Phoenix Jin took Er Bao from Ling Mo Han's arms and coaxed him for a long time before Er Bao finally showed a smile.
If she had a camera, she would definitely capture this precious moment. After all, seeing Er Bao smile was extremely rare, a once-in-a-century event, and naturally, it deserved to be cherished.
Accustomed to Er Bao's cold demeanor, Ling Mo Han was momentarily overwhelmed by Da Bao's fiery enthusiasm. Soon, Da Bao had him flustered and exhausted.
Ling Mo Han desperately suppressed his near-breaking point emotions, raising his hand high before gently lowering it to Da Bao's bottom. He warned in a soft tone, "If you don't behave, I'll throw you out!"
Hearing the implied threat in Ling Mo Han's words, Da Bao let out a loud wail and began to cry. The sudden turn of events left Ling Mo Han completely at a loss. He didn't know whether to stand or sit with Da Bao, and in his helplessness, he sought help from Phoenix Jin.
"You pick him up and comfort him!"
Phoenix Jin looked at him with exasperation, unable to understand how he couldn't even comfort a child. She truly admired Ling Mo Han's audacity to provoke Da Bao when he clearly lacked the skill to appease him.
"Don't cry... be good!"
Ling Mo Han uttered the words of comfort in a stiff tone. His demeanor was not at all like someone comforting a child; it was more like a reprimand to a soldier.
His words had no effect, only making Da Bao cry even harder.
Mother and son watched Ling Mo Han's attempts to comfort the child with slightly dazed expressions.
Amused by Ling Mo Han's helpless and flustered state, Phoenix Jin shook her head with a sigh. She stepped forward and guided Ling Mo Han step by step on how to comfort a child.
"Rock him gently like this, move your hands softly, and soften your tone when you speak. He's your son, not a subordinate soldier. And you are comforting a child now, not reprimanding a soldier. Switch your role!"
Phoenix Jin glanced at the man's expressionless face and directly pulled at the corners of his mouth, forcing a smile.
"Hold it like this, you must smile, understand?"
Ling Mo Han's mouth curved upwards, but soon his face felt stiff and extremely uncomfortable.
He had sacrificed so much just to comfort the child. Fortunately, Da Bao was somewhat cooperative. With Ling Mo Han's persistent efforts, Da Bao finally stopped crying and even rewarded him with a satisfied smile.
"Take them both out to play for a while."
For the past two days, for safety reasons, they had kept the two boys confined to the room. It wasn't good to keep them cooped up like this all the time; they needed to go out and about occasionally.
Ling Mo Han easily picked up the two little ones, one in each arm, and walked out, heading straight for the garden.
"Go slower, don't let Da Bao fall," Phoenix Jin said with some concern, worried that Ling Mo Han might accidentally drop the child due to his lack of gentleness.
"I would rather fall myself than let my son fall."
The father and sons were getting along quite harmoniously at this moment. Da Bao, of course, was naturally outgoing and required no worry. As for Er Bao, he was now happy, his smile never fading.
Phoenix Jin, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, sat in the pavilion, leisurely admiring the scenery of the garden. The small post station had maintained the garden beautifully, possessing a true Jiangnan water town charm.
She rather liked this Suzhou-style garden. When they returned to the capital, she might consider renovating their own garden in this style.
"Ling Mo Han, when we return, let's renovate our garden to be like this, shall we? Let's dig the existing pond larger and plant a garden full of lotuses, okay?"
"Whatever you say." Ling Mo Han had no objections and simply went along with Phoenix Jin's wishes.
He knew nothing about garden renovations. Moreover, all household matters were managed by Phoenix Jin, and even if he wanted to interfere, he lacked the funds.
It was a pity that his purse was so thin that he needed Phoenix Jin's permission to spend even a penny.
"There's no point in telling you these things. I know it's a waste of breath."
She shouldn't have bothered to speak, as Ling Mo Han could offer no useful suggestions. She would have to come up with ideas herself.
Phoenix Jin was already envisioning the general layout of the garden and planned to find a group of skilled artisans to start the work upon their return to the capital.
The artisans who had previously renovated the medical clinic and Yu Yan Fang were quite good. They were skilled craftsmen and had their own innovative ideas, quickly producing the results she desired. This time, the garden renovation could also be entrusted to them.
Phoenix Jin rose and wandered around the garden, wanting to observe the design of the surrounding gardens so she could sketch the plans faster when she returned.
After taking a few steps, Phoenix Jin faintly heard the sound of choked sobs. Following the sound, she saw a figure curled up on the ground. The more she looked, the more familiar it seemed. Curiosity spurred Phoenix Jin forward.
"Why are you here?" Phoenix Jin stepped closer and recognized the person crying on the ground as the palace maid she had punished.
"This servant did not know Madam was here and inadvertently offended you. I beg Madam to punish me."
Upon seeing Phoenix Jin, Zhen Zhu's first reaction was to immediately kneel before her.
Phoenix Jin was taken aback. Was she so fierce or so wicked that people would immediately kneel and beg for mercy upon seeing her?
"Please get up. I will not punish you."
Only after Zhen Zhu was sure she wouldn't be punished did she cautiously stand up. The moment she looked up, she noticed the jade pendant hanging from Phoenix Jin's waist and was instantly stunned. Wasn't this jade pendant Cui Er's? How could it be on Madam?
"Madam... the jade pendant at your waist, is... is..."
Halfway through her question, Zhen Zhu realized her impropriety and, frightened, quickly shut her mouth, not daring to ask further.
"Are you referring to this?" Phoenix Jin took out the jade pendant and handed it to Zhen Zhu. "Do you recognize this half of the jade pendant?"
Zhen Zhu looked at the jade pendant, trying her best to control her emotions, but her eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.
"Madam, where did you get this jade pendant?" Although she knew the question was inappropriate, she couldn't help but ask.
Phoenix Jin's eyes narrowed sharply, and she looked at Zhen Zhu with a scrutinizing gaze. After a long pause, she replied, "This jade pendant was given to me by someone personally. She said that this jade pendant was originally a pair, split into two pieces. She kept one piece, and the other was on her sister."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Zhu could no longer suppress her emotions. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, and her heart felt as if it were being twisted by knives.