In late spring and early summer, pavilions and towers appear and disappear beneath the shade of emerald green branches. In the garden, the red pomegranates and osmanthus are fragrant, jasmine and hibiscus are in full bloom, and in the pond, koi fish swim leisurely and lotus leaves are emerald green.
At Qingyuan, however, a scene of bustle and activity unfolded. Second Madam Li Jiaoying, normally a delicate woman, wept until her voice was hoarse. Qin and Tong Mingyu, sweating profusely, tried to comfort and console her. Tong Mingyu honestly felt she hadn't been as exhausted as she was now, even after giving birth to the twins. Just as everyone was about to collapse from exhaustion, Li Jiaoying gave birth at noon to a boy weighing eight pounds, the Sixth Young Master of the Xiao family.
"Woo, woo..." Crying sounds came from the delivery room.
"The child is already born, why are you still crying!" Only Qin has a good temper. In other families, no daughter-in-law would dare to do this and would have to be coaxed by her mother-in-law. Xiao Jingtai glanced at his son and said awkwardly, "I'll go and take a look."
Li Jiaoying's wet nurse in the room was extremely anxious. When she saw her son-in-law come in, she breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart. Then she felt a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
"You guys go out first." After Xiao Jingtai sent them out, he sat down on the bed and whispered, "Don't think about anything. Get some sleep and don't cry anymore. Your son is so adorable. If she knew you cried like this after giving birth to him, she would definitely be sad."
"No, I feel sad for Alang." Li Jiaoying was a little incoherent. Of course she liked her son, but what about her other son?
"Believe me, I won't let Alang marry the girl from the Fang family. Be good and get some sleep."
"Alang is not allowed to marry Miss Fang." Li Jiaoying said softly. She was afraid that her mother-in-law had not left and would be unhappy if she heard about it.
"I promise you, don't worry, don't worry." Xiao Jingtai wiped the sweat from her forehead, carefully and gently.
"But, okay, you promised me, don't forget, I'm sleepy, let me take a nap." After saying that, he closed his eyes.
Although Li Jiaoying was headstrong, she was exceptionally obedient to her husband. Xiao Jingtai was a military commander, constantly facing the glare of swords and swords, which kept him on edge. Naturally, he wanted a gentle, obedient wife who would go along with him. Furthermore, Li was charming, affectionate, and charming, which perfectly suited his taste. One of them valued her husband above all else, the other loved his wife as her life. Their love remained unchanged for over a decade, and even though they had only one child, Xiao Lang, from the second wife's family, he never took concubines or maids.
General Xiao heard the news of the new arrival as soon as he returned to the mansion. After a moment's thought, he walked towards the upper room. Qin was currently sitting on the chaise longue, sipping tea.
"Erlang's wife gave birth."
"It's born, our little six, he's white and fat, so cute!" Qin was so happy that her teeth were showing.
"You, you have so many grandchildren, and you are still so happy. No matter how many you have, you can never have too many." Why didn't I see you so happy when you gave birth to your granddaughter? That's too much.
"Why should I complain about having too many children? It would be better if I had a few more! The more the better. Sanlang's wife hasn't had any good news for several years. I wonder if she will be pregnant now." Qin murmured to herself.
"I have something to tell you, no, two things." General Xiao ended the topic decisively. Once his grandson was mentioned, his wife could talk all night long.
"Sir, please speak."
"The Emperor has decreed that I must return to Northern Frontier in ten days. However, the Emperor has agreed to allow me to return to the capital on my sixtieth birthday next year. I will never have to return to Northern Frontier again."
"Master..." Qin had long awaited this day. Her husband had spent over a decade in the northern borderlands, where the cold weather, lack of medical care, and a lack of medicine made life extremely difficult. Although he wouldn't be able to return to Beijing for another year, the news thrilled her immensely. Having lived together for decades, General Xiao naturally understood his wife's concern and anxiety for him. As he rose through the ranks, her fears grew even greater.
Her identity as a merchant's daughter made her feel as if she was inferior to others, so all matters in the mansion were decided by her eldest daughter-in-law, who had a prominent family background. She never interfered, and this was why the mansion was harmonious and there was almost no right or wrong.
"Also, the matter of the marriage contract with the Fang family can be discussed after I return to Beijing. My grandchildren are still young, so it's not too late to discuss it in a year or two."
"Master, I acted on my own initiative in this matter. I didn't expect..." I never expected that the military commander from a poor family more than a decade ago would now be a general of the second rank; I never expected that three of my sons, who were unknown back then, would now serve in the court; I never expected that all my grandchildren would rise to prominence, which is a relief. Blame it all on myself, all on myself.
"A son of the Xiao family will marry a daughter of the Fang family. I won't make it difficult for you." A cold light flashed in General Xiao's eyes. Fang Yufu, since you are deliberately trying to establish a relationship with my Xiao family, I will help you. As for the choice of the person? It is not up to you.
Ten days later, a farewell banquet was held at the mansion to honor General Xiao. After the bustle of the day, the evening was a family feast. Men and women sat at separate tables, and several of the grandchildren were also present. Xiao Jun couldn't roll over, but he could lift his head, turn left and right, and only lie down when tired. Xiao Yao would follow the sound of someone's voice, her bright eyes searching everywhere, remarkably clever. The youngest, Xiao Qi, wasn't even a month old yet, and was sound asleep!
Tong Mingyu ordered the wet nurse to separate the children, Xiao Yao and Xiao Qi were placed together, a little away from Xiao Jun.
"Aunt, why are my brother and sister separated?" Xiao Rui felt strange and asked because he didn't understand.
Tong Mingyu put some food in his bowl and said with a smile, "Ajun has a strong hand! He will hurt his brother and sister."
"Is that so? Then tell the wet nurses to be careful and attentive. Don't let little Ping'an get beaten. He's quite strong. When he's three or four years old, take him to learn martial arts so he won't be bullied."
It seems that you let your grandson learn martial arts in advance because you were afraid that he would suffer. Everyone around was amused.
"Dad, you are a little too partial. Why don't you take Ping An away so that you don't have to worry about him wherever he lives." In the whole family, only Xiao Jingtai dared to tease his father occasionally.
"I think so too. Ping'an is too young, and life in the northern border is too hard." General Xiao felt very regretful. He turned to his eldest daughter-in-law and said, "I will be back in a year. You must raise little Ping'an to be plump and healthy. If she is still so thin, I will raise her in the future." This is a good idea. It kills several birds with one stone. It allows them to raise their granddaughter with all their heart. Maybe they can use this as an excuse to see their granddaughter every day in the future. It is not impossible to raise her personally, right!
"Yes," Tong Mingyu replied with a smile, bending her knees.
"Don't you just give your grandson a few words of advice?" Xiao Jingtai spoke up for his own son, and for the equally poor Ajun. Your grandfather only has his precious granddaughter in his eyes and heart. The two of you combined are not as important as one of hers. It's so sad.
"Take good care of them all." General Xiao waved his hand and passed by.
Xiao Yao couldn't help laughing, "Grandpa, you are not a little biased, you are too biased, but I like it."
"Listen, my little Ping An can laugh. It sounds so nice. Come on, let's hear him laugh again. He's smart, really smart." General Xiao was so happy that he almost lost his mind.
Everyone in the room heard Xiao Yao's laughter for the first time, and they all rushed to tease her. The surprising thing was that, aside from her grandfather, parents, and mother, she simply smiled and brushed off any teasing. Xiao Yao silently thought, "Please forgive me for being a child. I can only choose three people to represent me. Otherwise, I'll be exhausted. Sorry, sorry."
General Xiao returned to the northern border with his family reluctant to let him go.
Life returned to normal. If there was any difference, it was that Tong Mingyu paid more attention to her children. There was no other way. Her father-in-law had repeatedly warned her before leaving that she must not let her daughter become thin. She had to pay more attention to her.
My son eats well and sleeps well. He has inherited the good physique of the men in the Xiao family. He only needs to be taken care of as usual. Xiao Yao is indeed thin compared to her brother. In order to make her daughter plump and white, Tong Mingyu changed her son's wet nurse. After a month, Xiao Jun grew to 14 catties, Xiao Qi reached 12 catties, and Xiao Yao was still growing steadily at a rate of a little more than a catty per month. A three-month-old is not as heavy as his brother who just turned one month old. Alas! Mother, I tried my best, but what about the result? I really didn't mean it.
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