"Is Xiao Fang not going back today?"
Riding the pig halfway up the mountain, Shen Tang was getting uncomfortably sunburned. She turned around steadily on its back, switching from riding forward to riding backward. When her gaze landed on Zhai Le, she suddenly found a topic of conversation. She teased him as she folded her legs.
"I thought your cousin would set a curfew for you."
Zhai Le looked both amused and confused.
"A curfew? Why would I have a curfew?"
Hearing the commotion, Qi Shan turned around. Sure enough, Shen Tang was sitting in a strange position—riding backward with her legs crossed. Wasn't she worried that Black-faced Gentleman might suddenly buck and toss her off? He reminded her quietly, "What kind of way is that to sit? You Li, sit properly!"
Shen Tang looked up at him, grinning as if seeking praise.
"I've been sitting just fine. Hehe, pretty impressive, right?"
Even she was amazed by her own sense of balance.
Qi Shan: "..."
Shen Tang had left Qi Shan speechless in just a few words. With a smug look of "complete victory" between her brows, she continued chatting with Zhai Le. "Of course, it's because you're young."
What older brother would be comfortable letting his little brother spend the night away from home at such a young age—especially in a bandit's den deep in the mountains, where there wasn't a soul for miles and wolves howled on the mountaintop all night? If Shen Tang were in his place, she certainly wouldn't be comfortable with it.
Zhai Le was at a loss for words, while Qi Shan burst out laughing.
A child of eleven or twelve using a seasoned tone to tell a youth who had already come of age, "You're still young," was genuinely hilarious.
Zhai Le pouted.