One swaddle was bright red with the character “Fu” (福) for good fortune embroidered on it, and the other was a rich blue with the character “Kang” (康) for health. Upon closer inspection, both bundles contained delicate babies with wide, curious eyes who giggled at everyone around them.
The old master Jiang swallowed hard as he watched and asked, “Whose children are these? How did they end up here?”
Li Huaiyu, grinning widely, replied, “We picked them up on the way.”
Jiang Xuanjin shot her a glance and said seriously, “Father, don’t listen to her nonsense. These children are both mine and hers. We hadn’t had the chance to tell you earlier, so we brought them for you to see now.”
The old master’s eyebrows twitched, and he almost lost his balance. “Whose children did you say?”
Jiang Xuanjin repeated earnestly, “Mine and hers.”
In other words, they were his direct grandchildren.
His eyes widened in shock. “When did this happen? How come I had no idea?”
“Even I found out later,” Jiang Xuanjin explained, giving Huaiyu a deep look. “She was already pregnant when she was in Yinping. We disagreed, and she didn’t tell me.”
The old master turned red, looking at the small bundle in Huaiyu’s arms. He swallowed again, reaching out a hand only to pull it back hesitantly. She had been pregnant at the time he scolded her…
Seeing the old master’s conflicted yet eager expression, Huaiyu generously placed the little one into his arms. “Here, this one is the older brother.”
“Oh, oh!” The old master hurriedly took the baby, afraid he might drop him. He even threw his dragon-headed cane to the ground, urgently calling, “Butler, help me sit down! It’s easier to hold the baby sitting down!”
The butler quickly responded, helping him into the grand armchair. He then cradled the little one in his arms, his eyes sparkling as he examined him.
The little one stared back at him, blowing a spit bubble.
“Look at these lively eyes! This delicate nose! This full forehead!” Overjoyed, the old master forgot all decorum, proudly showing off to the butler. “Isn’t he just perfect? Look, he isn’t even crying. He’s smiling at me!”
“Indeed, indeed,” the butler agreed, amused. “The child is very lovely.”
“Oh my, oh my, you did well, you did so well!” The old master praised Huaiyu repeatedly, grinning so wide his eyes almost disappeared, his teeth showing. “And they’re twins? Let me see the other one!”
Jiang Xuanjin brought the other child closer. “This one is the younger sister.”
“What?!” The old master was even more astonished. “A dragon and phoenix pair?!”
“Yes.”
The old master gasped, unable to speak from joy. He carefully placed the older child in his lap and reached out for the younger one, holding both at once, tears welling up in his eyes.
“Old Master, you might tire yourself out,” the butler suggested considerately. “Shall I hold one for you?”
“Go away, go away!” The old master waved him off, slightly choked up. “I can hold them just fine. No one else is touching them!”
With that, he extended his arms and securely held the twins, murmuring, “Our household finally has a little girl, we finally have a girl!”
Huaiyu found this curious and leaned towards Jiang Xuanjin. “Are daughters better than sons?”
“I don’t know about other families, but here, girls are pampered while boys are disciplined harshly,” Jiang Xuanjin replied with a straight face. “It’s the Jiang family rule. When girls make mistakes, they copy scriptures. When boys make mistakes, they face family punishment.”
Huaiyu glanced sympathetically at the baby boy. Son, good luck!
The old master played with his grandchildren for a long while before quietly instructing the butler, who soon returned with a box from the main house.
“These are items left by Xuanjin’s mother.” With his hands full, the old master pointed to the box with his chin, indicating for Huaiyu to open it.
Huaiyu took it and saw a pair of exquisitely crafted purple jade bracelets, quite substantial.
Jiang Xuanjin gave the old master a deep look. He hadn’t even taken these out for his wedding. They were the only keepsakes left by his mother.
The old master smiled at him. “It’s time to give these to her. They’re good for her health.”
Huaiyu didn’t understand the full significance of the bracelets but appreciated the gesture. She extended her wrist towards Jiang Xuanjin with a smile, allowing him to put them on her.
The old master smiled kindly and asked, “What are these two children’s names?”
Jiang Xuanjin paused, instinctively trying to cover Huaiyu’s mouth, but it was too late. She quickly replied, “The older brother is Little Mischief, and the younger sister is Little Trouble. We haven’t decided on their formal names yet!”
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
The smile on the old master’s face froze, turning stiff for a long time. His expression darkened as he turned to Jiang Xuanjin and scolded, “What kind of ridiculous names did you give them?!”
Jiang Xuanjin’s eyelid twitched. “I didn’t name them.”
“I named them,” Huaiyu said, blinking innocently. “Are they… not good?”
How could names like Little Mischief and Little Trouble be good? The old master wanted to roar this, but looking at her, he held back and tried to speak gently, “They’re not auspicious. Would you like to change them? Let me go look through some books?”
Jiang Xuanjin squinted slightly, noticing the drastic difference in his father’s tone. His father hadn’t been like this before. He was supposed to treat all juniors equally, so why was he only scolding him and not Li Huaiyu?
Huaiyu thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t you give them proper names?”
“Alright, alright!” The old master eagerly responded, hugging the two babies as he headed to the study.
“Father, the children…”
“I can hold them, I can hold them! You young people go have fun. I’ll take care of them tonight! Just bring the wet nurse to me!” Usually needing his dragon-headed cane to walk steadily, he now strode quickly with the babies in his arms, as if afraid someone might take them, and swiftly entered the study.
The butler bowed to the couple and hurriedly followed, half-supporting the old master.
Huaiyu watched, dumbfounded. “Is that even possible?”
“You’ll get used to it,” Jiang Xuanjin said calmly. “When Yan’er was just born, he stayed at Hongyuan Pavilion. My father is more experienced in caring for children than you think. Don’t worry too much.”
“I’m not worried about the children, but isn’t he too old for this? Isn’t it exhausting for him?”
“If he gets tired, the butler will inform us.” Jiang Xuanjin turned to leave. “Let’s go back and rest.”
“Alright.” Since he was at ease, she had no reason to worry. She grabbed his hand, skipping towards the main house. Once inside, she glanced around mischievously, hooked his belt, and led him upstairs.
Jiang Xuanjin thought she was heading to the second floor and was about to mention it hadn’t been tidied up yet, but she suddenly turned and pressed him against the stair rail. She licked her lips and mischievously asked, “Want to kiss?”
Jiang Xuanjin: “…”
For some reason, even though it was something normal for a married couple, hearing it from her made his ears turn red.
“Can you talk properly?”
Huaiyu thought seriously for a moment, then pushed him against the wooden railing, trapping him in her embrace. Standing on a higher step, she leaned close to his ear and said, “Properly speaking, I want to kiss you.”
Jiang Xuanjin gritted his teeth, but before he could rebuke her, she leaned in and bit his lip, pressing her body against him, and forcing him to hold her.
His steady breathing was disrupted. He groaned, grabbed her waist, and leaned his forehead against hers, catching his breath. “Why so suddenly?”
“To please you,” Huaiyu said cheerfully. “Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t sleep with me tonight.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
“Really?” She raised an eyebrow, dragging him further upstairs. “You said it. So, you’ll stay with me on the second floor tonight.”
Staying on the second floor didn’t seem like a big deal to Jiang Xuanjin. He followed her up step by step, scanning the room.
The decor was lavish, with light curtains of delicate color, pink sheets and quilts, and colorful sachets hanging by the bed, filling the air with the scent of rouge. It was a woman’s boudoir.
After a few silent moments, he bowed to Huaiyu and said, “Sorry to intrude.”
Then he turned to go downstairs.
Li Huaiyu quickly grabbed his sleeve, raising an eyebrow. “A gentleman’s word?”
“A moment’s glory,” he replied impassively.
Huaiyu laughed, pulling him back by his sleeve and hugging his arm. “It’s quite lovely. Let’s rest here.”
“No.”
“I’ll tell you a story!”
“No.”
“Then, how about more kissing?”
“…”
Regardless of how it happened, in the end, the resisting Jiang San Gongzi ended up staying on the second floor. That night, he had a nightmare in which he became a girl, dressed in a delicate embroidered skirt, sitting in a boudoir, embroidering flowers.
The pair of nimble mandarin ducks embroidered on it made it all the more exquisite! When Jiang Xuanjin woke up the next morning, his face was somber, and his mood was terrible.
“Uncle! Uncle!” Jiang Yan came over early in the morning, looking pitiful. “You have to stand up for your nephew!”
“What happened?” Jiang Xuanjin asked coldly, his tone unfriendly.
Jiang Yan hesitated, suddenly feeling he might have come to the wrong place. Standing at the door with his hands behind his back, he cautiously said, “Grandfather sent me out early to buy some toys. I’ve been away from the capital for so long, how would I know where to buy rattles? But he wouldn’t listen and insisted I go.”
“Is that all?” Jiang Xuanjin said icily. “You could have sent a servant from the household to buy it.”
Jiang Yan almost cried. “Grandfather said I had to go personally. He said the servants have no taste…”
Who knew buying a rattle required taste?
Yawning, Li Huaiyu came downstairs to see Jiang Xuanjin sitting with a cold expression, and Jiang Yan looking utterly miserable.
“Good morning!” She smiled brightly, waving to them.
“Good…good morning, Aunt.” Jiang Yan lowered his head, replying softly.
Seeing her come down, Jiang Xuanjin’s expression softened. He turned to Jiang Yan and said, “Let the butler accompany you. Just follow his instructions. If you can’t find it, we’ll think of something else.”
“Yes.” Jiang Yan bowed to him, then to Li Huaiyu, before walking away pitifully.
Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. “Were you bullying him?”
“It wasn’t me,” Jiang Xuanjin replied. “It was Father. He wants to buy toys for the two little ones and sent Yan’er on an errand.”
“Oh, it’s a small matter.” Huaiyu waved her hand dismissively. “Shall we go have breakfast first?”
Jiang Xuanjin nodded, adjusting her crooked collar, and led her outside.
They had barely taken a few steps when they saw Jiang Er Gongzi hurrying past.
“Where are you off to, Second Brother?” Jiang Xuanjin asked.
Jiang Shen turned his head, speaking as he walked, “Father asked me to go to the clothes shop to order some clothes.”
“So early?” Huaiyu asked. “Aren’t you having breakfast?”
Jiang Shen shook his head. “No time for that.”
Is it that urgent? Huaiyu wondered. Watching him disappear, she tugged Jiang Xuanjin along to Hongyuan Pavilion.
As soon as they stepped through the door, Li Huaiyu jumped back in shock. “What is all this?!”
The once solemn and proper Hongyuan Pavilion was now in disarray. Maidservants and older women bustled about with various toys, and a thick Persian carpet stretched from the door to the main house, looking utterly extravagant. Servants were setting up a swing in the courtyard, while carpenters worked on wooden toys. If not for seeing the old master inside, she would have thought she had walked into the wrong place.
“You’re here? Have breakfast in the main hall; you’ll be on the way here,” the old master said cheerfully, holding Little Trouble. “Now that we have a little girl in the house, things are different!”
What was so different about it? Li Huaiyu’s mouth twitched as she whispered to Jiang Xuanjin, “Are you sure your father won’t spoil the children?”
“He won’t spoil the boy,” Jiang Xuanjin said, lips tight. “The girl, though, is another matter.”
When Yan’er was young, this courtyard at most had a carpet laid out. Now, before the children could even speak, there was already a swing.
“Old Master… I mean, Father,” Huaiyu tried to persuade him, “you don’t have to go to such lengths. They’re still so young.”
“That won’t do!” The old master said earnestly, holding Little Trouble. “A girl needs to be pampered from a young age so she’ll have high standards and won’t be easily deceived by some scoundrel in the future!”
Huaiyu froze.
“My princess must be pampered so she can find a husband who loves her even more than I do and won’t be easily tricked,” her father used to say, holding her in the Feiyun Palace, his face full of love as if he were looking at a precious gem. “I only have one princess, after all.”
Sunlight streamed through the carved windows of Feiyun Palace, illuminating her giggling face. Her father’s loving gaze was the warmest sight she could remember.
Her throat tightened, and Huaiyu blinked, her nose tingling.
“Third daughter-in-law?” The old master noticed her unusual expression and quickly asked, “Did I do something wrong? If so, just say the word, and we’ll discuss it!”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned, stepping forward to hold her hand. “What’s wrong?”
Sniffling, Huaiyu grinned. “Nothing wrong. It’s wonderful.”
Ever since her father passed away, she hadn’t heard such words for a long time. It was only now that she realized being unconditionally loved by an elder was a rare blessing.