Chapter 680 An Awkward Scene

"You might as well stop looking. The room is only this big, you can't possibly hide it in a mouse hole."

Da Bao kindly offered this reminder, hoping to save Er Bao some effort. Wouldn't it be better to rest here instead of tiring himself out? Why go through all the trouble for nothing?

In the end, he would still have to obediently hand the Rubik's Cube over to him, so why take such a roundabout path?

"Mother said you can't play for this long," Er Bao said seriously. He always obeyed his mother's words with utmost diligence.

Da Bao helplessly rubbed his forehead. How did he end up with such a stubborn younger brother? Why was it impossible to get through to him?

"Then hide it. Let's see who hides it faster, you, or me finding it," Da Bao shrugged, his expression nonchalant. No matter how Er Bao hid it, he was confident he could find it.

Therefore, no matter how much effort was put in, it would all be in vain. It would be better to simply hand the Rubik's Cube directly into his hands.

Er Bao didn't heed Da Bao's words. He wouldn't be foolish enough to believe Da Bao again. If he fell for it once and still didn't learn his lesson, he truly would be an idiot.

Finding a relatively safe spot, Er Bao had already planned to quickly put the item away the moment Da Bao left.

For a moment, the air fell silent. Da Bao waited patiently for Er Bao to finish hiding the item, so he could then reap the benefits.

Little did he know, Er Bao was also waiting for Da Bao to leave quickly so he could then hide the item.

With both brothers harboring their own intentions, the situation fell into a temporary stalemate. They were both secretly trying to outlast the other, seeing who would leave first. This continued for nearly an hour with no movement from either side.

Finally, Cai Qing pushed the door open and entered, indirectly ending the standoff.

Cai Qing also sensed the strange atmosphere. Her gaze darted back and forth between Da Bao and Er Bao. After a pause, she said, "Young sirs, the meal is ready. Madam has asked you to come and eat."

"Alright..."

The two little ones nodded in unison. However, long after their voices had fallen, neither one made a move to leave.

"Mother is calling us to eat, aren't you going?"

In terms of patience, Da Bao was the one who faltered. He was the first to speak, admitting defeat to Er Bao.

"You go first. I'll change my clothes and be right there."

"I need to change clothes too. You go first."

He absolutely would not leave first. After stating his excuse, Da Bao stood up and walked towards the room. It was just a matter of waiting them out, so they would continue to wait.

The stalemate between the two put Cai Qing in a difficult position. She had been here for so long, yet neither of them had gotten up to follow her.

Madam must be getting impatient. Cai Qing spoke again, her voice filled with helplessness, "Young sirs, we must go now, or Madam will become very anxious."

"Understood." Both replied in unison, their tone perfunctory, but they continued to dawdle, neither making a move to go out first.

Finally, Cai Qing could no longer wait. If they continued to stall, Madam would surely be beside herself with worry. In a situation of urgency, she had no choice but to resort to unconventional means.

"Young sirs, the situation is truly urgent, so I must be so bold as to offend."

As soon as she finished speaking, Cai Qing stepped forward, scooped up both children into her arms, one in each hand, and hurried out the door.

Since they were both unwilling to go first and kept deferring to each other, she had to take them both. This way, neither one would be at a disadvantage.

Da Bao and Er Bao hadn't expected Cai Qing to do this. Their little faces immediately drooped. It seemed they would have to find another opportunity.

But next time, how would they come up with a suitable excuse to send the other away? It was truly a perplexing problem.

...

"Second Young Master, I've brought your medicine for today."

Following Madam's instructions, she was to bring medicine to the Second Young Master every day at noon. This added another task to her duties, leaving her no time to slack off.

Chu Qing placed the medicine down and then looked around. She noticed that Ling Muzhu was nowhere to be seen. Where could a living person be in the middle of the day, not staying in their room?

Filled with doubt, Chu Qing searched the surroundings, calling out towards the inner chamber several times. There was still no response.

Chu Qing's suspicion deepened. Finally, she pushed the door open and went inside. The room was empty, not a soul in sight. Was he really not in the room?

She didn't know when he would return, and the medicine would be cold if left to sit. Chu Qing hesitated for a moment, then decided to take the medicine with her and place it on the stove to warm, intending to bring it to him later. She couldn't let Ling Muzhu drink cold medicine and hurt his stomach.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard a movement behind her. Instinctively, she turned around and saw Ling Muzhu emerging, his clothes disheveled.

Chu Qing let out an involuntary scream and quickly covered her eyes with her hands, stumbling as she turned away.

Ling Muzhu also hadn't expected Chu Qing to be there. He had come out without properly fastening his clothes, which was incredibly embarrassing. He immediately began to adjust his attire.

"That... I didn't know you were here, so... so..."

It was an extremely awkward situation. Ling Muzhu's face was flushed with embarrassment. He hadn't anticipated anything like this happening. At this point, any explanation would only make things worse.

"It's alright... I... I didn't... didn't see anything..."

Chu Qing stammered her explanation, her heart pounding relentlessly, showing no signs of calming down.

"Then... then, the medicine... the medicine, I left it outside. I... I'll be going now."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Qing bowed hastily with her back to Ling Muzhu and hurried out the door, her footsteps as if something was chasing her.

In the blink of an eye, she was gone. Ling Muzhu's raised hand, which had intended to call out to Chu Qing, slowly lowered.

He stepped out of the inner chamber and immediately saw the still steaming bowl of medicinal soup on the table. Ling Muzhu hesitated for a moment before picking up the bowl. He looked at the dark liquid within, emanating a bitter aroma, took a deep breath, and downed it in one gulp.

Instantly, a bitter taste spread through his mouth. It was truly foul. His brows furrowed tightly.

The medicine from his sister-in-law was indeed effective. After only a day or two of taking it, he felt his body improving significantly. He no longer felt as weak and tired upon waking each morning as he used to.