I did the math, and a round trip to the capital would take a little over a month, which is definitely enough time.
While Xie Yuancheng was out, I ran straight to the courtyard. Yan'er was there too. I went in and played with them. The little ones have all grown up a bit, and they were even arguing with me about academic matters.
"Mommy~ I want a hug~" Xi Zhi was a little slow to react, wanting me to hold her, "I want a hug~"
Seeing that I wasn't moving, he became so anxious that tears were about to fall. Only then did I stop playing with him and pick him up. Su Ling and Yan'er were doodling nearby, and they would occasionally ask me to help them draw. Running around with them made me feel much more energetic.
"Hahaha~" Xi Zhi would occasionally cause trouble. He just liked to bicker with Su Ling. Looking at their features, they really were twins, quite similar. It's just that Su Ling was more spirited, or maybe Xi Zhi developed a little later.
"You little brother is annoying!" Yan'er huffed, dropping her pen. I picked it up for her, and her little face immediately lit up with a smile as she continued drawing.
Su Ling pulled Xi Zhi to sit beside her, her little hands constantly protecting her mischievous younger brother to prevent him from running around. She really looked like an older sister. She would occasionally glare at Xi Zhi with her cute but fierce eyes, making Xi Zhi tremble and turn around to ask me for a hug.
"You guys are really something, you can put on a show just by playing around in the little courtyard." I squatted down next to Xizhi with my arms and watched, while Suling and Yan'er pinched Xizhi's little face and continued to scribble.
“Madam, I knew you’d be here.” Bizhu returned from Jinglin with a box of pastries that looked familiar. “These were made by my sister. She said she couldn’t come to serve you herself, so she made you Jade Pastries.”
I smelled it and it was very fragrant. It wasn't greasy at all. When Xizhi saw the fragrant pastries, she grabbed them with both hands, and the originally beautiful pastries were completely ruined.
"Xizhi, you've been a bit naughty lately~" I said to him, and he lowered his head to admit his mistake, his cheeks puffed up.
Su Ling and Yan'er each took a pastry and deliberately ate it noisily in front of Xi Zhi, looking very happy, and occasionally making a "hmm" sound.
"It's delicious~ It smells so good! Little brother flipped it wrong, so I won't give you any~" Su Ling started talking to Xi Zhi, whose little head drooped even lower, pouting as he looked at me from time to time.
"Xizhi ruined the snacks, so we can't eat them for now. Mother wants to eat some too." I pinched a little and put it in my mouth, but before I could even eat it, he burst into tears.
"Waaah~ You're so effeminate, I know I was wrong, I won't touch you like that next time~" Xi Zhi cried with a wronged look on his face. Su Ling and Yan'er both propped their faces up and looked at him, their little brows furrowed together.
"Alright, I'll give you a treat since you admitted your mistake, but if you do it again..."
"I won't do it again, Mother~" I don't know who Xizhi learned it from, but when he acts cute, he's even more obedient than little girls. I gave him half a piece of my money.
Xi Zhi immediately stopped crying, holding the Jade Pastry in both hands and eating it in small bites. She smiled at Su Ling and Yan Er from time to time, and even gasped for breath, but she still wanted to keep eating.
Bizhu brought them some warm autumn cheese soup, and the three little ones slurped it down with gusto at first. But their behavior changed after the second sip; they started eating it in small sips, just like Xie Yuancheng when he ate. It was truly a testament to how he had been taught to eat.
"Alright, eat happily, and don't hide anything. Children should eat happily." I was worried that they felt like they were being tortured while eating, so I kindly gave the children a chance to liberate themselves.
"Madam, this is unacceptable! If the Marquis finds out, he will blame us old servants." But the old women were anxious, and I then realized that these were all fixed rules, and if I broke any of them, someone around me would be punished.
"Alright, you can continue as usual, just don't let the nannies punish you." I patted their little heads, and Xizhi looked up at me and smiled. She scooped up a spoonful with her little hand and put it in her mouth, eating very delicately.
I left after coaxing them to sleep, letting Bizhu properly thank Anxiang. I was happy that the children ate happily. When I got back, Xie Yuancheng still hadn't returned. I had already showered and started reading, but I hadn't seen him at all.
Bizhu came in twice to trim the lamp wick. I was half asleep, holding my book, when I heard the sound and quickly opened my eyes. It really was him.
"What time is it? Why are you only getting back now?" I got up to help him undress, and took a sniff of him. "Not bad, you don't smell any different. I'll grant you permission to take a bath."
"You're up so late, you've even learned to check up on people now." Xie Yuancheng deliberately let me smell him to my heart's content. How does he manage to stay so clean? He doesn't have a single trace of body odor!
"You must have done something behind my back, or practiced some evil cultivation technique?"
"You're just talking nonsense. How could I possibly do those things? You're just too weak."
"This isn't normal at all." I leaned in and smelled it again, and Xie Yuancheng even held out his hand for me to smell. "I know, you washed up first before you came!"
"Ying'er~ It's been so long and you only just found out now. It's such a waste that I always used my little tricks to coax you, and you didn't even notice!"
"No wonder it always smells so sweet~" I leaned in and smelled it again. The fragrance started to fade as the day went by, but it would become stronger after he washed.
"Stop smelling it, or I'll blush." Xie Yuancheng put his arm around my shoulder and stood by the bed without moving.
I only just realized that it explains why he often went straight to bed after coming home; he always washed himself thoroughly. I hadn't thought about it at all.
"Why are you ignoring me again? I smell nice after my bath, and Ying'er loves the smell, doesn't she?" I had just lain down a little to make room for him when he started accusing me again!
"I'm just making room for you to sleep. Are you not planning on sleeping?"
"Of course not~ Ying'er is still the best, she even knows to save a seat for me." Despite his rambling, he fell asleep as soon as he lay down. I still had to talk to him about the children, but Xie Yuancheng was sleeping very soundly.
I leaned closer and let him sleep with his head on me. It was still windy outside, so I tucked him in. Touching the dark circles under his eyes, my heart ached. He always just jokes around with me, never really looking at me properly. Holding Xie Yuancheng in my arms as he sleeps, at least I did something worthwhile.
I finally realized that sleeping with my head on someone's shoulder always requires a shoulder massage the next morning; it's so sore. Xie Yuancheng smiled smugly. I asked him to massage my shoulders, and it was truly painful; I couldn't feel them at all.
"That's strange. You've only massaged my shoulders a few times so many times, but why do they hurt so much when it comes to mine?"
“Ying’er, I’m a man, not a girl. My body is much stronger than yours. You’re tall, but you’re frail and thin. You’re just going to be my cushion.”
I regret it. Next time, I won't take the sentimental route. I'll try something I'm good at, and I'll give him a fresh and new feeling.
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