Not wanting to listen to them discuss that topic, Chu Qingmeng got up and went outside. Walking aimlessly, she wandered into the small garden. Holding a handkerchief to mask her boredom, she kicked at the pebbles underfoot. Suddenly, she heard a cat meow. Chu Qingmeng looked up and saw a little boy of five or six chasing Xun'er's little tabby cat. Not knowing how to catch a cat, he was swatting at it as if it were a butterfly. The little tabby easily evaded his clumsy lunges, dodging away with a haughty and nimble grace. Seeing the child and the kitten, Chu Qingmeng couldn't help laughing out loud. "Chunhe, look how adorable and bright-eyed that child is! I wonder if Qing'er and Che'er were just as cute when they were little?"
Chunhe smiled and replied, "That's Qi'er, the Second Young Master's second son. He's six years old. When the Second Young Master was Qi'er's age, he had already learned to keep a straight face, looking like a solemn little adult all day long—nothing like Qi'er's lively self! Huh? Why is there no one following Qi'er around?"
It was only then that Chu Qingmeng noticed there truly was no one attending Qi'er. How could the servants in this mansion be so lax? Last time, Xun'er hadn't been watched either. Just as Chu Qingmeng was frowning, she heard a splash and saw Qi'er plunge straight into the nearby lake. Although winter had arrived and ice had formed, it was already approaching the year's end, and the ice was just a thin layer. Before Chunhe could even…
Chapter 95