TSFLIP Chapter 788

The next day, the eldest daughter of the Xia family once again slept in until the sun was high in the sky.

She sat lazily in the garden, fanning herself as she tried to come up with an excuse to leave the house—any excuse that would let her go see that white-haired beauty again. With a small folding fan in hand, she kept waving it absentmindedly, then finally slumped over the cool stone table and grumbled,

“This damned weather just keeps getting hotter. Is it trying to kill me or what…”

Behind her, Lianzi said softly, “Miss, let me do the fanning.”

Fengguang waved her off. “No, no… just stand there quietly. You’ll make a lovely part of the scenery.”

Her tone was lazy, but she wasn’t being dismissive—she simply couldn’t bring herself to make a ten-year-old girl wait on her like that.

Lianzi looked a little disappointed but obediently stood behind her young mistress.

Fengguang had always been delicate—she couldn’t stand the cold in winter, nor the heat in summer. Her favorite seasons were spring and autumn, and the ones she despised most were, naturally, summer and winter. Ironically, her surname was Xia—“summer”—and she had even been born in that season, but she had absolutely no fondness for its blazing sun.

Just then, she noticed two figures walking down the corridor toward her: the house steward, Uncle Zheng, and a young boy.

Fengguang’s memory was sharp—she recognized the boy immediately as Wu Qi, someone she’d met once before. She stood up and called out,

“Uncle Zheng, where are you off to?”

Wu Qi’s eyes lit up when he saw her, though he stayed politely silent.

Uncle Zheng bowed slightly. “Miss, this child’s name is Wu Qi. His mother, Madam Liu, passed away recently, leaving him all alone. I took pity on his situation and thought I’d bring him here to work as a servant in our household.”

So this was the son of the late Madam Liu.

Rumor had it that Liu’s husband died not long after the boy was born. Now that she herself was gone, and with no grandparents or other relatives to care for him, the child truly had nowhere to go.

Fengguang looked at Wu Qi. His expression gave little away, but her heart softened with sympathy.

“Wu Qi,” she said gently, “you can stay here at the Xia estate from now on. Everyone here is kind—they won’t bully you.”

Wu Qi nodded politely. “Thank you, Miss Xia.”

Uncle Zheng added, “Miss, I’ll take him to his quarters now, if you’ll excuse us.”

“Alright,” Fengguang replied.

Soon, the steward and the boy walked away.

Lianzi, ever curious, leaned closer. “Miss, do you know that boy, Wu Qi?”

Fengguang arched a brow. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, if you didn’t know him, why would you go over and talk to him first?”

Fengguang smirked. “You’re sharper than I thought. I’ve only met him once before—but I didn’t expect him to be Madam Liu’s son.”

Lianzi frowned. “Yeah, I don’t know what Uncle Zheng was thinking, bringing him here of all places.”

“You think Uncle Zheng was wrong to do that?”

“Of course,” Lianzi muttered. “His mother was murdered, and they never caught the killer. What if he brings bad luck into the house?”

Fengguang rose on her toes and gave Lianzi’s head a light pat. “You think too much. You know Uncle Zheng—he’s a kind man. He just took pity on the boy. And really, what else could he do? Wu Qi’s got no parents—how’s a child supposed to survive out there alone?”

“I was just saying…” Lianzi pouted, rubbing her head. Then she suddenly noticed the direction Fengguang was walking and blinked. “Miss, where are you going? You’re not planning to sneak out again, are you?”