Time passed by little by little as Jiaming taught Hongjing, played with Hongjing, practiced the guzheng, slept, ate, and occasionally cooked. Soon, Hongxuan's next day off arrived.
In the afternoon, after finishing his riding and archery lessons, he walked back to Peach Courtyard from the front courtyard with his personal eunuch, Little Li, followed by two other eunuchs, and carrying the little trinkets he had specially prepared for his younger brother.
In the Peach Blossom Courtyard, in the pavilion with its fluttering gauze curtains, Jiaming was earnestly playing the guzheng. Hongtao and the others, who were serving her, listened attentively. It was clear that Jiaming's guzheng skills had improved significantly; at least, they were now pleasing to the ear.
However, what might be heard by others was not heard by the little guy Hongjing.
The little guy Hongjing sat on the stool, scratching his head and fidgeting.
Jiaming finished playing her song and, seeing his expression, felt depressed.
"What's wrong? Is your mother's guzheng playing so unpleasant to your ears that it makes you restless?"
Meeting his mother's dangerous gaze, Xiao Hongjing straightened up and, with a strong survival instinct, said, "No, it's not like that, Mother. Jing'er misses his brother. He wants to see if his brother has arrived yet."
He had gotten used to his older brother coming back every now and then, and ever since he learned to count, he knew for sure that today was the day his fourth brother would be back.
Upon hearing this, Jiaming's mood immediately improved, and she smiled and said, "Soon, you'll be able to see him soon."
"Really?" Although the little guy asked in a questioning tone, he was still very certain of his mother's answer.
Firstly, his mother usually wouldn't lie to him about this. Secondly, he was already quite good at telling time. Moreover, he opened the pocket watch in his pocket, glanced at the time, and yes, that was right; his fourth brother usually came back around this time.
"The Fourth Prince is back!" In the pavilion, Hongtao, with her sharpest eyes, immediately exclaimed upon noticing.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongjing jumped off the stool, stood up, clutched his pocket watch, and with joy in his eyes, rushed out of the pavilion and ran towards Hongxuan.
In the pavilion, Jiaming stood up, watching the heartwarming scene of the two brothers reuniting, a smile spreading across her face.
After the two children returned to the pavilion, Jiaming first put her arm around Hongxuan and casually took his pulse, asking about his recent situation as she did so.
Hongxuan cooperated, not caring much as his mother took his pulse, and with a warm smile on his face, he carefully described his recent situation.
After Jiaming found that there was no problem and that he was healthy, she casually let go of Hongxuan's hand and then let him sit down beside her.
Without Jiaming's prompting, Hongtao and Lüliu, one pouring tea and the other bringing over snacks, placed them in front of Hongxuan. Of course, Hongjing's snacks were also included.
Seeing that his mother was only talking to his fourth brother and ignoring him, Hongjing didn't get jealous or throw a tantrum. He obediently sat down next to his brother Hongxuan and ate a pastry like a little squirrel.
While eating, he listened attentively to his fourth brother telling him about his recent situation. He was happy when he heard something he could understand, and when he heard something he didn't understand, he looked at his brother with admiration. "Wow, my brother is so amazing. He knows so many things that I don't know."
It doesn't matter if I don't understand anything, because my brother said I can ask him if I don't understand. Hmm, that way, I can talk to my brother a lot and learn a lot more.
Then, hehe, at night, I can sleep with my brother and whisper secrets to him.
When he heard that his brother also had things he didn't understand, Hongjing didn't think his brother was bad at all. On the contrary, he thought his brother was very good at asking questions and trying to solve problems.
Because my mother also taught me that if you don't understand something, you should find a way to solve it, instead of leaving it unresolved.
Many people can't do it; instead, they pretend to know what they don't, and that's not good.
Hmm, my brother isn't that kind of person, so he's a good person.
Well, anyway, Mother said that if I continue like this, I will understand more. My brother is doing the right thing, and I should be like him.
Hongxuan and Jiaming chatted for about fifteen minutes before stopping. Hongxuan picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and glanced at the pastries on the plate, which were his favorites.
I immediately picked up a piece, took a bite, and found it delicious; it was clearly made by my mother.
Hongxuan felt warm inside. Every time he came back, he could eat the snacks that his mother had prepared herself. He happily took another bite, then two bites... and soon, a piece of snack was gone.
"If you like it, eat more. What else do you like to eat? I'll make more for you to take back to the front yard tomorrow."
Hongxuan smiled at Jiaming and said, "Mother, I like everything you make."
"You," Jiaming gently tapped Hongxuan's forehead, speechless, "Don't say you like everything just to please your mother. Don't make anything you don't like, or you won't be allowed to complain later."
"We won't mind." With that, Hongxuan put his arm around his younger brother Hongjing, who was sitting next to him, and asked him, "Right, Fifth Brother? Mother's cooking is delicious, we all like it?"
Xiao Hongjing swallowed the food in his mouth, looked at his fourth brother with bright eyes, and answered loudly, "Yes! They're all delicious, I like them all."
Hearing his younger brother's loud reply and looking at his rosy complexion, chubby little face and hands, Hongxuan suddenly seemed to think of something, momentarily lost in thought, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.
"Fourth Brother, you eat."
Pulled back to his senses by his younger brother's sweet voice, Hongxuan casually took the snacks his brother handed him. He ate the snacks while watching his brother eat them like a little hamster, noticing how well he ate.
With his free hand, he tightly embraced his younger brother's milky body, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes. As he swallowed the snack in his mouth, he unconsciously murmured, "Luckily, my brother is healthy, unlike his older brother."
The little murmur was heard by little Hongjing, who was leaning against Hongxuan, and his ears were sharp.
He chewed rapidly a few times, swallowed the food in his mouth, looked up at his fourth brother, and asked, "Big brother? You're pale and thin?"
Hongxuan nodded, his expression suddenly turning gloomy. "That's right, that's my eldest brother."
Xiao Hongjing blurted out, "Big brother eats a lot, so his face is red and he's chubby, um, he's not thin anymore."
Looking at Hongxuan's expression and recalling the recent news, Jiaming understood immediately that the eldest prince was sick again and Hongxuan was worried about him.
She didn't interrupt. Seeing the two brothers embracing each other intimately and talking, she simply sat quietly to the side, eating snacks, drinking tea, and listening to them talk.
Hongxuan shook his head, his expression grave. "My brother isn't like that because he's not eating well; he's sick." And something's very wrong with him; he's always sick. Sometimes, he even suspects that his brother might have caught something.
Thinking of this, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, his gaze turning dark and intense. In that instant, he resembled the enraged Fourth Master.
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