Chapter 178: This Dream is Quite Crowded
Chapter 178: This Dream is Quite Crowded
Only with the permission of Princess Qi did the Marquis Hou crouch down and gently ask Suisui, "Suisui, can you tell your uncle which sister it was?"
The storytelling sister was someone she met many days ago.
Suisui no longer remembered the woman's name; she only recalled that she was lively and gentle, had a pleasant voice, was very kind, and would pat her head.
Suisui thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I forgot the sister's name. I'm sorry."
She didn't remember the name.
Hearing this, Marquis Hou felt a little disappointed but not too much. He thought for a moment and then asked, "Then, Suisui, do you remember where the sister is?"
To this question, Suisui, who had just been feeling down, immediately replied excitedly, "I know, I know! She's in my head!"
Princess Qi: "..."
That damn familiar, heart-pounding feeling was back!
It was either in her dreams or in her head.
Oh heavens!
For such a young child, must You constantly fill her head with things? Won't that hurt her brain? Princess Qi couldn't help but worry.
Marquis Hou didn't quite understand, but he smiled and said, "Uncle knows that Suisui keeps the sister's words in her head. I wanted to ask where the sister lives—in the capital, outside the city, or somewhere else?"
Suisui didn't understand this.
Tilting her head, she looked at Marquis Hou in confusion. After thinking about it, she still insisted on her original statement. "It's in my head."
The child couldn't explain it clearly, and Marquis Hou couldn't understand it either.
However, he could comprehend that she was still young.
Marquis Hou thought that since he couldn't get an answer from the child, he would ask Princess Qi.
After figuring this out, Marquis Hou gently patted Suisui's little hat to soothe her, then stood up and asked Princess Qi, "I apologize for the intrusion, Your Highness, but do you know where that sister came from?"
Princess Qi had already been thinking about this question ever since Suisui spoke up.
Hearing Marquis Hou's inquiry, Princess Qi replied, "Perhaps it really is in her head, or maybe in her dreams?"
Fearing that Marquis Hou wouldn't understand, Princess Qi quickly added, "Ever since Suisui returned to the capital, except for the day I went to the palace, she has stayed in the mansion. She hasn't left my side. Where would she have met this sister?"
So, it wasn't in reality?
It really was in her head?
Or was it in her dreams?
Marquis Hou was confused.
However, he wasn't one to dwell on things, and he quickly set this question aside. He then asked Suisui, "Then, Suisui, do you know the benefits of this coal briquette?"
Suisui obviously knew the answer, so she replied with a crisp and confident voice, "I know! It burns for a very long time, and it can keep many children warm during the winter!"
The little girl knew!
And when they first met, he had curiously asked her why there were holes poked in the coal briquette.
Suisui had explained then that it was to allow the briquette to burn more thoroughly.
This child knew a lot!
Although he didn't know where that so-called sister was and couldn't find her in reality, Marquis Hou thought that the credit for this idea belonged to Suisui.
With these thoughts in mind, Marquis Hou patted Suisui's little hat again and smiled. "Alright, Uncle Su knows now. Thank you, Suisui."
Marquis Hou was quite skilled at coaxing children, and Suisui was thoroughly delighted, so much so that if she hadn't forgotten how to make the small landmine, she would have liked to perform and teach Marquis Su right then and there.
Alas, she had forgotten.
However, she still remembered that coal and sulfur were important components of the small landmine.
With these thoughts, Suisui said, "You're welcome, Uncle Su. Coal briquettes are very important, and when combined with sulfur, they can even be used to blow things up~"
The little girl spoke of extremely cruel consequences with the most innocent smile and purest language.
Marquis Hou shuddered instinctively upon hearing this.
His grand-nephew's talent lay in the research of gunpowder.
After all, he had blown up their house not long ago.
Now, just hearing the word "explosion" was enough to trigger him.
However, after this initial reaction, he felt a mix of complicated and excited emotions.
He glanced at Princess Qi, seeing that she was also stunned and clearly unaware that Suisui understood these things. Marquis Hou wanted to ask more, but he was afraid of startling the child, so he could only resort to a generic compliment: "Suisui, you're so amazing!"
Suisui, proud of herself, lifted her head proudly and glanced cautiously at her mother, Princess Qi.
The Princess was truly worried.
"What is the heavens up to?" she thought. "Even if You want to dote on your granddaughter, could You slow down a little? You're overwhelming her with so much information all at once. She might not be able to handle it and end up overwhelmed!"
However, in front of Marquis Hou, she maintained a calm demeanor.
After Marquis Hou's compliment, he asked in a soft voice, "Did your sister also tell you about this?"
Upon hearing this question, Suisui shook her head immediately. "No, it was an uncle."
Marquis Hou: ?
He thought to himself that this child's dreams were quite crowded.
First, it was a sister, and now an uncle.
First, it was about coal briquettes, and now it's about gunpowder.
Marquis Hou's attitude towards gunpowder was one of cautious interest; he wanted to study it but also feared the dangers it posed.
After all, his nephews were the ones conducting the research, and if anything went wrong, they would be the ones in harm's way.
Since the Emperor showed interest in the research, and his mother didn't object, Marquis Hou could only grit his teeth and support his nephews.
Because of this, Marquis Hou had spent countless sleepless nights, cursing the names of the former dynasty's emperors in his mind, blaming them for their neglect of military might and their suppression of related research.
The previous dynasty valued scholarship over military might, even in the face of constant harassment, territorial losses, and forced marriages with the barbarians.
As a result, many documents related to gunpowder were destroyed, and the talented individuals working on it were killed.
Thus, while gunpowder was once a prevalent weapon on the battlefield, it had almost been lost by the time of their dynasty, the Great Xia.
Now, all they had were some scattered pages of ancient texts, which was why they had to start their research from scratch.
Marquis Hou now realized that Suisui seemed to know a few things, and Princess Qi didn't seem opposed to it, so he decided to probe further. "Then, Suisui, do you remember the ratio for this explosive mixture?"
To this question, Suisui honestly replied that she didn't know.
She hadn't understood it when she first heard it.
The uncle had rambled on about various chemical formulas, which would've been challenging for even a straight-A student to grasp immediately.
How could a child who couldn't even read yet be expected to understand?
So, when Marquis Hou asked her about it now, Suisui shook her head honestly. "I can't remember. There was too much, and I didn't understand it."
Marquis Hou wasn't surprised by this answer.
After all, what could you expect from a four or five-year-old child?
His five-year-old grand-nephew was more interested in playing with mud and urinating wherever he pleased than in academic pursuits.
It was already impressive that Suisui knew as much as she did!
Marquis Hou didn't want to dampen the child's enthusiasm, as he thought that perhaps her dreams were crowded with information, and there might be room for more. If he discouraged her now, she might lose interest, and they would miss out on any potential insights she could offer.
With these thoughts in mind, Marquis Hou maintained his smile as he stroked Suisui's little hat and praised her. "Well, you're still very impressive, Suisui. Most children your age can't remember this much."
(End of Chapter)
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