Chapter 57 Hou Nie and Xi Bao

He wanted to hug his mother, but this big guy wouldn't let him.

Wen Ning mistakenly thought that Xi Bao wanted her to hug him.

She struggled in Xie Jinglan's arms and said with a red face, "Put me down!"

Instead of letting go, Xie Jinglan pushed her up, startling her so much that she subconsciously clutched the front of his shirt.

He lowered his eyes and chuckled, looking provocatively at the person at his feet who looked like Xiao Dunzi.

Xibao was glaring at him with his little hands outstretched and his round face tilted up, even stomping his short legs on the spot like a little puppy guarding its food.

"Hold~ mother."

In just one year, the baby in the cradle has grown so big that he can not only walk but also talk.

The man ignored his request and instead tightened his arms around Wen Ning's waist and hips. He reached out with his other hand, accurately grasped the collar of Xi Bao's shirt at the back of his neck, and lifted him up easily.

Xie Jinglan looked down at the person in his arms, glanced at the little ball in his hand, and walked straight into the house.

Xibao's feet suddenly left the ground. He was stunned at first, his round body swaying in the air, and then his limbs moved in the air a few times like a little turtle, but he found that there was nothing under his feet. He thought that this kind of game was very fun.

Nanny Xue was washing vegetable leaves in the kitchen when she heard some noise in the yard.

She lifted the bamboo curtain of the kitchen and walked out, but suddenly stopped.

Suddenly, I saw the marquis holding the girl in one hand and holding Xibao's collar with the other. The little girl was dangling her chubby legs in the air and humming "Yiyaya" in her mouth, as if she was playing.

Nanny Xue quickly bowed to the tall figure and said respectfully, "My Lord."

Xie Jinglan hummed, and felt the person in his arms shrink into his arms out of embarrassment.

Nanny Xue bowed again, tactfully asked no more questions, and turned back to the kitchen.

After entering the house, Xie Jinglan put the kid in his arms onto the bed. The little guy rolled half a circle on the mattress like a ball, and then immediately stood up again.

The man tightened his arms and was about to put the person on the bed, but the person in his arms trembled slightly, and put her slender fingers on his chest and said, "No, I'm much better now, just put me on the ground."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinglan loosened his arm, turned around and carefully placed her on the bamboo chair.

Little Xibao couldn't wait any longer, so he climbed down from the bed using his hands and feet. He ran to the bamboo chair with his short legs, hugged his mother's legs and rubbed against them.

After not seeing my mother for a day, I couldn't help but gently touch her clothes with my nose.

His little body arched straight into his mother's arms, and his chubby little hands naturally went to grab his mother's chest.

This is the instinct of a hungry child. Normally at this time, he would have been nestled in his mother's arms drinking milk.

Wen Ning's cheeks suddenly felt hot, and the corner of her eye quickly swept towards Xie Jinglan.

She was about to quietly move Xibao's little hand away from her collar, but Xibao suddenly realized that there was a big guy next to him and stopped.

The little brows frowned, as if remembering something, and the little hand slowly withdrew.

He remembered that his mother had said that it was not good to do this when there were other people around.

He raised his head, and first looked at his mother with his big eyes like black grapes, then turned to Xie Jinglan who was standing beside him. He pursed his lips, shook his head and said in a baby voice, "No, you can't look~"

As soon as the baby voice fell, Xie Jinglan frowned.

Can't see? He narrowed his eyes, really wanting to let this little brat know immediately that his mother was not his alone.

Wen Ning quickly stood up, but the soreness in her legs came back, and she subconsciously leaned towards the edge of the chair.

She took Xibao's hand and said softly, "Xibao, you should call him 'Marquis'. The Marquis is a guest, so you have to understand the rules, okay?"

Xibao's long eyelashes flickered twice, then she nodded heavily, and her chubby little chin trembled.

He immediately stood up straight, staring at Xie Jinglan with his big, bright eyes, and called "Hou Ye" as a soft "Hou Nie".

It felt like a feather gently brushed against his heart, and Xie Jinglan's arms, which were folded across his chest, loosened almost imperceptibly.

He responded, "Yeah," but the ending tone was still cold and hard.

He had just returned to the border town and still had many official duties to deal with. He had to verify the household registration of military households, determine the repairs of the city defenses, and deal with the rectification, banditry, taxes, grain prices, and disasters. The previous general who was temporarily stationed in the city had left him with so many troubles that he couldn't delay any of them.

I'm afraid I won't be able to stay with her.

Thinking of this, he picked up the innocent little Xibao and put him on the small stool outside the door.

He turned around and pressed Wen Ning against the door. His calloused fingertips brushed her soft lips, and he whispered, "Medicine is three parts poison. Remember to wipe it clean before feeding it to that brat..."

Before he finished speaking, he lowered his head and kissed her lips, rubbing them until he heard Xiaobao knocking on the door outside angrily, "Hou Nie~ Mother~", and then the man withdrew reluctantly.

He pinched her red earlobe and whispered, "I'll come over again when I'm free in a couple of days."

…

Xibao's little belly is round after drinking milk.

But he still held on to the snack box that Hou Nie had left for him and refused to let go.

He also did not forget to pick out the most exquisite one, and put it into his mother's mouth on tiptoe.

As the sweet fragrance spread in Wen Ning's mouth, the little guy turned around and staggered to the nanny, giving her the biggest one.

Mammy smiled so much that wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. She hugged the little guy and said, "Our Xibao is really thoughtful. He even thought of giving Mammy one."

Wen Ning's eyes were filled with smiles. "Of course I have to treat Mammy well. Without Mammy, there would be no Xiaobao. It was Mammy who watched over us day and night, taking care of me and Xibao. So, the first person Xibao should love is you."

Nanny was wiping the snack crumbs from the corner of Xibao's mouth. Hearing this, she suddenly felt a little guilty. She paused for a moment before softly saying, "Miss, actually...actually, it was the Marquis's idea that I came here."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly raised her eyes again and patted Xi Bao's back gently. "I am happy to take care of you and your son. As soon as the Marquis asked me to, I came. But at that time, the Marquis knew that you were on guard, so he asked me to lie."

After the nanny finished speaking, she lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

Wen looked at Mammy's slightly embarrassed expression and said softly, "I know."

Mammy was surprised, "You know?"

Wen Ning nodded. "I guessed it since the first time the Marquis found this place. The footprints by the courtyard wall, the charcoal in the winter, and the strange dream I had when I was giving birth, all these things connected together."

She continued in a gentle voice, "Whether it's the Marquis's entrustment or Madam's sincere love for us, your consideration these days is genuine, so I should thank Madam."

The nanny looked into her clear eyes and suddenly smiled, returning to her usual agility. "Since the young lady thinks this way, I have nothing to worry about."

After saying these words, the nanny felt relieved. She was so happy that she held Xibao's face and kissed her.

"Don't tell me, our Xibao and the Marquis are destined to be together. She actually looks a bit like the Marquis when he was a child."