Seeing the reinforcements coming, several children hiding in various places appeared one after another.
General Xiao held Xiao Yuan in one hand and Xiao Yao in the other. He glanced between his two granddaughters and asked, "Did your fourth uncle bully you? You don't have to be afraid of him with your grandfather here."
"Dad, there has to be a limit to partiality." Xiao Jingyan protested.
Xiao Rui approached his brothers and whispered to them, briefly describing what had happened. Not only Xiao Lang and Xiao Yi, but even the usually serious Xiao Yang's lips curled up slightly.
Ping An was naughty again. No wonder she hid. The brothers were curious about how their sister came up with such a bizarre idea. Her ideas were always different from others, and her actions were often unexpected. Her actions were really hard to understand!
"Fourth brother, how about I use a piece of information to exchange for my son, daughter, nephew and niece to get away with it safely?" Xiao Jingkang knew without asking that his daughter must have done something bad again. Seeing the aggrieved look on his fourth brother's face, he appeared calm on the surface, but he was secretly happy in his heart.
"Tell me first." He wanted to get rid of a group of naughty kids with just one piece of news. He was really at a disadvantage.
"Miss Yu will be getting married soon, and she will be marrying far away. She probably won't come back to Kyoto in the future." Xiao Jingkang revealed this fresh news to his family.
Everyone who heard the news was surprised. Xiao Jingyan and Xiao Yao thought at the same time that the days of anxiety were finally over!
Xiao Jingyan secretly felt regretful. If only the news had been spread earlier, he might not have had to follow King Jing to the northwest.
Now that I am about to leave, it is impossible to regret it. Sigh! Maybe this is fate!
"I wonder where Miss Yu will marry? If she goes to the northwest, maybe she can go with Fourth Uncle!" Xiao Rui guessed with his hand supporting his chin.
Xiao Jingkang called all the children except Xiao Rui to his side. As for the one who insisted on asking to be beaten, he no longer cared about him. He just hoped that his fourth brother would be gentler and not cripple him.
Xiao Yao covered her eyes with her hands, thinking: Fourth Brother, if you don't get beaten twice a day, can't you sleep at night? Seeing the two figures running out one after another, and the sound of howling like pigs being slaughtered outside, Xiao Yao couldn't feel any sympathy for her fourth brother.
After a long while, Xiao Jingyan walked into everyone's sight again carrying Xiao Rui. One of them was still elegant, while the other one was frowning and rubbing his butt.
"You deserve it!" Xiao Yuan whispered in Xiao Yao's ear.
Xiao Yao thought to herself: "He's your brother, after all. Even if you're pretending, you should at least act distressed and offer a few words of comfort. That's what a younger sister should do." But you're the first to gloat over his misfortune. No wonder your relationship doesn't resemble siblings, but rather enemies.
After playing and making noise, General Xiao asked about his youngest son's travel preparations after everyone calmed down. He felt both distressed and helpless towards his wife. After thinking it over, he said, "Give Xiao Si some spare clothes and daily necessities. When he leaves, he will only be allowed one person, one carriage, and a few attendants. You can decide. If he still needs several carriages when he leaves, I will have no choice but to accompany him to apologize to King Jing."
"Why is this?" Qin asked.
"Your son is just a small accompanying official, but you treat him as if he were traveling with a prince. Besides making people think he is unruly, do you think the prince will be happy?" General Xiao explained, holding back his anger.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." If you are not allowed to bring anything, then don't bring it. It's okay to prepare some more banknotes for your son. It is both economical and does not take up space. Let's see why you are still objecting.
After Xiao Jingyan's problem was solved, the Princess of Jing's mansion's birthday was approaching, and new clothes and jewelry were placed before everyone. The two sisters each made three sets of clothes, and a box was filled with various pearl flowers.
"Second Aunt, this is too much! We are going to a banquet, not a beauty contest. Why do we need so many clothes and jewelry?" "Are we going to a beauty pageant? But they are too young!" Xiao Yao asked, looking at the things in front of her.
"Women... girls don't complain about having too many clothes. Go and try them on quickly. While there is still time, change any parts that don't fit." Li Jiaoying urged.
"Go change into new clothes, grandma wants to see them too." Qin also liked to dress her granddaughter up like flowers. There were only two girls in the family, so they always wore and used the best.
Xiao Yao chose a relatively ordinary piece of clothing from her own and went to the inner room to change. Xiao Hui wanted to comb her hair again and put on new pearl flowers for her, but Xiao Yao refused.
"Just change your clothes. We can worry about the hair and beads when we go to the banquet."
"Yes." Xiaohui noticed that the young lady seemed to have no interest in the upcoming party, so she didn't dare to say anything. Although the young lady had a good temper on weekdays, she would always find ways to refuse things she didn't want to do.
After changing their clothes, Xiao Yao and Xiao Yuan stood in front of their grandmother and second aunt Li Jiaoying again.
Xiao Yao was languid, clearly trying to go through the motions. Xiao Yuan complained about the sleeves being too long, the hem of her skirt getting in the way. Qin and Li Jiaoying couldn't help but sigh. How rare was it to get the chance to attend the princess' birthday banquet at the palace? Others would probably beg for it but their two children didn't care at all, as if going or not didn't matter at all.
"When you go to the palace, behave yourself and get along well with the princess. It would be great if Nanny Ruan could agree to accompany you." Qin was already worried about the two children going to the banquet alone, and after seeing their attitude today, she felt even more uneasy. It was a pity that the adults in the family were not invited and could not accompany their granddaughters. If Nanny Ruan could go, she would not have to worry.
Later, during a casual chat with Xiao Yao, Nanny Ruan mentioned that if the two sisters were afraid, she could go with them.
"Don't bother you, I can definitely handle it. The princess said she won't invite too many people, and the cousins from the Yuan family will be there too, so you don't have to worry." It didn't make sense for the master to accompany his disciple everywhere. Besides, the master had to teach him, and prepare medicated food, medicated baths, and acupuncture. He would be very busy every day. When he went to the palace villa, the master could take a chance to take a break.
Oh, it turns out that I am such a filial and sensible child. It is so touching. Xiao Yao shook her head in self-satisfaction.
"What are you thinking about, kid?" Nanny Ruan smiled and glared at Xiao Yao. Her disciple had endless little thoughts in her mind, and you never knew when she would be naughty or mischievous.
In the past, Nanny Ruan would never have allowed someone she taught to behave so recklessly. But now, perhaps because she was older, she no longer had such a competitive spirit. Perhaps it was because the Xiao family's expectations for their children were completely different from those of most officials' families, which made her relax her expectations and lower her standards. Perhaps she had subconsciously hoped for a free and unrestrained life like Xiao Yao's, but for various reasons, it was impossible to achieve it, so she deliberately indulged...
Nanny Ruan's standards, demands, and nitpicking had been repeatedly lowered and modified by Xiao Yao, and she was afraid that one day she would lose all principles. But she loved her current life. Every day she was busy and worried about this child, watching the little girl smile, study, and even playful and naughty, and she was very willing to continue like this.
However, there is one thing that even Nanny Ruan herself has to admit, that Xiao Yao is definitely an obedient and serious student when studying. Apart from occasionally bargaining with her on learning tasks, there is really nothing to complain about. For this reason, Nanny Ruan is willing to indulge her a little.
"You've noticed this. We, master and disciple, are becoming more and more in tune with each other."
"Then tell me." The flattery became smoother and smoother. This kid was like two different people in front of his own people and in front of others.
"I think bathing with just milk leaves me with too much of a milky smell. Can you add some flower petals, preferably flower juice?" "Master, I've been thinking about using perfume for a long time. It would be great if we could collaborate on this. If it works, I'll no longer be a "milky baby" anymore. I want to be a fragrant girl."
"Originally, Master thought that you wouldn't need it until you were ten years old. Since you mentioned it today, I'll move up the plan."
"What plan?"
"Did you know? Medicinal baths can do more than just treat illnesses. They can also strengthen men's physiques and make women more beautiful and fragrant."
The master probably meant that a medicinal bath could improve skin quality and remove body odor. I never thought there really was a way to change your body odor. The wisdom of the ancients is truly admirable!
"Which scent do you like?"
"The scent of jasmine is very nice, as long as it is light and not too strong." It would be best if there was lavender, but unfortunately, I haven't heard of it so far.
"Master understands. In a few days you will get what you want."
"Thank you, Master. Can I learn how to make spices and medicinal dishes from you in the future?"
"Why do you want to learn these?" Since she was willing to let her call her Master, it meant that she accepted her as a disciple. As long as she wanted to learn, she would certainly not be stingy. Nanny Ruan just wanted to hear her reasons.
"If I learn how to make spices, I can make things that suit my taste and give them to my family and friends. If I learn how to make medicinal food, I will make it for my grandparents, parents, master, and all my relatives. Most importantly, if I can do it, you won't have to work so hard."
"That sounds very nice." Nanny Ruan smiled. She believed Xiao Yao's words because the child in front of her had clear eyes and did not dodge at all.
"Master, you can try to learn. If you are suitable for this, Master will naturally not object. But we must make it clear that there are some exclusive secret recipes that can only be learned by you and cannot be passed on to others."
"I promise you, can I let others use what I make?"
"Of course you can."
"Thank you, Master." Xiao Yao thanked Nanny Ruan from the bottom of her heart.
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