Song Jingyang gloated, "He's too stingy. His aunt said she can't take advantage of other girls, so Huaishang should find someone himself. If he can, he can; if not, he can stay single!"
Tang Zhuyun: This widowed mother from Huaishang, her character is just too unique.
It seemed completely different from what she had imagined.
That's absolutely right. Being stingy is one thing, but secretly going on a pleasure boat is just too much!
Huaishang didn't want Song Jingyang to ruin his image, but the latter insisted on talking, and the two ended up fighting in the courtyard.
However, Tang Zhuyun learned quite a lot from this experience.
For example, Huaishang's mother was not stingy at all and had a very straightforward personality.
In other words, Huaishang doesn't actually resemble her mother, so does she resemble her father?
But Linlin is different, and besides, Linlin and Huaishang don't look that alike...
Tang Zhuyun prepared a lot of dishes and set them on two tables, one in the inner room and the other in the flower hall.
She also made a "cake," which wasn't very similar, but at least it had some resemblance.
The birthday gifts prepared by the Tang Family have already been delivered, so no one else will be coming today.
Inside the room, Tang Zhuyun was with her two children, Nanny Rong, Xiu'er, while Song Jingyang and Huaishang were in the flower hall.
Tang Zhuyun smiled and asked Linlin, "What's your birthday wish? Tell me today, and it'll definitely come true!"
Linlin whispered, "I hope Your Highness is safe."
Tang Zhuyun's smile immediately became somewhat forced, and she cursed Prince of Jin in her heart.
Look how upset the child is, what a waste of a birthday wish!
Then she heard a gasp outside, followed by footsteps...
The curtain to the inner room was lifted, revealing Prince of Jin's usually cold and stern face, but now his expression was much gentler, and there was a faint smile in his eyes.
Tang Zhuyun was stunned.
He just walked out like that, so brazenly?
Xiu'er fumbled around, "Where's my peach wood sword, Song Jingyang!"
"I've refunded you! I've returned ten coins to you!"
Xiu'er: "Where's my talisman? It's not working!"
I still need to get a refund!
Tang Zhuyun: "Alright, stop fooling around."
Linlin looked at the Prince of Jin, and suddenly, tears streamed down her face.
Yanran, however, looked on in disbelief and cautiously called out, "Father?"
The Prince of Jin stepped forward and embraced the two children. "Yes, it's me who's back. Linlin, do you like this birthday present?"
Linlin nodded repeatedly, tears welling up in her eyes, which also made Tang Zhuyun's eyes sting.
The Prince of Jin, however, looked down on her, asking, "What's wrong with your eyes?"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Get lost! Wasn't it because he insisted on taking me out yesterday, causing me to have an unexplained allergic reaction?
Xiu'er asked, "Your Highness, is this prince still alive?"
"Is it not alive, or is it a zombie?" Tang Zhuyun said irritably.
Song Jingyang called to Xiu'er from outside, "Xiu'er, come out, let's eat together."
Xiu'er nimbly put on her shoes and got off the kang (heated brick bed): "Coming!"
She didn't want to eat with the Prince of Jin; it was too exhausting.
They can die just like that, and live just like that—even the big yellow dog at the village entrance isn't that casual!
Nanny Rong also smiled and said, "This old servant will go and join them, so they won't cause trouble when there's no elder present."
After saying that, he left, leaving the family of four alone.
So the situation became that Prince of Jin sat cross-legged to one side, with the two children sitting on his laps, and the three of them facing Tang Zhuyun.
Seeing how the two of them practically clung to Prince of Jin, Tang Zhuyun wanted to curse Xiaobai.
The Prince of Jin said, "Why don't you go and cook a couple of meat dishes? I need to talk to them for a while."
Tang Zhuyun vaguely guessed that he wanted to tell the two children about her faked death, so she nodded in agreement and went out as well.
There were only a few pounds of pork and mutton left in the kitchen, but there was nowhere to buy more during the Chinese New Year, and it would be difficult to avoid being seen, so they had no choice but to make do with what they had.
Xiu'er, who ran into the kitchen to help her, asked, "How about chicken?"
Tang Zhuyun: "Okay, where's the chicken?"
Xiu'er said, "Of course it's in our chicken coop!"
It turned out that she had her eye on the Tang Family's chickens.
Tang Zhuyun waved her hands repeatedly. "That won't do, those are Linlin's Linlin darlings, otherwise why didn't the family dare to kill them for the New Year? Alright, let's eat whatever we have. I'll make some deep-fried pork and some mutton soup."
"Okay, I'll start the fire for you!"
Inside the main room, Prince of Jin was giving instructions to his two children. In the side room, Song Jingyang, who had already moved the table over, was drinking with Huai Huaishang, Nanny Rong listened with a smile as Song Jingyang boasted.
"By the end of the year, by the end of the year, I will definitely marry Xiu'er!"
Huaishang: "Sigh, another year has passed, and my one hundred taels of silver..."
Song Jingyang: "I'll have a big, healthy son the year after next!"
Huaishang: "It's been almost seven years."
Song Jingyang: "Nanny Rong, do you think I'll be able to hold a son the year after next?"
Nanny Rong laughed and said, "I think it's a good idea. The wedding can be at the end of this year, and with ten months of pregnancy, you can actually give birth to a big, healthy boy in September."
Song Jingyang was overjoyed and full of anticipation.
Nanny Rong then asked Huaishang about his plans for marriage.
Huaishang was preoccupied with the hundred taels of silver, especially during the New Year, when he longed for that sum. He said, "I'm not in a hurry, and neither is the Prince."
Nanny Rong smiled and said, "The prince already has a princess, so how far away can a child be?"
"That's hard to say," Huaishang said truthfully. "Nanny Rong, to be honest with you, I feel that the Prince... seems to dislike women."
Nanny Rong was startled and slapped him. "You've only had two drinks and you're already talking nonsense! Don't you have any manners?!"
"If he really liked women, would he have been so angry when I found him one back then?" Huaishang muttered.
And then they won't reimburse him! Where can he go to complain?!
Nanny Rong asked in surprise, "When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
In her memory, the Prince of Jin was always virtuous and had never been in contact with a woman.
Song Jingyang: "Hey, that was several years ago. Come to think of it, Yanran wasn't even Yanran then! Was Linlin even born? Linlin was six years old, then going back ten, no, nine months..."
Huaishang: "That was around that time! It was at the end of March, the water was still cold, I remember it clearly!"
Song Jingyang laughed heartlessly, "If that's the case, then if the Prince gets someone killed tonight, wouldn't that person be about the same age as Linlin? Holy crap! Could Linlin be the Prince's?!"
"You've had too much to drink, what nonsense are you spouting!" Huaishang scolded. "I bought a courtesan on a pleasure boat, how could Your Highness possibly go to a place like that?"
"Why is it impossible? Her Highness the Princess is only good now; before, she was known throughout the capital for being unreliable!"
Nanny Rong was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.
There's this part too? Then, is it really possible...?