Chapter 82

Mrs. Xiao heard a soft call and immediately turned her head to look. She saw a beautiful woman holding a seven or eight-month-old baby, walking towards them.

“Mrs. Qiao?”

Mrs. Xiao recognized her at a glance.

Mrs. Qiao was once the most beautiful woman in the capital and the wife of General Qiao. Mrs. Xiao had always admired her, but due to the difference in their family backgrounds, they had not interacted much.

“Mrs. Xiao, I heard you calling for Miss Xiao Er, is there something wrong? Is there anything I can help with?”

Mrs. Qiao’s expression was sincere as she stood in front of Mrs. Xiao.

Xiao Jiaojiao immediately looked up and assessed Mrs. Xiao.

She was taller than the average woman, with a round face, slightly elongated eyes, thin eyebrows, and thin lips, giving her a graceful and gentle charm reminiscent of the beauties of the Jiangnan region.

Miss Xiao Er looked very much like Mrs. Xiao, except her features were more delicate.

In this case, General Xiao should also be a rare handsome man.

Upon hearing Mrs. Qiao’s question, Mrs. Xiao couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and shy.

“Mrs. Qiao, to be honest with you, my second daughter is very mischievous. She loves playing with swords and guns. Just now, she flipped over and ran away, making it difficult for us to find her.”

Mrs. Qiao had already learned about Xiao Qianyue’s temperament from Xiao Jiaojiao, so she wasn’t surprised.

No wonder she and the second son were a match made in heaven. It turns out they are both martial enthusiasts.

Xiao Qianlan stepped forward to greet her politely and hesitated for a moment before asking softly, “Mrs. Qiao, may I ask if your son accompanied you to Huguo Temple today?”

Mrs. Qiao turned to look at Xiao Qianlan, her eyes showing a hint of surprise.

This was the daughter-in-law favored by the Empress Dowager, the future Crown Princess.

Xiao Qianlan was very polite, and her question did not seem offensive. Mrs. Qiao nodded, “My second son did come with me.”

Xiao Qianlan shook her head helplessly, “That’s good then.”

“Just now, my sister and I were admiring the flowers on the side when suddenly a figure flashed in the distance. He seemed to have exceptional lightness skills, floating like a fairy.”

“My sister is a martial enthusiast. When she saw such a master, she immediately chased after him regardless of everything else. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared without a trace.”

“Now that I think about it, that master should be Mrs.’s second son.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiaojiao couldn’t help but smile.

[Oh, so it turns out that the second brother and Miss Xiao Er’s feelings are real!]

[I hope my silly second brother doesn’t just focus on competing and actually leaves Miss Xiao Er behind…]

Hearing that Miss Xiao Er went missing because of their second son, Mrs. Qiao felt embarrassed.

“My son is unruly and lacks manners. He actually collided with Miss Xiao Er, and he should be punished!”

“Mrs. Xiao, please don’t worry, let’s search together.”

Mrs. Xiao couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

The two playful children met each other, which was really causing headaches.

The group shouted and called in the forest, and Aunt Liu went back to call a few young monks to help search. After an hour passed, they still hadn’t found anyone.

Seeing that the sun was setting, Mrs. Xiao was truly anxious.

“Could something have happened?”

Mrs. Xiao looked much softer now, with tears in her eyes.

Xiao Qianlan, on the other hand, was much calmer. She looked to the west and made a decision in her heart.

“Mother, please don’t worry. You and Aunt Liu stay here to continue searching for our younger sister. I’ll rush back home to call for help.”

“Little sister is skilled in martial arts, so she must have been playing around. Nothing bad will happen.”

Xiao Qianlan grabbed Mrs. Xiao’s hand, calmly stood up, and bowed to Mrs. Qiao.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Madam I’ll leave you for a moment. My mother is delicate, and I would trouble Madam to comfort her.”

Mrs. Qiao saw Xiao Qianlan’s grace and couldn’t help but nod.

Such a young lady, who could see the bigger picture, was fit to become the Crown Princess and the mother of the nation.

“Miss Xiao, rest assured, Mrs. Xiao is in my care.”

Xiao Qianlan expressed her gratitude upon hearing this and quickly left with her skirts held up.

Xiao Jiaojiao thought for a moment. The original work did not describe the first encounter between Qiao Diyi and Xiao Qianyue, but it seemed that nothing dangerous had happened, so she could remain calm.

[Maybe something held them up? I don’t remember anything happening to my second brother and sister-in-law.]

Just as Xiao Jiaojiao was lost in thought, a clear voice came from a distance.

“Mother! Sister!”

Xiao Jiaojiao turned her head to see two figures appearing on the hillside covered by the last rays of the setting sun.

They weren’t very close, and each held one end of a stick.

Xiao Qianyue was waving her hand towards them, but her right foot was raised, lifting up her skirt as if she were injured.

“Moon!”

“Sister!”

Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Qianlan were overjoyed and quickly went to meet them, followed closely by Mrs. Qiao.

When they approached, Qiao Diyi and Xiao Qianyue had already thrown away the sticks.

Mrs. Xiao touched Xiao Qianyue’s arm and couldn’t bear to scold her. She asked anxiously, her eyes red, “Where did you hurt yourself, you naughty girl? You scared your mother to death!”

Xiao Qianyue looked ashamed, clearly not someone who caused trouble without reason.

“Mother, I’m sorry. I was playing around today and accidentally twisted my foot. It was Young Master Qiao who brought me back.”

As soon as she said this, everyone quietly looked at Xiao Qianyue. Seeing her disheveled dress, they knew that the “bringing back” involved carrying her all the way.

Mrs. Xiao’s heart jumped when she saw this…

Although Qiao Diyi knew that Xiao Qianyue was destined to be his wife, he couldn’t bear to see her reputation tarnished, so he quickly spoke up.

“Miss Xiao is indeed a lady of noble birth. I assisted her with a stick along the way, but she walked back by herself.”

Mrs. Qiao couldn’t help but look at Qiao Diyi with some helplessness.

Silly child, how can your clumsy acting deceive Mrs. Xiao and Miss Xiao?

But Mrs. Qiao was actually very happy in her heart.

Qiao Diyi knew that Xiao Qianyue would be his wife, but even so, he was polite and considerate towards her, even considering protecting the girl’s reputation.

Both of her sons were honest and upright young men, which made Mrs. Qiao very gratified.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qianyue suddenly turned her head to look at Qiao Diyi. Seeing his serious expression, her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

She was very proud, having chased after Qiao Diyi through the woods, but she was too eager and stepped on a branch. Although she landed safely, she still sprained her ankle.

Qiao Diyi was attracted by her cries of pain but maintained his manners, not getting too close or looking at her with frivolous eyes. He even kindly suggested bringing her back.

Unfortunately, her ankle was too swollen and painful to walk, so Qiao Diyi approached her, crouched down, and bent over…