Qi You showed no reaction to the Prince’s words and simply closed his eyes, pretending to rest.
Apart from his mother, he did not want to acknowledge anyone at this moment.
The Prince of Rui could tell he was not asleep—he simply did not want to respond. With a faint sigh, he instructed the Princess Consort and the two physicians a few more words before leaving Jinxiu Hall.
The Princess Consort glanced at Qi You on the bed, a flicker of something unreadable passing through her eyes. She hadn’t expected the boy to have such a temper—he even dared to ignore the Prince.
Qiao Rongjin, standing to the side, was inwardly tense with anxiety.
Oh no, baby… you’re really courting death early here! That’s the Prince of Rui! The living Yama who only shows patience to the heroine and her children!
She had expected him to lose his temper or leave in displeasure, but surprisingly, he showed no anger at all. Instead, he calmly instructed the physicians and the Princess Consort to care for Qi You properly.
It seemed he still had some patience when it came to his own children.
The thought flashed by quickly.
Seeing that the Princess Consort still hadn’t left, Qiao Rongjin decided to take the chance to bring up moving Qi You to Haitang Courtyard.
To her surprise, the Princess Consort agreed immediately.
“Let him move in the afternoon when he feels better,” she said lightly. “He has just woken up; it’s not suitable for him to be exposed to wind right now.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Qiao Rongjin bowed.
After giving instructions for the food to be brought in, the Princess Consort left.
Looking at the bowl of soft, simmered rice porridge, Qiao Rongjin suddenly realized she was starving.
Seeing that Qi You appeared to be asleep, she quietly began eating by herself.
In her past life as an actress, she had always controlled her diet to maintain her figure. She had developed the habit of stopping at about seventy percent fullness. Eating too much actually made her uncomfortable. As long as she wasn’t hungry, that was enough.
After finishing her own meal, of course she had to feed her little cub next.
Qi You hadn’t eaten properly for several days—this wouldn’t do.
So she went over and woke him.
“Baby, get up and have some porridge,” she said softly, since only the maids were present in the room, allowing her to speak more affectionately.
Qi You’s ears instantly turned red. He didn’t dare look at his mother.
The shy little expression made Qiao Rongjin burst out laughing.
“Don’t be shy. You’re my child—of course you’re my baby. Calling you that makes us closer. Come on, let Mother hold you up so you can eat.”
Without waiting for his response, she lifted him up, propped him against the bed with a pillow, and began feeding him spoonful by spoonful.
She slipped into the role of a mother surprisingly quickly. Honestly, having a little bun like this wasn’t bad at all—especially one who got embarrassed so easily. Who wouldn’t love that?
As Qi You slowly recovered from his embarrassment, he finally gathered the courage to look at her.
Gentle, patient, carefully blowing the porridge to cool it before feeding him.
“Ah, open up.”
Qi You obediently opened his mouth. The temperature was perfect—not hot at all.
“Eh? Baby, why are you crying? Does it hurt somewhere? I’ll go call the doctor!”
She immediately set down the bowl and stood up, but a small hand quickly grabbed her sleeve.
She turned back in surprise.
Qi You shook his head, his voice hoarse and soft.
“It doesn’t hurt… don’t call the doctor… I’m just hungry.”
At that moment, Qiao Rongjin understood why he was crying.
She gently patted his head, her heart aching even more for him, and sat back down to continue feeding him properly.
Time passed quietly. The room was warm and peaceful, and even the two maids watching nearby felt their eyes sting.
The Fifth Young Master had never had it easy. His father ignored him, and his birth mother had not treated him well either. Now, at last, someone was willing to love him properly.
They had taken care of him for a while themselves—he had always been quiet, easy to look after, never causing trouble. The more obedient he was, the more it hurt to see him like this.
Now that he finally had someone to love him, they were genuinely happy for him.
Soon, the porridge was finished. Qiao Rongjin set the bowl aside, then fed him his medicine. Seeing his face scrunch up like a little old man, she almost laughed but held it back, quickly giving him a candied fruit.
“Feeling better?”
Qi You nodded.
“Mm.”
She tucked him back into bed.
“Then sleep a little more. I’ll take you back to Haitang Courtyard this afternoon.”
Qinglian had already been sent back to prepare his room.
Qi You, afraid she might leave again, immediately grabbed her sleeve. His eyes were slightly anxious.
It was an instinctive reaction—he was afraid this was all a dream that would disappear the moment he woke up.
Qiao Rongjin understood instantly and smiled gently.
“Mother isn’t going anywhere. I’ll stay right here with you. Sleep.”
She touched his forehead again. Still not hot—good.
Only then did Qi You relax.
His body was already weak, and after so much emotional strain, once he relaxed, he quickly fell asleep again.
As his hand slowly loosened, Qiao Rongjin stood up and stretched—her joints cracking loudly.
Alright… sitting too long.
Bored, she began looking around Jinxiu Hall.
The room was lavishly decorated—elegant yet not gaudy. Compared to her own Haitang Courtyard, it was on a completely different level, truly the residence of the principal wife.
With nothing else to do, she asked Qinglian to bring her some books.
“You want to read?” Qinglian was clearly surprised.
The original owner of the body had brought many dowry items, including a whole chest of books—but they had been collecting dust for years. She had never once touched them.
Now she suddenly wanted to read?
Qiao Rongjin ignored her reaction, randomly picked a book, and opened it.
Ah. Classical Chinese characters. A geography travelogue.
Interesting enough.
As an actress, she had even trained in calligraphy for years to prepare for roles in historical dramas, so reading classical Chinese wasn’t difficult for her. Even if she didn’t recognize every character, she could still grasp the meaning.
And so she read quietly.
Time slipped by slowly.
Before she knew it, it was already afternoon.