The Lost Child and the "Education" of Love
The weather was fine that day. A letter arrived from the Qin family, saying that Madam Qin missed her daughter and wished to see her long-lost grandson and granddaughter. Qin Yuti naturally agreed. Upon hearing that they were going to his father-in-law's house, Zhao Jingyi, thinking of being pampered by his in-laws and escaping the steward in the Prince's mansion who forced him to look at the accounts, immediately volunteered to go along, ostensibly to "protect the Princess and my child!"
Upon arriving at the Qin residence, they were indeed greeted by a lively scene. The Qin couple were overjoyed to see their two adorable grandchildren, hugging and kissing each other. Zhao Jingyi was being pampered by Madam Qin, who showered him with sweet words and snacks, treating him even better than he would in his own royal residence. Seeing her parents' happiness and her husband being fed by her mother like a child, Qin Yuti felt a surge of warmth in her heart.
The family spent the whole day happily at the Qin residence, and only reluctantly prepared to return home at dusk.
Before their departure, the scene was inevitably a bit chaotic. Madam Qin held Qin Yuti's hand and spoke intimately for a while, while the maids and servants busied themselves loading the various gifts and tonics that Madam Qin had given them onto the carriage. Zhao Jingyi, having eaten and drunk his fill and in a good mood, volunteered to carry his son Yuanbao and daughter Nuannuan, who were tired from playing and somewhat drowsy, one in each arm, and led the way out of the Qin residence, humming a tuneless little tune.
After saying goodbye to her parents, Qin Yuti came out and, with the help of her maid, was about to get into the carriage. She habitually turned around, intending to take the child from Zhao Jingyi's hands, but suddenly froze—she saw Zhao Jingyi with empty hands, leisurely stepping onto the horse stool to get into the carriage!
"Your Highness!" Qin Yuti's heart skipped a beat, her voice trembling, "Where are the children? Where are Yuanbao and Nuannuan?!"
Zhao Jingyi was startled and turned around blankly: "The child? Isn't he right here..." He subconsciously looked at his empty hands, then turned to look at the empty Qin mansion gate behind him, and his face turned deathly pale!
"Child?!" He jumped off the carriage, his voice cracking. "I...I was holding him just now! I...where did I put him?!"
In an instant, immense fear gripped the two of them! Zhao Jingyi rushed into the Qin residence like a headless fly, while Qin Yuti's legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground, only to be firmly supported by Jinshu.
In the midst of this chaos and panic, a series of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the Qin residence. A servant and a maid from the Qin household came running, panting, carrying in their arms none other than the sleeping Yuanbao and Nuannuan!
"Your Highness! Your Highness! We've finally found you two!" The servant gasped, "Young Master and Young Princess... you two... we forgot you on the warm couch in the Old Madam's room!"
It turned out that when Zhao Jingyi went out, he was attracted by the stone lions at the gate (purely out of boredom), and casually put the two children on the heated couch next to the gatehouse, thinking he would pick them up when the carriage came. However, a gust of wind blew him away, and in a moment of madness, he completely forgot about it! He went out empty-handed! It was only later that Madam Qin discovered that her grandson was still on the heated couch and quickly sent someone to chase after him.
The maid, suppressing a laugh, mimicked Madam Qin's helpless yet reproachful tone, and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness, our Madam sent me to deliver a message: 'You two are getting more and more troublesome as you grow older! You've forgotten about two grown adults... no, two precious darlings! It's driving me crazy! Quickly hold the children tight and be careful on the road!'"
Qin Yuti and Zhao Jingyi quickly took the children and held them tightly in their arms. Feeling their warm body temperature and even breathing, their hearts, which had almost jumped out of their throats, slowly settled back down. Qin Yuti was both frightened and ashamed, and repeatedly thanked the servants of the Qin family.
After dismissing the Qin family's people, Qin Yuti boarded the carriage with her recovered treasure in her arms. Her tense nerves finally relaxed, but what followed was a surge of rage!
The carriage had barely left the Qin residence when Qin Yuti carefully handed the sleeping child to the wet nurse. Then, her gaze, sharp as a knife, shot towards Zhao Jingyi, who was huddled in a corner, trying to make himself inconspicuous.
"Zhao, Jing, Yi!" Qin Yuti said, enunciating each word clearly, her voice so cold it could freeze someone to death.
Zhao Jingyi trembled, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Wife... I was wrong... I really didn't mean it... I was just... just confused for a moment..."
"A moment of confusion?" Qin Yuti trembled with rage, abandoning all semblance of princess decorum. She grabbed a cushion and hurled it at him. "A moment of confusion? You have no brains at all! That's your own flesh and blood! Not some Tom, Dick, or Harry! You just forget about it like that? What if something happens to him? How am I supposed to live?! I... I'm going to beat you to death today, you heartless idiot!"
As she spoke, disregarding the jolting of the carriage, she lunged at Zhao Jingyi and began to beat him haphazardly, yelling and swearing as she did so, tears streaming down her face: "You never learn! You're so clumsy! If the child is really lost, I'll never forgive you!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhao Jingyi dared not retaliate, nor did he dare to dodge too much. He could only cover his head and shrink into a ball, repeatedly begging for mercy: "Ouch! Wife, I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please hit me gently! Don't hurt my hand! I promise I'll always keep Yuanbao and Nuannuan tied to my waistband from now on! I'll take them everywhere I go! I'll never forget them again! Ouch..."
Amidst Prince Yi's pitiful pleas for mercy and the Princess's angry rebukes, the carriage swayed and lurched back to the palace. When they alighted, the servants saw their prince with disheveled hair and rumpled clothes, grimacing and rubbing his arm, while the Princess, her face ashen and eyes brimming with tears, was being supported by her maid. She didn't even glance at the prince, heading straight for the inner courtyard with her child in her arms.
That night, His Highness Prince Yi was undoubtedly punished and made to sleep in the study.
He hugged the cold blanket, looked at the moon outside the window, deeply reflected on his crime of "losing the children," and swore to the heavens that he would cherish his two children (and the princess) more than his own eyes from now on!
After this "education of love," Zhao Jingyi has finally learned a few more profound lessons when it comes to raising children. However, given his personality, it's hard to guarantee he won't make similar blunders again in the future…
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