Bai Shiqi pushed the wheelchair to a stall where clay dolls were being made and insisted that the vendor sculpt a doll in her likeness.
The vendor was an elderly man with a salt-and-pepper beard, but his hands were incredibly skillful. By modern standards, he was a master craftsman who could shape anything to look exactly like the model—a kind of parent every preschooler dreams of having.
Zhao Ziheng teased Bai Shiqi, “You actually like these childish things? Makes me seriously doubt your age.”
Bai Shiqi took his compliment with mock humility, cupping her face and basking in the praise, “Thank you! You’re the first person to flatter me by calling me young in such a unique way.”
Zhao Ziheng was stunned by her shamelessness, left speechless despite having a mouthful of retorts.
Before long, the vendor had crafted a vivid little clay figure of Bai Shiqi. It was slightly chubbier than she was, but it radiated an adorable innocence, with the same playful smile in the eyes and at the corners of the mouth.
Zhao Ziheng was completely won over by the craftsman’s skill. He immediately forgot about mocking Bai Shiqi and ordered a dozen identical dolls of himself.
Bai Shiqi quickly caught on to his intentions. “Are you planning to make one of these for every girl you fancy?”
Even the serious Zhao Wujiu couldn’t help but weigh in, “Nonsense!”
“Exactly!” Bai Shiqi chimed in. “When you’re all lovey-dovey, the girl will cherish your doll, gazing at it longingly. But when you two inevitably fall out—don’t tell me it won’t happen, given how quickly you lose interest—she’ll probably take her frustration out on the doll, breaking arms and legs to vent. Before long, you’ll be left disfigured beyond recognition.”
A chill ran down Zhao Ziheng’s spine. He reached out to hit her, but Bai Shiqi slipped away like an eel and even learned to tattletale: “Cousin, you have to stand up for me! I was only looking out for him, and he’s biting the hand that feeds him!”
“You’re clearly mocking me!” Zhao Ziheng was relentless. “If I don’t give you a good beating today, I’d be betraying our brotherhood.” He circled around the wheelchair, trying to grab Bai Shiqi.
Bai Shiqi was slippery as a fish, and the two of them playfully chased each other around Zhao Wujiu’s wheelchair. From a few paces away, Shu Changfeng watched nervously, afraid their lord might lose his temper and order them dragged off for military punishment.
The street was bustling with people coming and going, already noisy enough, but with Zhao Ziheng’s loud mouth plus Bai Shiqi’s chatter, it was like having two chattering magpies fluttering around their king.
What surprised Shu Changfeng even more was that Zhao Wujiu remained composed, sitting upright in his wheelchair, completely unfazed, his gaze fixed on the vendor’s nimble hands without blinking.
Bai Shiqi, chased by Zhao Ziheng, suddenly found herself blocking Zhao Wujiu’s line of sight. He reached out and pulled her waist, causing her to fall straight into his arms.
Shu Changfeng: “...”
Bai Shiqi: “...”
Zhao Ziheng: “...Get up quickly! You’re crushing our cousin!”
Bai Shiqi’s head bumped Zhao Wujiu’s chest, nearly breaking her nose, and tears streamed down her face—purely a physical reaction.
She touched her nose, seriously suspecting that he must have a steel plate embedded in his chest to achieve such hardness.
Zhao Wujiu glanced down at her tear-filled eyes and frowned as he scolded her, “Why are you so restless and disorderly?” He pulled out a handkerchief and tossed it onto her face.
Bai Shiqi climbed out of his arms, wiped away her tears, and, unusually embarrassed, lowered her head to examine the embroidered corner of the handkerchief. “Did I just accidentally press on my cousin? I’ll wash this handkerchief and return it to you when I get back.”
Zhao Wujiu thought to himself with a hint of self-mockery: If only there were real feelings involved.
“No matter,” he said.
After that little commotion, Zhao Ziheng stopped teasing Bai Shiqi and quietly stood by the stall, watching the vendor sculpt clay figurines.
When Zhao Ziheng’s custom-made clay figurine was finished, Shu Changfeng came to push Zhao Wujiu away, but Bai Shiqi held him back, saying, “Wait, we need to make one for my cousin too.”
Two hours later, Zhao Wujiu sat in his cabin, idly playing with the clay figurine modeled after himself, deep in thought.
When Shu Changfeng entered, his eyes flicked to the figurine, and he couldn’t help but recall the events of the day. His voice carried a trace of hesitation: “Master, today after Bai Shiqi coaxed us all off the cargo boat, that old man named Guan unloaded part of the lower hold’s cargo and then bought a new batch. According to the law, the load was already overweight. Bai Shiqi can’t be unaware of this!”
Bai Shiqi hadn’t said anything wrong. Zhao Wujiu’s face practically screamed “iron-faced impartiality.” He was originally a handsome man whose cold detachment was absolute, but unexpectedly, a sarcastic smile flickered across his lips. “Are you saying… she deliberately made a big show to bring me ashore just to avoid me?”
Shu Changfeng knew that his master had spent many years in the military, and his mindset was fixed—believing all laws must be obeyed. But matters among the common folk couldn’t always be solved by strict adherence to the rules.
He said, “That possibility can’t be ruled out.”
Zhao Wujiu was almost amused to the point of breaking the clay figurine in his hands. Considering her slippery nature, his mind raced rapidly, itching to come up with a clever way to deal with her.
“She sure is clever,” Zhao Wujiu thought. The goodwill he’d felt towards her earlier, thanks to the clay figurine she gave him today, instantly plummeted to rock bottom. He drew one conclusion: no good deed goes unpunished. And in his mind, he branded Bai Shiqi as “two-faced and treacherous.”
If Bai Shiqi could see how Zhao Wujiu pictured her in his mind, she’d probably be stunned by the stamps he’d slapped on her forehead—none of them flattering.
Zhao Wujiu prided himself on his sharp judgment of character. On the surface, Bai Shiqi was no different from Zhao Ziheng, both of them spoilt brats. But in reality?
—His cousin had been doted on by his parents since childhood. To compete with Bai Shiqi, who had grown up in the streets, there was simply no comparison.
Take the example of their shopping trip: Zhao Ziheng happily came back with a box full of clay figurines, while Bai Shiqi not only went shopping but also managed to smuggle away all the ship’s eyes, leaving the overseer in charge of loading and unloading to handle the illicit cargo—a perfect two-for-one deal.
The clay doll in Zhao Wujiu’s hand wore an indifferent expression. The stall owner was truly perceptive—upon seeing the young man in a wheelchair, he captured his facial features with remarkable accuracy, yet the figure stood with arms folded, a posture that involuntarily reminded Zhao Wujiu of his life before he lost sensation in his legs.
Riding horses on the frontier, defending the homeland.
If he applied just a little more force, he could easily break the doll’s arms and legs, leaving it a mangled mess. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Instead, he carefully placed the doll back into its box.
Bai Shiqi didn’t know that Zhao Wujiu had already seen through her secret. She personally washed the handkerchief clean and handed it over, enthusiastically sharing for a full hour about the delicious food spots they would encounter along the way, eager to check them out. Unfortunately, without a smartphone, she couldn’t snap pictures on the go, which made the journey feel a bit lonely.
Zhao Wujiu never mentioned the matter of the cargo boat’s water supply. On the return trip, the originally empty cargo hold would surely be filled with smuggled goods. He intended to find out what Bai Shiqi was really up to.
Bai Shiqi announced in advance the towns where they would stop along the route, then happily returned to her cabin.
Sure enough, at each stop thereafter, Bai Shiqi personally came to wheel Zhao Wujiu ashore for a walk, showing meticulous care and attentiveness, her hospitality unmistakably earnest.
This made Zhao Wujiu suspicious. He thought it might be because Zhao Ziheng couldn’t keep his mouth shut, so he seized the opportunity to drag his cousin over for questioning: “Did you brag to Bai Shiqi and reveal my true identity?”
Zhao Ziheng protested vehemently, “Cousin, do I look like someone so reckless?” He was desperate enough to cling to Zhao Wujiu’s leg, hoping to regain his trust.
Waving him off, Zhao Wujiu told him to scram. Not long after, laughter and noise drifted from the neighboring cabin. Zhao Ziheng was laughing heartily, and even through the cabin wall, Zhao Wujiu could tell his cousin was in a great mood.
“That carefree kid wouldn’t even know if someone sold him out!”
Combining Bai Shiqi’s behavior along the journey, Zhao Wujiu began to consider separating these two troublemakers—if they kept hanging out together, Zhao Ziheng would surely be led astray by Bai Shiqi.
The protective cousin thought this to himself.
Little did he know, the person he was dealing with was no ordinary streetwise rogue. Not only was she thick-skinned, but she also had her own principles and boundaries.
Bai Shiqi obviously sensed that Zhao Wujiu wasn’t particularly fond of her, but for the sake of the smuggled goods on board, she could only play dumb and endure his dislike.
