activa-t Chapter 14 Believing in My Brother
Chapter 14 Believing in My Brother
Because the mall was air-conditioned, many people were idly strolling around inside, and passersby would occasionally cast surprised glances at Xiao Sizi.
"Brother Lin Fan, why are you watching me?" Xiao Sizi turned to Lin Fan and asked belatedly.
"Haha, that's because our little Sizi is just too cute!"
Upon hearing Lin Fan's praise, Xiao Sizi immediately straightened her back and began to greet everyone with a lovely smile whenever someone looked at her, which drew gasps of surprise from passersby.
A middle-aged woman looked at the well-behaved, adorable little girl with fair and rosy skin, then turned to look at her own mischievous, dark-skinned, and thin child who looked like a little monkey. She couldn't help but sigh, "They're both little kids, but the difference is so huge!"
After browsing around the first floor, Lin Fan didn't see any children's clothing stores, so he prepared to go up to the second floor to take a look.
"Lin Fan, go ahead and do your own thing! You'll get tired!"
Xiao Sizi had been held in Lin Fan's arms since they left home today. Seeing other children running around, she wanted to get down and move around, and also wanted Lin Fan to rest for a while.
Lin Fan lowered his head and looked at Xiao Sizi's pair of smooth, long, small, and delicate feet.
"Sweetie, brother isn't tired yet. You didn't wear shoes when you came here today. Running around barefoot like this can easily make you catch a cold. I'll buy you a pair of shoes later so we can walk on our own, okay?"
Although Xiao Sizi didn't know what a cold was, she could still understand the word "sick".
"Okay, it's best not to let Grandpa get sick, otherwise Grandpa and Grandma will worry!" When she mentioned her mother, Xiao Sizi lowered her head and her mood suddenly became a little depressed.
Lin Fan didn't know why Xiao Sizi's mood suddenly became a little unhappy, so he gently pinched her little cheek.
"Little Sizi, what's wrong? You seem unhappy all of a sudden!"
Little Sizi looked up at Lin Fan, her big eyes already misty with tears. When Lin Fan saw this, his heart felt like it had been tugged, and his thoughts suddenly became a little flustered.
"Grandma is sick! It's been so long since I've seen her!"
Upon hearing Xiao Sizi explain why she was unhappy, Lin Fan immediately understood.
He had previously consulted historical records of the Tang Dynasty and vaguely remembered that Empress Zhangsun passed away in the tenth year of the Zhenguan era. As for the reasons, there were roughly three points: first, frequent childbirth led to a deficiency of qi and blood; second, she was overwhelmed by worries and mental stress; and third, improper postpartum care and some illnesses were delayed.
Based on Xiao Sizi's current age, Lin Fan could roughly estimate that the current Tang Dynasty should be between the seventh and eighth years of the Zhenguan era, and at this time, Empress Zhangsun's health was already not very optimistic.
"Little Sizi, don't be sad! Your brother believes your mother will be alright!" Unfortunately, Lin Fan's comforting words clearly didn't have much effect. The little princess was still very depressed, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Although Xiao Sizi is still very young, she has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood. From the snippets of conversation in the palace, she could imagine that her mother must be seriously ill. Otherwise, given her mother's affection for her, she wouldn't have gone more than ten days without visiting her.
"Little Sizi! Do you believe your brother?" Lin Fan reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of Little Sizi's eyes, speaking earnestly.
"Yeah! I really trust my boyfriend!" Little Sizi twitched her nose and quickly responded.
Lin Fan took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped Xiao Sizi's snot: "Since Xiao Sizi trusts her brother so much, what if I could find a way to help your mother get better soon?"
"Really!" Little Sizi's eyes widened suddenly. She raised her head and stared intently at Lin Fan, her little hands instinctively gripping Lin Fan's sleeve.
Lin Fan hadn't expected that he could see so many complex emotions in the big eyes of a three-year-old child in his arms—tense, worried, longing, and pleading.
"Yes, yes! I'll say it again, brother would never lie to Little Sizi!"
"Yay! You're so great, bro! Muah!" Seeing Lin Fan's confident and certain response, Xiao Si couldn't help but jump up in his arms and even gave Lin Fan a kiss again.
"Brother, let's go home soon, let's go home soon! I want to go tell my father and sister!" Little Si shook Lin Fan's arm vigorously, unable to resist wanting to go home immediately to announce this good news.
"Alright, alright! Don't worry, Sizi, we're already at the mall. Let's buy the things first, and then we'll see if we can get them for you to take home!"
"Okay! I'll listen to you, brother." Xiao Sizi hugged Lin Fan's neck with both hands, nestled in his arms, and her excited emotions gradually calmed down.
Seeing the smile return to Xiao Sizi's face, Lin Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief. He still needed to confirm one thing: whether Xiao Sizi could bring items with her during her transmigration. If she could, many things would be much easier.
Lin Fan carried Xiao Sizi into the elevator and went up to the second floor. Although Xiao Sizi was very curious about the self-moving staircase, she didn't ask any questions. Right now, all she wanted to do was finish shopping and go home as soon as possible. For her, her mother's safety was also very important.
After wandering around, Lin Fan finally saw a children's clothing store. Xiao Sizi looked at the cute little clothes in the store from afar through the transparent glass, her eyes filled with joy and curiosity.
Carrying Xiao Sizi into the store, Lin Fan saw several sales assistants carefully introducing the products to customers. Since there were no extra staff, he picked up Xiao Sizi and started looking around by himself.
At that moment, a stylish young woman was sitting at the cashier, happily scrolling through her phone screen. Then, she glanced up and saw a handsome young man holding an incredibly cute little girl, carefully selecting clothes.
This scene immediately caught her eye, and she lost interest in her phone. She put it aside and walked towards Lin Fan.
"Sizi, what do you think of this one? It's pink with some little flowers on it!" Lin Fan picked up a light pink dress and handed it to Sizi.
"Mmm, this is so pretty! It's smooth and cool!" Little Sizi raised her hand to stroke the flowers on the skirt, clearly liking it very much.
"If Xiao Sizi thinks it's good, then shall we choose this one?" Lin Fan asked Xiao Sizi for her opinion again.
"Okay!" Little Sizi nodded obediently, holding the clothes tightly in her hands.
"Hello, have you found any clothes you like?" A voice suddenly rang out behind Lin Fan, almost startling him.
"Hahaha, Guoguo got scared!" Xiao Sizi couldn't help but laugh out loud. She had clearly felt Lin Fan tremble for a moment.
Lin Fan turned his head somewhat helplessly and found a young woman. He said irritably, "Sister, don't you make any noise when you walk? Don't you know that can easily scare people?"
The young girl was a little embarrassed, her face flushed slightly, and she quickly bowed: "I'm sorry, sir, I'm really sorry. I'm the manager of this store. I came here to ask if you need any help!" After saying that, she glanced at Xiao Sizi.