When Han Ge’er first learned to speak, his pronunciation was unclear. His earliest pronunciation for “brother” was “gege.” Though he had naturally learned to say “gege” properly now, he couldn’t change his way of addressing Zhao Ge’er. Zhao Ge’er had also grown accustomed to his mischievous little brother calling him “gege,” and he responded quite happily.

Qiu Feishan looked down at the two beautiful and adorable children, feeling at a loss for a moment. She thought herself extremely clumsy, completely unsure how to interact with small children.

Qin Yining squatted down to be at eye level with the children, patting their heads as she said, “That’s right, you two used to live together in Mother’s belly.”

Han Ge’er was somewhat confused: “Gege and I lived together?”

“Yes, because you’re twins.”

“Then Mother must have been extra, extra round, even rounder than Aunt Mu.”

Qin Yining laughed with a “puchi” sound, and Qiu Feishan couldn’t help but smile as well.

Zhao Ge’er was thinking about another issue: “Mother, living together, very heavy, belly all… pop!” He made a big circular shape with both hands.

Han Ge’er understood: “Right! So we came to live outside!”

Zhao Ge’er nodded earnestly.

Qin Yining didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Did the children think her belly had exploded and they were born?

Qiu Feishan laughed softly. After understanding what the children meant, she even felt a bit scared as she touched her own belly, as if it really might explode.

Qin Yining settled Qiu Feishan in.

Yao Chenggu, Ma Shi, and the Yao family of three also took their leave and returned to the Prince’s manor.

Yao Chenggu said dissatisfiedly, “Coming once, and I still didn’t get to see what the children look like. I thought the Qin girl would bring the children back to the manor, but she actually wants to stay at her natal family! I don’t know whose rules these are—what daughter-in-law goes to stay at her natal family for no reason?”

Ma Shi sneered: “When you bully someone severely, they know proper behavior and can’t fight back, but can’t they avoid it?”

Yao Chenggu was displeased but feared Ma Shi and didn’t dare say more.

Yao Shi kept a sullen face the entire way, unable to help complaining, “Mother insists I’m seeing things wrong, but I think those two little brats don’t look like Dafu at all!”

“Really don’t look like him?” Yao Chenggu asked with concern.

Yao Shi said, “They look more like the Qin girl, especially the eyes—they’re particularly like the Qin girl’s.”

Yao Chenggu looked thoughtful.

Ma Shi couldn’t stand this father and son pair, so she simply ignored them and said directly, “Anyway, you two don’t like the children either. You can just support each other and live your lives together. When I want to visit the children at the Qin Manor in the future, don’t think about following along.”

The father and son were left speechless.

Yao Shi pursed her lips and rolled her eyes: “Tch! As if I care!”

From then on, Ma Shi frequently went to the Qin Manor to “check in.” Seeing that Ma Shi truly loved the two children, Qin Yining simply took her hand and pleaded, “Grandmother, the boys are very close to you, and it’s troublesome for you to go back and forth. The Qin Manor has such large grounds—won’t you stay? I’ve never taught children before and I’m afraid I won’t do it well. With you here, you can help remind me.”

Ma Shi hesitated at first, but later, thinking of Yao Chenggu and Yao Shi’s behavior, she felt too lazy to manage them and simply nodded and stayed.

The entire Qin household became lively.

Qin Yining was infinitely patient with the children but didn’t spoil them blindly.

Zhao Ge’er didn’t like eating vegetables, Han Ge’er sat learning characters as if he were on a hot pot, and the two children liked to compete. Zhao Ge’er was intelligent but spoke late, always being interrupted by Han Ge’er, so the two children often bickered.

Qin Yining didn’t overlook these small problems. Whenever she saw them, she would teach them sternly.

Han Ge’er’s body was sturdier than his brother’s. He learned martial arts from Ma Shi very quickly, while Zhao Ge’er was somewhat behind. Relying on his sturdy build and knowing a few amateur boxing moves, Han Ge’er once actually bullied his brother.

When Qin Yining caught him and understood the reason, she completely ignored Sun Shi and Ma Shi’s pleas for mercy and gave Han Ge’er a spanking, making the child cry so hard his nose ran.

Seeing his little brother cry, Zhao Ge’er also cried and hiccupped, hugging Qin Yining’s leg and shouting, “Don’t hit little brother! Don’t hit little brother!”

Seeing Zhao Ge’er pleading for him, Han Ge’er immediately cried out, “Don’t hit gege! Don’t hit gege!”

Instead, Qin Yining became the villain.

Qin Yining put the child down with a stern face. Of course, she couldn’t bear to be heavy-handed—the spanking was just light pats. Han Ge’er cried hard not because it hurt, but because he felt wronged.

As soon as the child stood up, Sun Shi wanted to come over and comfort him, but Qin Yining stopped her.

“Mother, please don’t hold him.”

Sun Shi stamped her feet in anger: “Yi Jie’er, how can you hit the child? The boy is still small—how can he remember things? You can wait a few years to teach him!”

Qin Yining shook her head: “Look how smart they are—how could they not remember? In a few years when their temperaments are already formed, teaching will be too late.”

Qin Yining turned back and said, “Han Ge’er, do you know where you went wrong?”

Han Ge’er sniffled and sobbed, hanging his head and picking at his fingers without speaking.

Qin Yining said, “Since this is your first offense, Mother will tell you where you went wrong. Next time, if you refuse to think and refuse to listen, Mother will punish you.”

Han Ge’er’s tears fell like raindrops.

“Han Ge’er, you learn martial arts from great-great-grandmother—what is it for?”

Han Ge’er pursed his lips, sobbing as he said, “Great-great-grandmother said, practicing martial arts, body strong strong, in the future, in the future like Daddy.”

Qin Yining’s heart softened: “But your daddy never uses his good martial arts to bully people weaker than himself.”

Han Ge’er didn’t understand.

“You’re a boy who will grow up to be a man like your daddy. When men know martial arts, it’s to protect people, not to bully them. You’ve only learned a few moves and you’re already bullying someone weaker than you—do you think this is right?”

Han Ge’er stopped crying, but his little face turned red.

“Zhao Ge’er is your older brother. As the younger brother, you should be good to your brother, but instead you bullied him. Is this right or wrong?”

“…Wrong.” Han Ge’er hung his head and mumbled.

“What about Zhao Ge’er?” Qin Yining looked at her eldest son.

Zhao Ge’er had also stopped crying: “Mother, I won’t bully people either.”

“Mm, good boy.”

Qin Yining squatted in front of the two children, holding them on her left and right, and said, “Mother doesn’t want you to bully others, but that doesn’t mean I want you to be afraid of others either. Mother asks, after learning martial arts, what is it for?”

Han Ge’er said loudly, “To protect people.”

“That’s right. Our Han Ge’er is really smart.” After the scolding, naturally came the sweet reward. Qin Yining’s praise for her son came completely from the heart.

“We don’t bully others, but if important people are being bullied, we’re not afraid either—when we need to act, we must act.”

Having been praised, Han Ge’er couldn’t help but show a joyful smile on his little face.

But Zhao Ge’er said, “Mother, what if, what if someone bullies people, and I hit them, and they come tell Mother, and Mother hits me?”

Qin Yining looked at her eldest son in surprise, not expecting this child to think of such cause and effect relationships.

“That depends on who’s at fault. If Zhao Ge’er did nothing wrong, Mother won’t hit you. Same with Han Ge’er. Think about it—when you don’t make mistakes, when has Mother ever hit anyone?”

Both little children thought seriously and shook their heads.

“That’s right. When you do wrong, Mother naturally must discipline you, but when outsiders do wrong and someone bullies you, Mother won’t just let you be bullied without fighting back.”

The two little ones nodded again and again.

Sun Shi watched from the side, frowning disapprovingly: “Yi Jie’er, how can you teach the children such things?”

Qin Yining smiled: “If the boys are always afraid of trouble, won’t they be raised without any backbone?”

Ma Shi said, “I think this is quite good. Yi girl is smart and knows how to teach.”

Actually, Ma Shi was thinking that if only Qin Huaiyuan were here. With Qin Huaiyuan’s learning and character, if he taught the two grandsons, how could they not be accomplished in the future? It was just a pity that she couldn’t bring up such a sad topic on this occasion.

“Princess.” Qiu Lu hurried in from outside at this moment, saying, “The Prince has sent someone from the front with news.”

Qin Yining was delighted and quickly said, “Please go to the front flower hall.”

Turning back to entrust the two boys to Sun Shi and Ma Shi, Qin Yining hurried to the front.

The messenger looked familiar to Qin Yining, but she couldn’t remember his name. She only knew he was from the Elite Tiger Guards.

“Reporting to the Princess.” The Elite Tiger Guard cupped his hands. “The Prince and Young Master Mu are safe and sound. They’re currently returning with the troops. The Prince feared the Princess would worry, so he specially ordered me to report their safety.”

“Good, good.” Qin Yining nodded and said, “What exactly happened? Was the battle difficult? Were there any casualties?”

The Elite Tiger Guard said, “Reporting to the Princess, this mission went exceptionally smoothly. Before we even had time to set up, we encountered Young Master Mu driving a carriage with Tianji Zi coming out. Apparently, after Young Master Mu and Tianji Zi were captured, Tianji Zi harbored resentment and gave Young Master Mu the idea to burn down the Qiu family’s villa in Boan Town. By the time the Prince led us there, everything had already been resolved.”

Qin Yining first breathed a sigh of relief for Mu Jinghu, then felt that this was indeed Tianji Zi’s style of doing things.

Tianji Zi had repeatedly stirred up trouble and even wanted to kill her, so Qin Yining naturally had no good feelings toward her. She couldn’t help asking, “Is Tianji Zi returning with the Prince now?”

“Yes.”

Qin Yining thought for a moment and let it go for now. She tapped the table with her finger briefly, then instructed outside, “Go invite Mrs. Mu, and tell her there’s news about Young Master Mu.”

“Yes.”

Someone outside responded and went to fetch Qiu Feishan.

Qiu Feishan came quickly, slightly breathless from walking fast. Qin Yining helped her sit down, gave her a reassuring smile, then instructed the Elite Tiger Guard to tell Qiu Feishan the whole story again.

After hearing it, Qiu Feishan’s tense shoulders relaxed: “It’s good that he’s safe. I never expected things would turn out this way—it made the Prince make a wasted trip.”

“For such matters, it’s better to make a wasted trip,” Qin Yining smiled.

Qiu Feishan also smiled, lowering her eyes in thought for a moment before saying to the Elite Tiger Guard, “I’ll write a letter to the Prince. When you return, please deliver it to the Prince for me.”

The Elite Tiger Guard was surprised and looked questioningly at Qin Yining.

Qin Yining was also surprised, but she didn’t stop it and nodded instead.

The Elite Tiger Guard then bowed and agreed.