I was thinking of going back to rest halfway through when they came to play with me. Xie Yuancheng and Li Ruowei pulled me away to play, but then they ran back over. It wasn't until the midnight bell rang that I realized another year had passed.

Xi Zhi rubbed his eyes and snuggled into my arms to sleep. I picked him up, and the other three little ones had also had a great time tonight and were all yawning.

"Let them go back to sleep." Li Ruowei spoke very gently. I wanted to take Xizhi back to sleep, but Xie Yuancheng shook his head as soon as I turned around, so I had to let the nannies take her back.

Meng Anshi helped Li Ruowei back. He really didn't have a high profile; he was actually always in the mansion and could always be overlooked. Mainly because Xie Yuancheng went too far, he rarely let me leave the courtyard, let alone go out and play around the mansion.

"Ugh~ I'm so sleepy, I'll do it tomorrow." I had just soaked in the hot spring when Xie Yuancheng followed me down. "Little Chengcheng~ you said you should sleep more, it's good for your health."

"Ying'er~ Tell me, what did you promise me? It's noon now, there's still some time. Come on, let me give you a good massage."

He really knows how to exploit my weaknesses. Anyway, as long as he's happy, that's all that matters. I keep opening my eyes to look at him, and his smiling face looks really good under the light. I take the initiative to lean over and kiss him.

It wasn't too cold on the first day of the Lunar New Year. I woke up at a moderate time, but I could still see the sun outside.

"You woke up so early? You're not planning to take the kids to the temple fair, are you?" Xie Yuancheng hadn't left, so I quickly turned around to hug him. "Ying'er~ You're so naughty this early in the morning."

"It's all your fault! Every time I wake up, you're gone. I've counted, and I've seen you less than ten times a morning!"

"Nonsense, don't we see me all the time when we go out?" Xie Yuancheng played with my hair, now he even tries to bargain.

"I mean, when we're at the manor or the Ji residence, don't bring up those things with me."

"Okay~ From now on, I will only leave after Ying'er wakes up, and I will never leave you alone in an empty room. You are such a sweetheart, your words first thing in the morning make me very happy."

“I’m not just trying to comfort you.” I looked up at him. “Every morning when I wake up, I touch the blankets and I can guess when you left. Even though I know you’re busy every day, touching the cold blankets still feels like a bucket of cold water has been poured over my heart.”

“I won’t let you touch the cold blankets anymore. There were a lot of things to do last year, and we just got back, so we were naturally a bit busy. Today is the first day of the new year, and Ying’er is the eldest, so I’ll agree to whatever she says.”

"How about we take the kids to the temple fair and make them happy?"

"It's Ying'er who wants to go, isn't it? You only get to see a place like this once a year, so go ahead." I knew he would agree, so I urged him to get up and take a nap in the afternoon.

Xie Yuancheng was very cooperative; the four little ones knew they were going out for a stroll and circled around us. Meng Anshi stayed at the mansion to take care of Li Ruowu, so it was just my husband and I taking the children out.

However, I forgot we went by carriage, and we only got off when we reached the bustling city center. There were a lot of people, but when I went out, I was only thinking about shopping and hadn't considered wearing anything simple. Xie Yuancheng's little scheme plays out every day; he definitely knows it, yet he never reminds me.

"Ying'er, don't wrong me! I've been going along with you all along. How can you blame me during the New Year?" This cunning Marquis... I went to check on the little ones. They looked around curiously, and then they were about to leave.

"Mother, there are so many people here. We've seen enough. Let's go back to the manor to play."

“I don’t like places with so many people, it’s so crowded. If I get arrested, I won’t be the little princess anymore.”

"Me too, Mother, let's go."

"Aunt, Yan'er doesn't need to stay here anymore. Let's go back to the manor. We can play however we want there."

These four little ones are all so talkative! I glanced around the market; everyone was just wandering around, and the stalls looked festive. Xie Yuancheng put his arm around my shoulder—I see this all the time—and then I left.

While sitting in the carriage, I noticed that Xie Yuancheng was clearly trying to suppress a laugh. Every time I glanced at him, he would smile at me.

"Little Chengcheng, did you not sleep well last night? When we get back, I'll help you to rest. I'll play with the little ones in the house."

"Ying'er, if you go running around with the children, you'll be even more mischievous than them. Why don't you come back with me and catch up on your sleep? We'll get back to the manor around noon, and after lunch you'll need to rest. That's the natural rhythm of life."

What rules? Those are only for kids. Sometimes I'm not very energetic if I don't take a nap. But seeing Xie Yuancheng talking so earnestly, I couldn't let him down, so I agreed and joined the little ones in chatting and laughing.

It's so much easier to play with kids. Their thoughts are so innocent, and they have such a low threshold for laughter. Especially when they look into my clear, innocent eyes, I can immediately agree to their ideas.

"Mother, Yu'er wants to take a nap with you." Yu'er propped himself up on his hands and looked at me. I mimicked his gesture and looked at Xie Yuancheng. Yu'er was clever; he knew that as long as his father agreed, that was good. "Daddy~"

"Daddy~"

"Daddy~"

"Little Uncle~"

The four little ones, including me, were all watching him. Xie Yuancheng's composure was truly remarkable; even with us watching him like stars in the sky, he remained as steady as a mountain.

"No!" A wail rang out, and I also felt it was going too far. Xie Yuancheng pinched my face and said, "Ying'er, if you bring the children to cause trouble again next time, I won't let you leave the yard."

"My Yan'er, Yu'er, Su Ling, Xi Zhi~" I pleaded with Xie Yuancheng, but he still refused. It was already a great honor for him to let us play together this afternoon.

"Alright, let's go play in the grass in the plum garden this afternoon, and your father and uncle can accompany you, okay?"

"Okay!" A childish voice rang out, and I finally regained some interest. Xie Yuancheng wouldn't object to this, and he patted my head and smiled.

"Yuancheng, you're not busy this afternoon, are you? If you are, we'll hold you and not let you leave. You're going to play with us anyway."

“Ying’er~” He leaned on my shoulder, “If you threaten me with the children again next time, I won’t let you leave the house and you’ll have to dance for me every day.”

"I want to see Mommy dance!" Yu'er's ears are amazing, I don't know how to praise them enough, she could hear that. The other little ones also looked over, and Su Ling even moved two places to look at me, so I had no choice but to agree.

Xie Yuancheng really doesn't suffer losses; I've been tricked by him again. Sigh!

As soon as the carriage arrived at the gate, I saw some people going in and out carrying things. I went to ask Xie Yuancheng, and he said that I was going to perform a dance in the afternoon, so of course he had to get the venue set up for me.

"You're so petty! I want to see your chime bell performance too. I'll start looking for materials as soon as I get home tonight!"