Song Tingchen’s face turned cold and stern.
“Xiao Xiao, are you sure you want to lie?”
Song Xiao’s small face paled.
Aunt Qing had said that when Father got angry, it was terrifying – he might even beat him to death!
“Father, I only ate one piece…” he sobbed, “I just wanted one sugar cake. I’ll go to sleep right after eating it, please don’t be angry, don’t beat me to death!”
Song Tingchen frowned. What was this child thinking?
“Father won’t beat you, but you can’t have any more snacks.”
Song Xiao pouted, watching him cautiously. “I don’t eat much. Can’t I just have one piece? I’m so hungry…”
Song Xiao’s eyes reddened, his stubborn expression making Song Tingchen momentarily see Su Tan in him.
They say sons take after their mothers, but actually Song Xiao didn’t resemble Su Tan much.
Most of his features came from Song Tingchen.
Only these stubborn eyes were exactly like Su Tan’s.
“No. With your health condition, you can only have sugar cake once a month.”
Over the past two years, Song Xiao had been falling ill more frequently than ordinary children.
This was mainly because he had been born with a weak constitution, and according to his mother, Su Tan had always adhered to strict mansion rules, never letting Xiao Xiao eat his fill.
This had made his body even weaker.
In recent years, under Liu Qingyin’s care, Xiao Xiao’s health had gradually improved, but it had swung to the other extreme.
Song Xiao breathed rapidly, crying so hard he could barely catch his breath. “But if I don’t eat, I’ll be unhappy! Being unhappy makes me feel even worse!”
Aunt Qing said nothing was more important than his happiness!
“Wah… I’m so hungry, I’m starving to death! Father, you’re mean, you’re bullying me too!”
Song Xiao cried in hiccupping sobs, almost fainting from distress.
“My dear grandson, why are you crying like this again!” Old Madam Song hurried over anxiously. Seeing Song Xiao crying his eyes out, her heart ached as if pierced by needles.
Song Xiao threw himself into Old Madam Song’s arms, wiping his tears with grievance. “Grandmother, I want sugar cake, but Father won’t let me eat any…”
When Old Madam Song heard what it was about, she became even more furious.
She glared angrily at Song Tingchen. “It’s just sugar cake! If he wants to eat it, let him have it! Can’t the General’s Residence afford a plate of sugar cake?!”
“Mother!”
Song Tingchen’s brow furrowed so tightly it seemed about to knot. A profound weariness spread helplessly from his heart, nearly overwhelming him.
“Have you forgotten what the doctor said? Xiao Xiao can’t eat too many sweets now. His body can’t handle it.”
Being confronted by her son like this, Song Mother grew angry too, slapping the table several times. “I’ve only heard that starvation makes people sick, never that eating well makes people ill!”
“Why must you learn from Su Tan of all people!”
Song Tingchen’s temples throbbed with pain.
But he keenly caught the key point.
He suddenly looked at Song Mother, recalling the blood-and-tears accusations against Su Tan in Old Madam Song’s letters during his military campaigns at the border. “Mother, when you said before that Su Tan intentionally starved Xiao Xiao, was it actually because she refused to let him eat sugar?”
Song Xiao had been weak since childhood.
Even now he couldn’t eat much sugar.
Let alone before.
This topic made Old Madam Song even more furious, nearly smoking with anger. “What child can’t eat sugar? She was just making trouble!”
“Now even you’re the same!”
An indescribable suffocation surged in Song Tingchen’s heart, an unspeakable emotion overwhelming him.
He had always believed that Su Tan disregarded Song Xiao’s health, forcibly imposing the aristocratic rule that children shouldn’t eat their fill upon the Song family.
So the truth was actually like this!
He had misunderstood Su Tan!
“Waa! You’re all bad people!”
Song Xiao burst into loud sobs, turned around and ran out, accidentally knocking over Liu Qingyin – who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion – into the snow.
“Xiao Xiao!”
Liu Qingyin stood up limping, her eyes still red like a little rabbit’s from crying earlier in the afternoon.
“Brother Song, what happened to Xiao Xiao?”
Song Tingchen’s brows tightened severely.
“Don’t mind him.”
“He’ll be back soon.”
Liu Qingyin endured the pain, “No, I should still go check on him.”
With that, she furrowed her brows and walked away limping.
…
“Xiao Xiao, why are you crying so suddenly? Who bullied you?”
Liu Qingyin finally found Song Xiao with tear-streaked face, gently wiping away his tears with her handkerchief.
Song Xiao pouted, sniffling and sobbing as he recounted everything that had happened in the courtyard today.
“Aunt Qing, do you think my father will abandon me too from now on?”
A smile touched Liu Qingyin’s lips, “How could that be? Your father isn’t that kind of person.”
“It must be the matter of Prince Chen’s mansion that has given your father other thoughts.”
Song Xiao stared blankly at Liu Qingyin. What Prince Chen’s mansion? His father hadn’t told him anything about it!
Seeing his expression, Liu Qingyin immediately knew what he was thinking.
She smiled and recounted everything that had happened at Prince Chen’s mansion today in meticulous detail.
“Today I saw your mother holding Princess Zhaoyang – they were so intimate, one might mistake them for mother and daughter.”
“I still hope your mother and father can reconcile, preferably giving you a little sister.”
“But…”
Liu Qingyin frowned slightly, “But when you have a little sister, you’ll inevitably be neglected.”
“But don’t worry Xiao Xiao, Aunt Qing will always care for you the most.”
Song Xiao trembled all over, his eyes gradually turning crimson, his childish voice filled with determination, “I won’t let her come back!”
“I hate her!”
She would hold someone else’s daughter but not him!
She was the worst woman in the world!
Song Xiao buried his head in Liu Qingyin’s embrace, his voice muffled. Children always instinctively gravitate toward those who seem to treat them well, “Aunt Qing, can you be my A Niang?”
Liu Qingyin wiped away his tears.
“Xiao Xiao, your father wouldn’t agree.”
Song Xiao patted his chest, assuring Liu Qingyin, “I’ll work hard! Aunt Qing, I don’t want that bad woman, I only want you!”
Liu Qingyin didn’t speak, merely lowering her head to wipe Song Xiao’s face, though a faint smile touched her lips.
So what if Su Tan had taken what should have been hers at Prince Chen’s mansion today?
The husband and son who should have belonged to Su Tan were now both leaning toward her.
“Alright, then from now on, whenever you want sugar cakes, Aunt Qing will sneak them to you when your father isn’t looking. But you mustn’t tell anyone – this is our little secret.”
Song Xiao nodded obediently, “Mm!”
Just like how he never told the bad woman that Aunt Qing secretly gave him candy before.
Liu Qingyin took Song Xiao’s small hand.
“Let’s go back now.”
“Okay~”
Liu Qingyin held a lantern in her hand, the wind rustling as if a long, dark shadow was looming over her from behind.
Whoosh—something suddenly darted past from behind, stirring a rustling sound that sent chills down one’s spine.
Liu Qingyin whipped her head around, only to find no one behind her.
She let out a sigh of relief and looked down at the equally frightened Song Xiao. “There’s nothing there. We’re just scaring ourselves.”