Xiao Chaihu pursed his lips and lowered his head in the end: "I know, I will go."
In this life, the thing he had the least courage to face was this question.
"What do you really want?"
Every time she asked this, he had no choice but to remain silent, and the price of silence was compromise, there was no other way besides compromise.
"You..." Xin He looked at his unwilling appearance and couldn’t help but feel angry.
She wanted to say something more, but Xiao Chaihu turned around and walked away.
That left Xin He quite annoyed.
As soon as Xiao Chaihu left, Shulan and Xiaoyu came in.
"What’s wrong with the princess?" Xiaoyu quickly brought tea for Xin He to calm her down.
Xin He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said, "This child is becoming more and more difficult to manage. I ask him to go to public school to study, but he is unwilling. When I push him, he reluctantly agrees, but does so with great reluctance, making it seem like I’m forcing him to do something extremely difficult!"
Xiaoyu chuckled: "Perhaps Xiao Chaihu doesn’t love reading that much, so why force him to?"
"He can’t read all right, so how can I force him? Even Mr. Wu said that he’s actually very smart and has a talent for reading, just that he’s been lax these years. Don’t you remember how clever he was as a child? It’s not too late to pick it up now. At the age of 16, why has he settled for a lifetime of running errands for others?" Xin He said with frustration.
Upon hearing Xin He’s words, Xiaoyu didn’t know what to say in response.
Xin He sighed: "Never mind, perhaps it’s just his rebellious phase. Not as well-behaved as Xiao Bei."
Shulan came over and asked, "What is adolescence?"
Xin He poked her forehead with her finger: "It means disobedience."
Shulan nodded with a vague understanding, "Oh~"
’This shows that children who have been obedient since childhood can be harder to manage when they become disobedient. Although Xiao Bei was a bit naughty when he was young and made some small mistakes, he never caused me too much trouble in important matters. As for Nan, this child...’
Xin He rubbed her temples, truly troubled.
"Princess, don’t worry too much. In any case, Xiao Chaihu has agreed, hasn’t he? He may not understand now, but when he goes to public school next spring, he’ll adapt after a while." Xiaoyu comforted.
Xin He thought about it and nodded: "That’s the only way."
In the blink of an eye, the end of the year arrived. During these days, the weather remained bitterly cold, and Xin He would easily become lazy indoors, rarely going out. The annual gifts and various matters related to the end of the year were handed over to Xiaoyu and Shulan to manage, and Xin He enjoyed her rare role as hands-off madam.
The royal mansion was lively on New Year’s Eve, as the princess’s rewards for the end of the year were especially generous this time. Even the lowest-ranking servants received red envelopes with three taels of silver.
Perhaps it was because Yu State had escaped a disaster, but everyone was in high spirits, and the atmosphere in the royal mansion was joyful.
Early in the morning, Ah Guai put on a red jacket and ran in, his face flushed red from the cold wind. The maids and old women behind him ran after him in fear, shouting, "Little Princess, slow down, slow down! Watch out for your feet!"
But Ah Guai continued to run at full speed, crossing the long, winding corridor, stepping through the snowy courtyard, and sprinting all the way to the East Warm Chamber where Xin He usually stayed.
"Mother!"
Xin He was sitting in front of the mirror, combing her hair. Seeing Ah Guai running in like a delighted child, she turned around and lifted Ah Guai into her arms: "Ah Guai, you got up so early today."
Ah Guai happily said, "Today is New Year’s Eve, so of course I have to get up early. I want to go see people setting off firecrackers with Mother. I’ve already inquired, and firecrackers will be set off right outside our mansion at noon today!"
Xin He sat her down on her lap and touched her rosy cheeks with both hands. She laughed and said, "Look at your little face, all red from the cold. You still want to go outside and play?"
The old woman who followed her in fretted that Xin He might blame them and quickly said, "The little princess ran too fast, and with our old bones, we couldn’t keep up. She was dressed warmly before going out."
Xin He just smiled, "It’s okay."
Children needn’t be raised too delicately, or their resistance will be low. It wasn’t a big deal that her little face was red. Although Xin He pampered Ah Guai, she didn’t spoil her to the point of indulgence.
Ah Guai blinked her fan-like eyelashes. "So, has Mother agreed? I want to go with Mother to see the firecrackers."
Xin He pinched her small nose, "I know."
Ah Guai giggled, then suddenly remembered and asked, "Huh, where’s Father?"
Xin He let her down and walked with her to look for him. "Father is practicing his swordsmanship. He should return soon. Let’s go and see."
"Good!" Ah Guai agreed happily.
Since Mu Houchu had been busy with some matters in Yu State recently and was rarely at home, whenever he was home, Ah Guai became particularly happy.
When they arrived at the martial arts practice ground in the eastern courtyard designated for Mu Houchu, they heard the sound of swords cutting through the air even before they got close. The display of internal force was very domineering.
Besides Ling Feng, there were no other servants around, or rather, they did not dare to come close.
The prince was already intimidating enough, and even more so with a sword in hand.
But Ah Guai wasn’t afraid. In her heart, Father was the kindest person in the world. If she saw a stray dog in the street and couldn’t bear to leave it, Father would bring the dog back to the royal mansion for someone to care for. When Ah Guai proudly told others about her father’s kindness, the bystanders would just smile awkwardly...
"Father is awesome!" Ah Guai stood under the eaves and clapped her hands, bouncing up and down with excitement.
Having been aware of their arrival, Mu Houchu simply curved a smile at Ah Guai’s cheer. He spun around and executed another sharp sword dance, accurately striking the withered leaves on the branches and cutting them in half.
"Good!" Ah Guai continued to shout.
Xin He touched her little head with a smile. Ah Guai was a very clever child. Even if she missed Father terribly, she would never make a fuss about wanting to see him. It was precisely because Mu Houchu was often absent that Ah Guai was easily contented, and even standing beside him watching Father practice swordplay gave her immense joy.
"Mother, who is more powerful, you or Father?" Ah Guai raised her little head and asked innocently.
Xin He raised an eyebrow, "We’d have to try to find out."
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