Qi He returned from eavesdropping in the front yard, stifling laughter as he walked. He went back to the couple's room and told his wife, "Chenchen tricked our dad into taking him out to play again."
"This child, it's already dark, and he still wants to go out and play."
"Our dad was even letting him ride on his back like a horse, and he's still thinking about going outside."
"That's just how he is now. Every morning when he opens his eyes, he wants to go out and play. When it gets dark, he still doesn't want to come inside. Look at his little face, it's so tanned, almost like charcoal."
"He's a boy, a little dark makes him look sturdy."
Qi He's words made Fu Xin Ci think of how he looked when they first met, thin and dark, like a little charcoal.
Alas, it wasn't just Qi He. On the road during their exile, she was also called a little dark girl by everyone.
Thinking back to the bits and pieces of the exile journey, they still remembered them vividly.
The past felt like yesterday, and in a blink of an eye, their son was almost two years old.
"Wife, life passes by too quickly. It feels like in a blink of an eye, we've grown up."
"Yes, the fastest thing in this world is time. Whether we're ready or not, it just passes by. It doesn't care about our feelings at all. Or rather, by the time we realize it, it might have already left us far behind."
Qi He: What his wife said was a bit profound, and he sort of understood but not quite.
But as long as his wife said it, he would eventually understand.
The Qi family's courtyard was peaceful and harmonious. No one in the family realized that a disruptive element had just brushed past them.
Lei Hu didn't sleep soundly that night, tossing and turning and waking up several times.
Aunt Guan was also disturbed by him and didn't sleep well, but she didn't dare to complain and even tried her best to comfort him at the right moments.
Lei Hu's heart was always on edge. He truly couldn't sleep well until Ying'er was brought back.
When he came to Beijiang, his elder brother had been very clear with him.
If he wanted to stay in Beijiang peacefully, he had to win over the Qi family father and son.
With them around, whether it was the Tatars or the Japanese pirates invading, Madam Qi would not stand by and do nothing.
In other words, with the Qi family father and son present, Beijiang would be as stable as a rock.
Lei Hu was self-aware. After arriving in Beijiang, he constantly kept his brother's words in mind.
However, despite all his calculations, he never expected that that damned Concubine Zhao, with her ignorance of the heavens and earth, would dare to send women to Qi Yuanshan behind his back.
Damn it, he felt the urge to beat that bitch up again.
In the morning, Lei Hu wasn't even in the mood to go to the military camp.
He was waiting, and thankfully, he was not disappointed.
Towards the end of the hour of the Horse, his personal guards finally escorted back the carriage that had delivered Ying'er.
When Lei Hu saw Ying'er's familiar face, the stone that had been hanging in his heart finally fell.
Seeing his father leave for the military camp with his personal guards, Lei Yun, who had been cautious all morning, dared to approach his concubine and sit down.
"Concubine."
"Yes." Aunt Guan hugged her son's small body and asked him carefully what he had been doing all morning.
"I was sitting in the room reading."
"You didn't come out to play?" Aunt Guan regretted asking the question as soon as it left her lips.
"No. Concubine instructed that when Father is angry, we should stay in our rooms and not wander around."
"Yes, our Yun'er is so good."
Aunt Guan hugged her son's small body, secretly rejoicing that she could keep her son by her side.
...
In the blink of an eye, summer arrived, and the weather became hotter day by day. Little Baozi couldn't stay indoors anymore.
Especially after his father took him to the seaside once, he clamored every day to stand guard with his father.
In truth, he didn't really want to stand guard. He just wanted to wear a bib, go barefoot, and step on the sea sand, wading in the sea.
He especially liked following behind those uncles and elder brothers to collect seafood.
Oh my, Little Baozi was incredibly brave. Even when a crab charged towards him, he wasn't afraid, shouting, "Attack, attack!"
His little feet also scurried around, looking for a suitable tool.
These uncles and elder brothers were somewhat familiar with Little Baozi's temper, and immediately handed him a branch.
Today, the branch was handed to Little Baozi by his elder maternal uncle, Meng Yuting. Ever since Fu Xin Ci used her connections and sent Meng Jiabao (Bao'er) to Longcheng as an apprentice, Meng Yuting's personality had changed drastically. To borrow Qi He's words, "Before, he only knew how to work hard, and you couldn't get a word out of him. But now, as long as I take Chenchen to the seaside, he instantly transforms into a super mother hen, taking meticulous care of Chenchen."
With the branch, Little Baozi immediately put his all into it, swaggering and chasing the crab with no escape.
Crab: It wished it could commit suicide, wondering if it was too late.
Little Baozi: "Chase, ah, chase!!"
A group of grown men were all amused by the mischievous Little Baozi.
Qi He stood not far from his son, regardless of how many people were around, and began to shamelessly ponder giving Little Baozi a sister.
Well, it was decided. He would discuss it properly with his wife tonight.
However, he had a premonition that his wife also liked pretty little girls.
When the first winter snow arrived, Fu Xin Ci was suffering from morning sickness.
Qi He looked at his wife, who was listlessly leaning against a large pillow, and his heart was filled with heartache.
"Wife, what do you want to eat? I'll have Sister Ji make it for you."
"No need, I don't want to eat anything right now." Seeing that they were the only two in the room, Fu Xin Ci casually took a fist-sized apricot from the space and began to eat it.
"Wife, it seems this pregnancy is another boy."
"How do you know?"
"Mother came over today to deliver things and asked Sister Ji and Mama Yang about your recent preferences. She also said that cravings for sour indicate a boy and cravings for spicy indicate a girl."
"Cravings for sour indicate a boy and cravings for spicy indicate a girl. Old people always say that, but it's not always true."
"I think it's highly likely."
"You're quite experienced."
"Your condition now is similar to when you were pregnant with Chenchen."
"Is it? I don't remember."
"I remember it for you."
As the couple were having a private conversation, they heard the door open outside. Then they heard Mama Yang's voice, "Young Master, slow down."
"It's fine."
With that, the door curtain was lifted, and Little Baozi, dressed like a ball, was led in by Mama Yang.
Seeing his parents, Little Baozi grinned and greeted them, "Daddy, Mommy."
He patted the edge of the kang with his chubby little hand, indicating for his dad to help him onto the kang.
After Qi He helped Little Baozi take off his shoes and his thick outer coat, he began to tease him.
"Chenchen, you came to find Daddy and Mommy to play?"
"It's snowing, looking for my brother to play."
"Where is my brother?"
"Mommy, in her belly."
As Little Baozi spoke, he crawled to his mother's side, resting his little head on her belly and talking to his brother.
"Brother, I'll play with you."
"Chenchen, Mommy's belly has a sister."
"It's a brother."
"It's a sister."
"It's a brother."
Watching the mother and son arguing endlessly, Qi He said nothing, just held them gently in his arms.
...
The story ends here. There will be countless more stories in the future, and I hope to share them with all my lovely readers.
Thank you to everyone who has read the author's books.
May the green mountains forever stand and the clear waters flow. I look forward to our next meeting.