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Chapter 176: Cousin Knows How to Handle Kids
Chapter 176: Cousin Knows How to Handle Kids
Aunt Qiu hurried in with quick steps and whispered, "The Marquis of Heguo has come to visit."
Princess Qi was taken aback upon hearing this.
When they came to Lanruo Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings, it was unusual to entertain or curry favor unless it was a matter of great importance or urgency.
After all, it didn't seem quite right to do so under the watchful eyes of the Buddha.
The Buddhist monastery was a place of serenity, and indulging in worldly desires here seemed insincere.
So, it was understandable that Princess Qi was surprised by the Marquis of Heguo's sudden visit.
She thought that there must be some urgent matter for him to resort to this.
After realizing the situation, Princess Qi stood up, straightened her dress, and glanced at Zhou.
Zhou immediately understood and pointed in the direction of Sui Sui and Song Kuan, "I'll take the two children to the back garden to play. I heard that the vegetables in the temple are quite good, so I'll go and have a look."
Hearing this, Princess Qi nodded and then said hesitantly, "Sui Sui has a weak body. Don't let her run too far, and if she gets tired, ask Cousin Xiang to carry her..."
Even a temporary separation from Sui Sui made Princess Qi feel uneasy.
Zhou couldn't help but want to laugh at this, but she controlled herself and nodded in agreement.
Zhou herself had children, and although she had left the younger ones at home today, she still felt uneasy.
So, she could understand Princess Qi's worries.
After giving instructions, Princess Qi watched anxiously as Zhou took the two children to the back garden.
Sui Sui didn't quite understand why she had to go with her second aunt.
As she walked away, she kept looking back at her mother, the princess.
Seeing the pitiful expression on the little girl's face, Princess Qi nearly lost her resolve, but she was also concerned that the Marquis of Heguo's visit might involve matters unsuitable for children. After some hesitation, she finally decided not to call Sui Sui back.
Although Sui Sui wasn't very happy about this, she soon forgot her unhappiness as Song Kuan, her cousin, was very entertaining. He could make little rabbits out of anything and always played with her. When she got tired, he even offered to carry her.
Song Kuan was well-fed and sturdy, not as tall as Feng Xuanrui, but he exuded a sense of security.
His gentle temperament and soft-spoken manner soon won over Sui Sui, who was usually shy around strangers. In no time, she was completely smitten, and it seemed like she would nod her little head and declare: "I'm going home with Cousin Song Kuan tonight!"
However, her loyalty to her brother kicked in, and she quickly shook her head, "Cousin Song Kuan, I'm sorry, but I have to go back to find my brother."
Her brother was her top priority!
Song Kuan had originally intended to take the child back to his mansion to play for a couple of days, but he wasn't too disappointed when he realized his plan wasn't going to work.
After all, it was just an attempt.
He thought...
If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain!
That's what legs are for, right? Running!
So, in a few days, he'll go to his cousin's mansion to play!
Song Kuan was indeed skilled at handling children. He had honed this skill, intending to use it on his sister.
However, his mother gave birth to a younger brother instead.
Recalling his brother's childhood, he remembered him being chubby and adorable.
Although he often smiled and urinated on Song Kuan's face, he thought it was normal for young children to have little control over their bladder.
But...
How did his brother turn into such a little rascal?
Thinking of this, Song Kuan sighed with regret, "It would have been so much better if I had a younger sister."
If he had a sister, he wouldn't have to think about kidnapping other people's sisters.
The problem was, he hadn't succeeded yet!
With these thoughts in mind, Song Kuan sighed softly, "It's alright, Sui Sui. As long as you're happy, I'm happy too.
Song Kuan was in a stable mood and, unlike other children his age, he wasn't boisterous and unruly.
He quietly took Sui Sui to see wildflowers, vegetable gardens, and all sorts of creepy-crawly insects in the soil.
Whenever Sui Sui was afraid, he would protect her and then step on the insects to death.
Zhou watched from the side, her heart aching with emotion. "He's never been this gentle with Ping Ge'er back in the mansion."
A maid standing beside her couldn't help but laugh and comment, "The second young master is also very protective of the fourth young master."
The fourth young master, Song Kuan, was four and a half years old, right in the midst of the mischievous phase common among children his age.
Even with Song Kuan's gentle temperament, there were times when he would be driven to jump up and down in frustration.
It was common for the two young masters to create a ruckus and playfully fight with each other in the mansion.
Zhou understood that this was how brothers were—constantly bickering and fighting, but their bond would only grow stronger because of it.
However, seeing Song Kuan being so gentle and protective of a little girl, Zhou's heart couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions, and a desire began to stir within her.
She thought...
"Maybe I should have another child?" She was still young, not even thirty yet. Giving birth to one or two more children wouldn't be a problem.
When she gave birth to Song Ping, her second son, Zhou had experienced labor pains for three days, leaving her with deep psychological scars.
Because of this, she had been avoiding the idea of having another child in recent years.
Now, seeing Sui Sui, she couldn't help but be tempted again.
Who wouldn't want a well-behaved and gentle daughter? Zhou liked her more and more, and her desire to have a daughter of her own grew stronger.
She thought, "I shouldn't compete with Princess Qi, my older sister-in-law, for this child. But why can't I have one of my own?"
On the other side, Princess Qi received Marquis Heguo at the door of the prayer hall, mindful of the social norms regarding interactions between men and women. She did not invite him in.
Marquis Heguo didn't pay attention to such details. After greeting Princess Qi, he asked, "Where's Sui Sui?"
Fearing that Princess Qi might misunderstand, he quickly explained, "I came to find Sui Sui because I wanted to ask her about the charcoal briquettes she made last time. Those briquettes she made are amazing—truly amazing!"
As soon as the charcoal briquettes were ready, Marquis Heguo had eagerly packaged them up and brought them back to the Ministry of Industry for testing.
Then, together with his colleagues, they lit the charcoal in the warmth of spring.
At first, everyone thought the charcoal looked rather ugly.
However, as they continued to burn it, they began to sense that something was amiss!
This charcoal...
Seemed to burn longer than usual!
Of course, only the ones with the correct proportion burned longer.
Some of the briquettes with the wrong proportion had already been discarded earlier.
The number of charcoal briquettes that Sui Sui made with the correct proportion wasn't very high.
After testing them, they quickly picked out the ones with a ratio of three to seven and four to six, among others.
Of course, these ratios were approximate values that they had determined by carefully dismantling and analyzing the briquettes.
Such charcoal briquettes wouldn't hold much significance for the wealthy and powerful families in the capital.
They didn't need to worry about the cost of a few extra charcoal briquettes.
However, if this charcoal were to be used by ordinary commoner families...
How many fewer people would die during the winter?
The Ministry of Industry was one of the least favored among the six ministries, and its officials often came from less prestigious backgrounds. Many of the lower-ranking officials had risen through the ranks and now held influential positions, but they still had relatives or villagers who were struggling to make ends meet.
If they had access to such long-burning charcoal...
At first, everyone treated it as just another experiment, laughing and chatting as they worked.
But once they discovered the unique properties of the charcoal briquettes, they couldn't help but urge Marquis Heguo to bring this talented individual into their ministry!
(End of Chapter)
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