"Hmph. Sick? Please. They're using that as an excuse to sweep up every single tonic in the Tang Clan village."
As the daughter of the branch head, Soso was a clever child.
Though her martial arts realm was low due to her young age, she knew every herb and poison handled in the village inside out.
Thanks to that, she had already figured out what was being brought to Soye's pavilion.
They weren't just standard tonics for a child recovering from poisoning.
Alongside ingredients meant for the elderly, some of the herbs were practically lethal toxins themselves.
Most importantly, they all had one thing in common.
Only the expensive ones!
Soso gritted her teeth.
At first, she had been a little excited to hear that a young lady of the direct line was coming from the main house.
She's only two years younger than me, so we're basically peers.
Shunned by everyone simply for her Tang Clan heritage, Soso had genuinely believed she could finally make a real friend.
But the moment Soye arrived, the village's coffers started running dry.
Her mother, the branch head, began staying up all night more and more often.
Whenever Soso passed by the office, a heavy sigh would drift out.
So the rumors were true. She really was banished from the main house for her extravagant ways.
Soso bit her lip.
When she first heard those words, she thought they were just groundless rumors.
How extravagant could a kid even be? At most, stacking up sweet snacks like a mountain, right?
Rumors, she thought—until she had to deal with them firsthand.
On the first day she arrived, Soso's mother went to visit Tang Soye herself.
But she was turned away at the door, under the pretext that Soye was far too exhausted from her travels to see anyone.
Since then, she had only used her nanny to relay an endless stream of demands.
In hindsight, demanding meat with every single meal was downright adorable compared to what came next.
She refused to wear anything other than Shu brocade, and even her bedding had to be made from it.
She claimed to be tired of accessories after wearing them just once, casting them aside to buy new ones.
She ended up collapsing after blindly downing every poison in sight like candy—all because she desperately wanted to cultivate martial arts.
Perhaps terrified after getting sick once, she was now draining the village's herb storehouse dry.
"Like I said, my lady wants it."
The harsh voice of Sa Gong-hui, who had come to find Soso's mother, still rang in Soso's ears.
"Poor young lady… To be looked down upon like this even in the Tang Clan village where she came to recuperate."
Soso shuddered.
"In any case, make sure you stay far away from that wicked girl!"
"Mhm."
But Soso failed to realize one thing.
Socheong was still too young to fully understand his older sister's words.
"Oh?"
After breakfast, Soye stepped out into the yard under the pretext of a stroll, only for her eyes to go wide.
Someone was already there.
"…You're that squirrel!"
Socheong dove behind a tree the instant their eyes met.
In his haste, the ball he was holding slipped from his hands and rolled away.
A short, stubby arm poked out from behind the trunk, flailing wildly, but the ball had already rolled far out of reach.
Cute.
Soye walked over to the ball with steady steps.
At the sound of her footsteps, the protruding hand quickly retreated behind the tree.
"Oh? What's a ball doing here?"
Her voice sounded painfully forced, but she didn't care.
She only needed to trick a little kid.
"If it doesn't have an owner, should I play with it?"
"It's mine! Mine!"
Soye turned her head, flashing a wide grin the moment she caught the boy peeking out from behind the tree.
"I'm Soye. Who are you?"
"U-uhm."
The boy stole a cautious glance at her.
Reassured by Soye's bright smile, he mumbled a response.
"I'm Socheong…"
"Socheong? Tang Socheong?"
Considering where they were, his last name wasn't exactly a mystery, but Soye asked anyway just to confirm.
"Yes."
Socheong nodded.
He looked incredibly gentle.
A soft warmth filled his eyes, and his cheeks were still plump with baby fat.
Even his wavy hair showed a clear, earnest effort to look neat.
He's clearly a well-loved kid.
"So this ball… is yours?"
As Soye waved the ball, Socheong's eyes darted left and right.
"Y-yes…"
This is surprisingly fun.
She toyed with him a few more times, and the boy naively fell for it every single time.
He had every right to get mad at her for teasing him, but he didn't show a hint of annoyance.
It wasn't just his looks—he really was as gentle as he seemed.
"Isn't it boring to play alone?"
"I'm o-kay."
Socheong replied in a blank, dazed voice.
His slight, youthful lisp was cute.
If I did that, it would just feel incredibly childish.
Indeed, one had to act their age.
"Whyyy? Let's play together~ I'm bored."
Inner thoughts aside, Soye persistently pestered Socheong to play.
At her request, hesitation flickered across the boy's face.
"Playing ball is way more fun together."
Though he tried to hide it, his interest was clearly piqued.
"B-but…"
Shaking off his inner struggle with a visible effort, the boy spoke up firmly.
"My s-sister. She told me not to play with you."
His large, gentle eyes were already welling up with tears.
Soye flinched at the sight.
Did the nanny make a move?
Gong-hui hadn't introduced a single peer to Soye since she woke up.
Thinking about it now, perhaps her intention is to isolate me. But why on earth should I blindly go along with that scheming nanny's wishes? Interacting with kids my own age is a crucial part of my growth, you know.
"Then let's do this!"
Instead of persuading him, Soye lightly threw the ball.
Like a puppy whose eyes were glued to a treat, Socheong followed the ball with his head.
The boy caught it falling toward him in a daze.
Perhaps because he belonged to a branch family of the Sichuan Tang Clan and had trained in martial arts, his movements were nimble despite his young age.
Guess he only looks dopey.
"I'm just playing with a ball. And you're playing with a ball too."
It was an incredibly forced argument, but to a kid who wanted to play, it was entirely convincing.
"O-okay!"
The boy ran like a wild colt and snatched the ball.
The eyes looking back at her sparkled with excitement.
Soye deliberately avoided his gaze and gestured for him to throw it quickly.
"Hah!"
Socheong threw the ball with all his might, letting out a spirited shout.
Soye caught the flying ball and grinned.
I'll play along until he's completely worn out.
* * *
The ball rolled on the ground.
Socheong, whose physical strength had reached its limit, had dropped it.
Soye gave a thumbs-up to the child, who sat flat on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Phew… That was an excellent game."
They say children possess infinite energy.
Leave them unsupervised for a second and they'll find a way to cause mayhem, never running out of steam no matter how much you try to wear them out.
Now, what if that child had also trained in martial arts?
He could easily outrun five unleashed puppies.
And Soye had just gone head-to-head in an epic showdown with that exact same Socheong.
Considering she had only just recovered from being poisoned a few days ago, it was a truly remarkable feat.
"Whew, whew…"
Soye collapsed flat on the ground.
She gasped for air, each ragged breath leaving her throat burning and her mouth bone-dry.
Her body was tired, but she was even more mentally drained.
Kids are amazing. How can they find throwing and catching a ball so incredibly fun?
"How was it? Was it fun?"
"Yeah!"
Socheong nodded enthusiastically, his face instantly lighting up at her words.
"Mom and sis are always so busy, they never play with me."
Having run around to his heart's content, his cheeks were glowing apple-red.
"I like playing with So—no, with you."
Soye made an offer, half out of goodwill.
"Where do you live? I'll walk you home."
She figured this was the perfect opportunity to make herself known to Socheong's parents.
Since they call him young master, his family must have some status.
Her nanny had already proven to be a rotten rope to hold onto.
It was time to find another shoulder to lean on.
"This way!"
Socheong, who had completely let his guard down around Soye, gestured energetically.
He happily skipped the entire way, tossing his ball as he went.
Every now and then, he'd stop at a flower, or spend ages staring at a crack in the wall before walking away disappointed.
"Aw… It's not a bug."
Following Socheong, Soye noticed anew how much her eye level had changed.
Without realizing it, she had been trying to look at the world from her original adult height.
Trying to do so required constantly looking up, putting strain on her neck.
Just looking straight ahead isn't so bad either.
The tension in her neck and shoulders eased significantly.
It seemed her body had been stiffer than she realized.
And here I thought I was adapting well for someone who suddenly became a child.
Thanks to Socheong, she had uncovered an important fact.
It felt like a splash of fresh vitality had been added to her daily life.
Just then, Socheong shouted.
"Sister!"
Standing in front of a spacious building was a young girl with a cold, prim expression.
At Socheong's call, the girl snapped her head around.
When she spotted Soye standing beside her brother, a sharp, icy glare flashed in the girl's eyes.
"Get away from my brother!"
Get the latest chapter and best reading experience at www.novatls.com
Comments