Xiao Chu, whose eyesight was sharp enough to hit a willow leaf at a hundred paces, naturally noticed the tears welling up in Xiao Liang's eyes.
Moreover, Xiao Liang had no ability to conceal his thoughts. As he lowered his head to eat, tears dripped from his eyes. Those that fell into his rice were barely noticeable, but those that hit his bowl or the table made faint sounds.
Not daring to look at Xiao Chu, Xiao Liang could only frantically wipe his tears with the back of his hand while shoveling rice into his mouth.
Between crying and eating, he choked after just a few bites, coughing violently with tears and mucus covering his face.
Xiao Chu showed no intention of paying him any mind, only setting down his chopsticks after finishing the last bite in his bowl.
But after putting down his chopsticks, Xiao Chu didn't leave. His sharp gaze fixed directly on Xiao Liang, as if annoyed that his noises were sullying the food and disturbing his meal.
Understanding that Father wanted Second Brother to solve his own problems, Xiao Yi kept his mouth shut and sat upright in his chair, pretending not to hear his younger brother's sobs.
However, when he heard Second Brother coughing more and more violently, as if struggling to breathe, he couldn't help but pat his back.
"What is there to cry about? Who taught you to respond with tears when you don't get what you want? Do you think you're your foolish sister, still immature at three years old? Or do you want to be a fool too, becoming a child who only knows how to cry and remains powerless over everything?"
Xiao Chu's words were cold and cutting. Xiao Shan's tears had already filled him with anger, and now seeing Xiao Liang's tears, he simply found it utterly foolish.
Learning these useless things from a sister two years younger.
Unfortunately, a child's crying might work on Lady Yu, but it had no effect on him whatsoever.
"Father, I was wrong… I didn't mean to cry…"
Xiao Liang shook his head desperately. He knew Father didn't like seeing them cry, but he just couldn't help it earlier. He thought eating would help, but he ended up choking.
Xiao Chu glanced at the mess on his face and, before leaving, said to his eldest son: "Xiao Yi, take care of your brother."
"Don't worry, Father. Second Brother just choked from eating too fast. He's sensible and understands your instructions. We won't disturb Madam."
After seeing Xiao Chu off, Xiao Yi wiped Xiao Liang's face and patted his back, only relaxing when he saw him breathing normally again.
Once Xiao Chu was gone, Xiao Liang couldn't hold back his sobs any longer. With his mouth open, he looked at his eldest brother with grievance: "Is Father angry? I didn't mean to cry, but I couldn't help it…"
"Father won't hold it against you. But next time, can Second Brother try to hold back? Second Brother is a big child now and should be able to keep from crying."
Xiao Yi knew Xiao Liang was feeling miserable, so he comforted him while patting his back. "And don't eat while crying in the future—you could choke and get sick."
"I thought eating would stop me from crying."
Who knew that shoveling rice into his mouth would be useless? If he wanted to cry, he still wanted to cry.
Xiao Liang sniffled and pulled a grain of rice from his nose.
"Eldest Brother, I'm so dirty. Will you stop liking me too?"
His sobs, which were about to stop, started pouring out again at this thought.
"You only got rice in your nose because you choked. Besides, you're my brother—I could never think you're dirty."
Xiao Yi took Xiao Liang to wash his face. Once he had calmed down completely and stopped crying, he asked, "Are you full? Do you want to eat some more?"
Xiao Liang shook his head. After a moment, he looked at Xiao Yi with pleading eyes: "I want to go see Shan'er."
The two brothers exchanged glances. Xiao Yi knew Xiao Liang not only wanted to see his younger sister but also Mi Yao. Remembering their father's instructions, Xiao Yi led Xiao Liang back to their room. Only when he confirmed they were alone did he admonish his younger brother: "The lady is our future mother. We must respect her and observe proper decorum in her presence. But we are not her biological children. She will have her own children in the future. Shan'er is still young so it's understandable, but we are older children. If we also expect the lady to care for us, we would trouble her and cause her distress."
"But…"
Xiao Liang's lips trembled as tears threatened to fall again. He knew his younger sister could get away with being informal due to her age, but he too longed for a mother's embrace, to have fragrant ointment gently applied to his face.
"Elder brother, I miss having a mother."
He had already forgotten his birth mother's appearance, retaining only faint memories of his grandmother holding his sister. Whenever he tried to imagine his mother holding him, the image remained formless—until last night's dream, where Mi Yao embraced him, finally giving his imagined mother a face.
He knew Mi Yao wasn't his biological mother, knew she would bear other children with his father, and that he would eventually become a superfluous burden. Yet he still yearned for a mother's embrace.
Why didn't he have a mother?
If only he had one too.
Xiao Chu's scolding of Xiao Liang hadn't been concealed from the servants of Xiao Manor, so within two hours, Mi Yao heard the entire account in her chamber.
At times like these, she felt Xiao Manor desperately needed a competent steward. With proper management ensuring servants observed decorum and refrained from gossiping about their masters, she wouldn't have to hear about children suffering.
Though reluctant to admit it, even if they were merely characters in a story, hearing about children being bullied by adults wielding authority still angered her.
No wonder the three Xiao children lacked the demeanor of young masters. Xiao Yi appeared somewhat better, but his maturity was merely a clumsy imitation of adults—superficial composure without genuine confidence, unlike the thorough etiquette cultivated under careful parental guidance.
"Brother-in-law seems to dislike Xiao Yi and Xiao Liang. He doesn't want them bothering you, nor does he want you expending effort caring for them."
After sharing the gossip, Yu Xiu casually remarked, hoping Mi Yao would recognize Xiao Chu's disapproval of the children and consequently reduce her involvement with them—especially the youngest one.
Yu Xiu glanced at Xiao Shan sitting on Mi Yao's lap, nibbling on pastry, confirming the child was a simpleton who showed no reaction even upon hearing her own brother had been reduced to tears.
"Mmm."
Mi Yao responded noncommittally, her expression giving no indication whether she agreed with Yu Xiu or simply didn't care.
Her subsequent actions, however, clearly demonstrated her indifference.
"After you finish your pastry, shall we wash your hair?"
Resting her chin on the little radish's furry hat, Mi Yao made the suggestion. Though they weren't facing each other, the child understood the words were meant for her—Mi Yao felt her small body stiffen, the half-eaten pastry forgotten in her hand.
Turning the child to face her, Mi Yao declared: "I considered checking why you always wear this hat while you slept, but that didn't feel right. If I want to know your secret, I should have your permission."
Observing the small hands clutching the hat brim tightly, she resolved that today, she would definitely uncover the mystery of this radish head.
Head issues in children can range from minor to serious, but surely Mama Fan wouldn’t be so negligent in caring for the child—dressing her properly yet letting lice infest her head.
"May I take a look?"
In response to Mi Yao’s inquiry, Xiao Shan immediately shook her head.
After shaking her head, she cautiously glanced at Mi Yao, afraid she might get angry and refuse to hold her again. But the thought of removing her hat made her pout, feeling torn between two difficult choices.
Seeing the little radish’s eyes redden, Mi Yao quickly waved her hand. "I want to see your head not just out of curiosity, but to check if you need my help."
People in Xiao Manor said Xiao Shan didn’t speak because she was foolish, claiming she couldn’t understand words and had the mind of a one-year-old.
But Mi Yao believed Xiao Shan could understand. So, she looked at Xiao Shan and spoke softly, negotiating with her, "You comb my hair every day—don’t you want me to comb yours?"
Xiao Shan glanced at Mi Yao’s hair and shook her head, but under Mi Yao’s gentle gaze, she nodded and loosened her grip on the hat brim.
Mi Yao didn’t immediately remove the hat but instead pinched her cheek. "Don’t worry, no matter what, since I’ve promised to let you visit me every day, I won’t easily go back on my word."
She had originally wanted to avoid getting too involved with the people in this story, thinking it best to keep to herself without interfering.
But Xiao Shan was young and had an inexplicable fondness for her.
Since she had no good way to shake off the little radish, she decided to treat it like starting a side quest in a child-rearing game—keeping the little radish by her side to pass the time with a playful mindset.
And since it was a child-rearing game, of course, she had to raise the child well.
Hearing Mi Yao’s assurance, the little radish’s tense body relaxed.
Her other hand had touched some pastries, leaving it greasy and unable to touch anything else, so she could only keep one hand suspended and use the other to push the hat up slightly.
Seeing that the little radish wasn’t hesitating but had genuinely agreed to remove the hat, Mi Yao helped her take it off.
"Ah, how could it be like this…"
Yu Xiu had been watching Mi Yao and Xiao Shan’s interaction from the side. Seeing her elder sister be so gentle with Xiao Shan, she felt a surge of indignation—why her? So, when she saw what was under Xiao Shan’s hat, she deliberately feigned shock and let out an exclamation of surprise.
But Xiao Shan paid no attention to others, only staring fixedly at Mi Yao. Seeing Mi Yao’s hand flinch slightly, but noticing the tenderness on her face, she allowed Mi Yao to place her hand on her head.
"It’s quite cute, like a dandelion." Mi Yao smiled, curling her lips, and ruffled the little radish’s fine, soft hair, which felt like down.
Xiao Shan’s hair was sparse, yellowish, and very thin. On a middle-aged man, such hair would be considered balding, but on a three-year-old girl, it looked rather adorable.
The thin hair resembled weightless fluff, floating up with the slightest breeze.
"Did someone say this doesn’t look good on you?"
Seeing that Mi Yao didn’t dislike her head, Xiao Shan happily revealed a row of tiny teeth, hugged Mi Yao’s hand, and nodded vigorously.
"That’s because they don’t know what true beauty is. It’s like little birds—when they’re first born, they have fine down. You’re the same; after some nurturing, you’ll grow to be just like me."
Hearing that she could become like Mi Yao, Xiao Shan’s eyes lit up. She carefully touched Mi Yao’s smooth hair, then reached up to feel her own.
"When I was little, I was much like you."
Though Mi Yao didn't know what the original owner's hair looked like at three years old, that didn't stop her from coaxing the child.
Having mentioned washing hair earlier, Mi Yao hadn't forgotten about it after seeing the little radish's head.
She had Shuang Hua prepare hot water, then rolled up her sleeves and personally helped Xiao Shan lie down to wash her hair.
She genuinely liked the texture of Xiao Shan's hair – tender like newborn animal fur, fragile and soft.
Fearing the little radish might catch cold, Mi Yao quickly dried and wrapped her hair after washing.
With the absorbent cotton cloth wrapped around the little radish's head, Mi Yao gently pinched her cheeks: "You look like a little steamed bun."
Instead of getting upset at being compared to a bun, the little radish leaned against Mi Yao's hand and puffed out her cheeks with effort, making herself look even more like a fair, tender, thin-skinned, plump, and well-behaved steamed bun for Mi Yao to see.