Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

Tao Jiuxi picked out a simple set of clothes and returned to the front hall.

Tao Hongyuan was particularly pleased today. His daughter had behaved very well this time, neither contradicting him nor making excuses. He looked at his daughter's back with a satisfied smile on his face.

The two of them got on the carriage arranged by Tao Hongyuan.

Tao Jiuxi was the first to walk into the carriage. She went straight to a seat at the side and sat down, far away from the main seat.

Ji Qingyi got in the car later. Seeing Tao Jiuxi who was very reserved, he said gently, "Go sit in the back. It's more comfortable there."

"No, no, I like to sit here. You're welcome. Just sit there." Tao Jiuxi waved his hand quickly.

Seeing this, Ji Qingyi didn't force it anymore. He walked to sit down diagonally opposite Tao Jiuxi, leaving the main seat empty.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the car was a little subtle, so quiet that one could hear the two people's breathing.

"Um... what kind of place do you like?"

Tao Jiuxi asked. She thought to herself that since her father asked her to take Ji Qingyi out, she should at least have a general direction so that she would know where to go, otherwise it would be so embarrassing along the way.

"What place do you like in the capital?" Ji Qingyi asked with a smile.

"As for me, I like all places to eat." Tao Jiuxi answered honestly.

Hearing Tao Jiuxi's answer, Ji Qingyi's smile deepened, and his eyes were full of tenderness.

"I like the dining place, too. But it's a little too early for dinner. Do you want to know where the children are staying today?"

Tao Jiuxi's eyes lit up when he heard this: "You know?"

"Ah."

Ji Qingyi stayed there for a while. He was very worried at the time. It would be bad if those kids were still wandering around there and met the greasy guy again.

As a result, he really saw the three children in another hidden alley.

In the end, he decided to be a good person and sent them back.

"Take me to see it. After they left, I remembered that I forgot to ask them if they had any family members."

"Okay." Ji Qingyi responded, then he crouched slightly and told the coachman the destination: "South of the city, Xigang Village."

In this narrow carriage, Ji Qingyi was suddenly very close to Tao Jiuxi. Tao Jiuxi immediately felt very uncomfortable and subconsciously shrank back.

After telling the destination, Ji Qingyi noticed Tao Jiuxi's expression and said softly, "Xi'er, don't be so embarrassed. I will be your husband in the future."

Tao Jiuxi forced a smile awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.

Seeing that Tao Jiuxi didn't answer, Ji Qingyi spoke again: "Your family suffered a disaster before. I was far away in the borderland and didn't know about it, so you and Sister Wan suffered." There was a hint of guilt and heartache in his tone.

"It doesn't matter, you don't know either..." Tao Jiuxi responded awkwardly.

"Xi'er."

Ji Qingyi called her very affectionately. In his heart, this was already his future wife.

"Ok?"

"Do you like the capital?" Ji Qingyi asked, looking at Tao Jiuxi gently.

"I like it. The capital is rich and has everything you need. It's very convenient."

"Do you want to go to the border?" Ji Qingyi asked, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Tao Jiuxi quickly shook his head, thinking that he had to refuse it explicitly.

"I understand. If you don't want to go when we get married in the future, I will ask for permission to stay in the capital. The border has been very peaceful in the past two years, so there is nothing wrong with staying in the capital." Ji Qingyi looked at Tao Jiuxi and said seriously, as if he had already made plans for her.

"Brother Yi. I..." Tao Jiuxi hesitated to speak. She was struggling in her heart whether she should express her thoughts right now.

"What's wrong?" Ji Qingyi looked at her with questioning eyes.

"I......"

"Hmm?" Ji Qingyi waited patiently for her to speak.

Tao Jiuxi didn't say it in the end. Shen Zhiyi had already told her that he should speak up. After all, this matter was of great importance, and Shen Zhiyi and Ji Qingyi were old acquaintances, so she didn't know how to start.

Ji Qingyi just felt that his wife-to-be was too shy, so he didn't mention the matter again. The carriage fell into silence for a while, and only the sound of the wheels rolling and the two people's light breathing could be heard.

The carriage drove slowly for half an hour and finally arrived at the south of the city.

Ji Qingyi got out of the car first, then stretched out his hand like a gentleman, wanting to help Tao Jiuxi get out of the car. In order to avoid suspicion, Tao Jiuxi moved very quickly and jumped out of the car in just three or two steps.

"I can go by myself, thank you." Tao Jiuxi said hurriedly, with a hint of restraint on his face and a look of deliberately keeping a distance. After he finished speaking, he lowered his head slightly, as if avoiding Ji Qingyi's gaze.

Ji Qingyi's outstretched hand stopped in mid-air, a brief flash of surprise crossed his face, but he soon returned to a gentle smile. He nodded gently. Although he felt a little disappointed in his heart, he also understood Tao Jiuxi's actions.

Ji Qingyi took Tao Jiuxi to see where the children lived.

When the children saw that the person coming was the beautiful and kind sister from today, they immediately surrounded her excitedly.

"elder sister."

"Sister, why are you here?" The children's eyes were full of surprise, and they were particularly happy about Tao Jiuxi's arrival.

Tao Jiuxi responded with a smile and began to look around at where the children were.

This was an abandoned courtyard, and the house looked very shabby, with mottled walls and many broken tiles on the roof. However, Tao Jiuxi did not show any disdain, because she remembered that she and her sister had lived in such a shabby house twice when they went to Beijing, and she knew the hardships of life.

Ji Qingyi felt relieved when he saw his fiancée's calm expression.

He had seen spoiled daughters of wealthy families who would show expressions of disgust when they saw such places, but every performance of Tao Jiuxi made Ji Qingyi feel extremely fond of her. Her kindness and simplicity seemed particularly touching at this moment.

"Do you live here? Are there any adults at home?" Tao Jiuxi asked softly, his eyes full of concern.

"My father is dead, and my mother is gone with someone. There are only my sister and I here." A slightly older boy said, then pointed at another child and said, "His parents are gone too." The boy's voice was a little low, and his eyes revealed a maturity and helplessness that did not match his age.

"How long have you lived here?"

"Half a year," the children replied.

"Why don't you go to the orphanage in the capital?"

Tao Jiuxi thought of this place that could provide shelter for the children.

"Beijing Nursery?" The children looked confused, obviously they didn't know such a place existed.

"Yes, there you can have a safe place to live."

"We don't know.....but if we go there, will we be separated from our sister?"

When the boy heard this, a worried expression immediately appeared on his face. He held his sister's hand tightly, as if he was afraid that his sister would be taken away.

"We should be separated. Even if we are separated, we should still live in one compound. Your sister is a girl, and even if you can continue to wander around, it will be inconvenient for her to follow you."

Tao Jiuxi touched the head of the youngest child. These children were all disheveled and she hadn't noticed today that the youngest child was actually a girl.

"Why not?"

Although the boy was young, he was stubborn. He couldn't understand why his sister couldn't always wander with them.

Tao Jiuxi took a few children and found a slightly cleaner place to sit down.

"My sister is a girl. She's not as healthy as you and can't run as fast as you. What should I do if I'm in danger?"

"Yes, yesterday a sister... beat us..." the child said aggrievedly, with a trembling in his voice.

"Hit you?" Tao Jiuxi and Ji Qingyi both looked surprised.

"You gave me bread to eat, and then you beat us, saying we stole it."

As he spoke, the child bravely rolled up his sleeves to show Tao Jiuxi and Ji Qingyi.

The purple marks on the child's thin, dark arms were still clearly visible, which was shocking.

When Tao Jiuxi saw this scene, he felt a sharp pain in his heart and was very distressed.

She gently picked up the child's arm and blew on it carefully, wishing she could find the woman who hit the child immediately to seek justice for the children.

She recalled how she was often bullied when she was little because her parents were not around. After returning home, she would not tell her grandparents about any injuries other than her face, fearing they would worry.

It was just those shadows from her childhood that were still vivid in her mind even when she grew up and went to college.

That’s why there’s a saying that a miserable childhood takes a lifetime to heal.

The suffering she endured in her childhood taught her that she must be cowardly when she should, but if she has the opportunity and the ability to fight back, she must fight back without hesitation, so that others will not dare to bully her in the future.

"Xier, on the way here, I saw a clothing store nearby. Why don't you take them to clean up first?" Ji Qingyi looked at the children and suggested with heartache.

Tao Jiuxi looked at the children and asked, "Would you like to go back with me first to take a bath and clean up? Tomorrow I'll take you to the orphanage to have a look. If you think it's okay, you can stay. If you don't like it, you can leave at any time."

Tao Jiuxi thought to himself that if he really didn't like it, he would ask someone to clean up the house a little. Although he couldn't bring all the children home, he wanted to do his best to help.

The children hesitated and looked at each other.

Today is the only day they have eaten their fill, and they know that if they continue like this, they will surely starve to death.

After hesitating for a while, the children nodded as if they had made up their minds.