Chapter 70 Mechanical Butterfly

This was the first time his wife had ever kissed him on her own initiative.

Xie Linyuan dared not move, trying his best to calm his heaving chest.

He found Wen Shuwan's action incredibly cute, and a desire arose within him to hug his wife tightly and caress her.

But I only thought it to myself; I didn't want to scare her.

From then on, Xie Linyuan dared not sleep too soundly, lest his wife sneak up on him again without his knowledge, which would be too much of a loss.

In the blink of an eye, the fleeting kiss was over.

Xie Linyuan sighed inwardly.

Then came the sound of a porcelain bowl hitting a wooden tray; it must have been his wife picking up the object that he had dropped in fright.

But no footsteps were heard leaving for a long time.

Xie Linyuan closed his eyes and unknowingly entered a semi-conscious state.

A warm, soft touch rested on his Adam's apple.

Xie Linyuan's eyes suddenly turned red, like the bubbling steam of tea his wife was brewing, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Noticing Xie Linyuan's actions, Wen Shuwan exclaimed in surprise, sat up straight in fright, and turned to run away.

But she was pulled by a long, strong hand, and with a tug, Wen Shuwan fell onto the man's lap, her hand slightly supporting Xie Linyuan's chest.

Wen Shuwan bit her lip, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "Husband..."

He got caught the first time he did something wrong.

His strong arms encircled his wife's slender waist, while his other hand pressed against the back of her delicate neck, slowly pressing towards him, leaving no room for refusal.

The young couple each had their own little joys.

As night slowly fell, the last rays of the setting sun disappeared into the gray-blue sky, and the aroma of freshly cooked food wafted over every household.

After dinner, Xie Mingyi sat at the wooden table, still holding the book of fools in her hand. She looked at Xie Mianmian, who was teasing the wolf cubs, and a look of doubt flashed in her eyes.

"Mianmian, your hairstyle seems different from this morning, and why is there an extra little hairpin on your back?"

Xie Mianmian, a tiny little thing, was squatting on the ground, gently clapping her hands at the wolf cub two steps away, encouraging it, "Come on, come here to Mianmian, you can do it!"

The wolf cub staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud, whimpering softly.

The black wolf and the giant python crouched nearby, watching intently, seemingly burdened by the responsibilities of fatherhood.

Xie Mianmian stood up and scooped the wolf cub into her arms.

"Second sister, isn't it beautiful!"

The child clung to his second sister, pressing the back of his head against Xie Mingyi's, shaking the jingling hair ornaments on her head.

"It was Mianmian who accidentally messed up Second Sister's hair. The Seventh Prince is a kind man and restyled it for Mianmian."

Xie Mingyi stretched out her index finger and gently poked the child's soft, white forehead. "You, even the little prince can't tie his own hair, you little troublemaker."

"No, Mianmian did something big again today!" the child said proudly.

"Um?"

Seeing Xie Mingyi's suddenly sharp gaze, the child's puffed-out chest deflated again, and he dared not stay by his second sister's side any longer.

She ran to a small corner where Xie Mingyi couldn't see her and hid behind a bright gauze lamp.

Xie Mianmian suddenly remembered the hairpin that the Seventh Prince had given her, which she hadn't seen yet. So she reached behind her head and groped around, slowly pulling the hairpin out.

What will it be like? The child wondered.

Before she could even see the original appearance clearly, Xie Mianmian caught a glimpse of golden yellow out of the corner of her eye.

When the child saw the hairpin in its entirety, he opened his mouth slightly and exclaimed in surprise, his eyes shining brightly.

This is a hairpin made of gold, with a delicate butterfly perched on it.

Xie Mianmian observed carefully and discovered that the butterfly was made up of countless thin sheets of gold that were bent and pieced together, with ingenious details.

The cold, hard lines of metal combine to form a beautiful and elegant butterfly, with every part movable, especially the wings.

The child gently shook the hairpin, and the cold metal butterfly fluttered its wings, as if it had come to life, so lifelike.

The candlelight from the gauze lantern shone on the butterfly, reflecting a dazzling golden light that dazzled Xie Mianmian's eyes.

The child excitedly held the butterfly high in both hands and ran around the room, shouting, "Butterfly, fly away!"

Xie Mingyi, who was standing to the side, put down her book and shook her head helplessly. "Be careful not to fall. The hot water should be ready. Mianmian, go take a bath."

Xie Mianmian responded verbally, then ran to the dressing table, opened her own special box, which was full of jewelry that everyone had given her.

This is a treasure chest for children.

Xie Mianmian carefully placed the hairpin on top, and before leaving, the butterfly's wings were still trembling slightly.

Inside the bathhouse, the child was led by the nanny to the inner room to wash up. Xie Mingyi took the child's outer garment that she was wearing today, rummaged through it, and took out all the pastries and toys that Xie Mianmian had hidden in the clothes.

She suddenly picked up something, pulled it out and saw that it was a crumpled piece of paper.

Xie Mingyi felt that the scene was somewhat familiar. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips, and had a bad feeling.

Xie Mianmian, Xin, the Third Prince.

Her previously lost memories began to attack her.

Xie Mingyi, skeptical, unfolded the paper. She was stunned at first glance, her expression turning serious. The more she looked, the more her brows furrowed.

So why did the Third Prince's confidential letter end up in the child's arms?

Remembering Xie Mianmian's words about accomplishing something great, Xie Mingyi gripped the paper tightly and slowly walked into the inner room.

"Second sister, you're here to take a bath too! Ah!"

The naked child was pinned down by Xie Mingyi and tickled vigorously.

Xie Mianmian laughed so hard she could barely breathe, begging for mercy between laughs, "Mianmian will never dare to do it again, ha!"

Xie Mingyi stopped helplessly. She knew the child's character all too well; he would apologize this time, but would do it again next time.

She wiped away the tears from the child's laughter, tucked the papers into her pocket, and went to find her father.

The study was brightly lit.

Father Xie held the letter in his hand, reading the few words on it over and over again. He sighed and said, "The Third Prince wants to interfere in the Grand Canal matter."

The sluice gates in the middle reaches of the Beijing-Canal are under construction recently. Due to the high altitude and large drop, the construction of the sluice gates is extremely difficult and requires a lot of money.

"I've been busy with this matter. The Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Rites are arguing fiercely, and everyone wants to get involved."

Mr. Xie rubbed his nose wearily. "These trivial matters are fine, but the most important thing is that the craftsmen have been unable to come up with the construction blueprints for the gate lock."

"Gate lock?"

Mr. Xie nodded and explained to his daughter, "The gate here is in an important location and needs to be equipped with anti-theft and anti-vandalism mechanisms. Those old men have been arguing day and night, but they haven't been able to provide me with any useful blueprints."

Seeing her father so worried, Xie Mingyi thought of someone: He Chuan. This man was extremely skilled in mechanisms and might have some ingenious ideas.

But she didn't want to give her father false hope rashly, so she decided to go and ask He Chuan.