Xiao Tuanzi had returned in a hurry, and there was no separate bedroom prepared for her at home yet.
Moreover, Mother Shen genuinely wanted to spend a few nights resting with her.
After all, Mother Shen felt that Xiao Tuanzi had suffered a great deal of injustice.
She needed to be cared for with extra attentiveness by her side.
But as soon as she said this,
she was met with opposition from two people.
Father Shen: “No.”
Shen Mengqi: “Absolutely not!”
At the sound of these two objections, Xiao Tuanzi’s drowsiness faded a little.
Xiao Tuanzi thought she had to meditate first before she could sleep.
Reflexively, she prepared to jump off the stool to find a soft cushion.
But Mother Shen thought
Xiao Tuanzi felt she was being rejected and was about to leave.
She hurriedly held her tightly, refusing to let go.
“Sweetie, don’t be afraid, okay? Mommy said she’ll sleep with you, and she will. No one can object.”
Father Shen felt a bit aggrieved: “Honey, letting a child sleep next to us…”
And for how long?
Before he could finish the second half of his sentence,
Mother Shen also realized: “Right, you tend to toss and turn in your sleep. You go sleep in the guest room.”
Father Shen felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.
Who would have thought that a girl who just entered the house could make my wife kick me out to the guest room?
In a few more days, won’t I be kicked out of the house by my wife?
Shen Mengqi also quickly ran over.
“Mommy, I want to sleep with you too. It’s been so long since you last slept with me.”
Then she pointed at Xiao Tuanzi.
“Mommy, you’re not allowed to sleep with her!”
Mother Shen looked at Shen Mengqi, who was clinging to her leg.
When Mengqi was younger,
Mother Shen often told her bedtime stories.
She would wait until Mengqi fell asleep before returning to her own room.
It seemed she had never actually slept with Shen Mengqi.
But glancing at Xiao Tuanzi in her arms, who was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open,
“Mengqi, be good. Mommy will sleep with your sister tonight and with you tomorrow, okay?”
“No!”
Shen Mengqi’s tears, which had just stopped, started flowing again instantly.
“Mommy, you used to say you loved me the most. Now that you have a new sister, you don’t want me anymore.”
This time, Shen Mengqi didn’t stomp her feet in anger.
She just cried softly, her voice filled with grievance.
Both Father Shen and Mother Shen felt heartache seeing this.
This was what Nanny Zhang had taught her earlier.
She told Shen Mengqi not to oppose her parents.
Crying a little and acting spoiled would get her what she wanted.
Nanny Zhang said that later, she would ask Grandma to help her drive this little bastard out.
Of course, she whispered this into Shen Mengqi’s ear.
Thinking of Grandma, Shen Mengqi agreed with a smile.
Grandma loved her the most. Even when her brother fought with her,
Grandma always took her side.
It must be said, Shen Mengqi was quite endearing when she cried.
Mother Shen wiped her tears.
“How could Mommy not want you? Stop crying, or Mommy will cry too.”
Father Shen also sighed.
He glanced at the wall clock.
It was almost eleven o’clock. The two children had been through a lot that day.
If they kept making a fuss, they probably wouldn’t be able to get up tomorrow.
“How about this? Daddy will sleep with you today, okay?”
Shen Mengqi looked at him with teary eyes.
“Daddy, do you mean it?”
“I mean it.” Father Shen patted her head.
“But you have to be good and listen. No more fussing.”
“Mm.” As soon as Shen Mengqi agreed,
Nanny Zhang walked over.
All smiles and harmony.
“That’s more like it. What’s there for a family to argue about?
Mr. Shen, you have work tomorrow. Let the young lady sleep with me tonight. I’ll coax her.”
In the past, when Shen Mengqi cried and made a fuss, Nanny Zhang often coaxed her to sleep.
Father Shen did not hesitate for long.
He nodded in agreement immediately.
“Thank you, Nanny Zhang. Mengqi can be a bit fussy, so you’ll have to bear with her.”
Nanny Zhang led Shen Mengqi back to her room.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tuanzi was carried in Mother Shen’s arms into the master bedroom.
Xiao Tuanzi’s sharp ears faintly caught a whisper:
“Be good, Miss. In a few days, that little wild thing will naturally be gone.”
Xiao Tuanzi yawned and dismissed the words from her mind.
In the master bedroom,
Mother Shen gently coaxed Xiao Tuanzi through washing up.
She placed Xiao Tuanzi in the middle of the bed, then lay on her side beside her, softly patting her back.
Just as she had done when soothing her own son and daughter in their infancy.
Her voice was tender: “Sweetie, are you having trouble adjusting to the bed? Should Mommy hum a lullaby for you?”
A soft, low lullaby drifted over, and Xiao Tuanzi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Slowly, she fell asleep.
The next day,
Xiao Tuanzi woke up very early.
Although she did enjoy lazing around on the mountain,
she had never been late for her morning lessons.
And so, before the sky was fully bright,
she woke up on her own.
With her eyes still mostly closed, she fumbled her way out of bed.
Mother Shen, sensing the movement, also woke up.
She asked, “Sweetie, why are you up so early?”
Xiao Tuanzi’s eyes weren’t fully open yet.
“I’ll be late for class.”
Mother Shen’s eyes snapped open.
“Class.”
That’s right—she hadn’t enrolled Xiao Tuanzi in kindergarten yet!
She hurriedly got up and helped Xiao Tuanzi change her clothes.
As they stepped out of the room, Nanny Zhang was bringing out breakfast.
“Madam, you’re up so early today.”
The two sat at the table.
Nanny Zhang served Mother Shen coffee and a sandwich.
For Xiao Tuanzi, she brought a bowl of congee with preserved egg and minced pork.
Nanny Zhang spoke kindly,
“The little miss has had a hard time outside and ate so much meat last night. Today, she should have some congee—it’s easier to digest.”
Mother Shen nodded. Nanny Zhang was a relative brought in by her mother-in-law.
She had always been quite attentive to Mengqi and the others.
“Thank you, Nanny Zhang.”
Xiao Tuanzi, however, picked up her spoon and stirred the congee.
The congee didn’t look very appealing—it had a slightly dark hue.
But Nanny Zhang understood children’s tastes well.
There wasn’t much preserved egg in it, and the meat was finely minced.
It was mostly meat with little egg, the rice grains fully bloomed, and it smelled quite fragrant.
If she were an ordinary child, she probably would have devoured it in one go.
Unfortunately, Xiao Tuanzi was a little Taoist priest.
This congee had ashes from burned talisman paper mixed in.
And not just any talisman—it was a malicious one.
Xiao Tuanzi stirred and stirred but wouldn’t eat.
Nanny Zhang took the spoon and scooped up a bite.
“Why isn’t the little miss eating? Is she still a baby who needs to be fed?”
Mother Shen was lowering her head to sip her coffee.
Hearing this, she looked up. “Sweetie, eat quickly. It won’t taste good once it’s cold. Do you want Mommy to feed you?”
Mother Shen didn’t notice anything unusual.
She simply thought the child was being shy around strangers.
Xiao Tuanzi shook her head, reached out, and knocked the bowl to the floor.
Then, she dipped her fingertip into some of the undissolved ash at the bottom of the bowl.
Bringing it close to her nose, she sniffed carefully.
It became clearer. Although masked by the pungent smell of the preserved egg,
this was ash from a ‘Yansheng Talisman’—a curse talisman.
This type of talisman was specifically used to curse people into laziness and absentmindedness.
While not fatal, it could gradually make a person listless, appearing as if they had contracted a strange illness.
“What’s wrong?”
Mother Shen hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe Xiao Tuanzi’s clothes.
“Sweetie, are you alright?”
Xiao Tuanzi, having lived this long, had never suffered such an insult.
“Dirty stuff. Won’t eat.”
Mother Shen was momentarily stunned.
“What dirty stuff?”
Although Nanny Zhang felt a flash of tension,
she quickly regained her composure.
The talisman paper had already been burned to ashes.
Even if it was discovered, Xiao Tuanzi wouldn’t be able to produce any evidence.
“Probably because it doesn’t look appealing.
If the young miss doesn’t want to eat it, that’s fine. But there’s no need to knock over the porridge, is there?”