Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

Da Ming, carrying the snacks, ran after her.

Zhao Jiangzhu reached the stone, turned back with a bright smile, and called out to her maidservant, “Xiaoqing, let’s sit here together and dip our feet in the river, okay?”

Hearing that, Xiaoqing shook her head frantically, her head bobbing like a rattle-drum.

“That won’t do, Your Highn—... Young Master, we’ll be scolded if we go back like this…”

Zhao Jiangzhu pouted her rosy lips in dissatisfaction. “Then I’ll do it myself.”

Saying that, she turned to Da Ming. “Brother Da Ming, you come too.”

Her voice was soft and clear, the kind that lingered in the air. Her round apricot eyes shimmered with life.

Da Ming’s honest face flushed crimson.

“I… I…”

With his hands still full of snack bundles, he couldn’t quite get the words out.

“Xiao Qing, help Brother Da Ming hold those snacks,” Zhao Jiangzhu said to the maid.

Pouting slightly, Xiaoqing took the packages from Da Ming’s hands.

Zhao Jiangzhu nimbly hopped onto the large stone, sitting on the edge.

She pulled off her shoes and socks, revealing a pair of pale, delicate feet.

Da Ming, catching a glimpse of those snowy-white feet, quickly turned his head away, not daring to look any longer.

Zhao Jiangzhu cautiously lowered her feet toward the river’s surface.

The moment her toes touched the water, she let out a startled gasp and quickly drew her feet back.

“So cold!” she cried, curling her tiny toes inward.

A few breaths passed.

Having braced herself, Zhao Jiangzhu slowly dipped her feet into the river again, inch by inch.

She gradually got used to the water’s chill.

Her pale feet stirred gently in the cool current. A breeze whispered past.

With the water flowing softly and her eyes half-lidded, Zhao Jiangzhu’s face relaxed into a dreamy smile.

She hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long time.

Ever since she and her mother had been forced to leave Bianliang two years ago and return to her mother’s ancestral home in Yuhang, she’d been under strict watch. Rarely was she allowed outside.

Let alone barefoot, playing in the river.

A gentle, contented expression appeared on her beautiful, porcelain-like face.

She turned to Da Ming and beckoned him over. “Brother Da Ming, come on!”

Xiao Qing shot Da Ming a meaningful glance.

But Da Ming just scratched his head with a silly grin, completely missing her signal.

He grinned broadly and hopped onto the rock, sitting down beside Zhao Jiangzhu.

Seeing him come over, Zhao Jiangzhu smiled with delight.

“Brother Da Ming, you try it too.”

She was genuinely happy to have someone to play with.

Unlike Xiaoqing, who was always so cautious and worried.

Da Ming gave a bashful grunt, took off his shoes and socks, and revealed a pair of large, tanned feet.

Zhao Jiangzhu took one look and couldn’t help but giggle. “Brother Da Ming, your feet are so big!”

She raised her own tiny feet and gave them a playful wiggle.

In the sunlight, her dainty feet sparkled with droplets of water, and her five little toes wiggled like curious creatures.

Da Ming’s face turned redder, but he only smiled sheepishly.

For some reason, sitting beside this girl made him feel inexplicably nervous.

A gentle breeze passed by.

The trees lining the riverbank rustled softly, leaves swaying in the wind.

A faint fragrance drifted over to him.

Catching the scent, Da Ming froze slightly, realizing it was coming from Zhao Jiangzhu.

His palms began to sweat, and he grew fidgety.

His face burned even hotter.

As he soaked his feet in the cool river water, a sudden thought rose in his mind.

If only time could stop right here.

Suddenly, Da Ming smacked his forehead.

He hadn’t even asked for her name.

“Wh-what’s your name?” he asked, eyes fixed on the clear river water.

Zhao Jiangzhu turned her head slightly to glance at him. Seeing his bright red face, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“My nickname is Xiuxiu,” she said.

“You can call me Xiuxiu.”

Da Ming silently repeated the name in his heart.

Xiuxiu…

What a beautiful name.

“It’s really nice,” he blurted out without thinking.

Zhao Jiangzhu blinked in surprise, then smiled, her delicate face lighting up.

“I think so too.”

She let her little feet soak in the river. Small fish swam by, gently bumping into her toes.

“Brother Da Ming, what do you usually do?” Zhao Jiangzhu asked as she stared at the shimmering surface of the river, her voice clear and melodious.

“I… I usually just exercise, go up the mountain, chop wood, exercise again, take a nap…”

Da Ming awkwardly listed his daily routine.

Zhao Jiangzhu listened with wide eyes, a look of yearning crossing her face.

“That sounds so fun. Being able to spend a whole day in the mountains and forests…”

She pouted slightly, a touch of melancholy appearing on her delicate features.

“Not like me. My mother always makes me study embroidery, music, chess, calligraphy, books…”

“I don’t want to learn those. I want to learn martial arts.”

“But the guards refuse to teach me.”

As she spoke, a light flickered in her eyes.

She turned to Da Ming and asked, “Brother Da Ming, do you know martial arts?”

“You killed that tiger—you must be really strong. You have to know martial arts, right?”

Da Ming chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head. “I… I don’t know martial arts.”

“I… I just know how to chop wood.”

He mimed chopping with his hand and said honestly, “I think chopping a tiger and chopping a tree isn’t that different.”

“It’s just one swing of the axe, and whatever happens, happens.”

Zhao Jiangzhu tilted her head, amused by his explanation. “So impressive!”

Hearing her praise, Da Ming blushed and gave an embarrassed smile.

He scratched his head again, unsure of what else to say.

They sat together on the rock, feet soaking in the river, the air calm and peaceful.

Suddenly—

Zhao Jiangzhu gave a startled gasp, pointing toward the water.

“Brother Da Ming, look! There’s something glowing over there.”

“It’s all golden and shiny.”

Da Ming looked up, following the direction of her finger.

Sunlight streamed down onto the river’s surface, and something in the water was reflecting a soft golden glow.

The light was faint—easy to miss if one didn’t look carefully.

But there was definitely something large under the water, just barely visible.

“Could it be some kind of treasure someone dropped?”

Zhao Jiangzhu’s voice trembled with excitement, her round, bright eyes sparkling.

Da Ming didn’t answer. He stood up, his large feet squishing into the muddy riverbank.

The glowing object was in the middle of the river—quite a distance from the shore.

Zhao Jiangzhu saw him getting ready to go in and quickly called out, “Brother Da Ming!”

Da Ming turned back with a grin, then dove into the water with a splash, swimming steadily toward the center.

For the past two summers, after chopping wood, he and Sun Sheng would always take a dip in the river. Over time, Da Ming had become a decent swimmer.

He didn’t swim fast, but he moved steadily and soon reached the middle of the river.

There, he oriented himself and dove beneath the surface.

The river outside Yuhang County wasn’t deep—only about two meters.

Da Ming easily reached the bottom and found the glowing object.

It was huge—at least three meters long—lying horizontally on the riverbed and covered in thick green water plants.

He reached out and touched it, his hand instantly coated in slippery algae.

Gripping it with both hands, he strained to lift it from the riverbed.

But no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t budge.

It was unbelievably heavy.

Unable to lift it, Da Ming surfaced for air, gulping down two big breaths.

He tried several more times but still couldn’t move it.

Defeated, he gave up and swam back to shore.

Zhao Jiangzhu sat on the rock, anxiously watching.

When she saw Da Ming emerge safely, she let out a breath of relief.

“Brother Da Ming, you scared me!”

Drenched from head to toe, Da Ming gave her a goofy grin.

“That thing’s too heavy—I couldn’t move it.”

“Maybe in a few years I’ll be strong enough.”

“And when I can lift it… I’ll bring it out and give it to you.”

His face flushed red as he smiled sheepishly.

Zhao Jiangzhu felt a strange warmth in her chest at his words.

“Okay. When you can lift it in the future, you have to give it to me.”

She beamed, sunlight falling across her fair, delicate face, her smile radiant and lovely.