For the next three months, the Prince's Mansion became a research and development center for scam props. Kengkeng stole Shen Weiwan's croton powder while she was napping, claiming it was for a "scam-proof diaper," promising to make scammers poop every time they held her. Wawa hid her rouge in a croton jar, threatening to paint her sister a "scam-proof red cheek," claiming the brighter the red, the more likely it would scare off bad guys. While Shen Weiwan, tormented by morning sickness and unable to eat, chased the two little brats to clean up their mess, Xiao Yu would watch the fun from the corridor on a bamboo stool, acting like a hands-off boss, occasionally offering criticism like, "That croton powder isn't spread evenly enough."
On the day of the birth, the cries and screams in the delivery room startled the croton flowers in the yard. Shen Weiwan was in excruciating pain, her nails digging into Xiao Yu's palms, and the croton fields outside the delivery room trembled. Xiao Yu was so anxious outside that he almost pulled out all the croton saplings, while Keng Keng and Wawa squatted in the corner, conspiring, their little heads huddled together:
"After the younger brother and sister come out, should we feed them some diluted croton powder milk first?" Kenkeng asked through the crack in the door, his little face full of anticipation.
"No!" Wa Wa pulled his ear, her braid sweeping across his face. "Mom said croton powder is too spicy and will make my sister cry! Use itching powder to rub the soles of his feet. I guarantee he'll laugh until his whole body shakes!"
As she spoke, a loud cry echoed from the delivery room, like a croton firecracker exploding. Chuntao lifted the door curtain with a face full of joy, the croton flower hairpin at her temples tilted askew: "Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Princess! A little princess has been born, weighing 15 pounds, white and plump, like a New Year's picture doll!"
When Xiao Yu rushed into the delivery room, he almost knocked over the medicine cabinet. Kenken and Wawa wanted to follow him in, but Chuntao grabbed their collars and stopped them: "Go away, kids, don't go in and make trouble, or you'll scare the little princess!"
Half an hour later, Shen Weiwan leaned against the quilt, looking at the baby in Xiao Yu's arms. Its curved eyebrows and eyes looked very much like his, but its nose was tilted like hers. Kengkeng and Wawa lay on the edge of the bed, their little noses almost touching the crib, curiously examining the wrinkled little life.
"She is so small, like a dough." Wa Wa whispered, extending his finger halfway and then retracting it, for fear of hurting his sister.
Kengkeng's eyes lit up, and he suddenly spoke to the crib, "Sister, I'll teach you how to use croton powder to trick people from now on, okay? I promise it'll be even better than what mom taught me!"
"Stinky boy!" Shen Weiwan glared at him unhappily, but couldn't help laughing. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you into the croton field to feed the bugs!"
Xiao Yu smiled and smoothed things over, ruffling Kangkang's hair: "Alright, alright, let me rest for a while. Where's your meeting gift? Take it out and let me see it."
Kengkeng and Wawa looked at each other and pulled out two cloth bags. In Kengkeng's was a swaddling cloth embroidered with crooked croton flowers, the stitching crooked, obviously stolen from Chen Weiwan's embroidery frame; in Wawa's was a small rattle, the surface of the drum covered in white powder that fell off when shaken.
"This is a scam-proof swaddle!" Kengkeng explained proudly, pointing to the edge of the swaddle with his little hand. "There's three stitches of itching powder sewn inside. If a scammer holds it, they'll itch and roll around on the floor!"
Wawa raised the rattle, sweeping the red string from her braid across the drum. "This is a scam-proof rattle. When you shake it, it spreads croton powder, making the scammers cough. It's more powerful than my mother's laxative tea!"
Shen Weiwan looked at the two "anti-fraud" gifts, feeling both amused and embarrassed. Xiao Yu nodded, took the rattle, and shook it, letting the croton powder fall onto the quilt. "Yes, it's a true legacy from your mother. But my sister is still young, so I'll leave the gift with Dad for now. She can use it when she's older and can run and jump."
Although disappointed, Kengkeng and Wawa still obeyed, but there was a hint of "untapped" in their eyes when they looked at their younger sister. From then on, the prince's mansion had a delicate little princess, and Shen Weiwan's life completely became a battlefield of "pitting the child and fighting the pitting child."
One afternoon, Shen Weiwan woke from a nap to find the princess's velvet quilt dotted with white powder. She caught him hiding behind a pillar, his clothes stained with itching powder, and said, "Good job! You've sprinkled itching powder on your sister's quilt again!"
The little princess was tickled so hard that she started crying. Her face was wrinkled into a small dumpling. She was so scared that she hid behind Xiao Yu, twisting the corner of her clothes with her fingers: "I, I just peed a little bit... I wanted to see if my sister would laugh..."
Xiao Yu smiled and took Shen Weiwan into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head: "Okay, okay, I'll go teach him a lesson. But to be honest, watching them quarrel, I feel at ease."
Shen Weiwan watched as Keng Keng wiped his sister's tears with his handkerchief and clumsily shook the anti-fraud rattle to coax her. Although the little princess' face was red from crying, she still reached out her little hand to grasp her brother's fingers. She suddenly felt that this was the happiness she had exchanged for all the suffering in her previous life. It was noisy, but warm like a freshly baked croton cake.
In the stillness of the night, Shen Weiwan looked at Xiao Yu, who slept soundly beside her. His brows were relaxed, a smile playing on his lips. In the small bed beside her, the little princess slept peacefully, like a soft ball of powder. Keng Keng and Wawa were dozing beside the bed, their little hands still holding their sister's swaddling clothes. On the table lay the itching powder packet that Keng Keng hadn't hidden properly. The moonlight sprinkled on the powder like a handful of broken diamonds.
She knew that in the days ahead, these two little bastards would inevitably find ways to trick their sister. Maybe tomorrow they would sprinkle croton powder in her cradle or make her wear shoes with itching powder sewn in. But she wasn't worried at all. After all, she, Shen Weiwan, was best at digging holes in her life, and now, her holes were filled with the warmest happiness.
The croton fields outside the window rustled as the night wind blew, like a lullaby about traps and love. And the story of the Prince's Mansion, like the endless supply of croton powder, continued to write its own legend amidst the absurdity and warmth. As for what kind of traps these traps would bring upon my sister in the future? Shen Weiwan yawned and gently covered herself with the quilt: "Who cares? This princess's child will grow up through traps, and maybe even become a better trapper than me."
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