Chapter 342: A Child's Joy
Chapter 342: A Child's Joy
Su Su was currently reciting her lessons when she noticed her father return. Her eyes lit up, and her cheerful expression brightened the mood of those around her.
However, she didn't stop her recitation but instead straightened her back and held her head high, reciting each word and sentence with even more clarity and precision.
The Prince of Qi beamed with delight and didn't disturb the child. He quietly stood by and listened as Su Su continued to the end.
As soon as Su Su finished, she let out a cheerful shout and rushed toward the Prince like a little cannonball.
The little girl had been gaining weight over the past half month, and it showed. Her face looked fuller, the dimples on her cheeks more pronounced, and her body less bony and more pleasantly plump.
While she couldn't be described as chubby, she was definitely filling out.
The Prince of Qi's heart felt more at ease as he touched her soft cheeks.
He felt that his household was indeed skilled at raising children.
Su Su was thriving under their care.
Being held by her father, Su Su snuggled close and cooed, "Father, why did you take so long to come back?"
As she spoke, she nuzzled her little head against the Prince's forehead, captivating him so much that he forgot about everything else.
He gently lifted the little girl in his arms and replied with a smile, "Did my good girl miss her father? I had some matters to discuss with your Imperial Uncle, so I was delayed. Rest assured, my good girl, tomorrow I won't leave the manor and will spend the entire day with you, alright?"
Children always yearned for the company of their elders.
Hearing her father's words, Su Su nodded vigorously. "Yes! Father is the best!"
The Prince of Qi hugged Su Su and then went to coax Feng Xuanrui and the others.
However, Feng Xuanrui and his brothers refused to be hugged.
It was too hot, and no one wanted to be stuck close to another person in this weather.
Hugging was out of the question.
They were young men now and didn't need anyone to hold them!
The Prince of Qi didn't forget about Ren Shuhan and the others either and greeted them all.
To help the children adapt as quickly as possible, the Princess of Qi had specially invited Ren's concubine mother and Meng's concubine mother to join them for dinner.
The two women had been helping out earlier and had gone to the courtyard to cool off. Hearing the commotion, they now joined the family.
The family enjoyed a lively and boisterous dinner together.
After the meal, they played for a while, but the oppressive heat and sticky feeling on their skin prompted them to retire for the night. Each child followed their attendant to bathe and get ready for bed.
The Princess of Qi had prepared a room for Ren Shuhan in the manor, but the little girl was too young to sleep alone.
So, after bathing, she squeezed into bed with Su Su, refusing to be separated.
The Princess of Qi didn't stop them and allowed the girls to stay together. She only instructed the aunts and maids to pay extra attention to the children to ensure they didn't catch a chill.
Although Su Su had slept with other friends before, this was the first time she was sharing a bed with a new sister.
As they lay in bed, Su Su was too excited to sleep.
The two little girls chatted incessantly, their voices filling the room. The aunts worried that the children would be too tired to wake up the next morning.
But the Princess had instructed them to let the children do as they pleased and not impose too many rules.
So, the aunts kept quiet and continued to watch over the children.
Before long, one of the girls fell asleep.
Ren Shuhan saw that Su Su was asleep, and her head soon drooped to the side as she dozed off as well.
Children fell asleep quickly, leaving adults little time to react.
The aunts smiled as they watched the two girls sleeping in awkward positions.
Communicating with Su Su's aunt, they each assigned a maid to watch over the sleeping girls and listen out for any disturbances.
As the children were still young, they required constant supervision.
Once everything was arranged, the aunt could finally rest.
Although they had retired late the previous day, the summer sun rose early, and so Su Su and her friends awoke with the dawn.
After yesterday's events, the two little girls had become fast friends.
Thus, upon waking, they couldn't bear to be apart and chattered incessantly, as if they couldn't stand to be separated for even a moment!
As for Song Kuan, she had slept with Feng Xuanrui and Feng Xuanbin.
The three older children had been unbearably hot at first, but as the night cooled, they huddled together.
In the morning, they felt a mix of joy and annoyance.
Although Meng Jundong was younger, his demeanor was more subdued and elegant, with a hint of scholarly refinement.
After observing the three children for two days, the Princess of Qi was finally reassured of their good character.
After breakfast, the children went off to their lessons.
Master Shen was quite pleased with the additional students in his small classroom.
Ren Shuhan was diligent and loved to question things, and this attitude delighted Master Shen.
Meng Jundong, unsurprisingly, came from a scholarly family, and although he didn't exhibit any signs of being a prodigy, he was indeed a hardworking student.
Song Kuan was also intelligent and well-behaved, and Master Shen approved.
As long as they weren't mischievous, he was generally satisfied.
Having finished reviewing the account books the day before, today, the Princess of Qi would be preparing for Su Su's identity unveiling banquet with the two side concubines.
They needed to oversee the manor's decorations and all the necessary purchases.
This included accommodating guests upon their arrival and anticipating potential emergencies.
In recent days, the steward from the estate had been running errands at a breakneck pace, with the manor's horse-drawn carriage nearly spewing sparks from its wheels.
Usually, one or two trips a day were sufficient to meet the manor's daily needs.
However, in the last two days, three trips had become the bare minimum.
Even then, some items were still lacking, falling short of the master's expectations, prompting the steward to procure the missing pieces elsewhere.
The Princess of Qi naturally held Su Su's unveiling banquet in high regard.
Thus, she insisted on adhering to the highest standards in every aspect, including meticulous attention to various details.
With nothing much to contribute regarding Su Su's matter, the Prince of Qi wanted to spend time with the children during their lessons.
Being apart from the children made him feel insecure.
After the matter of Su Jia's remnants was concluded, there weren't any other pressing issues demanding his attention for the time being.
They had already discussed and decided on how to lay the Empress's sister to rest, awaiting only the auspicious day to send her to her final resting place.
The previous day's endeavors had left the Prince of Qi feeling somewhat weary.
With his sudden freedom on this day, he felt somewhat at a loss.
As he strolled slowly forward, he chatted casually with the fourth.
Then, he bumped into the rushing steward.
Seeing the steward's hurried pace, his brow furrowed with sweat, and the Prince of Qi asked in confusion, "Why are you rushing about? Has something happened?"
The steward hadn't expected to encounter the Prince at this moment and hastily tried to maintain his balance while wiping the sweat from his forehead. He nodded and replied, "Your Highness, there's been some news from the Marquis of Jinyang Estate, and I was on my way to report it to Her Highness. I fear that this development might affect our banquet preparations."
(End of Chapter)
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