Qiu Ling's worries were confirmed, as soon as Madam Zhong and her son got into the range of sight. The women at the river waved at Madam Zhong, while the girls, they had brought with them, perked up at Jing Yi's sight.
Qiu Ling tensed. There it was. The moment he dreaded. Ah, how easy it would have been, if this was still the nine heavens and he could reveal himself to Jing He! Well, it would also have helped, if his beloved wasn't a three-year-old kid at the moment. Sigh …
Qiu Ling had to watch, how Madam Zhong brought her son over. She nudged him into the direction of the girls, but the boy still stubbornly held onto her hand.
"Hehe!" Qiu Ling smiled, satisfied. His beloved had such good eyes. He knew those mortal girls were beneath him and wouldn't even spare them a glance! What a good boy. He'd love to give him a hug right now, but unfortunately … Jing Yi had grown too old to be hugged whenever he wanted.
A newborn wouldn't notice or even if it noticed, it would forget and couldn't tell anyone in any case. But a three-year-old was different. If it suddenly got swept up in the embrace of a person it couldn't see, it'd probably get spooked. And considering how close Jing He was to his mortal mother, he'd certainly run to her crying. And then that over protective woman would only be stricter with guarding her child and he'd have even less time with him than the pitiful amount he could enjoy now.
Qiu Ling sighed and got back to watching the girls. Jing Yi's mother had pushed him to the girls, cruelly, and they had swarmed Jing Yi by now, all of them trying to act cute. One of them was jumping up and down, her skirt swaying around her short legs. Another one tried to get his attention with being pretty and was endlessly swirling one of her pigtails around her finger.
Jing Yi didn't take a second look. Instead, he watched his mother crouching with the other women at the river, washing the clothes. He was probably thinking about the mad beast as which his mother had described the river to him. Would his mother be swept away, too?
The jumping girl couldn't take his indifference any longer. She went up to him and gripped his sleeve. "Jing Yi gege!", she mournfully begged for his attention.
"How nauseating!" Qiu Ling lifted his hand, prepared to gift her a gust of wind, if she dared to approach his beloved any further. And what was with this 'gege'? She was clearly a year older than him!
Jing Yi looked at the girl's fingers, that clutched his sleeve, unsure of what to do. He had almost only spend time with his mother. Those girls didn't seem as frightening to him than the boys, but he still didn't know what to do.
The girl pursed her lips, quivering them as if she'd cry the next moment. Don't look at how she was only a little over four years old. She had already experienced everyone fussing over her, when she cried. She was sure, that Jing Yi would pay her attention if she did.
Unfortunately for her, the boy didn't notice her quivering lips. He was still thinking about those fingers.
One of the other girls made up for his lack of reaction. "Shameless!", she imitated her mother. "How is Jing Yi gege your gege? He's my gege!" She shoved the other girl, who lost her grip on Jing Yi's sleeve and fell to the ground.
She sat there in a daze, before her fake tears turned into real ones and she wailed loudly.
The women at the river turned around, only to see a girl sitting in the mud, nearly all of her skirt dirtied. The more direct women laughed out loud, while the politer ones at least turned to the side to hide their faces, while masking their laughter with a cough.
The girl's mother got furious. "Fa Chao Fu! What have you done now?" The girl only cried harder at the scolding, but the woman wasn't even done. "Why am I even washing these clothes? You're just going to get them dirty anyway! How can a girl be this troublesome!"
Zhong Jing Yi next to Fa Chao Fu hurried to look at his own mother. A child was troublesome, if it got dirty?
Qiu Ling, who hadn't stopped watching him for even the blink of an eye, smiled. So someone was afraid of infuriating his mother? Maybe that could be used against those troublesome girls … This Fa Chao Fu would just be the first example for his beloved.
The girl in question turned around to Jing Yi, trying to get his help. But the boy still didn't react. His gaze only switched between the dirty girl and his mother, who had just finished washing a tunic. He couldn't let mother scold him!
Jing Yi ignored the girl and hurried to his mother. Fa Chao Fu couldn't accept it. She gripped the end of his tunic, to hold him back. No way! She wouldn't let him go! That was her Jing Yi gege!
Jing Yi lost his balance. His doe eyes widened. He flailed his short arms around and managed to not fall on his back like the girl, but still lost his balance and instead fell forward. The ground, and with it the disgusting mud, came nearer and nearer. He thought of the crying girl and her mother and then of his mother with the white tunic.
Qiu Ling's brows twitched. How should he use this, if Jing Yi found out, that nothing would happen, if he got his clothes dirty?!
He lifted one hand and the water in the river splashed. All the women turned around to look, not bothering with Jing Yi anymore. Well, at least except for Madam Zhong, who had sprung up, as soon as she saw her son's impeding fall. But Madam Zhong knew, that her son was special. Qiu Ling grabbed Jing Yi's collar and pulled him back onto his feet.
Nobody but Madam Zhong and the five girls saw what happened. The girls swarmed Jing Yi again, impressed by his great balance. Only Madam Zhong understood, that something strange had happened to her son again. But she didn't say anything and she didn't mind much. It had kept her son from harm once more. Even though she was afraid her son might be taken away one day, if the gods really favored him, she was still thankful, that there was someone beside her, who watched over her son. Whatever happened to her, her son would be safe.
Jing Yi darted out of the ring of girls and ran to his mother. He threw himself into her arms, his doe eyes tearing up.
"There, there. Nothing happened", Madam Zhong tried to pacify her son. But Jing Yi was only more terrified.
So mother would have really yelled at me, if I had fallen!
He turned in her arms and looked back at the place he had nearly fallen at. He had felt something tugging at his clothes. Had somebody saved him? But nobody stood there.
Zhong Jing Yi stared blankly, seemingly at nothing but air. But Qiu Ling still stood at the place and even though he knew, that his beloved couldn't see him, he returned his gaze and smiled at him.
Yes, look at me. Whether it's your immortal or your mortal life, I'll always be at your side, watching over you and keeping you from harm.