Orondai limped back to the Tong residence and bumped into Tong Guogang at the door.
Tong Guogang stepped out of the sedan chair, looking exhausted.
"Oh dear, which pig demon has come to life? It's covered in purple and blue marks, like it fell into a dye shop?" Tong Guogang's fatigue vanished and he was full of energy when he saw Orondai.
Orondai opened his mouth to curse, but then he saw the white hair at Tong Guogang's temples and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
Suddenly, he realized that his tough and cold-hearted father seemed to have aged.
"I'm too lazy to talk to you, I'm going to find my mother." Orondai swallowed the words he was about to use to argue with Tong Guogang.
Tong Guogang retorted, "You're over thirty years old and still breastfeeding. All you ever do is look for your mother, look for your mother. Your son doesn't even look for his mother anymore!"
Orondai walked quickly with his head down, worried that if he slowed down even a step, he would be unable to resist cursing his father.
Orondai did not go to see Tong Fujin; he returned to his own courtyard and refused to let anyone in.
A person lay in bed, lit calming incense, and fell asleep in no time.
When he woke up, he found his face felt cool.
Orondai raised his hand blankly to wipe his face.
"Master, don't move!" Princess Orondai cried out in a shrill voice.
"What's wrong? Did you put ice on my face? It's so cold." Orondai was still half asleep.
Orondai's wife placed his hand properly and watched him to prevent him from moving around.
“It was Father who invited the imperial physician to examine your pulse and prescribe medicine. The physician said it was just a superficial wound; apart from looking frightening, there was no actual injury,” said Princess Consort Orondai.
“How could Father be so kind? When he saw me at noon, he even mocked me for being a pig demon!” Orondai asked suspiciously, “Fujin, was it Mother who invited the imperial physician for me? Or did you find the doctor for me yourself?”
Orondai's wife laughed and said, "My mother and I don't have that ability. Apart from Father, who else can summon the imperial physician in such a short time?"
"Did the sun rise in the west today, or did pigs climb trees?" Orondai said, his words anything but kind.
If it weren't for the fact that Orondai's face was swollen beyond recognition, Orondai's wife would have really wanted to slap him.
"My lady, is Father good to me?" Orondai's face was covered in bright green ointment, which was quite comical.
Orondai's wife looked at him and said, "Has the master finally had a change of heart? A son like the one who throws tantrums at his father every day would have been punished and made to kneel in the ancestral hall in other families."
“I’ve knelt before too,” Orondai said.
"Kneeling all night with a soft cushion and eating white flour buns?" Lady Orondai mocked.
Orondai pouted and remained silent: "Grandpa will not make Father angry anymore."
Orondai's wife got up and walked to the window. Orondai called to her, "Where are you going?"
"Let me check if it's hailing outside," said Lady Orondai.
“The weather in October is fine, where would it hail? Are you crazy?” Orondai said.
“That’s why it’s so rare, just like my master.” Lady Orondai opened the window; the weather outside was sunny.
"I'm too lazy to talk to you, I'm going to sleep." Orondai couldn't bear to scold his wife.
Lady Orondai smiled, her expression softening considerably: "Alright, I won't be angry with you anymore. The medicine is almost ready. Eat something, drink your medicine, and then go to sleep."
The news that Tong Qinian and Tong Ruita had brutally beaten Orondai did not escape the notice of Emperor Kangxi and Yinreng.
Tong Wanyan naturally knew this as well. After hearing this, she smiled and asked Yinreng with concern whether Orondai was dissatisfied with Tong Qinian and Tong Ruita because of this.
Yinreng said, "Apart from being confused about Tong Guogang and his illegitimate son, Orondai has some sense at other times."
With that, Tong Wanyan was relieved.
"Tong Qinian has acquired two parrots. One is a lovebird, which he gave to Jiarong. The other is a cockatiel, which he asked me to bring to the palace for you." Yinreng clapped his hands, and Deshun brought in a birdcage.
The cockatiel is pure white, with a tuft of pale yellow feathers on its head that makes it look very proud and beautiful. On each cheek near its eyes, there's an orange-yellow dot, like a touch of rouge.
Tong Wanyan fell in love with it at first sight.
Seeing her so happy like a child, Yinreng felt a pang of jealousy, envious of Tong Qinian's ability to please.
He'll send his sweetheart a bird park another day, a park full of beautiful birds, definitely better than this one.
"How about calling him Xuanfeng?" Tong Wanyan teased him enthusiastically.
A parrot that catches Tong Qinian's eye must be extraordinary.
"Beautiful lady, Cockatiel." The cockatiel's beige-colored, pointed beak opened and closed as it chirped merrily.
"She's quite the smooth talker, but thankfully she's female, otherwise I would have had her stewed. Xiao Yan is a good name, it suits her well," said Yinreng.
De Shun handed Tong Wanyan a small bowl containing sunflower seeds, rice, and millet, so that she could easily coax the cockatiel to talk.
Tong Wanyan picked up a sunflower seed and offered it to Xuanfeng.
The happy cockatiel flapped its wings in the cage, looking like a glutton.
"You're always praising me. That's its original name, and I don't know what new name would suit it, so I might as well take a break," Tong Wanyan said.
Yinreng followed Tong Wanyan's example, pinching a grain of rice from the bowl and placing it in front of Xuanfeng's mouth.
Xuanfeng ignored her completely, her large, black eyes fawning over Tong Wanyan.
Although she was female, she liked beautiful women and disliked bald women.
Tong Wanyan deliberately turned her face away, refusing to look at the ignored Yinreng.
"Xiao Yan, is it hostile towards me?" Yinreng asked coquettishly.
Tong Wanyan smiled and said, "Perhaps it's picky and doesn't like to eat rice."
Yinreng thought it over and thought it was a good idea. He was so handsome, how could this female parrot not like him?
"Here, try some sunflower seeds." Tong Wanyan placed a sunflower seed in Yinreng's palm.
The cockatiel became anxious in its cage, jumping up and down, crying out, "Mine! Mine!"
"Oh ho ho, she's quite the possessive one when it comes to food," Yinreng teased.
Xuanfeng glared at Yinreng with its feathers bristling. If it weren't for the birdcage separating them, it would definitely have flown out and pecked at his face.
They stole its beautiful bird and its food! That's too much of a bullying for a bird!
Tong Wanyan scolded, "Don't tease it, it looks so pitiful."
Yinreng ignored him and ate the sunflower seeds himself.
These grains are all clean; it's fine to feed them to parrots or humans.
"Bad guy, this is a bad guy!" Xuanfeng was so angry her voice almost cracked.
The screaming of birds makes it impossible for anyone to guess what Yinreng is doing.
Yinreng was overjoyed to see it so angry that its fur stood on end.
"This is mine, not your beauty. If you keep calling me that, I'll pluck your feathers and stew you." Yinreng said pettily.
The black phoenix stood there staring with its beady black eyes, when suddenly, it swayed and fell to the side.
If it weren't for her chubby belly bulging, she would look almost like she had stopped breathing.
"This bird is really clever; it even knows how to play dead," Yinreng said.
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