained silent. She thought, just wait, the day I step into this household again will be the day I avenge little Lu Man.

The Lu household sent some gifts back to the Princess Changting’s mansion. Lu Fangrong handed a package, saying, “These are some specialties from the north, purchased specifically for you by me. Qin picked out the hairpin, thinking you would surely like it.”

Lu Man didn’t accept the gift, so Lu Fangrong handed the package to Lu Ying instead.

As the carriage set off, Lu Man exhaled deeply, as if releasing the burden in her chest. Recalling Mama Wang’s stories about the loving relationship between Lu Fangrong and Lady He felt like a joke to her.

Notions of paternal love like a mountain, unwavering affection, and love stronger than gold were foreign concepts to Lu Man, who had never experienced such sentiments in her past lives.

Lu Ying, feeling remorseful, said, “Third Young Madam, I’m truly foolish and couldn’t be of help to you.” She quickly added, “When the Old Madam scolded you, I wanted to intervene as well, but I wasn’t as quick as Liu Ya and Xing.”

Her words brought a smile to Lu Man’s face.

As they neared the end of the alley, Lu Man pulled back the curtain to look outside. The old locust tree at the alley mouth stood tall and majestic, providing dense shade under which several children played.

Suddenly, a scene flashed in Lu Man’s mind: silver moonlight, a boy held a small yellow dog, and a chubby little girl being led to the old locust tree. The boy, around thirteen or fourteen, was handsome, while the girl was chubby and adorable, with features like a painting…

The young boy said to the little girl, “I can only escort you here, you should go home by yourself, just as I taught you. You’re nine years old now, you can’t say you’ve been with me for so long, as it may tarnish your reputation.” After speaking, he turned to leave, holding the small yellow dog.

“Jiang, I’m scared…” the little girl timidly spoke up.

Turning back, the boy smiled and replied, “Then I’ll stay here and watch you go home.”

Reluctantly, the girl touched the dog in his arms before turning to walk down the alley. Her footsteps echoed distinctly as she walked, and the whimpering of the little yellow dog could still be heard, causing her to look back several times.

As the boy grew more distant, the path between them seemed to lengthen.

The girl, torn with reluctance, eventually reached the front gate of the courtyard. Pausing, she saw the slender figure watching her for a moment before turning away. Feeling a pang of sorrow, she walked back and soon disappeared into the moonlit night…

The memory of that young boy filled Lu Man’s heart with warmth, evoking a bittersweet and tender emotion that almost brought tears to her eyes.

Suddenly, Lu Man noticed a group of children playing with a small cat under a tree. The cat appeared to be in distress, with their little hands almost squeezing the life out of it. The cat’s pitiful meows sounded like a helpless infant crying.

This unexpected scene shattered the warmth in her heart, and Lu Man, feeling distressed, called out, “Stop the carriage.”

Perplexed, Liu Ya asked, “Third Young Madam?”

Lu Man instructed, “I want to get off the carriage.”

The carriage came to a halt, and Lu Ying quickly dismounted, taking down the carriage step for Lu Man to alight.

Approaching the children, Lu Man frowned and said, “Whose cat is this? You’re almost killing it.”

The children stood up, with one slightly older child recognizing her as Lu’s second sister and explaining, “Second Sister Lu, we found this cat in the ditch earlier. We didn’t harm it, it was already in bad shape…”

Lu Man replied, “Oh, it’s so pitiful. I’ll take it home to nurse it back to health.” She then had Lu Ying give each of the children a silver coin.

The children, eyes twinkling with joy, held the silver coins, considering it a stroke of unexpected luck.

Lu Man wrapped the small cat in her handkerchief and cradled it in her palm. It was tiny, probably just over a month old, dirty, with a coat of yellow fur. The cat kept its eyes shut, letting out weak meows occasionally.

Seeing Lu Man getting back into the carriage with the cat, Lu Ying advised, “Madam, we should only raise a healthy cat, this one looks like it’s on its last legs.”

Shaking her head, Lu Man stubbornly held onto the cat and boarded the carriage. She had planned to go shopping on the way back home, but with the cat in her arms, her thoughts shifted.

Cradling the fragile kitten, she whispered, “Stay alive, and you’ll be my little Sweet Pea.”

The kitten seemed to understand, letting out another feeble meow and licking its lips with its small pink tongue.

Upon returning to Orchid Pavilion, she had Xing bring the mother cat, who had recently given birth, to the main kitchen. Lu Man personally bathed the kitten and placed it in a small blue basin.

The kitten was truly beautiful, with tea-colored fur, soft and adorned with dark brown patterns. It had a red nose and white fur around its mouth, with amber eyes and black paw pads.

Lu Man had always loved dogs and cats in her past life, often researching about them online. She remembered a type of cat called a Black-footed cat, known for having black soles. While these cats were native to Africa and wouldn’t be found in her current location, this kitten bore some resemblance.

Xing brought the mother cat, who had recently given birth, and upon seeing the kitten, she displayed overflowing maternal love. She gently nudged the kitten with her paw and lay down beside it. The kitten, with eyes barely open, sniffed around and obediently began nursing.

Everyone cheered. It knew how to feed, so it was likely to survive.

Lu Man joyfully exclaimed, “You are now Sweet Pea.”

After the kitten finished nursing, barking was heard in the courtyard, along with the voices of Jiang Zhankui, Jiang Jiu, and Wang Dou.

Jiang Zhankui, sweating profusely, had been out walking the dog with Wang Dou when they encountered Xing catching the mother cat for Lu Man. Hearing that Lu Man had found a kitten, they rushed back to Orchid Pavilion together.

Lu Man hurriedly cautioned, “The kitten is too young, you can’t pick it up.”

The children, captivated by Sweet Pea, couldn’t get enough, and even Jiang Zhankui’s eyes overflowed with tenderness.