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Chapter 142: Choosing Gifts
Chapter 142: Choosing Gifts
Suisui snuggled in her mother's embrace, her tiny hands wrapped around the Queen's neck.
Hearing the Queen's question, Suisui nodded, her voice soft and tender, "I'm happy, Mother. Qiaoqiao sister is very nice."
Her brothers were actually quite nice too.
However, because of Ying Jia's third brother, Ying Sang, who always tugged on her hat and scratched her neck, Suisui felt that they might not be so nice after all.
So, Suisui honestly expressed her fondness for her sister without mentioning her brothers.
Princess Qi was wise enough not to probe further.
Children's likes and dislikes were usually straightforward and tended to change quickly.
They could be fighting one moment and become friends the next, with no lasting grudges.
The Princess was used to the frequent scuffles among the children in the mansion, and she skillfully distracted the little girl by asking what she wanted for lunch.
From time to time, she would also turn to ask Liu Hemeng, making sure that everyone felt included and no one was left out.
The Princess was already aware of the incident where Suisui's chin had been scratched, and she knew that Sun Shi had apologized and the children had made amends, so she didn't bring it up again.
However, as she held Suisui in her arms, she carefully examined the injury and was relieved to find only a faint red mark.
That afternoon, Princess Qi had to accompany Feng Xuanrui to the palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
She hadn't informed the Empress Dowager about Suisui yet, so it wouldn't be appropriate to bring her along just yet.
Suisui would have to stay at the mansion with Cousin Xiang and Hemeng in the afternoon.
Thinking of this, the Princess became concerned about how the little girl might feel.
As she walked with Suisui towards the backyard, she continuously spoke to her, explaining the situation, "Mother has to accompany your brother to the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and report our well-being. Your brother hasn't greeted the Empress Dowager since his return."
"Suisui, how about you spend the afternoon playing with Mengmeng and Cousin Xiang here at the mansion?"
"Mother will be back soon, so don't worry, okay?"
"This time, Mother will inform the Empress Dowager about you, and next time, she will know and we can bring you along."
...
The Princess spoke in a gentle and soothing tone.
Although Suisui didn't fully understand, she realized that she wouldn't be able to spend the afternoon with her mother or see her brother, and she felt a bit sad.
She thought to herself that she was becoming increasingly pampered.
In the past, when no one paid attention to her or cared about her life, she hadn't felt sad.
Now, just the thought of being apart from her mother for an afternoon made her feel upset.
Feeling a pang of sadness, she clung tighter to the Princess' hand and unconsciously nuzzled her small head against the Princess' neck.
The fluffy little head rubbing against her neck tickled the Princess, but it also warmed her heart.
Sensing the child's dependence, the Princess' voice became even softer, "Don't worry, Suisui. Mother will be back soon, and I'll bring you something delicious, okay?"
Suisui snuggled closer to her neck, her voice barely audible, "I'll listen to Mother."
The little girl still felt a bit dejected, and the Princess, with a soft heart, wanted to take her along. However, she knew that doing so wouldn't be wise.
Without first informing the Empress Dowager and seeking her approval, bringing Suisui to the palace might backfire.
If the Empress Dowager took a liking to the child, she might overlook the matter due to the prestige of the royal mansion.
However, if she didn't favor Suisui, it would become increasingly difficult for Suisui to leave a good impression on the Empress Dowager in the future.
The Princess secretly wished for more people to adore and cherish Suisui.
Therefore, she was cautious about doing anything that might offend the Empress Dowager or put Suisui in a disadvantageous position.
The Grand Princess had visited the mansion to express her gratitude and had sent numerous gifts as a token of appreciation.
To divert Suisui's attention, the Princess decided to take her to open the gifts.
These gifts from the Grand Princess would normally need to be inspected and cataloged one by one.
In the past, Princess Qi would merely glance at them, leaving most of the management and recording to Autumn.
Now, to appease the children, Princess Qi took the initiative to open them personally.
The gifts from the Grand Princess were, of course, carefully selected.
After all, in their eyes, it was a life-saving grace, and mere tokens of appreciation could never fully express their gratitude.
There were two boxes of jewelry.
Princess Qi opened them and found each box filled with various compartments, neatly housing the corresponding items.
This made the accounting process much easier.
Princess Qi scanned the contents with an experienced eye and then took out a pair of tiny purple jade gourd earrings, offering them to Suisui. "Suisui, do you like these little gourd earrings?"
The translucent jade gourds shimmered with a soft glow, their delicate craftsmanship making them exceedingly adorable.
Suisui didn't have pierced ears yet, and Princess Qi intended to get them pierced, but she was concerned about Suisui being afraid and also wanted to consult Doctor Liu first.
It would be best to prepare some medicine in advance. Just in case Suisui felt uncomfortable after the piercing, they could immediately apply the medicine.
Thinking of this, Princess Qi turned to Liu Hemeng and invited her to choose a pair as well.
Autumn efficiently recorded the details of the jewelry in the box.
Without any hesitation, Liu Hemeng thanked Princess Qi and then chose a pair of green jade teardrop earrings.
The earrings she picked were also lovely, exuding a crisp and cool aura, perfect for spring and summer wear.
After making her choice, Liu Hemeng politely thanked Princess Qi once again.
By now, Princess Qi had put Suisui down as her arms were not strong enough to carry the child all day.
Seeing Liu Hemeng's obedient demeanor, Princess Qi affectionately ruffled her hair.
The girl's hair was neatly combed and tidy, though the hair oil made it feel a bit rough to the touch.
In comparison, Suisui's soft and fluffy hair was much more pleasant to caress.
Princess Qi mused to herself, but she didn't let her thoughts show.
It wouldn't be fair to make the young girl feel uncomfortable just because her hair felt nicer to touch.
Seeing her sister receive a gift, Suisui reached up to touch her own ears and asked in a soft voice, "Mother, is it directly pierced like that?"
The earrings had a curved golden hook.
Suisui thought that it would be pierced directly with the hook, and the idea scared her.
She hugged the Princess' legs tightly, her body trembling to express her refusal.
Suisui didn't want the earrings; she was afraid!
Seeing the little girl tremble with fear, Princess Qi couldn't help but smile wryly and stroke Suisui's soft fur. "Don't worry, we'll go ask Doctor Liu what he thinks first."
Nowadays, ear piercing was often done crudely and forcefully.
Typically, two beans would be placed on either side of the earlobe, and then the earlobe would be forcefully pressed until it became swollen and numb. After that, a needle would pierce through...
The ear-piercing process was quite brutal, and then a clean thread would be worn through the piercing to keep it open. During the healing process, the thread had to be constantly tugged to ensure the wound inside didn't scar and close up.
Over time, as the scab formed and the wound healed, the ear-piercing would be complete, and the hole would remain.
This was usually done when the children were very young and had less memory of the pain. The younger they were, the smaller their ears, and the easier it was to pierce. Plus, the younger they were, the less they understood the pain, and the easier they were to soothe.
And the earlier it was done, the less likely the ears were to grow back together.
However, Suisui was now old enough to understand pain and to remember.
Princess Qi was very concerned that this might become a traumatic experience for Suisui, so she deliberated endlessly, unable to make a decision, and even considered consulting Doctor Liu.
(End of Chapter)
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