Chapter 91: The Young Son Falls into the Water
Although children's legs are short, they can run exceptionally fast.
After the little fellow dashed into the crowd, he kept running in one direction and soon exited the city gate.
Though there were fewer people outside the city, it was covered with thickets and woods everywhere. The people from the Prince of Pacifying the West Manor split into two groups to search separately.
"Lady Xie, what should we do?" Tan Er Xiaojie was so anxious she kept pacing in circles. "If anything happens to the Young Son, my life wouldn't be enough to compensate."
"The Young Son won't come to harm," Yun Chu said calmly. "Let's hurry and find him."
She only appeared composed on the surface; in reality, she was also very worried inside. It was her fault—she shouldn't have made Yu Ge'er apologize on the street. She should have considered the child's feelings...
Yun Chu was accompanied by two maidservants and Yu Ke, while Tan Er Xiaojie had brought one maidservant along as well. The six of them dared not slack off, calling out as they walked.
After walking for about half an hour, moving farther away from the capital, a lake gradually came into view. Sunlight shimmered on the lake's surface, creating a sparkling effect.
Yun Chu spotted the child sitting on a large rock by the lakeside at a glance.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
"It's Yu Ge'er!"
Tan Er Xiaojie's eyes lit up with joy.
Yun Chu said softly, "Yu Ke, you're fast on your feet. Go quickly and inform the people from the Prince of Pacifying the West Manor to come here and fetch the Young Son."
Yu Ke nodded in acknowledgment and swiftly went to find Granny Zheng's group.
Yun Chu and Tan Er Xiaojie slowly approached the lakeside.
Before they could get close, Chu Hongyu, sitting on the rock, heard their footsteps. He turned his head, his eyes red as he stared at Yun Chu.
"Don't come any closer!"
He stood up, positioning himself on the large rock.
The lakeside was naturally windy, and as a gust blew, Yun Chu felt his figure swaying.
Tan Er Xiaojie was so frightened she tightly grasped Yun Chu's hand.
"Young Son, be good," Yun Chu said while walking toward the lakeside. "Whatever you have to say, let's sit down and talk slowly, alright?"
"Yes, Yu Ge'er," Tan Er Xiaojie chimed in. "I admit I was the one who pinched you. I will apologize to your father. Please come over first, okay? The lakeside is too dangerous."
Chu Hongyu didn't even glance at Tan Er Xiaojie, his eyes fixed intently on Yun Chu: "You saw with your own eyes that I framed her. Does that mean you'll never like me again?"
"How could that be?" A smile appeared on Yun Chu's face. "I know you must have had your reasons for doing that. Besides, recognizing a mistake and correcting it is a great virtue. You will always be that likable Young Son."
Chu Hongyu pressed his lips together tightly: "But you called me 'Young Son'."
The title "Young Son" felt too distant; he preferred her to call him Yu Ge'er.
Yun Chu had no choice but to change her address: "Yu Ge'er, you're the most obedient. How could I possibly not like you? Stand still and don't move, let me carry you down."
Chu Hongyu lowered his gaze, fiddling with the hem of his clothes.
He felt that he, like this, was somewhat unworthy of his mother's affection.
He took a deep breath and looked at Tan Er Xiaojie: "Miss Tan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have framed you for pinching the back of my hand. It was my fault. Can you forgive me?"
Tan Er Xiaojie was utterly astonished.
She had spent over an hour with this Young Son, and no matter what she said, he had always maintained a stern expression.
But now, with just a few gentle words from Lady Xie, the Young Son had voluntarily admitted his mistake and even apologized to her.She had originally thought it was the Young Son being mischievous and willful, but now she realized it might be that she simply didn’t know how to handle children.
“Yu Ge’er, it’s alright,” Tan Er Xiaojie said with a smile. “I was at fault too—I shouldn’t have forced you to accept me. There’s still plenty of time; we can take it slow.”
Hearing this, Chu Hongyu, who had just calmed down, pursed his lips tightly once more.
If his father found out he had falsely accused Tan Er Xiaojie, being scolded would be the least of his worries—his father would surely feel guilty toward her and agree to marry her.
What should he do? How had he managed to mess things up so badly?
He glanced at Yun Chu, wishing he could openly call her “Mother.” But that dream would probably never come true.
He instinctively took a step back.
Suddenly, Tan Er Xiaojie let out a sharp scream, followed by a splash—Chu Hongyu had unexpectedly fallen into the lake.
“Yu Ge’er!”
Without a second thought, Yun Chu rushed over. Not even bothering to remove her shoes, she leaped into the water after him.
“Madam!”
Ting Shuang was frozen in shock but quickly jumped in as well. Ting Feng, who couldn’t swim, hurried off to find a long branch or bamboo pole.
The summer lake wasn’t too cold, but it was deep.
Yun Chu felt immensely grateful that her mother had often taken her to the countryside estates during her childhood. She had been a playful child who loved the water, and her mother, fearing she might drown, had arranged for someone to teach her how to swim.
As soon as she plunged in, she spotted Chu Hongyu sinking rapidly.
The lakebed was thick with weeds, and the little boy’s ankles had become entangled the moment he sank. He was struggling desperately.
Yun Chu swam swiftly toward him.
First, she freed his ankles from the weeds, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind and pulled him upward.
When they finally broke the surface and the boy could breathe again, he suddenly found his strength, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around Yun Chu’s waist.
Yun Chu hadn’t been in the water for years. Thrown off balance by his grip, she forgot how to move her limbs properly and sank briefly, swallowing a mouthful of water unintentionally.
Chu Hongyu had no idea how much trouble his actions were causing Yun Chu.
All he knew was that he had to hold on tightly to the person in front of him—otherwise, he might fall back into the water. The feeling of suffocation and helplessness had been unbearable.
Yun Chu, thrown off balance by his clinging, swallowed three or four more mouthfuls of lake water.
She heard Ting Shuang’s voice in the distance. Ting Shuang had learned to swim with her as a child, and with her help, things would surely become much easier.
Just then, she felt a shadow loom over her.
Before she could make out what it was, her waist was suddenly encircled by an arm, and in the next moment, both she and Chu Hongyu were lifted out of the water.
Instinctively, she tightened her hold on the child clinging to her, while she herself landed against a broad, solid chest.
She looked up and saw the profile of a man—it was Prince Pingxi.
Her immediate reaction was to struggle.
“Don’t move,” Chu Yi’s voice was cold and firm. “Be careful not to fall back in.”
She looked down and saw Chu Yi holding her as he lightly skimmed the lake’s surface. In the blink of an eye, they had reached the shore.
A crowd quickly gathered around, but Chu Yi turned, shielding her from the guards’ view.
He glanced down and saw the woman drenched from head to toe, her thin summer robes clinging to her graceful figure… He swiftly averted his gaze, removed his outer robe, and draped it over Yun Chu’s shoulders.
Ting Feng, who had been ready to help with a long branch, stood frozen in shock. It wasn’t until Chu Yi landed on the shore with Yun Chu in his arms that she finally snapped back to reality.She threw away the branch in her hand, quickly unbuttoned her outer garment while rushing toward Yun Chu, then squeezed into the space between Chu Yi and Yun Chu.
She snatched the man's robe off Yun Chu and swiftly draped her own garment over Yun Chu's head.
Only when Yun Chu was completely wrapped and unable to see anything did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. Then she used the man's robe to wrap up the equally drenched Chu Hongyu.
Meanwhile, with Tan Er Xiaojie's assistance, Ting Shuang climbed out of the lake, also completely soaked.
While Tan Er Xiaojie was busy helping Ting Shuang on that side, she naturally didn't notice how Yun Chu had suddenly emerged from the water...
Yu Ke, who had just brought Granny Zheng and the others over, happened to see the dripping wet Ting Shuang. Without a word, he took off his own outer garment and walked toward her.
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