After leaving the Yanbei Prince’s mansion, Ren Yaoqi was thinking about where to go.

Ren Shimin had already gone to Yunyang Academy, and she couldn’t very well go to a place like the academy. However, her maternal family’s home was also near the academy, so it would be good for her to go to Bottle Gourd Alley to have a look.

Thinking that Ren Yaohua might be at the Ren family’s retreat house at this time, Ren Yaoqi instructed Sangshen to go tell Ren Yaohua and ask her to come to their maternal grandparents’ home as well.

When Rong Shi saw that Ren Yaoqi had come, though she didn’t say anything outwardly, she was very happy in her heart. She called her to the main room to talk and asked about various matters regarding Ren Shimin’s trip to the capital to participate in the Literary Contest.

During this time, Sangshen returned, but said that Ren Yaohua was not at the Ren family’s retreat house. The gatekeeper at the retreat house said that Third Miss had not returned there at all today.

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but feel somewhat puzzled. Where could Ren Yaohua have gone? Could she have gone to the Lin family? Ren Yaohua shouldn’t have anyone in Yunyang City familiar enough to visit casually.

Rong Shi thought that Ren Yaohua was deliberately avoiding coming to Bottle Gourd Alley because she was unwilling, so she sighed softly and asked Ren Yaoqi, “Does she have many people accompanying her? Should we send someone to look for her?”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment: “Third Sister has several maids and matrons with her, so there shouldn’t be any problems. However, I’ll still send a few servants to look around. It’s almost noon, and she’ll need to eat.”

Rong Shi nodded, watching as Ren Yaoqi instructed Sangshen to go outside and tell the matrons to check the Lin family and various other places.

Close to noon, her maternal grandfather and uncle returned home.

Ren Yaoqi stepped forward to pay her respects. Prince Xian stroked his beard and nodded steadily: “Since you’re here, stay for the meal. Today I caught two big fish. Rong Shi, have someone tell the kitchen to take them and prepare fish soup.”

Li Tianyou gestured with his palm from the side, grinning: “Father, two palm-sized fish are also big? Are you trying to fool a child?”

Prince Xian snorted and glared: “If you hadn’t been sleeping there and gotten a leg cramp, kicking my fish basket into the river and letting all the big fish I had worked so hard to catch escape, how would there only be two left?”

Li Tianyou hissed as if he had a toothache and muttered, “What big fish? There was only one small turtle that you picked up from the shore in that fish basket! Did you think I didn’t see it?”

“What are you muttering about?” Li Qian frowned and glared at his son.

Yihong immediately handed a bowl of tea to Li Tianyou. Li Tianyou was just thirsty, so he grabbed the teacup and drank deeply, sighing comfortably.

After finishing the bowl of tea, Li Tianyou forgot about exposing his father’s exaggeration earlier, but remembered another matter and said: “Father, I told you I wasn’t mistaken, right? The little girl is here, so the one I saw on the road just now must have been the big girl.”

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but ask Li Tianyou: “Uncle, you saw my Third Sister? Where did you see her?”

Li Tianyou said, “Just now on the way back. The big girl seemed to be with a small child. I only saw her profile and pointed her out to Father. Father said I was mistaken, saying you couldn’t possibly be only as big as that small child.” As he spoke, Li Tianyou gestured at his knee level with his hand.

The corner of Ren Yaoqi’s mouth twitched, speechless.

Rong Shi asked in confusion: “Where did this small child come from?”

Li Qian said, “According to Chunsheng, the carriage following them looked like it belonged to the Lei family.”

“The Lei family?” Rong Shi was even more surprised. “How would Yaohua be familiar with people from the Lei family?”

However, Ren Yaoqi had already understood. The small child that Li Tianyou mentioned should be Lei Pan’er from the Lei family.

Ren Yaoqi’s guess was not wrong. Ren Yaohua was indeed with Lei Pan’er at this time.

It could be said that Ren Yaohua had also been unlucky when going out today.

She had originally intended to go to the Ren family’s retreat house, but thinking that it was rare to come to Yunyang City once, and with no one around to restrict her, she instructed the coachman to drive the carriage around the bustling areas of Yunyang City a couple of times, taking a longer route back.

Unexpectedly, while the carriage was on the road, they encountered two matrons arguing in the street, which resulted in overturning a vendor’s basket of early peaches. The peaches were scattered all over the ground, and when Ren Yaohua’s carriage passed by, it happened to crush several of them.

Ren Yaoqi had the coachman give the vendor some money, treating it as buying the peaches that the carriage had crushed. However, that vendor was dishonest – hearing that a young lady was sitting in the carriage and seemed very reasonable, he complained that the coachman hadn’t given enough money. He insisted on grabbing them and demanding they buy all the peaches on the ground, good or bad, or else he wouldn’t let them leave.

If this had been some other family’s young lady, fearing trouble, she might have given more money and been done with it. Unfortunately, he had encountered Ren Yaohua.

Originally, if that vendor had spoken nicely, Ren Yaohua wouldn’t have minded spending that bit of silver. However, seeing that there were many onlookers, the vendor thought that Ren Yaohua’s servants wouldn’t dare do anything to him in public, so he started using foul language, which angered Ren Yaohua.

Ren Yaohua coldly instructed the coachman to leave, but the vendor still wouldn’t relent.

Just at this moment, Lei Ting was returning from outside with his daughter Lei Pan’er and happened to encounter this scene. Lei Ting had his steward come down to help Ren Yaohua get rid of that vendor.

When Lei Pan’er saw that the person sitting in the carriage was the sister she hadn’t seen for a long time, she immediately wanted to get down and ride with Ren Yaohua. Thus, it ended up with Lei Pan’er and Ren Yaohua sitting in the carriage wandering around the streets. Lei Ting had no choice but to send some people to follow them while he went back to handle his affairs first.

Normally, given Lei Pan’er’s age, it wouldn’t be easy for her to remember someone she had only met once or twice for a long time. However, Lei Pan’er had always remembered Ren Yaohua and was very close to her. It had to be said that this was also fate between the two of them.

Seeing that Lei Pan’er was getting tired after playing for a while and was lying in her arms, not wanting to move, Ren Yaohua reached out to feel her forehead: “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Where were you coming back from just now?”

Lei Pan’er felt that Ren Yaohua’s embrace was fragrant and soft, so she couldn’t help but nuzzle against her: “A few days ago was my mother’s memorial day. Father took me to pay respects to Mother. Sister, what is Memorial Day?”

Ren Yaohua was startled, and her hand stroking Lei Pan’er’s little head became gentler: “Pan’er, do you miss your mother?”

Lei Pan’er nodded, thought for a moment, then slowly lifted her little head from Ren Yaohua’s embrace, looking confused and aggrieved: “I do miss her, but Pan’er has already forgotten what Mother looked like. Sister, will Mother blame Pan’er?”

Ren Yaohua felt somewhat heartbroken. She touched her face and said gently, unusually so: “No, she won’t. Pan’er is just too young to remember.”

Lei Pan’er nodded as if she understood but didn’t quite understand. She looked around, then moved close to Ren Yaoqi’s ear and said mysteriously: “But Pan’er heard that Father will find me a new mother. Sister, Pan’er doesn’t want a new mother.”

Ren Yaohua was at a loss for words. She also couldn’t think of anything to say to comfort the child. She wanted to say that a new mother would also like you and be good to you, but Ren Yaohua herself wasn’t certain of this, so she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

However, Lei Pan’er rolled her eyes and clapped her hands: “Sister, why don’t you become Pan’er’s mother? Pan’er likes Sister, and Sister also likes Pan’er. If you become Pan’er’s mother, Pan’er won’t be afraid of being bullied.”

Although children speak without restraint, Ren Yaohua still felt somewhat embarrassed.

Xiangqin got angry from the side, putting her hands on her hips: “Little girl, you don’t understand anything and are talking nonsense! Be careful, or a tiger will come and snatch you away!”

Lei Pan’er was frightened. She pouted with teary eyes, looking at Xiangqin: “Sister Xiangqin is so fierce. Pan’er doesn’t want to like you anymore.”

Xiangqin’s heart trembled from her accusation, but thinking of what she had said, she stubbornly said: “If you don’t like me, then don’t like me! Hmph!”

Wujing patted Xiangqin: “You’re something, arguing with a five-year-old child.”

Xiangqin protested: “What’s wrong with me arguing? She’s talking nonsense here, and we’re supposed to just say children don’t understand, but if she talks like this outside, will our young lady still be able to get married?”

Wujing then gently coaxed Lei Pan’er: “Miss Lei, please don’t mention such things in front of others in the future, or it will cause trouble for our young lady.”

Lei Pan’er nodded with teary eyes and looked at Ren Yaohua: “Pan’er won’t say it anymore. Pan’er will just think it in her heart and won’t tell others.” The little girl also glanced at Xiangqin and added, “Pan’er isn’t stupid.”

“Hey! Little girl, are you challenging Xiangqin?” Xiangqin crossed her arms and squinted at Lei Pan’er.

Lei Pan’er pouted and threw herself back into Ren Yaohua’s arms, leaving only her little bottom facing Xiangqin.

Ren Yaohua glanced at Xiangqin, and the maid who had been acting mighty and domineering in front of Lei Pan’er immediately sat properly with lowered brows and obedient eyes. Lei Pan’er turned back and made a face at Xiangqin.

Xiangqin gritted her teeth, thinking: This little girl is mischievous! Not likeable at all!

Close to noon, Lei Ting came to take Lei Pan’er back to the mansion.

Lei Pan’er reluctantly clutched Ren Yaohua’s sleeve: “Sister Yaohua, when will you come see me again?”

Ren Yaohua rarely came to Yunyang City, and the Lei family didn’t even have a mistress, so where would Ren Yaohua have an excuse to visit her? But she didn’t want to lie and deceive Lei Pan’er, so she fell silent.

Lei Ting was standing relatively far away, but he had heard the conversation. He instructed the wet nurse to come and take Pan’er away.

The wet nurse came over smiling: “Miss, it’s getting late, and Third Miss Ren also needs to go back for her meal. The master said you can visit Miss Ren in the future.”

Lei Pan’er turned to look at her father. During these days, the father and daughter had more opportunities to interact, and Lei Pan’er had become slightly closer to Lei Ting, so she obediently let go of her hands.

Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but touch her soft hair: “Go back now.”

Lei Pan’er was ultimately taken away by the wet nurse. Ren Yaohua curtsied to Lei Ting: “Thank you very much for Master Lei’s assistance today.” Earlier, with Lei Pan’er’s commotion, Ren Yaohua hadn’t even formally thanked him in person.

Lei Ting nodded: “Third Miss Ren should bring more guards when going out in the future.” After thinking, Lei Ting added another sentence: “People with too stubborn personalities always tend to suffer losses. When it’s time to compromise, what harm is there in compromising once?”