When Xin Jieer heard this, she immediately smiled and called out "Daddy" loudly.

Xu Lingkuan smiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe Xin Jie'er's tears: "Don't cry over such a small thing in the future."

Sister Xin kept nodding.

Madam Wu became anxious, "Master Wu, why don't you ask clearly? She wants the pair of orioles that mother gave to Jing'er!"

Xu Lingkuan was slightly stunned.

Children are best at observing people’s facial expressions.

Xin Jieer immediately hugged her father's neck: "Daddy, Daddy..."

Xu Lingkuan whispered to his daughter, "That won't do! Since the oriole was given to Jing'er by your grandmother, it was a gift from the elders. How can you just give something given by the elders to other people? Otherwise, I'll get you a pair of pugs that look exactly like Jing'er? And let He Xiang make flowery clothes for your dogs..."

Jing'er liked those dogs very much. Seeing the people in the needlework shop making spring clothes for the maids, they also shouted that they wanted to make clothes for those dogs. The needlework shop flattered Jing'er and immediately made several bright red and green clothes for Jing'er. Xinjie saw it and wanted to make clothes for her cats... As a result, their cats and dogs all wore clothes, which made Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Zhou, who were visiting their home, laugh so hard that their waists couldn't straighten up. Especially Mrs. Zhou, she went back to tell Princess Fucheng about it. Princess Fucheng specially sent the needlework people in the princess's mansion to see it. They also made two clothes for the two cats left by the crown princess at her mother's home, and specially brought them to the palace to show the queen, the crown princess and the concubines. Those concubines lived a quiet life and kept cats and dogs around them. Seeing such a strange thing, they naturally imitated it. For a time, the most fashionable thing in Yanjing was to walk on the street with cats and dogs wearing clothes.

"No!" Xin Jie pouted and shook her head, "I don't like Jing'er's dogs. They bite my skirt and chase me. I want an oriole. It can sing!"

Xu Lingkuan found her words interesting and laughed: "Jin'er's dog dared to chase you? How brave is that?"

"That's right, that's right." Xin Jie'er said hurriedly, "I won't let my Baibai and Lulu play with his one, two, three, four, five, six!"

"One, two, three, four, five, six?" Xu Lingkuan looked at his daughter in confusion.

"Jin'er's dogs!" Xin looked at Xu Lingkuan with a look that said "you're so stupid". "Some are named Yiyi, some are named Erer... He doesn't even know how to name them!"

"Yes!" Xu Lingkuan agreed. "Jin'er is really not good at naming. His names are not as nice as our Baibai and Lulu!"

Sister Xin smiled with her lips pursed, and the dimples inherited from the Fifth Madam were faintly visible on her cheeks.

Xu Lingkuan was so pleased that he kissed his daughter on the cheek.

The Fifth Lady looked anxious. She was afraid that Xu Lingkuan would love his daughter and agree to her request without asking any questions, which would encourage her arrogance. She was afraid that she would want other people's things without restraint in the future. Over time, she would probably develop a domineering and spoiled character. When the child is young, adults will be tolerant and just think it's funny, and then smile and let it go. When the child grows up and has higher demands, adults will think that the child lacks some cultivation and does not have the bearing of a noble family. Even if the parents want to control her, it is already a long-standing habit. How can it be changed? I don't know how many noble families have fallen into ruin like this!

What's more, Xin Jie'er is a girl and she will marry into a wealthy family in the future.

In a family of high rank, several generations live under one roof. When the time comes, grandmothers, mothers-in-law, aunts, sisters-in-law, younger aunts, nieces, etc. Which woman will not be a drama? If you let your temper run wild, I'm afraid you'll offend everyone in a few days! How can you live like that?

To pamper her at this time would be to harm her.

"Fifth Master!" she said hurriedly, "Jin'er treated the oriole as a treasure...Our Xin'er was not in the right to begin with, so please don't make the two families unhappy because of the child!"

Xu Lingkuan knew that Jin Ge'er had a hard life. Not to mention his mother, even he himself, when thinking about his fourth brother fighting alone for the survival and glory of the family, he was hiding under the wings of his fourth brother, living a rich and happy life beside his mother... Later, thanks to his fourth brother, no matter the old officials in the Ministry of War or the generals under the various governors' offices, they would show courtesy to him when they saw him, so that he had never had any setbacks along the way, especially the matter of Jie Ge'er... He could never repay his fourth brother's kindness in his lifetime. For Jin Ge'er, who could make his fourth brother happy, he had a little love and tolerance for him.

Hearing his wife's words, Xu Lingkuan immediately advised his daughter: "A gentleman should not take away what others like. If you like birds, we can raise a mynah bird! Mynah birds have nice voices. There are also parrots, which can talk. Isn't it better than Jing'er's oriole?"

Xin Jie'er had no idea what her father was thinking. She just thought that her father was the same as her mother and would give in when it came to Jing'er's problems.

She immediately burst into tears, feeling wronged: "I want the oriole, I want the oriole..."

"If I say no, then no!" The Fifth Lady knew that Xu Lingkuan loved this eldest daughter the most and doted on her even more than his eldest son, Chen Ge'er. She shouted, "You are the elder sister, how can you take your younger brother's things?" She immediately called Mother Shi in and said, "Take the second young lady back to her room. If she continues to act like this, lock her up in the woodshed and don't let her out."

Every time Xin Jieer did something wrong, the Fifth Lady would threaten Xin Jieer and lock her up in the woodshed. In fact, Xin Jieer had never seen what a woodshed looked like in her life. But the more this happened, the more she felt that it was a very scary place... Her face turned pale and she tightly held Xu Lingkuan's neck: "I won't go, I won't go... Daddy, help! Help!"

The voice was sharp and shrill, and his body was trembling.

Xu Lingkuan couldn't help but frowned and said to Madam Wu, "How can you scare a child like this! She's still young, just talk to her slowly!" Then he patted his daughter on the back and said, "Don't be afraid, Xinjie. Daddy is here. He won't let your mother lock you up in the woodshed!"

Dad is often not at home, so mom has the final say on household matters.

Xu Lingkuan's consolation did not reassure Xin Jie'er. Instead, she hugged her father's neck even tighter: "I don't want to go to the woodshed. I want the oriole..."

If a son is not taught well, it is the father's fault. If a daughter is not taught well, it is the mother's fault. When she was teaching her daughter, Xu Lingkuan, as a father, either avoided her or watched from the side. How could he say such things? Could she just interrupt him when he taught Chen Ge'er in the future?

Thinking of this, Mrs. Wu became angry.

"Fifth Master!" There was a hint of anger between her brows, "Look at her temper... If we continue to give in to her, what will happen in the future..."

Xin Jie'er knew that although everyone in the family was afraid of her father, if her mother spoke to her father with a stern face, her father would listen to her.

She immediately screamed... as if in this way, her father would not be able to hear what her mother was saying, and her request would be fulfilled soon.

The Fifth Lady was so angry that veins popped out at her temples.

Xu Lingkuan looked at his daughter who regarded him as a life-saving magic herb, and then looked at his wife who looked suspicious... He certainly didn't want to make his daughter sad, but it was not his original intention to make his wife unhappy. Thinking of this, he immediately made a decision: "Okay, Daddy will get you an oriole!" As he said this, he touched his daughter's soft black hair.

Sister Xin looked up, surprised and happy: "Daddy..." She looked a little bit unbelievable.

When Xu Lingkuan saw his daughter like this, he felt relieved and said with a smile: "Then you must stop crying!"

Sister Xin nodded repeatedly.

Madam Wu couldn't help but frown: "Master Wu..."

Xu Lingkuan waved his hand at her, signaling her not to say anything more.

The Fifth Lady seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.

Sister Xin was overjoyed.

Xu Lingkuan handed Xin Jie'er to Shi Mama who was standing beside him.

"Go wash your face and comb your hair," he smiled and scratched his daughter's nose. "You look like a little maid. You don't look like the second young lady of our Xu family at all!"

Sister Xin smiled shyly and followed Mother Shi back to her room obediently.

Xu Lingkuan put his arm around his wife's shoulders and went into the inner room.

"The weather is so hot, and you're pregnant, so you have to take care of yourself." He said softly, "Xin Jie'er is immature, don't fight with her. Doesn't she want orioles? We can buy her a pair when the time comes. Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?" He advised her, "Okay, okay, don't be angry. Didn't you say you had a cramp in your legs last night? Are you better today? Otherwise, I'll rub it for you?"

Her husband had already been so humble, and no matter how unhappy Mrs. Wu was, she felt embarrassed to continue to look sullen.

She relaxed her brows and whispered, "It's all my fault... I'm too impatient..."

Xu Lingkuan did not want to blame his wife, and hurriedly said, "It's this weather that makes people irritable." Then he pretended to be calm, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about this. You should sit on the kang. Look, your forehead is covered with sweat..."

The Fifth Lady sat on the kang obediently, but she was thinking about Sister Xin in her heart.

This won’t work!

Even if she is a princess, she can't get whatever she wants... We have to find a way to change her temper!

* * * * * *

Within two days, Xu Lingkuan really bought two orioles that looked exactly like Jing'er.

Sister Xin was so happy when she saw it. She fed the bird herself, took it out for a walk in the morning, and hung it in the study room in the east side of her house at night.

Seeing her daughter so happy, Mrs. Wu swallowed the advice that was about to come out of her mouth.

Let’s wait until my daughter gets tired of playing!

By then, she will definitely be more interested in listening than she is now.

She sighed softly.

A little maid ran in: "Madam, the second young master is back from Le'an!"

Madam Wu nodded and asked He Xiang to help her put on her shoes. She said to Madam Shi beside her, "It looks like Yu'er will take part in this year's college entrance examination. If he passes, he will be the second scholar in the Xu family!"

Mother Shi hurried forward to support her and said, "The second young master is smart and clever, he will definitely pass the imperial examination." She added, "If the second young master has a good future, our brother will also be able to enjoy the shade under the big tree in the future!"

"It's too early to say that!" Madam Wu didn't care. "Relive him, I think it's better to rely on Chen Ge'er's uncle!"

The Prince of Dingnan is also a very loyal and reliable person!

Mother Shi said with a smile: "One more person means one more road!"

The fifth lady smiled, said nothing more, and went to the lady's place.

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O(∩_∩)O~