Chapter 263: Do You Know Who I Am?

"How come you tore it again?" Xiao Yin's voice carried a hint of teasing.

This girl loves money unusually; I didn't expect she could even come up with tearing IOUs.

Gu Jiu Ling lifted her eyes and smiled at him: "I've never torn an IOU before; this is my first time, just getting a feel for it."

Xiao Yin froze for a moment, but secretly sighed in his heart.

Clearly kind-hearted at heart, he couldn't bear to see Gu Kang suffer, yet he insisted on using this most disliked method to help that good-for-nothing.

"Just do your best! After all, he repeatedly let you down; no matter how you treat him, it's understandable."

"He owes you, not you him."

Gu Jiu Ling's heart warmed slightly; Xiao Yin still understood her thoughts best.

"Come on, aren't you supposed to be shopping with me? Prince, I want to eat something good!"

Xiao Yin looked at her indulgently, walked beside her, tightly holding her hand, ignoring the astonished glances from around.

He and Gu Jiu Ling were already a pair much criticized in Shang Jing; why bother caring about others' gazes?

Seeing that it was the twelfth lunar month, nearing New Year, many stalls selling malt sugar lined the streets, and the children were especially happy, crowding to the front.

Gu Jiu Ling, pregnant and with a picky appetite, couldn't help swallowing saliva at the sight of the golden malt sugar packets emitting a sweet fragrance.

"Come on, come on! I'll treat you to sugar!" Gu Jiu Ling grabbed Xiao Yin's arm and went over; Jiu Yue saw her mistress laughing like a child, hurried forward, and took out her money pouch to pay.

Unexpectedly, a crowd of children had gathered outside the malt sugar stall; Gu Jiu Ling couldn't get in, and worried they might bump her belly, she didn't dare approach.

Just seeing that the children had almost finished buying, there were three sugar packets left, and at that moment only one little kid stood before the stall.

Gu Jiu Ling grabbed a handful of copper coins from the money pouch Jiu Yue had handed her, stepped forward, and was about to speak when the chubby kid in front of her spread out a handful of copper coins, sniffed, and said, "Three sugar packets!"

Gu Jiu Ling instantly flared up; those earlier children each bought one packet, and each packet contained plenty of malt sugar pieces—enough to eat.

I didn't expect this chubby kid to want three—did he come to clean out the stock?

Could it be he has siblings at home and needs to buy so many at once because they wouldn't be enough to share?

Gu Jiu Ling quickly laughed and lightly patted the chubby boy's back: "Little brother, can you finish eating that many sugar packets?"

"Could you give one to sister? I'll pay you triple. Here, take this—you can buy other snacks with it!"

Gu Jiu Ling then produced a small silver ingot and placed it before the chubby boy; this amount could buy not just one sugar packet but dozens.

The chubby boy clutched the malt sugar packets wrapped in paper, eyed Gu Jiu Ling warily, and slowly stepped back a step.

Beside him, Xiao Yin furrowed his brow slightly; if it were daytime, there would be many stalls selling sugar packets, but tonight, with the lanterns just lit, only this one stall by the Imperial River sold them.

Unexpectedly, the last sugar packet was bought by that little guy; Xiao Yin slowly squatted, looked at the chubby boy before him, tapped his own handsome, feigned stern face, and asked, "Do you know me?"

The chubby boy shook his head, and Xiao Yin felt a surge of frustration.

"Damn brat, he's the iron-faced killer who makes children dare not cry at night, and yet he doesn't even know him?"

"Even his aura can't intimidate the cute kid before him; Xiao Yin felt another wave of frustration."

Gu Jiu Ling beside him quickly tugged Xiao Yin's arm and whispered with a laugh: "Forget it, Prince; I don't feel like sweets now. Let's go back to the Peach Blossom Pavilion later and have hot pot!"

Xiao Yin understood that Gu Jiu Ling's pregnancy made things difficult; once she craved something, she wanted it immediately, and pregnant women are always like that.

He couldn't bear to see Gu Jiu Ling's disappointed look; no matter what he said today, he'd rather lose face than not coax the sugar packets from the chubby boy's hands.

Xiao Yin inhaled, rubbed his face, and added a touch of gentle smile to his handsome visage.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he smiled at the chubby boy, the boy kept stepping back, turned, and wanted to flee.

"Little guy, what do you think this is?" Xiao Yin produced the priceless jade pendant from his waist and held it before the child, asking, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Do you want it? Look how lovely it is!"

"Come on! I'll trade this jade piece for one sugar packet of yours!"

This time, the people around also noticed the amusing scene and cast their gazes over.

"Whose child is this?"

"I don't know; perhaps he came out on his own to buy sugar candy, likely a family from nearby."

"Goodness! This child has struck it rich today; Prince Rui's jade pendant is of top quality—exchanging it for a sugar packet is nothing, even trading it for an adult's manor would be no problem."

Children are naturally drawn to shiny things; seeing Xiao Yin produce the jade pendant, the boy felt a bit curious as well.

Just as he was about to raise his hand to grab it, Xiao Yin blocked his small hand.

"Come on! Trade the sugar packet!"

The chubby boy instantly felt torn, then slowly shook his head, shoved Xiao Yin's hand holding the jade aside, and clung tightly to the sugar packets.

Gu Jiu Ling couldn't help laughing, quickly pulled Xiao Yin up, and said, "Let's go, Prince!"

"You're such a grown adult; you can't be snatching food from a little child, with so many people watching—if rumors spread, it wouldn't sound good."

"Let's go! Let's go! We'll head back to the manor to eat; worst case, we can come buy again tomorrow!"

Xiao Yin still felt unwilling; as a famed general of Southern Qi, he was actually being repeatedly refused by a child, and couldn't help turning back to look at the chubby boy.

He was about to ask where the chubby boy's adults were, since he couldn't buy from the child, he'd negotiate with the child's guardians.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, he saw the chubby boy proudly holding the sugar packets, smiling at Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling, lowering his head to lick each packet—his smile clearly carried a hint of provocation.

Xiao Yin instantly felt vexed, and Gu Jiu Ling laughing, forcibly dragged him back into the carriage.

"Aren't you afraid of getting a toothache from eating so much sugar?"

"This prince sees that kid just..."

Xiao Yin cursed and swore, thinking his lifetime reputation had actually been ruined by a child, and he couldn't even forcibly take it.

Gu Jiu Ling burst out laughing: "How old are you, Prince? Hahaha... hurry back to the manor!"

Xiao Yin looked at Gu Jiu Ling, his heart slightly regretful; after all this trouble, the girl finally got what she wanted, yet he didn't want things to end up like this.

After a night passed, Gu Jiu Ling rose to wash and dress, but through the window she saw a group of servants from the manor carrying boxes into her courtyard.

Those boxes weren't taken into the warm pavilion; they were placed directly in the courtyard.

Then Ling Feng stepped forward, opened a box, and found it full to the brim with malt sugar packets; Gu Jiu Ling was stunned.

She let out a 'pfft' laugh: "My lady, the Prince has sold out all the malt sugar in Shang Jing, especially the area by the Imperial River; even the malt-sugar makers have been summoned to his residence!"

Gu Jiu Ling was instantly dumbfounded.