After washing up and changing into clean clothes, I urged Xie Yuancheng to hurry up and go out so I could go play with the children in the courtyard.
"Ying'er, don't leave the courtyard. Everything is provided inside. There's no need to come out."
"Okay, okay, you're such a nag." I walked him to the end of the corridor before going to the small courtyard to play with the little ones.
Yan'er saw me first, and skipped over to hug my leg, stretching out her little arms for a hug. I picked her up. Yan'er is about a year younger than Yu'er, but she still speaks steadily.
"Aunt, you haven't come to see us in so long." Yan'er complained first, then happily pointed to the small area where Xi Zhi and the others were, inviting me to come and play.
There were many small round balls made of embroidered fabric, filled with cotton, which were soft and pretty. Xi Zhi and Su Ling hugged the balls tightly, and Yan Er led them to play on the small slide next to them after they went down.
I caught them below. Although there were many small cotton balls laid out, the ground was cold, and the fragrant wood wasn't warm enough. They laughed uncontrollably. Xi Zhi leaned against me, turning her little head to look around from time to time. We waited for Su Ling to come down before following her up.
"Be careful, don't run too fast~" Their short legs are fast, but Yu'er is even faster. If he were here, all these little toys would be torn apart.
When Xizhi has nothing to do, he sits on the little wooden horse next to him. It has a soft cushion on it, and he always wants me to pick him up and let him watch me ring the bell for him before he will smile.
"Madam, please have some snacks. Playing with the young masters and the others is very tiring."
Bizhu brought over tea and snacks. I had too much to do today and had no appetite. The nannies rarely get a break, so I told them to go about their business so they could focus on taking care of the children.
"These little ones are so cute, I can never look at them enough, but they're a problem when they start crying."
I had only taken a few sips of tea when Su Ling and Yan'er started fighting inside the sphere. Just as I was about to try to break them up, they put their arms around each other and went up to sit on the slide.
"These two little ones really did fight and then make up." I went over to check on them and found they hadn't bumped or hurt themselves.
Children are not strong, and they just had a little argument. When I saw many little girls and boys who were only a few years old, I felt so sorry for them, especially the little girls. If the adults had treated them better, they wouldn't have turned bad.
Some time ago, I developed a strong aversion to children, especially little girls over three years old. They were too clever when they appeared, even more capable than adults, and didn't need to be taught.
Now, when I play with my own children, I've regained a little compassion for the weak, and I hope that all children can receive care from their families and be taught well to succeed.
After playing with them for a while, only an hour later, Yan'er started to feel sleepy, while Xi Zhi and Su Ling followed behind her, yawning. Three nannies came over and carried them out; it was time to bathe them and lull them to sleep.
I haven't bathed them in a long time. They've all grown up a bit, so they don't fuss much during bath time. They're so happy that their eyes are practically slits. Their rooms all have small hot springs, so it's not cold when they bathe in them. They can't bathe for too long each day; just a quick scrub is enough.
“Xizhi, you’re being naughty now, you’re even bullying your older sisters~” I picked Xizhi up first, and he reached out his little hand to grab Su Ling’s hair.
"Mommy~ Hehe~" He just smiled at me. I taught him not to grab his sisters' hair, but the little guy pretended to be stupid. I was about to put him down when he finally nodded in agreement.
"That's my good son! From now on, you're a little man, so you have to protect your sisters!"
It's probably a miracle that Xi Zhi can understand, but he still nodded. He looked so adorable that I couldn't help but kiss him several times. Putting them to sleep is easy too; they like to walk around with their little pillows and blankets, just like Yu'er.
They are all still young and have their own small beds. I went to three small rooms and only felt relieved when I saw that they were asleep. The way they slept under their little blankets was really endearing.
"Madam, please go back first. The young master and the others won't wake up until tomorrow," said Granny Su softly. Taking care of the children is not easy for them.
"Do they wake up in the middle of the night?" I heard from my mother that Yu'er and the other two children at the Ji residence would wake up in the middle of the night.
"They wake up less now because they are still young and need to sleep more. They should go to bed on time and develop this habit, which will be good for them."
The three nannies told me about things to pay attention to when teaching the children. No wonder Li Ruowei paid a high price to hire them; they were truly dedicated. I took one last look at their sleeping faces and then went back to my courtyard.
Xie Yuancheng, that jinx, was absolutely right. He only agreed to let me come over and play with the little ones because he knew exactly when they were going to sleep.
Playing with children is physically demanding, and older people can't handle it. I felt tired after just over an hour with them.
When I returned to the courtyard, Xie Yuancheng had not yet come out. I wondered how long they would interrogate him. I was still sweaty from my recent shower, so I took another soak before coming out.
"Aren't you coming back yet!" I opened the door and asked Bizhu, "Bizhu, go and ask around."
"Madam, this is unacceptable. If the Marquis and the eldest daughter find out, I will be punished."
When Bizhu heard that she was to inquire about something, she quickly shook her head. There was nothing I could do but go back and wait. I went to the table to look at Xie Yuancheng's notes and tried to imitate his handwriting.
It's autumn now, and it gets chilly at night without an outer coat. I was writing happily when the papers in my hand were snatched away.
"Well done, Ying'er, your calligraphy has improved." Xie Yuancheng looked at me seriously, rarely praising me like this.
"It's because your handwriting is so beautiful that I can imitate it so well." I tried to grab it back, but he slapped my hand away. I could only rub my hand and ask him, "Are you taking a break now, or are you back to sleep?"
"There is no such thing as a break in the middle. I'll teach you later. When I first came to Linyang, you even cried when I taught you. You're obviously an incompetent person."
"I had something on my mind. I was just expressing my feelings. Women are very sensitive. You'll never know what I was thinking at that moment."
"I'll find out soon enough." Xie Yuancheng came over, picked me up, and carried me back. He just wanted to interrogate me. Anyway, if I didn't tell him, he wouldn't know.
"Haha, you, you let go, I, I can't take it anymore." This bastard is tickling me again. He learned this trick after I used it last time.
"How is it? If you tell me, I can consider it."
"Hmph! I won't tell you!" I said indignantly, but Xie Yuancheng is cunning. I should have known better than to say that. In the end, he still overheard me.
This guy was smug for several days, always smiling at everyone he met. Li Ruowei asked me several times, worried that Xie Yuancheng was being stimulated or under too much pressure.
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