My heart skipped a beat. Before I could even speak to stop me, Li'er said with a smile: "Of course, I want to marry my third uncle!"

Pei Yuanhao stood behind her and when he heard this, his whole body trembled slightly.

...

For a moment, the entire waterside pavilion became quiet.

My face turned pale and I shouted loudly: "Li'er!"

She looked at me and seemed to remember what I said. She has grown up. Girls should be ashamed and can no longer talk about these bad things between men and women. She hurriedly lowered her head and quietly stuck out her tongue.

But, it's too late.

A trace of disbelief flashed across Pei Yuanhao's face, and immediately his face darkened.

He did not get angry immediately, but took a deep breath and said to Li'er gently: "Is the third uncle you are talking about Liu Qinghan?"

My heart was tense, but it would be in vain to stop it at this time. Li'er raised her head and looked at him, and nodded gently: "Yeah."

Pei Yuanhao looked at her with a smile: "How could he like him?"

Li'er originally didn't want to answer this. After all, seeing me next to me with a bad look, but she seemed to be unable to help but said softly: "He makes me like it."

“…”

This time, Pei Yuanhao's smile on his face was a little too late.

Although the atmosphere was stiff, the servants around him came up immediately and served him tea and snacks. Seeing that we were all a little hot, they even placed an ice plate far away on the table. Frozens of coolness blew on their faces with the breeze. Although they felt a little better, the torment in their hearts did not dissipate at all.

Pei Yuanhao sat in the chair not far from me, without saying a word.

He rarely feels as gentle and kind as he is today, and even smiles often. Once he becomes indifferent, a coldness that seems to be severe winter penetrates out from his limbs and five bodies, giving people a strong sense of oppression and suffocation. At this moment, I obviously feel his suppressed anger and hostility.

It makes people unable to breathe.

But Li'er didn't know at all. Instead, because she slept late last night, she got up early this morning and played here and there after crossing the river. She was tired. When it was time to take a nap, she became weak. After a while, her little head began to peck at rice bit by bit like a chicken pecking at rice.

I gently held her in my arms and let her head rest on my shoulders.

The guards had already pushed away, and as soon as Pei Yuanhao sat down, Gu Ping retreated a little further away. There were only three of us left in the water pavilion. Li'er quietly leaned in my arms, slept gently, while Pei Yuanhao sat next to him, picked up the tea cup, and drank the tea sips.

After a while, he suddenly broke the tranquility.

"You knew it long ago?"

My heart tightened and I looked up at him.

He didn't look at me, but the clear lines on his side looked a little hard, and his face was also cold: "Did you know Li'er's thoughts long ago?"

I was silent for a moment and nodded: "Yes."

"Why not stop her?"

"How to stop it?" I lowered my head and gently pushed away a few strands of hair that were splattered by the wind on Li'er's face: "This is just a joke from a child, and she probably didn't take it seriously."

"A joke? I don't think so."

He said, slowly turning his head, and his eyes seemed to be quenched: "If it's a joke, why don't other people think about that person, but they just want to think about that person? Is she too young and confused, or is someone giving her some hints without realizing it?"

My heart stinged, and I looked up at him: "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, you don't understand?"

In an instant, the atmosphere became tense.

In an instant, the warmth in his eyes faded, and the hostility suddenly arose. The fierce gaze stared at me tightly, as if a pair of black hands were about to stretch out from his eyes and strangle my throat.

"You think it's me."

“Isn’t it?”

“…”

For a moment, I had the urge to sneer, and I wanted to throw every word I had experienced over the years, including what we said and did when we were wandering to the deserted island, and I suddenly didn't want to say it. After all, there was no relationship between me and him except the daughter in my arms, and I really didn't have to explain or argue to him.

Taking a deep breath, I said lightly: "I just want to tell you that you are wrong."

“…”

"I don't need to explain anything else to you."

His eyes sank.

I continued, "As for Li'er, she is also my daughter. I hope more than anyone else can marry a man who is in love, devoted to her, and can live with her until old age, instead of working hard and spending her life. Now I have only this one prayer, as for the others-"

I looked into his dark eyes and said word by word: "I don't care."

After saying this, I lowered my head, gently wiped away the little bit of sweat from Li'er's nose, and gently slapped her with my hands to breeze.

The intimidating anger on the man opposite faded away at this time.

I could almost feel his tense heartbeat and breathing slowly eased as my hands gently shaking.

We didn't speak any more in the following time.

But the weather became more and more stuffy, and the wind stopped. I slapped Li'er in my arms and felt a wave of heat. Sweat came out from my temples and nose, and my body was sticky and greasy, and I felt very uncomfortable.

At this time, a gust of wind blew over.

I suddenly felt a chill and felt much more comfortable.

When he looked up, he saw Pei Yuanhao sitting next to me, holding a folding fan in one hand, and gently fanning at me.

When he felt me ​​looking at him, he raised his head, with no smile on his face, but the clear tenderness in his eyes was clearly visible. I only looked that time, then lowered my head lightly and avoided his gaze.

The two of them sat quietly like this, one holding the child and suffusing the cool breeze, and the other holding a folding fan in his hand, suffusing the cool breeze gently.

Time passes by little by little.

The air became more and more stuffy and humid. Although he felt a little difficult to deal with when he was slapping the wind, Li'er rolled over uncomfortable in my arms, and finally woke up with a mutter.

Opening those watery eyes, she looked at me: "Mom..."

I smiled and reached out and pointed her nose: "Are you awake?"

"Um."

"Get up when you wake up."

I gently patted her butt, and she got tired of it in my arms before slowly sitting up. When she turned her head, she saw Pei Yuanhao holding a folding fan in her hand and looking at her with a smile. Suddenly, the little face that was sleeping red became even redder. She reached out to scratch her hair and murmured, "Why am I asleep?"

Pei Yuanhao couldn't help laughing.

When Li'er heard him laughing like this, he hurriedly reached out to cover his face, and even the tips of his ears turned red.

She was irritated in my arms for a long time before she got up. When the servants around saw it, they hurriedly came forward to serve tea and cups for rinsing their mouths. She rinsed and wiped her face and hands a little. When she woke up completely, Pei Yuanhao asked her with a smile: "Where is Li'er going next?"

"Where do I want to go? Did I say it?"

"Well, I arranged it before, now you're here to make a reservation. Where do you want to go?"

"Where do I want to go..."

Li'er pressed her finger against her chin and thought about it seriously.

We sat opposite each other and looked at her.

At this time, Li'er's eyes suddenly lit up, and she turned her head to look at him: "I want to see the lantern!"

“… Lanterns?”

"Yeah!" She nodded vigorously: "I heard them say that there were often lanterns in Yangzhou before, and there were a whole street full of streets, just like the sky river in the sky, very beautiful and beautiful!"

“…”

"May I?"

Before Pei Yuanhao could speak, I frowned first.

There are not lanterns every day, but they are only arranged during the Chinese New Year and the holidays. Now she suddenly said she wanted to see the lanterns, so she could have them immediately.

I immediately said, "Lier, the lanterns are only available for the New Year."

"New Year?" She turned her head and looked at me: "Can you not have any other time?"

"cannot."

She frowned and muttered, "But, Mom and Dad--"

Speaking of this, she suddenly seemed to remember something, raised her head and looked at us, and immediately closed her mouth. I also realized what she wanted to say, and subconsciously glanced at Pei Yuanhao.

He looked at Li'er, then slowly looked at me.

Those eyes were so deep that they were so calm that there was no slight tide.

My breathing was suffocated for a moment. I don’t know if it was because of his gaze or the increasingly dull weather at this moment, which made people feel uncomfortable. But after just glanced at me, he slowly lowered his eyelids, leaving only a faint silence on his face.

Li'er immediately said, "Forget it, I don't want to watch the lanterns."

Pei Yuanhao looked at her with a smile: "What does Li'er want to do?"

"I-I want to hear the story."

"Listen to the story?"
To be continued...