Xiao Xu skipped supper and slept straight through until the hour of Yin. As usual, after finishing his morning exercises and seeing the sky begin to lighten, he went to the children’s courtyard. He arrived just in time to catch Xiao Shan sneaking out.
The tiny bundle of flesh, dressed in a pomegranate-red jacket and wearing a fluffy mink hat, carefully closed the door behind her and then began to run faster.
Pu Qing had told him that the very first time Xiao Shan saw Lady Yu, she clung to her with unusual affection, insisting on being held, or else crying without end. He had thought it strange, assuming the servants exaggerated their closeness.
To confirm whether Xiao Shan was truly going to find Lady Yu, Xiao Xu followed her. When she reached the wing-room door, he grabbed her by the back of her collar. “Why aren’t you sleeping, running into someone else’s room?”
Though he softened his tone as much as he could, to Xiao Shan it was still too stern. Startled by the grip on her back, she curled her hands tightly against her chest like a frightened little animal, her eyes wide. Even when she saw it was Xiao Xu, her gaze remained full of fear.
“You’re scared even when it’s me?”
Afraid of a relative who had been around her since birth, yet not afraid of Lady Yu, who had only been here a few days.
Xiao Xu glanced at the tightly shut door and gave a short laugh. He wondered if Lady Yu had some strange magic—perhaps a special inheritance of her noble lineage.
Xiao Shan knew who Xiao Xu was, but that didn’t mean she liked him or wanted to be taken away.
As soon as he started walking back, Xiao Shan shrieked. The girl’s sharp cry, followed by loud sobbing, caught him off guard. It was too late to cover her mouth.
“Why cry? I’m only taking you back, not punishing or scolding you.” His voice carried a trace of helplessness.
When she was first born, she cried often. But after half a year, when her grandmother passed away—perhaps realizing no close elder would dote on her anymore—her crying became rare.
For the past two years, he had hardly heard her cry. Who would have thought that after being so obedient in front of him, she would now cry uncontrollably at the worst possible moment? Could it be that she believed Lady Yu would love her as her grandmother once did?
“Is the Commander here to see my mistress?”
A tall man stood outside the wing-room. Shuang Hua and Shi Ya were startled, then calmed themselves. Seeing his attire and the child in his arms, Shuang Hua cautiously asked.
Since the young lady was here, it was likely she had once again sneaked off to find her mistress, just as before—only this time Xiao Xu had caught her midway.
But instead of leaving, Xiao Xu simply held the child, standing outside the door. Shuang Hua had no choice but to ask if he was looking for Mi Yao.
Rather than answer directly, Xiao Xu said, “Stop her crying.”
Because Xiao Shan cried so rarely, her sudden sobbing unsettled him. Threats were useless, and he didn’t know how to coax children. So he simply handed her over to the maid.
Holding the little girl, Shuang Hua tried bouncing her gently, but Xiao Shan kept wailing. She signaled to Shi Ya to ask their mistress what to do.
Shi Ya went inside, while Shuang Hua suggested, “Commander, perhaps wait in the side hall. A servant has already gone to fetch her nurse. Once her nurse comforts her, she should stop crying soon.”
Xiao Xu didn’t move. His narrow eyes stayed fixed on the carved wooden door.
“Bring her in.” A woman’s voice, drowsy and languid, came from within.
Shuang Hua sighed in relief and asked Xiao Xu, “Shall I carry the young lady inside then?”
Xiao Xu glanced at Xiao Shan, who stopped crying the instant she heard Mi Yao’s voice. He almost wanted to follow her in, just to see what power Mi Yao had—without even showing her face, just a lazy command, she could quiet the child.
But reason held him back. Since Xiao Shan was no longer crying, he left. He went to find Pu Qing to learn what he had missed over the past two days. He himself did not yet feel he had a wife, but Xiao Shan had already taken Lady Yu as her mother.
Shi Ya hadn’t even entered the room to ask when the little radish’s crying already awakened Mi Yao. Lying in bed with her eyes open, she had thought Xiao Xu, as the father, might be of some use and take the noisy little radish away. But the crying never stopped. Realizing Xiao Xu was pushing the responsibility onto her—his not-yet-wedded wife—she had no choice but to speak up and tell Shuang Hua to bring the child inside.
“Could this little girl be the reincarnation of a lustful spirit, bewitched by me to the point of losing her senses, not even recognizing her own father, only wanting to sleep beside me?”
While Shuang Hua prepared hot water to wipe Xiao Shan’s face, Mi Yao looked at the child’s reddened eyes and weary expression. She guessed that after being separated from her, the little radish must have cried more than once. She tapped the child’s chubby cheek and teased.
Whether she understood or not, the little radish grabbed Mi Yao’s finger, her tear-stained face puckering in grievance.
“Looks like you’re stuck on me.” Mindful of the original mistress’s fate, Mi Yao dared not use any harsh means to drive the child away. To shake off the clingy little radish, she was willing to betray the rules of a gentle wife and think up schemes. But after much thought, she realized there was no way to reason with a toddler who could only cry. She could only wait until Xiao Shan grew tired of her and stopped pestering.
Covering her lips with a yawn, Mi Yao asked Shi Ya to bring face balm. She dabbed a little, warmed it in her palm, then pressed it gently against Xiao Shan’s freshly wiped cheeks to moisturize her skin. The child’s skin was good—smooth, without cracks.
But since she insisted on staying by her side, Mi Yao decided that pinching and kneading her cheeks would be the price. And if that was the case, the little radish’s plump face had to be well protected. She dared not return Xiao Xu a daughter with ruined cheeks.
As Mi Yao’s fingers spread the balm, Xiao Shan’s nose twitched at the fragrant scent. Her eyes widened, staring at Mi Yao’s hand. When Mi Yao’s palm touched her cheek, her eyes grew even rounder, but soon narrowed in bliss.
Seeing the hat covering the child’s forehead, Mi Yao thought to remove it. But the little radish sensed her movement, instinctively clutched the hat, then cautiously pushed it up a little to reveal her forehead.
Mi Yao paused, then let it be, smoothing the balm evenly across Xiao Shan’s face and massaging gently before stopping.
“The young lady is asleep.”
Afraid of waking her, Shuang Hua lowered her voice.
“Let her sleep here. If Commander Xiao gives no orders during the day, then from now on, whenever she wants to sleep here, she may. But prepare a small bed for her.”
Though Xiao Shan slept quietly, clinging to her without kicking or tossing, she was only three years old. Mi Yao worried she might wet the bed. She had no desire to be woken by that.
It was still early, and though her sleepiness had been disturbed, Mi Yao didn’t plan to get up. After applying balm to Xiao Shan’s face, she didn’t wash her hands. Instead, she had Shuang Hua coat them with another thick layer of balm to care for her fingers.
When Mi Yao woke again, it was nearly the end of the Si hour. The cooks were already preparing lunch, while the little radish had been taken out by Shuang Hua for porridge and then returned to nap beside her.
As Mi Yao changed clothes, she noticed Xiao Shan now wore a bright red jacket with auspicious patterns, her ever-present little hat still firmly in place, no matter the outfit. She had forgotten to check while the child slept what was going on with that hat.
“Did Commander Xiao give any instructions?”
“This morning, he dined with the eldest and second sons. Hearing that the young lady and mistress were still asleep, he only said to have the small kitchen prepare breakfast, so that when the young lady woke, she could eat.”
“What were his exact words? Did he say the kitchen, or the small kitchen?”
When Shuang Hua confirmed he had indeed said “small kitchen,” Mi Yao curled her lips. She had thought Xiao Xu didn’t even mind Granny Wu’s cooking, as if he had no sense of taste. But it seemed he did know her cook’s food was delicious, and believed the little radish clung to her out of greed, wanting to eat tasty things here. Since arriving at the Xiao residence, she had only eaten from her own small kitchen, never from the household cooks.
Surely in such a grand estate, the food couldn’t be as poor as Granny Wu’s.
Thinking this, Mi Yao glanced at the little radish with pity. Meeting her gaze, the child grinned and flapped her arms, eager to climb into her embrace.
Mi Yao: “…”
Leaving everything else aside, the little girl certainly knew how to push her luck.
After cleansing her face, Mi Yao opened the carved redwood jewelry box and began selecting ornaments for the day.
Xiao Shan knelt on a small stool beside her, staring intently at the dazzling array inside. When Yu Xiu picked out a hairpin to place in Mi Yao’s hair, Xiao Shan also chose one, wanting to put it on her.
“This red-gold pin doesn’t match Sister’s outfit today. Be careful not to poke her.” Yu Xiu spoke while taking the pin from Xiao Shan’s hand and returning it to the case.
Mi Yao noticed that Yu Xiu’s tone toward Xiao Shan was no longer openly hostile as it was yesterday, but rather subtly disdainful. She almost laughed. Compared to the Yu Xiu who had once said she must serve her brother-in-law well, Mi Yao found this version of Yu Xiu far more agreeable.
Though one was three years old and the other thirteen, Yu Xiu was still a child herself. Disliking the little girl and bickering with her wasn’t too much.
Xiao Shan, however, showed good temper. Even when Yu Xiu removed the pin, she didn’t cry. She seemed to understand Yu Xiu’s words about it not matching, and chose a gilded flower pin with patterns identical to Mi Yao’s clothing instead.
“You’ve got a good eye. Let’s use this one.” Mi Yao tilted her head slightly toward the child to accommodate her short reach.
Seeing her choice approved, Xiao Shan’s eyes lit up. She carefully held Mi Yao’s shoulder and inserted the pin into her hair.
“It’s crooked.” Yu Xiu muttered, taking it out and fixing it properly.
The little radish didn’t mind, though. She picked up the ivory comb Yu Xiu had set down, lifted a lock of Mi Yao’s hair, and grinned as she tried to comb it.
Since Mi Yao said nothing, Yu Xiu only grumbled inwardly that the silly child was combing hair that had already been combed.
With Mi Yao’s indulgence, Xiao Shan clung to her all day. Even when Mi Yao read, she wasn’t bored—give her a few trinkets to play with and she was happy for hours. As for her brothers, when they came to visit, she only glanced at them before quickly looking away, as if pretending not to know them. She seemed afraid that if she smiled at them, they would take her away.
Seeing this, Xiao Liang turned to his elder brother with teary eyes: “Shan’er doesn’t want us anymore.”
“How could our sister not want us? She just likes Madam and wants to stay with her.”
“But she won’t even look at us, and she won’t eat lunch with us.”
“That’s because Madam’s lunch is prepared in the small kitchen. Since Shan’er is with Madam, naturally she eats with her.”
Xiao Yi finally managed to soothe Xiao Liang. When their father returned to the estate and had words with Mi Yao, he would carry their sister back to them.
Xiao Liang’s eyes reddened again: “Mother doesn’t want Shan’er anymore.”
Xiao Yi: “…”
Why did his second brother always feel so wronged? To him, it was simply childish sulking—making trouble just to be comforted.