Chapter 47 – Shadow Puppetry

The moment Yaoyao heard there would be a shadow puppet play, she didn’t even bother finishing her pastries.

Even Huahua was forced to stop eating.

The little flower snake reluctantly bid farewell to the pastries on the table with its eyes before being stuffed into the large pocket at the waist of the little girl’s robe, only poking out half its head.

The adults weren’t interested in the puppet show, so they simply let the children in the household go enjoy the lively atmosphere.

However, there weren’t many children in the Wei residence. Eldest Master Wei had only two sons and a daughter.

The other two Wei sons each had a son, but they were not in the residence, as they stayed with their fathers.

At the moment, Eldest Master Wei had only his sons with him—his eldest son Wei Jun, born of Lady Tian, and his third son Wei Yuan, born of concubine Lady Tang. Wei Yuan was only three years old and couldn’t even speak clearly yet.

Worried the scene would feel too empty, Eldest Master Wei still instructed Lady Tang to bring her young son along to watch the show.

Wei Jun didn’t want to go at first, but under pressure from his father’s stern authority, he was taken by the nanny.

It was the first time the three children had formally met.

Yaoyao stared at Wei Jun for a little while, only for him to glare back and snap, “What are you looking at?”

Yaoyao was startled, and even the little snake in her pocket trembled.

Xie Yixing had just decided on the performance program when he turned around and saw Wei Jun snapping at Yaoyao with a red face.

His dark eyes instantly turned cold.

Although Wei Jun was a few years older than him, in terms of presence, Xie Yixing appeared more composed and mature.

Remembering how his father had just warned him not to cause trouble, Wei Jun gritted his teeth and restrained himself from striking.

But the thought that the people responsible for harming his mother and sister were now happily watching a shadow puppet play in his house made Wei Jun feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

So as not to disturb Yaoyao’s experience, Xie Yixing didn’t act on the spot.

But when his cold, sharp gaze landed on Wei Jun’s face, the boy felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.

The chosen play was Nezha Conquers the Dragon King. As the slow, lingering music began, Yaoyao rested her chin in her hands and stared intently at the white curtain in the pavilion, completely absorbed.

Even the three-year-old Yuan Ge’er watched with wide eyes.

Only Xie Yixing and Wei Jun weren’t focused on the shadow play.

Wei Jun glanced at Xie Yixing several times, thinking to himself: Just a little boy like him—how could he be intimidating?

But each additional glance made his heart beat faster and faster, like a war drum thumping in his chest.

Especially when their gazes met—Xie Yixing’s eyes, filled with a chilling indifference, made Wei Jun’s spine go numb.

Wei Jun even considered leaving, but the nanny held him back firmly.

“Young Master, if you leave now and the Master finds out, he’ll be angry.”

Left with no choice, Wei Jun bowed his head and tried to avoid Xie Yixing’s gaze.

Meanwhile, Xie Yixing had already shifted his focus back to Yaoyao.

He noticed that she was so absorbed in the show that the pastries on the table remained untouched. Fearing she’d get a stomachache from not eating, he picked up a piece and brought it to her mouth.

Smelling the aroma, Yaoyao instinctively opened her mouth and took a big bite.

At that moment, the little flower snake sitting on her lap, waiting to be fed, opened its mouth expectantly, tongue flicking as it eyed the leftover half of the pastry.

But when it realized the person feeding Yaoyao was Xie Yixing, it suddenly felt like every pastry touched by him was poisoned.

Especially when it noticed his eyes sweeping over its body—it panicked and tried to crawl into Yaoyao’s sleeve, only to be grabbed by Xie Yixing.

Yaoyao was too focused on the show to notice the little snake’s silent cries for help.

Xie Yixing got up to leave. Nanny Wu wanted to follow, but he stopped her.

A cold killing intent flashed in his dark eyes. “Stay and keep Yaoyao company. I’ll be right back.”

Dangling helplessly in the air, the little flower snake looked terrified. It couldn’t understand what it had done to make this little devil so angry.

When it opened its eyes again and saw Xie Yixing’s demonic, sinister gaze, it nearly fainted.

Then Xie Yixing said, “We have something to do.”

His tone left no room for argument, giving the snake no chance to refuse.

The little snake flicked its tongue at him. It seemed… used to this by now.

Hiss hiss… Who are we getting this time?

With the shadows of the bamboo forest casting a gloom across his face, Xie Yixing’s expression turned cold. “That one just now.”

The little snake tilted its head, instantly locking onto the target.

That boy named Wei Jun?

Hiss hiss… Easy!

To be honest, it didn’t like that kid either.

The little girl had only glanced at him, and he’d acted so mean. It nearly scared this poor little snake to death.

He needed to be taught a lesson, so he’d think twice before acting up again!

Seeing that the little snake understood, Xie Yixing crouched down and placed it on the ground, watching it slither away into the bamboo forest.

By the time he returned, the puppet show was nearing its end.

Yaoyao remained engrossed, eyes fixed ahead. Wei Jun, however, was nowhere in sight.

Xie Yixing skillfully hid the coldness in his eyes, replacing it with a gentle, doting gaze as he looked at Yaoyao.

As soon as the play ended, Yaoyao clapped her chubby hands and cheered, still not satisfied.

If it weren’t getting late and time for dinner, she would’ve wanted to watch another act.

But Big Brother Shizi had promised her that as long as she behaved, there would be plenty of shadow puppet plays in the future. That was wonderful!

Seeing Yaoyao so happy that she couldn’t stop smiling, Xie Yixing finally allowed a rare curl of his lips.

He had no real interest in puppet plays. What he cared about was whether Yaoyao liked them.

As long as he could make her happy, he didn’t mind inviting the troupe into the marquis’s residence more often.

“Reward them.”

At the Shizi’s command, Nanny Wu quickly took out the reward money.

According to custom, performance troupes who were invited into noble households were paid their standard fee and could also receive extra rewards based on how well they were liked.

If the performance was bad, they might get nothing but a handful of melon seeds. But if it was good, they could receive gold ingots.

Before coming, the troupe had heard that the little Shizi of Chengming Marquis Residence was notoriously hard to please.

If he didn’t like the performance, you might not even leave the house alive.

So they had performed with everything they had.

But halfway through, they noticed the little Shizi had left, which made their hearts sink.

Did he not like the show? Are we doomed?

Just as they were about to stop and pack up to accept their punishment, they suddenly heard a tender voice from the audience:

“Nezha-gege is amazing!”

Yaoyao was watching with rapt attention, letting out a few crisp laughs now and then.

Though they couldn’t see her face clearly through the curtain, her round little figure was visible.

Judging by her voice, they guessed it was a chubby little girl who was cheering for them.

The troupe leader couldn’t bear to spoil her mood and continued the performance.

Only near the end did the Shizi return.

The troupe members were feeling nervous and dejected when they suddenly heard him say, “Reward them.”

Their spirits immediately lifted.

Did they hear right? The Shizi wanted to reward them?

When Nanny Wu took out gold ingots one by one and placed them in their hands, they finally realized—it was real!

One bold young performer peeked past the curtain and was suddenly struck by the sight.

So the one who cheered for them was this chubby little girl?

She was a little round, but her features were delicate and charming. Her large eyes sparkled brighter than the tribute goose-egg gems from the Western Regions. So adorable.