Chapter 98098 Living Like This
Chapter 98
Seeing Yi'er standing in front of him, Qi Jingyan pressed his forehead with his backhand and pushed him aside, then looked at Meng Yuning quietly, wanting to see what she would say.
Yi'er was pushed so hard that she fell backwards. She kicked her short legs in the air several times in anger before she scrambled to her feet and threw herself into Meng Yuning's arms, complaining in a wronged voice, "An Ning, look at my brother!"
Meng Yuning glared at Qi Jingyan, then reached out to hug the chubby and cute little guy, coaxing him gently, "Yier, don't be angry. Brother is bad. We won't play with him."
Yi'er hugged An Ning's neck and acted coquettishly: "Then An Ning, will you sleep with Yi'er or with your brother?"
Meng Yuning didn't even think about it and blurted out, "Of course, it's with our baby Yi'er."
When Yi'er heard this, his eyes immediately curved into crescents. He leaned over and gave Meng Yuning a big kiss on the face, saying in a baby voice, "Yi'er loves An Ning the most!"
Meng Yuning laughed heartily at the kiss, and she also kissed the little fellow's chubby cheek twice, saying softly, "A Ning likes Yi'er the most, too."
Yi'er tilted her head and glanced at Qi Jingyan, her face full of pride: "A Ning and Yi'er are sleeping, brother, you sleep alone~"
Meng Yuning also smiled and said, "Yes, yes, Your Highness, please sleep alone."
Qi Jingyan: “…”
After saying this, Yi'er pulled An Ning's sleeve and moved her to the inside of the bed. Then, he leaned into her arms and whispered to her, "An Ning, brother doesn't want Yi'er anymore. Let's ignore him."
Meng Yuning was amused by the little guy's serious and vindictive look, and replied softly, "Okay, let's ignore him."
Yi'er was worried and asked again: "What if, what if brother insists that Yi'er sleep in a separate bed?"
Meng Yuning touched his head and said gently, "Then Ah Ning will stay with Yi'er and let him sleep alone."
Yi'er immediately smiled and raised his chubby little palm. Meng Yuning also cooperated by reaching out to high-five him. The two looked at each other and laughed out loud, as if they were saying "we are in the same group."
Being left out, Qi Jingyan felt like an outsider: "..."
He was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and patted Yier's little butt lightly.
Yi'er cried out "ouch!" after being hit, twisted his round body, covered his little butt, and asked angrily, "Brother, why did you hit Yi'er?"
Meng Yuning also stood up immediately and glared at him dissatisfiedly: "Yeah, Yi'er is fine and has done nothing wrong. Why did you hit the child?"
Qi Jingyan looked at the two pairs of round eyes, one big and one small, full of innocence in front of him, and the phrase "a loving mother often spoils her child" came to his mind. But then he almost laughed out loud at his own thoughts.
He suppressed a smile and shook his head helplessly. Then he flicked his sleeves, extinguished the candle, and lay back on the pillow, saying only two words lightly: "Sleep."
After beating someone for no reason and going to bed without giving any explanation, Yier was so angry that his nose wrinkled and he snorted loudly.
Meng Yuning also hummed to support Yier.
Then the two of them hugged each other tacitly, and moved to the inside of the bed, deliberately keeping a distance from Qi Jingyan, as if to draw a clear line between them.
Qi Jingyan shook his head and laughed, then closed his eyes.
Meng Yuning patted Yi'er's back gently, humming a little tune. Yi'er nestled in her arms peacefully, and soon, he yawned repeatedly, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
Seeing that he was sound asleep, Meng Yuning lowered her voice and called softly, "Your Highness?"
Qi Jingyan turned around and responded in a low voice: "Hmm?"
Meng Yuning asked quietly, "Your Highness, are you really planning to let Yi'er sleep in a separate bed?"
Qi Jingyan turned sideways, facing Meng Yuning, and whispered, "After the New Year, Yi'er will be four years old. He's not little anymore. He can't always sleep with us like this."
Meng Yuning looked down at the little baby curled up in a ball in her arms and retorted disapprovingly, "How can four years old be considered old? Our Yi'er is still a little baby."
Qi Jingyan's tone remained calm, "When I was young, I slept in a room by myself at the age of three."
Meng Yuning heard a hint of boasting in his calm tone and couldn't help but smile. She asked curiously, "Then you won't cry at night?"
Qi Jingyan answered simply: "Of course not."
Meng Yuning hesitated for a moment, then whispered softly, "Then, don't you miss the Queen?"
This was the first time she took the initiative to mention the Queen in front of him. In the past, he himself did not mention it, and no one dared to mention it, for fear of touching on his sad memories.
But ever since he started mourning for the Empress, he would occasionally talk about her, and she always listened quietly. But at this moment, she suddenly wanted to ask him about his childhood.
As soon as she said it, she felt a little regretful. It was late at night and it was almost time to go to bed. Why bother making him sad at this time?
Qi Jingyan instantly sensed An Ning's uneasiness. He reached out and gently lifted a strand of hair from her cheek, tucking it gently behind her ear. His eyes were warm. "It's been so long, I don't remember it clearly, but I remember that every night, mother would do the same thing you do to coax Yi'er now, patting me gently, humming a song, and only leaving when I fell asleep."
After the words were spoken, the two fell silent for a moment, and looked at the sleeping Yi'er at the same time, with pity in their eyes.
If the queen were still alive, Yi'er would probably be gently held in her mother's arms every night and coaxed to sleep.
Meng Yuning lowered her head and placed a kiss on Yier's furry head, then hugged the sleeping little boy tighter in her arms.
Qi Jingyan looked at her quietly, his voice low and a little hoarse: "A Ning, thank you very much."
In his bizarre dreams, An Ning had never appeared.
At that time, Yi'er was taciturn and dull, completely different from the lively and playful person he is now.
Qi Jingyan didn't say what he was thanking him for, but Meng Yuning knew it. She shook her head gently, "Why bother thanking him? Yi'er is so adorable, and it's a great blessing for me that he's willing to let me accompany him."
Qi Jingyan was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "What about me?"
Meng Yuning looked up and asked in confusion, "What about you?"
Qi Jingyan looked into her eyes and said in a softer voice, "What if you meet me?"
Meng Yuning said sincerely, "It is a very happy thing to meet Your Highness."
In the original book, Qi Jingyan always felt that it was because he was too naive and stupid that he fell into the trap of the third prince and aroused the suspicion of Emperor Kangwen.
He blamed himself entirely for the Queen's death, and was consumed by self-blame day and night, having long since despised himself. It was this deep regret that later made him lose the will to live.
So, give him more recognition, and he will be happier.
Looking at the sincere and gentle eyes of the girl in front of him, Qi Jingyan raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and there seemed to be a glimmer in his eyes: "Meeting An Ning is also the greatest blessing of my life."
---
Because of Yi'er's firm opposition and the fact that both the big and the small were united in their hatred of him, Qi Jingyan's plan of sleeping in separate beds had to be put on hold temporarily.
Although it was a bit crowded with three people squeezed into one bed, it was better than him facing the empty and cold bed alone.
The days passed in an orderly manner. Although everyone in the mansion was still wearing plain mourning clothes, as time passed quietly, the initial heavy and suffocating grief gradually faded.
Yi'er's little face was filled with smiles, and he had regained his usual lively and active self. Even Qi Jingyan's brows, which were often slightly frowned, had unconsciously relaxed and smoothed out.
Every day, Yi'er would still hold his brother's hand with one hand and An Ning's hand with the other, and go to the queen's spirit tablet to talk to their mother.
He reported every detail of the day's interesting events, including what he ate and played, chattering away like a cheerful little bird.
Qi Jingyan always stayed by his side silently, mostly just listening and rarely speaking.
Yi'er pushed him several times, asking him to say something, but he just pursed his lips and said nothing, which made the little guy turn around angrily and pull An Ning, asking her to talk to the queen.
To appease Yi'er, Meng Yuning solemnly reported to the tablet what dishes were cooked today. His Highness had an extra bowl of soup, and Yi'er had obediently eaten the vegetables...
They tell about the trivial and warm daily life to the person they both miss.
As time went by, she actually felt closer to the Empress. Whenever she came before the tablet, she would open her mouth spontaneously and tell the Empress in detail about the interesting things that had happened recently, without Yi'er's reminder.
Sometimes she would get so excited talking that even Yi'er couldn't get a word in. The little guy would tug at her sleeve anxiously, and finally stand on tiptoe, covering her mouth with his soft little hands, and anxiously say, "An Ning, please speak slower, let Yi'er talk to Mommy too!"
Every time at this time, Qi Jingyan, who was standing quietly aside, could not help but raise the corners of his lips slightly, with a smile in his eyes, quietly watching the two of them vying to talk to the queen.
By the end of October, everyone in the palace had been in mourning for the Empress for three months. Qi Jingyan ordered the white lanterns hanging everywhere to be removed and replaced with ordinary lamps.
He ordered everyone to resume their normal diet, and Yi'er and Meng Yuning no longer had to be vegetarians. However, he himself insisted on being a vegetarian, stating that he would complete the "three years of mourning" for the Queen, which was a full twenty-seven months.
Seeing that he looked calm and everything was as usual, everyone in the mansion followed his orders.
The person is gone, and the living are like this.
The days passed slowly like a deep stream. Meng Yuning watched the two brothers slowly come out of their sadness and felt happy for them.
She is now devoted to fattening up Yier every day, and always cooks delicious food for Yier in different ways. Yier is also very "competitive", and his little face has become visibly rounder, and he is becoming more white, tender and lovely.
Meng Yuning saw that Qi Jingyan had lost a lot of weight in the past few months, and wanted to feed him back some weight.
However, he was extremely self-disciplined. Even with the delicious vegetarian food she carefully prepared, he would only eat until he was 80% full, and then put down his chopsticks and stopped eating. After several times, Meng Yuning just let him go and stopped trying to persuade him.
The end of the year is here in the blink of an eye.
However, Meng Yuning never received a single word from Cai Yuezhao.
Because Qi Jingyan's current situation was sensitive, although she missed Sister Zhao, she didn't dare to write a letter rashly, for fear of causing trouble.
That day, she was sitting in front of her dressing table, looking at the jade bracelet that Sister Zhao had forced upon her. She was lost in thought and sighing secretly when she suddenly heard Mu Feng's brisk and loud announcement from outside the door: "Miss Meng, His Highness has specially sent me to deliver a message. Miss Cai is on her way and will be at the city gate this afternoon!"
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