Xiao Yao found that her family had been particularly affectionate and careful with her in recent days, as if they were treating a fragile clay doll.
My grandfather and father were the most exaggerated. As soon as they saw me, they would come over and look me over from head to toe, and then ask the servants about my daily life in detail.
After a few days, even Li Jiaoying and others who also cared about Xiao Yao couldn't help but roll their eyes. How worried are these two! Have you ever thought about our feelings when you are so nervous every day? We are all relatives, okay? Xiao Yao was moved and quickly adjusted her mood and state. As a good child, she should not let her family worry.
Tong Mingyu's search for a little girl went very smoothly. In just three or four days, she found six or seven suitable little girls from her family and the farm. Because her daughter was too young, she took the initiative to choose two of them.
One was five years old, gentle and honest, and was chosen from the farm. Her name was Lotus; the other was slightly older, seven years old, and was the daughter of the head guard Xiao Bing. She was lively and generous, and her name was Xiao Xiaofu.
Tong Mingyu did not change Xiao Xiaofu's name, but changed the name of another child to Xiaohui.
By the time Xiao Yao met the two, the matter had already been finalized. Tong Mingyu hadn't come to ask for her opinion, but had simply told her that from now on, she would have two more little servants. Xiao Yao acted as if she was glad to accept it. What else could she do? Was she being asked to discuss human rights with her own mother, a child not even two years old? Stop kidding.
Tong Mingyu was accompanied by a maid who was about twelve or thirteen years old. She had a pretty face and a somewhat scholarly air.
"Your servant Zhihua greets the eldest lady." Her voice was as clear and melodious as a yellow oriole.
Xiao Yao looked at Tong Mingyu blankly. Her room was becoming more and more lively. Was this a sign of adding another member?
"This girl has a nice voice, doesn't she? Mother picked her for you personally. She used to be a student. From now on, let her stay in your room. When you take a nap or go to bed at night, let her read to you to cheer you up."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a few more books on the table. Xiao Yao glanced at the "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Names" and "Thousand Character Classic". It seemed that she was less than two years old. Was it too early for her mother to start?
Pretending to be ignorant and confused, Xiao Yao looked up at her mother with a look that said, "Please continue."
"Well... only let Zhihua read to you when you are about to go to sleep. At other times, you can do whatever you want." Tong Ming, who felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by his daughter, explained.
That's pretty good. I believe that with such pleasant sounds as my companion, I will fall asleep easily. I have to find a way to get two travel notes to read, no, to listen to.
"Okay!" Xiao Yao agreed happily.
Tong Mingyu, who had originally thought that it would take a lot of effort to explain, did not expect her daughter to be so receptive. She happily called several maids to come forward.
"Serve the young lady well, and you will reap the rewards. If I find out that anyone neglects the young lady, I will punish them according to the family rules."
"Did you understand what Madam said?" Nanny Zhang looked around and asked in a deep voice.
"We understand," the three maids answered in unison.
"The eldest lady is in a delicate condition, so you must be extra attentive to her when you are by her side. If there is anything you cannot decide, go and ask your sister Qiao Yue." Tong Mingyu continued to instruct.
"Yes," the three answered at the same time.
Tong Mingyu carefully explained the things that needed attention, and only left her daughter's room when she could no longer remember anything else to say, leaving time and space for the master and servant to get to know each other.
Tong Mingyu didn't know how her daughter got along with the maids, but the servants around her could see that she was absent-minded. They all thought that she was worried about the young lady, but they didn't know that she was worried about something else.
When Xiao Jingkang returned to Yayuan that night, he noticed that his wife was worried. After washing up, he sat down next to her and asked, "Are you thinking about Ruyi, Ping'an?"
Tong Mingyu swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and turned them into another sentence: "Ruyi has been gone for five or six days now, Ping'an doesn't even care anymore, why are you and father-in-law still so nervous? It was originally a small matter, but you guys are acting like it's a huge deal."
"Is it as exaggerated as you say?" Xiao Jingkang didn't realize that his own performance was exaggerated. Instead, he thought his wife's description was more exaggerated. How could he not feel distressed when he had a daughter in his thirties? If the performance was excessive, it must be the father, not himself.
"I'm afraid that if you two all spoil her and make her become willful and capricious, what will happen then?"
"My daughter will only become more sensible and will never be willful. Are you acting like this because you're worried about her?" Xiao Jingkang felt sorry for his daughter, as she didn't believe him. What a good child! To be suspected of her character, she must be compensated. What kind of compensation should she give?
"It's okay to spoil your daughter, but don't spoil her too much. It's not good for her, it's harmful to her."
"I understand, I understand, I understand, I understand."
Hearing that the words were clearly not in his heart, Tong Mingyu decisively ended the topic.
"After the New Year, Jun and Ping'an will be two years old. I'll leave Jun's care to you. As for Ping'an, I'm going to start looking for needlework and other talents for her. My elder sister will also keep an eye on the scholars. What I'm most worried about is what if my father-in-law teaches her martial arts? Will he discover her illness?"
"You, haha, haha..." Xiao Jingkang laughed out loud. His wife was so funny. No one in the family had ever thought of letting their daughter learn martial arts. Although they were a family of generals, having a son was enough. There was no need to add more daughters.
"Why are you laughing so loudly? Did I say something wrong?"
Seeing that there was no one around, Xiao Jingkang quietly approached his wife and took a peek. Tong Mingyu turned her head and gave her husband a harmless look, which could be interpreted as a coquettish look that only made people feel aroused. Seeing it made Xiao Jingkang feel hot in his heart and his mouth dry.
"If that's the reason, you don't have to worry at all. Even if I wanted Ping An to learn martial arts, my father wouldn't agree. He's been looking forward to having a granddaughter day and night, and he's spoiling her so much that he wouldn't want her to suffer even a little bit."
"That would put my mind at ease. In fact, if Ping An is in good health, I would actually like her to learn martial arts, if for no other reason than to strengthen her body."
"Speaking of Ping'an's health, I want to ask Dr. Sun to come and check Ping'an when my father is not at home. I hope that Ping'an's condition will be better this winter."
"Yeah, I wonder if I can hide it this time."
The couple looked at each other in silence. On one side was their daughter who was tortured by illness, and on the other side was their son who would face punishment if the truth was revealed. Both parents felt sorry for either of them who was wronged.
"Don't think too much, just take a rest." The fire in his heart was also extinguished by reality, so he covered himself with a quilt and chatted!
"In a few days, my second sister-in-law's baby Jiabao will be one month old. I want to go back and see him."
"Take Ping An with you. My father-in-law must be missing his granddaughter."
"Your father-in-law definitely doesn't want to see Ping An right now."
Xiao Jingkang stared at his wife with wide eyes in disbelief, and even put his lips to her forehead. "You don't have a fever! Why are you talking nonsense?"
"Mother said that Jiabao, the son of my second sister-in-law, looked wrinkled. Father was complaining at home that all the essence of the Tong family had been absorbed by Ping An, and now Jiabao has nothing."
"Just say you're jealous of my Ping'an. My second uncle isn't as handsome as me, so naturally his children can't compare to mine. It's no wonder that my Ping'an is the best one." He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Then have you ever thought about what kind of son-in-law you want for Ping'an?" Tong Mingyu asked tentatively, remembering her mother's words.
"My ideal son-in-law is a live-in son-in-law. He just needs to be better looking than my fourth brother, and if he can fight better than my second brother, that's fine. I'll build a small building in the middle of my brothers' courtyards. If Ping'an gets hurt, he can just stand there and shout, and the five brothers and one younger brother will rush over immediately."
What a clever idea! The more Xiao Jingkang thought about it, the more he felt that it was feasible. Mei was so sleepy that he decided to hold his wife's hand and continue fantasizing.
When Tong Mingyu decided to go back to her parents' home, she told her mother not to worry about Ping An, because Ping An was someone that no normal family could afford to offend because she had an abnormal father.
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