Chapter 78

 Gao Feihe is Pei Xiao's legitimate wife, hailing from the prestigious Gao family. Her grandfather is the current emperor's Grand Tutor, and her aunt is Pei Xiao's biological mother, the noble consort Gao.

She was beautiful and graceful, but since childhood, she had been spoiled and pampered, becoming inherently proud and extravagant. Before the sky even darkened, lights were lit everywhere in the prince's residence.

Sitting in front of the ornate mirror carved from yellow pear wood, Gao Fei He pressed a floral ornament to her forehead and tilted her head to ask the old maid, "Has that child been discarded?"

The old woman lowered her head and said, "If he was thrown over a hundred miles away to Lihu Town, a five-year-old child like him wouldn't be able to find his way back on his own; he would most likely starve to death."This matter was handled discreetly, with no one knowing. To the outside world, it was said that the nurse was careless while playing and took the wrong carriage."Your Highness, please rest assured."

Gao Fei's eyes flashed with a fierce expression: "It would be better if he were dead! I really can't understand how someone as brilliant as His Highness could engage in such sentimental affairs. The legitimate consort hasn't even been married yet, and he allows a concubine to bear a son. Now that I've entered the household, if I were to have a son as well, who would be the eldest? The existence of that child is simply an insult to me!"

"The Empress is right; that child deserves to die," the old woman agreed, laughing. "What a coincidence, too. The side consort celebrated her birthday yesterday, and His Highness promised she could go out for a stroll. She could have gone by herself, but she insisted on bringing that child along.""Now that child is lost, it's only fair to blame her."

Gao Fei curled her lips and said, "Ji Jiaying is just a fool, running around trying to curry favor with that mentally unstable silly kid."I truly hope that child will become emperor in the future and provide her with benefits.”

The old woman kneaded her shoulders and whispered, "It was indeed a wise move by the princess. Not only has she removed a thorn from her heart, but she has also created a rift between His Highness and the side consort. There will be plenty of good drama to watch in the future

……

Pei Xiao only learned that Yuanzi was missing after returning to the residence at night. By the time he found out, Yuanzi had already been missing for an entire day.

Jiaying Qi knelt sobbing at his feet, while Gaofei He stood anxiously by, noticing Peixiao's sudden change in expression. She hurriedly knelt down as well, crying, "It is my negligence that caused the young prince to go missing.""The side consort took the young prince out of the palace to play with good intentions, but later, out of concern, she chose to conceal it. It was my failure to pay timely attention to the young prince's whereabouts that led to this unfortunate incident..."

Listening to the two women weeping, Pei Xiao felt extremely irritated, a burning discomfort rising in his chest. He turned his back, unable to stop himself from coughing.

That child is too important, far more important than the status of a prince's legitimate son.

Pei Xiao couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if Yuanzi really went missing. Without the weapon that restrained Le Xu, would Gongsun Zhu's son still give him the antidote?

A few drops of blood coughed out into his palm, Pei Xiao clenched his fist, a fierce anger burning in his eyes, and shouted hoarsely, "Search! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we will find the little prince and bring him back to me

……

Yuanzi was sitting in Baoning Courtyard, her head down as she fiddled with her fingers. Baoning had placed her little toys on the ground, but Yuanzi didn't go to play with them.

He was immersed in his own world, constantly picking at the small piece of flesh under his fingernail, drawing blood, putting it in his mouth to suck on, and continuing to pick, as if he didn't feel any pain.

Baoning feels that her nails are starting to hurt too.

"Chen Jia," Bao Ning gestured for Chen Jia to come over, "You go grab his hand and stop him from biting. Liu Ma, go get some wound medicine and bandage him up."

Yuanzi slowly lifted her head to look at her; she was a very fair-skinned child, with bright black eyes and long, thick eyelashes, quite beautiful.It's just not quite normal.I asked him his name several dozen times before he finally spoke up, uttering just a single syllable. Throughout the entire day, he only said this one word.

Chen Jia held his hand, and Liu Momo quickly brought over the medicine, gently pressing on him to apply it.

"Yuanzi, it doesn't hurt at all, really. Just close your eyes, and it will be over quickly," Liu Momo comforted him. "Once the medicine is applied, I'll give you some candy."

"Medicine..." The round little one, who had been quiet, suddenly became restless upon hearing this word, struggling vigorously and mumbling, "No, no!"

Chen Jia hurriedly pressed down on his shoulder, but the frenzied child had surprising strength. Turning his head, the child bit down hard on his thumb, causing Chen Jia to wince in pain for a moment. In that instant, Yuanzi suddenly stood up and rushed towards Baoning.

Bao Ning was startled, and Liu Momo immediately went to grab her, but Yuanzi ran faster than a dog and hugged her leg tightly.

With this collision, the chives in Baoning's hand scattered all over the ground. The round child wouldn't let go, rubbing snot and tears all over her skirt, calling out, "Mother, mother..."

Baoning was bewildered.But how could she, with a child so small that he couldn't even reach her waist, so fair and tender, cruelly push him away? Especially since he called her "mother."

Old Lady Liu was also bewildered.

Yuanzi kept calling for her mother, and Baoning's heart softened. She gently stroked his face and comforted him, saying, "Yuanzi, don't be afraid. If you stop biting your fingers, no one will need to apply medicine to you anymore, okay?"

Yuanzi looked at her with tearful eyes, gently nodding.

This child is so beautiful and well-behaved that Baoning's heart is about to melt. The tenderness within her is stirred, and she bends down, wanting to pick him up and cuddle him.Just as my hand brushed against the round child's bottom, a loud shout came from the doorway: "Where did this wild child come from!"

Bao Ning raised her eyes and looked over. Pei Yuan stood at the door, holding a whip, his expression unfriendly. He strode towards Chen Jia and kicked out, saying, "What do I keep you for? Picking up all sorts of things and bringing them home, you have some nerve!"

Chen Jia's wound from the bite was still dripping with blood, and his buttocks were in excruciating pain from being kicked by Pei Yuan. He felt extremely wronged but didn't dare to argue, left speechless and at a loss for words.

Pei Yuan's actions were intended to kill the chicken to scare the monkey. After dealing with Chen Jia, he walked over to Bao Ning with a stern face, yanked the round object from her arms, and scolded her, "You dare to hold anything; if you have that kind of time

"Why don't you tidy up the house and prepare a few more dishes for me?"

He has fallen back into his old habits again.

In front of the servant, Baoning gave him face, pulling his arm and coaxing, "He's quite a lovely child. His parents are missing, and I've already reported it to the authorities. He has nowhere to go, so he can stay with us for a couple of days."

Pei Yuan's expression slightly cleared up, and he furrowed his brows to ask, "Boy or girl?"

"He's a boy named Yuanzi." Baoning tugged at Peiyuan's hand that was pulling on Yuanzi's collar, "This child is timid, so don't pull him like that. What if he gets scared?""Let's have barbecue tonight. The grill is all set up, and the weather will be nice and cool in the evening. We can sit outside together and I'll warm up some wine for you."

Pei Yuan wouldn't let go. He turned around and called Chen Jia over, wanting to take the round object to another courtyard.

Pei Yuan was very dissatisfied with the fact that Yuanzi was a boy. He shouted, "It's not like you gave birth to him, so why care so much? Just find a servant to take care of him until the authorities find his parents and take him away!"

His sleeve was tugged.Pei Yuan ignored it and was about to say something else when his sleeve was tugged again.

Pei Yuan lowered his head and met the clear eyes of Yuanzi. He grasped Pei Yuan's hand and mumbled something indistinctly.

"I didn't hear clearly." Pei Yuan said impatiently, "Either say it again, or get lost."

"Father!" Yuanzi tried her best to straighten her tongue and repeated, "Father."

Pei Yuan stared blankly at Bao Ning, incredulously asking, "What did he just call me?"

……

Aunt Liu was watching the children in the yard, tending to the fire in the stove, while Baoning pulled Peiyuan into the vegetable garden to pick vegetables.

Chen Jia is too practical; when he goes to pick chives, he only picks a handful, which isn't even enough to get stuck in someone's teeth.The vegetable garden was taken care of by Jiyun after she bought the estate. It's quite large, enough to feed the entire estate for a summer. Inside, it's colorful and filled with all sorts of vegetables.

Pei Yuan sat on the ridge of the field, casually picked an eggplant, brushed his clothes, and popped it into his mouth to chew.

While Bao Ning was picking broad beans, she heard a sound and turned to look at him. Pei Yuan held out a half-eaten eggplant to her mouth and asked, "Want a bite?"

Bao Ning turned her head in disdain: "It's all dirty and hasn't been washed. You can eat it yourself."

"I've wiped it off." Pei Yuan opened his collar and shook his clothes to dry off the sweat. "If you don't work hard, you won't get clean. Eating without getting sick, where do you get all those picky concerns?"

Baoning brought him over purely to avoid Yuanzi, fearing that the two of them would have a falling out together, and didn't really expect him to do any work.

She placed a basket by her feet, putting in lentils as she spoke to him: "Chen Jia said you brought a girl back, is that true?"

Pei Yuan felt a sudden shock in his heart.He came back and got busy with that little brat's matters, forgetting all about Su Mingyu, and didn't have the chance to say anything.

"Um..." Pei Yuan cautiously looked at Bao Ning's expression, "You're not angry, right?"

"How could that be?"Baoning sifted through the basket of lentils, estimating that it was about right, then went to pick out some eggplants, looking for three that were perfectly ripe.

She replied to Pei Yuan, "I believe you must have your reasons; you wouldn't just want to bring a beautiful woman home for a casual affair, you're not a bandit."

Pei Yuan laughed, bending down to pull Bao Ning into his arms, and kissed her cheek fiercely: "I knew our Ning Ning was great; you won't find such a wonderful little fairy anywhere else in the world."

"Don't call me 'little fairy' anymore, it's too unpleasant." Bao Ning wiped the saliva off her face, shot him a glare, and stuffed half a eggplant back into his mouth, saying, "Eating won't stop your mouth from running."

Pei Yuan still smiled.The sun hasn't completely set yet; a little bit of golden light is still casting a glow on the green vegetable leaves, and the color is very beautiful.The cicadas are calling in the trees in the distance.

After a day of hustle and bustle, it is only now that Pei Yuan feels he has returned to a truly peaceful place, and his whole heart has relaxed.

He lowered his head to look at his hands; the pads of his fingers had hard calluses, but the joints were distinct, and his fingers were long.He deliberately flaunted it in front of Baoning, asking, "Does it look good?"

Baoning is busy, pushing his hand away and dismissively saying, "It's nice-looking."

"My nails have grown." Pei Yuan reached out to tug at the stray hair by Bao Ning's temple and asked softly, "Who will help me fix them?"

Bao Ning looked at him helplessly: "I'll fix it, I'll fix it, can you stop messing around? Just let me finish this little task."

Pei Yuan retracted his hand, propped his arms behind him, spread his legs apart, and looked up at the clouds in the sky. Remembering something, he turned to Baoning Road and said, "No need to pick too many; I brought back two crystal pig's feet for you.

"Why didn't you say so earlier..." Baoning looked at the messy vegetables in the basket with a苦 face, glancing at Pei Yuan, who seemed indifferent. She pursed her lips and said, "Anyway, what I make is delicious, so just stuff yourself. You’re not allowed to go

"It's not that serious." Pei Yuan said with a shy smile, leaning closer to Bao Ning, trying to kiss her on the lips. "If I give you a kiss, won't you be happy?"

"Bao'er," at this moment, Pei Yuan knew he was calling her by her nickname affectionately, "being apart for a little while is better than a new marriage; we can't avoid going to bed, you have to understand me."

……

After leaving the vegetable garden, Pei Yuan straightened his clothes and returned to the serious expression he had when he first entered.

Bao Ning secretly thought that he really changed his face quickly.

The stove is already lit; it's a two-tiered stove with a layer of iron mesh in between, and charcoal is burning underneath.Afraid that the vegetables and meat would stick to the grill, Baoning took a piece of pigskin and rubbed it over the surface, then placed the skewered vegetables on top to roast.

After Liu Mama and Chen Jia got everything ready, they went down. Today, the village is having its opening feast, and in the evening, they will have barbecue. The servants also set up a stove among the crowd.

Baoning enjoys the process of cooking and prefers to do it together with Pei Yuan.A place with fireworks is what we call home; there’s no worry that a good meal can’t solve.

No one will come to the yard anymore, so Pei Yuan simply took off his shirt and tossed it aside, baring his arms while eating skewers of meat.The round dumplings circled around him, their eyes fixed on his fingers.Perhaps it was because of that phrase "father" back then, Pei Yuan now doesn't dislike him as much. Yuanzi sensed the goodwill and nudged closer to him.

Pei Yuan was annoyed and coldly said, "Little brat, go play somewhere else. Isn't the dog by the wall? Go find the dog and stop bothering me."

Bao Ning frowned and said, "He has a name, so don't keep calling him 'little brat' like that."

Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow, beckoning Yuanzi to come over, and asked, "What is your name?"

Yuanzi sucked on her fingers, not saying a word.

"Don't keep biting your fingers." Pei Yuan pinched his chubby little hand and threatened him, "If you bite me again, I'll hit you!"

Baoning felt that he was being rough and worried that Yuanzai would be scared. She raised her eyes and glanced over, and indeed saw his timid expression.The hand was instead placed behind the back, no longer biting down.

Pei Yuan was satisfied and asked him, "I heard you have a name, what is it?"

The round child stumbled and called out, "Daddy, Daddy."

"Is he trying to please me or what?" Pei Yuan looked at Bao Ning in surprise, "This kid is incredibly smart, he doesn't look sick at all."

"Ah Yuan, don't always be so harsh on the child." Bao Ning brought him the grilled leeks and pointed to the round one, "Let him eat, be a little more patient."

Pei Yuan took over.

He looked at Yuanzi, and Yuanzi looked back at him eagerly.

Pei Yuan asked, "Do you want to eat?" Yuanzi nodded.

Pei Yuan felt that this child was really too gloomy; it's not good for a child to be so downcast, so he needed to be cheered up.

Pei Yuan raised the chives high and teased him, "How about calling me grandpa?"

The author has something to say: Pei Xiao: What a surprise!

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