Heroic Wife Reborn - Chapters 168 onwards

Chapter 175

Although Wang Momo had already prepared herself and was accustomed to the princess's way of handling life and death, she was still horrified when she saw the basket of raw red meat, bones scraped clean, and a bear skin brought out by Yu Xiaoxiao. To Wang Momo, the princess seemed more like a butcher than a royal, and this realization brought tears to her eyes. The sight was so shocking that she felt she had to apologize to the late Empress.

Yu Xiaoxiao had intended to offer Wang Momo some treasure to lift her spirits, but before she could even speak, Wang Momo was already crying. Yu Xiaoxiao asked, "Hey, are you crying because of all this meat and bones?"

Wang Momo sobbed, "What are we going to do now?"

Yu Xiaoxiao reassured her, "Don't worry, I'm here. No one will dare to steal this bear."

Wang Momo cried out, "Empress, I offer my deepest apologies!" She then retreated to the carriage, overwhelmed. The scene before her felt so surreal that she almost couldn't believe it.

Seeing Wang Momo crying as she walked away, Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Gu Xinglang, puzzled. "Is she being bullied?"

Gu Xinglang, looking concerned, replied, "It's nothing. She's just in a bad mood."

Yu Xiaoxiao asked, "Who made her unhappy?"

Gu Xinglang said, "I'm not sure. Princess, we just came out of the mountain."

Xiao Wei, still looking at his toes, thought to himself: Who else but the princess could make Wang Momo cry like this? Looking at Gu Xinglang's serious face, Xiao Wei wondered if he really didn't know what was happening.

Gu Xinglang then noticed the two little bears that Xiao Zhuang was holding and asked, "Are these the ones Xiao Zhuang are raising?"

Xiao Zhuang immediately hugged the two little bears protectively.

Gu Xinglang, observing the little creatures, said, "They're quite cute."

Yu Xiaoxiao asked, "Do you like them?"

Gu Xinglang had never raised a bear before, but seeing how much his wife liked them, he nodded and said, "I like them too."

Yu Xiaoxiao then took one of the little bears from Xiao Zhuang's hands and placed it into Gu Xinglang's arms. "I'll catch another one for you. These are just small ones. You can hold them and play with them for now."

Gu Xinglang was momentarily stunned by the unexpected gesture.

Xiao Zhuang, relieved, watched as the two bears continued to play and hiss.

Yu Xiaoxiao, serious, instructed Gu Xinglang, "Play with them for a while, and then return them to Xiao Zhuang."

Gu Xinglang, holding the bear, handed it back to Xiao Zhuang and said, "A gentleman does not take others' pets. We'll discuss the matter of the little bears later."

Xiao Wei stood by, clearly indifferent to small animals.

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Xiao Wei and said, "Get on the carriage. We're heading home. We'll have bear paws for dinner tonight!"

Xiao Wei handed Yu Ziyi to Yu Xiaoxiao and Gu Xinglang, saying, "Princess, His Royal Highness."

Yu Xiaoxiao, observing the small child playing with her finger, thought, "Xiao Wei, you hold him." Considering her future as someone who might end up being targeted by this sis-killer in twenty years, she felt uneasy and didn't want to hold him herself.

Xiao Wei looked uncertain. While he didn't mind holding Yu Ziyi, it was cold and windy. He worried that the chill might be uncomfortable for the little prince. What would he do if His Seventh Highness caught a cold?

Gu Xinglang extended his hand and said, "Let me take him."

Xiao Wei handed Yu Ziyi over to Gu Xinglang.

As Gu Xinglang held Yu Ziyi, he realized something was wrong. The child was so soft and delicate that he felt almost boneless. Gu Xinglang's hands trembled slightly as he worried, "This little one's neck is so fragile; what if it breaks?"

Yu Xiaoxiao watched Yu Ziyi shaking his hands and quickly took him before Xiao Wei could react and save the little prince. She then turned to Gu Xinglang as she threw him in the air and asked, "Isn't he having fun?"

"Don't," Gu Xinglang exclaimed, "Don't throw him!"

Yu Xiaoxiao replied, "How could he break? Look, he's still laughing."

Yu Ziyi was indeed giggling, with a bit of drool at the corner of his mouth.

"Do you want to go into the sky?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked Yu Ziyi.

Yu Ziyi responded by blowing bubbles.

Yu Xiaoxiao, with a playful smile, considered tossing Yu Ziyi into the air far away.

Gu Xinglang and Xiao Wei had no idea what it was like to throw someone high, but they had a strong sense of unease just from hearing Yu Xiaoxiao's intention. Seeing her make a move, both of them shouted in alarm. Gu Xinglang reached out to grab Yu Ziyi's little wrist, while Xiao Wei rushed over to catch the child.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at them, puzzled, and asked, "What's going on?"

At that moment, Wang Momo stepped forward, took Yu Ziyi into her arms, and quickly moved away, refusing to speak.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked down at her empty hands, confused about what had just happened.

"Let's go," Gu Xinglang said, pulling Yu Xiaoxiao into the carriage and giving the order to leave.

"Go," Xiao Wei said, glancing at Xiao Zhuang, who seemed preoccupied with the two little bears. "Do you want to live in the woods with your bears?"

The group left the Cloud Mountain and returned to the city. The generals, who had been highly honored, now found no one daring to approach them. The streets were deserted, with no one coming within three meters of the group. The bears had caused significant disruption, and the area was marked by signs of the chaos they left behind.

Upon arriving at the Gu estate, Gu Xinglang led his brothers inside. Yu Xiaoxiao hurried to her father's study and announced, "Grandpa, I'm back! This time I brought a bear with me!"

The old man, accustomed to hearing tales of his granddaughter's adventures, wasn't surprised by the news of a bear. He asked, "Did you hunt it yourself?"

Yu Xiaoxiao, never one to exaggerate, replied honestly, "It was injured when we found it, and by the time I got to it, the bear was already dead."

Her father inquired further, "Who hunted the bear?"

"Oh, it died on its own," Yu Xiaoxiao explained.

"And then you just collected it?"

"It fell," Yu Xiaoxiao nodded.

Hunting in the mountains and returning with a bear—what a stroke of luck! The old man looked at his granddaughter and her husband with surprise.

Yu Xiaoxiao said, "Oh, Grandpa, I brought back my second brother and Little Seven. They didn't come to our house because they were kidnapped by the bandits. It seems Xiong Xiong and the Li family were at odds. Li Yuanle's little sister and Xiong Xiong seem to have a special bond, and Li Yuanle fought against their relationship." Even if the Princess has no formal education, she still understands matters of the heart!

The old man glanced at his granddaughter, remaining calm and composed. He simply stared, occasionally blinking in response.

"Grandpa," Yu Xiaoxiao continued, "They will be my younger brothers in the future. What do you think of that?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," the old man said, raising his hand. "This is a lot to take in. Give me some time to process all this."