Her ears were filled with the little radish’s cries. Seeing that the middle radish could not control his younger sister and was himself on the verge of tears, Mi Yao was so startled she wanted to flee.
“Stop crying.” She crouched down, facing the little radish’s tear-streaked, dirty face. “Did I bully you?”
At this close distance, the child’s sobbing faltered. She gazed at Mi Yao through misty eyes, then shook her head.
“Since I didn’t bully you, you shouldn’t cry. Good children never weep without reason.”
The little radish seemed to understand. She pressed her lips together and quieted. But the moment Mi Yao stood up, the sobbing began again—soft whimpers, one after another, sounding even more like she had been cruelly wronged.
Mi Yao: “…”
Taking Shuang Hua’s handkerchief, Mi Yao crouched again. She had meant to hand it over so the child could wipe her own tears, but the little radish refused to take it, only tilting her head up, waiting.
Seeing her obedient posture, Mi Yao, though reluctant, wiped the tears from her face herself.
Once her tears were gone, the little radish immediately clung to Mi Yao’s arm, pressing her cheek tightly against Mi Yao’s sleeve, afraid she might rise and run away.
“This little one…” Yu Xiu frowned, wanting to carry the child off. But before she could touch her, the little radish lifted her head, gazing at Mi Yao with swollen, tear-filled eyes.
Not wanting the freshly cleaned face to be dirtied again, Mi Yao let her cling. “What’s her name?”
“Mother, our third sister cannot speak yet. She is called Xiao Shan—‘shan’ as in goodness. Second brother is Xiao Liang, and I am Xiao Yi—‘yi’ as in wings.” The eldest radish, clearly the most steady and reliable of the siblings, spoke calmly, though he was anxious that his sister’s behavior might displease Mi Yao.
She remembered that Xiao Xu’s children were seven, five, and three years old. Three years old and still unable to speak?
Meeting the round-eyed gaze of the little radish, Mi Yao blinked. “Would you like some pastries?”
The child understood the word “eat.” She opened her mouth, showing her tiny white teeth, and nodded.
*
Xiao Xu, as the male lead of a “widower king” narrative, carried the fate of a lonely star. His father and elder brother had both died early on the battlefield. His sister-in-law, upon hearing of her husband’s death, died in childbirth. A year later, his mother too succumbed to illness.
Of Xiao Xu’s three children, the eldest son was one he had picked up while stationed at the frontier. The other two were his elder brother’s blood, registered under his name.
In the novel, even at forty, Xiao Xu never remarried or had more children. At his side remained only one adopted son, unrelated by blood.
Now she could only hope that Xiao Xu’s widowerhood was merely a plot device, not some unbreakable fate decreed by heaven. Even if she did not, like the original heroine, foolishly target his children, the male lead was destined to have weak family ties—leaving her, the pampered wife, unable to escape a doomed end.
“Thank you, Mother.” Seeing the pastries on the table, Xiao Yi did not reach for them. When Xiao Shan quickly grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth, his lips tightened, and he offered thanks to Mi Yao on his sister’s behalf.
Compared to the youngest Xiao Shan, Xiao Liang was simply his brother’s shadow. He swallowed hard at the sight of the table full of cakes, but forced himself to look away, imitating his elder brother by sitting upright on his stool, refusing to glance at the tempting treats.
Mi Yao did not concern herself with whether they resisted their hunger. She only reminded them: “The wedding has not yet been held. I cannot be considered your mother.”
Though the marriage was all but inevitable, she still wished to delay motherhood for a few more days.
“I was reckless, I offended Madam.” Xiao Yi immediately rose from his stool, bent low, and admitted his fault.
Xiao Liang copied him clumsily, bowing beside his brother: “I…reck…offended Madam.” Not understanding the meaning of his brother’s words, he could only mumble along.
Hearing Yu Xiu’s laughter at the side, Xiao Liang lowered his head even further, knowing he must have done something wrong to provoke amusement.
“Second Brother is still young, has not studied, and does not know the rules. Madam, please don’t blame him.”
“In the Yu household, children begin their lessons at five. How can he still not know the rules?”
Yu Xiu snorted at Xiao Yi’s defense of his brother. “To be so rash and offend my elder sister—only because she is kind-hearted are you spared punishment, even rewarded with pastries.”
Mi Yao’s thoughts were still lingering on the fact that, since she was not yet married, she should not be addressed as Madam. But Yu Xiu’s sharp rebuke of the radish-heads snapped her back.
Seeing Xiao Liang bowing so low that his head nearly touched the floor, Mi Yao frowned. “Enough. In your own home, what rules must you know? This was never a matter for punishment, nor does it have anything to do with my kindness.”
Glancing at Yu Xiu glaring at the children, Mi Yao finally understood why, in the novel, Yu Xiu had cooperated with the original heroine in tormenting them. It was obvious Yu Xiu disliked children—indeed, she loathed them. Even knowing these radish-heads were Xiao Xu’s offspring, she seized every chance to vent malice upon them.
“If you have nothing better to do, go pack our things.”
Afraid Yu Xiu’s missteps might implicate her, Mi Yao’s words carried a clear edge. Yu Xiu instantly realized she had erred and incurred Mi Yao’s displeasure.
“Elder Sister…” Yu Xiu had assumed Mi Yao also disliked these unruly children. To her surprise, Mi Yao stood on their side.
Aggrieved, Yu Xiu’s eyes filled with tears. “I spoke wrongly. Eldest and Second Young Master, please don’t blame me.”
The little lady who had just been sharp and domineering now seemed meek as a white rabbit, even apologizing to the children.
Hearing Yu Xiu call Mi Yao “Elder Sister,” Xiao Yi was momentarily at a loss. He shook his head before speaking: “It was Second Brother’s fault. Aunt, please don’t mind.”
But remembering Mi Yao had just said she was not yet their mother, he worried that “Aunt” might displease her, and his brow furrowed again.
Compared to her brothers, Xiao Shan was perfectly at ease in the room. Hugging Mi Yao’s arm, she single-mindedly devoured four pastries. When she choked and wanted water, she tugged Mi Yao’s sleeve, tilting up her sesame-smeared round face, waiting for her to fetch it.
Afraid to soil Mi Yao’s clothes, Shuang Hua wiped the crumbs from Xiao Shan’s face with a handkerchief.
“Eat slowly.” Mi Yao had intended to ignore the little radish, planning to shut the door once she had clung enough. But with water to help, Xiao Shan ate even more happily, soon finishing one plate and reaching for another.
Worried she might overeat, Mi Yao ordered Shuang Hua to remove the pastries, leaving only two for her.
“If you won’t eat, I’ll have them taken away. If your sister wants more, let the wet nurse watch her portions so she doesn’t upset her stomach.”
She gave this instruction deliberately, fearing Xiao Shan might fuss when the pastries were removed.
Whether Xiao Shan understood they were hers or simply had a gentle nature, she did not cry or protest when the rest were taken away. She quietly finished the rose pastry before her, then spread out her little round hand.
Mi Yao thought she was asking for more, but when Shuang Hua brought a damp cloth to wipe her hands, and Xiao Shan obediently let her, she realized the gesture was for cleaning.
“Younger Sister has disturbed Madam too long. I’ll carry her away now.”
Seeing his sister full and assuming she would not fuss, Xiao Yi tried to lift her. But the moment he moved, Xiao Shan clung tightly to Mi Yao’s arm, tilting her face up and babbling in soft sounds, clearly acting spoiled and unwilling to leave.
Watching the little radish’s behavior, Mi Yao wondered if her bathwater had been mixed with something irresistible to children. Otherwise, how could she explain Xiao Shan’s fierce attachment—when she herself had shown no real kindness?
Since Xiao Shan refused to go and Mi Yao did not want to hear her cries, she reluctantly let her stay.
Fortunately, once full, the little girl grew drowsy. Before long, as Xiao Yi and Xiao Liang lingered, she was nodding off like a pecking chick. Once certain she was asleep, Mi Yao had Shuang Hua quickly carry her out of the chamber.
“Big Brother, do you think Mother likes Shan’er? Even though she cried and couldn’t speak, she wasn’t scolded—Mother even gave her pastries.”
The brothers had been uneasy leaving Xiao Shan alone in Mi Yao’s room. When the maid returned her safely, they relaxed.
Xiao Liang leaned over the bed, eyes darting to confirm his sister was unchanged, sleeping soundly. Relieved, he asked his brother.
“Madam doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
Xiao Yi recalled Mi Yao’s attitude toward them. His heart eased slightly. If she had shown dislike, he would have been anxious; if she had been overly warm, he would have feared she was hiding malice behind a gentle face.
Mi Yao was not affectionate, but when others treated them poorly, she rebuked them. Though she was impatient with Xiao Shan’s clinginess, she still coaxed her with pastries instead of ordering servants to drag her away.
Their future stepmother did not seem bad. She probably would not, as others had maliciously claimed, try to get rid of them to make room for her own children.
Hearing his elder brother say Mi Yao was not a wicked person, Xiao Liang relaxed and smiled. “That’s good. Anyone Shan’er likes can’t be bad. Shan’er doesn’t like Granny Ma.”
He had once been terrified by Granny Ma’s words, lying awake for nights, afraid the new mother would find them useless and hateful, beat them, or despise his sister for not speaking yet—perhaps even secretly prick her with needles when no one was looking.
It was his brother who reassured him: Father would never marry a cruel woman who would harm them, so he should not listen to Granny Ma’s frightening tales. Only then did his fear ease.
Now, having met Mi Yao, he was no longer afraid at all.
She was so beautiful, smelled so pleasant, and when his sister clung to her crying, she did not grow angry. She even gave Shan’er pastries to eat.
Thinking of the pastries, Xiao Liang’s gaze drifted to the fragrant box on the table. He swallowed hard. “Big Brother, may I have a bite of Sister’s pastry?”
“If you want some, eat. Madam gave them for us too. Just leave more for Shan’er.”
Xiao Yi added a reminder: “Madam has not yet married Father, so you mustn’t call her Mother. You can say it to me, but don’t say it in front of her, or she’ll think you don’t know the rules.”
“Mm-hm!” Xiao Liang stuffed a cake into his mouth. Afraid crumbs would spray if he spoke, he covered his lips and nodded vigorously.
Mother was so beautiful, she didn’t hit them, and she gave them such delicious pastries. He would surely obey the rules, never let her think he was a burden, and be a well-behaved child she could like.