Tang Zhuyun left secretly.
She returned to her room and wiped away her tears for a moment.
Looking at Yanran wiping away her tears, she suddenly remembered something. "Yanran, why aren't you surprised? You knew beforehand that I was Linlin's biological mother?"
"I didn't know at first, but I found out after the flower viewing banquet," Yanran said obediently. "But wouldn't that be better?"
"Good?"
"Yes!" Yanran said happily, "Then Brother Linlin is my real brother now."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Ask your father if he'd like it.
He desperately wants you to marry Linlin!
But you can't say this to a child.
Then she heard Yanran continue, "That makes me even happier. My father likes my brother; my sister likes me. If we switch, neither of us will lose out."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
This clever child didn't ask the crucial question at all; she was intentionally avoiding the topic of Linlin's biological father.
Tang Zhuyun patted her head, took a deep breath, and said, "Come on, let's cook! We'll have a good meal tonight!"
When you're happy, eat well to celebrate; when you're unhappy, eating well can make you happy. In short, eating is the most important thing.
That evening, Prince of Jin said to Tang Zhuyun, "You eavesdropped?"
Tang Zhuyun: "... Hmm."
"I've already had Huaishang handle the matter of that peddler. Huaishang is reliable and steady, so you don't need to worry."
Tang Zhuyun's legs went weak and she almost fell.
Let Huaishang handle it... She felt guilty.
But then I thought again, she didn't mention the pleasure boat, and Prince of Jin said he didn't intend to investigate the matter further, so it should be fine, right?
And recently she's been having doubts about herself, wondering if she's mistaken someone for someone else.
Because she had subtly inquired with Song Jingyang about whether Huaishang.
Song Jingyang shook his head vigorously. "How could he go to a brothel? That place is incredibly stingy. Besides, he's been with the prince for so many women, and I've never seen him flirt with any of them."
Given Huaishang's personality, if there's a need, he'd never spend money if it's free.
Tang Zhuyun added cheekily, "He wouldn't even do it for ten taels of silver?"
"No way! Let me put it this way, he wouldn't even pay ten cents!"
Is that so?
Tang Zhuyun silently wondered to herself.
The next day, after court, the Prince of Jin went straight home.
Tang Zhuyun, who was leading Yanran to set a trap to catch sparrows, was stunned. "Your Highness, why are you back so early?"
Prince of Jin: "Lie down!"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Yanran chuckled to herself and whispered, "Father promised Brother Linlin today that he would take him to pick persimmons."
"Harvest persimmons?"
"Yes," Yanran said, pointing to the persimmons hanging from the tree outside, almost dried into persimmon cakes. "Those are the ones. Didn't my sister say she wanted to try some a few days ago? So Brother Linlin asked Father, and today they picked the persimmons themselves."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
She was afraid she would choke to death on the persimmons that the Prince of Jin had picked.
No wonder Linlin started reading and writing so early in the morning; she probably wanted to finish her studies for the day first.
It would be an injustice if this child didn't succeed.
"Sister, let's go help too," Yanran said, standing up and clapping her hands. "The sparrows are too clever; we can't catch them."
"Good."
The persimmon tree is quite old and very tall; even with a bamboo pole, Linlin can't reach the top few persimmons.
Tang Zhuyun: "Wait, I'll go back and get a chair!"
When she brought out the chair, she found that Prince of Jin had already put Linlin on his neck.
Linlin blushed with excitement. "Your Highness, to the left, a little more to the left!"
Tang Zhuyun rubbed her eyes. Was she really not seeing things?
The noble and aloof Prince of Jin actually "bowed down and willingly became an ox for the people"?
For Linlin, he received a lot of love from Tang Mingfan and his son from childhood to adulthood, but it was completely different from the rugged and tough love of Prince of Jin.
The Prince of Jin taught him riding and archery, even hoisting him onto his neck... These experiences were novel and exciting for Linlin.
Tang Zhuyun looked at Linlin's smiling face and couldn't help but smile as well.
The warm winter sun shone through the branches onto the two of them, casting shimmering shadows, and their laughter carried far.
Yanran refused to go forward, because she saw a falling persimmon hit Song Jingyang, splashing his face with juice... The persimmon hadn't even fully turned into a persimmon cake yet!
"It's like poop..." Yanran whispered to Tang Zhuyun, "Sister, let's not go, let's wait and eat."
Tang Zhuyun laughed heartily, "Alright, didn't you want to get your nails painted? Sit on the porch and wait, I'll go inside to get something."
The juice from balsam flowers and crape myrtle can be used to dye nails. She collected a lot in the summer, so she can use it now.
Yanran was immediately delighted. "Great!"
What girl doesn't love beauty?
She would soak her hands in milk after practicing boxing every day, which was something Tang Zhuyun taught her.
After soaking her hands in milk, she goes out to feed the stray cats. Recently, the stray cats in the neighborhood have become quite shiny from her feeding.
So, Prince of Jin carried Linlin to collect persimmons, while Song Jingyang miserably tried to catch them with a bag, only to be accidentally hit by one; meanwhile, Tang Zhuyun hummed a little tune and painted her nails beautifully with Yanran...
Nanny Rong sat on the kang (heated brick bed) by the window, doing needlework. She opened the window a crack and looked at the scene outside with a face full of satisfaction.
After lunch and a nap, the Prince of Jin took his two children to his study to study.
Although Tang Zhuyun had many complaints about him, Prince of Jin did have some merits in educating children.
Be lenient when appropriate, and strict when necessary.
For example, right now, he's using a ruler to correct his two children's posture, pen grip, and so on, and he's being very strict.
Linlin is fine; studying is something he's very good at.
Yanran, however, found the learning process very difficult, and tears welled up in her eyes after the Prince of Jin pointed at her twice with his ring.
Tang Zhuyun peeked inside from outside and saw the little girl on the verge of tears. Feeling sorry for her, she cut a plate of fruit and brought it inside.
Yanran has become much more cheerful now, almost excessively so, and is sometimes even more mischievous than Linlin.
If you don't learn about filial piety and parental love, you'll end up with chaos and disorder.
Before the Prince of Jin even laid a hand on her, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.
That won't do. Children can be spoiled, but they shouldn't be indulged.
However, children also have self-esteem, so you can't be too harsh.
Tang Zhuyun squatted down beside her and said, "Yanran has learned so many characters now! What is this? I don't recognize it."
"It's ''."
Tang Zhuyun asked, "Which one is fat?"
Yanran immediately burst into laughter and explained, "The one with heavy rain and snow."
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, "Why do I have to teach such obscure characters?"
She genuinely didn't recognize it. Although she had learned many characters through reading, she truly didn't recognize such rare characters.
"Many people use this character in their names," Yanran explained further.
The Prince of Jin's gaze was deep and unfathomable.
Linlin secretly tugged at his hand, and the Prince of Jin's expression softened slightly, but he remained expressionless again.