Chapter 73 – Yao Yao’s Unfiltered Mouth

The chubby little girl was currently pulling Xu Sanning’s hand toward the pastry table outside. She picked up a pink, plum-blossom-shaped pastry and held it to Xu Sanning’s mouth.

Xu Sanning looked surprised.

Before entering the palace, her grandmother had reminded her over and over again not to be greedy and to always keep moderation in mind.

From the moment she was born, she had to learn all kinds of rules.

It wasn’t just her—her other sisters had to go through the same thing. Every month, they had to pass their grandmother’s assessments.

Her grandmother required them to maintain a specific standard in everything, from their body shape to their speech and manners.

If anyone exceeded the weight limit set by her grandmother that month, they would have to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment.

Xu Sanning couldn’t help but look at Yao Yao a few more times. The little girl was adorably chubby, but if she were in the Xu family’s back courtyard, she’d be made to kneel in the ancestral hall every day.

Her grandmother always said that women must have a slim figure to be liked by the men of the inner household.

They had to strictly control their diet. Something like the pastry Yao Yao held would be out of her reach for ten days or even half a month.

Xu Sanning didn’t want to open her mouth. She was afraid that if her weight increased even a little, she’d be punished when she returned home.

But Yao Yao was persistent. Seeing her hesitate, she immediately came up with a reason, “Pretty sister, you’re way too skinny. Even Huahua is fatter than you!”

“Who’s Huahua?” Xu Sanning asked, her curiosity piqued.

Yao Yao squinted her eyes. “She’s my little pet flower snake.”

A snake?

This was the first time Xu Sanning had heard of someone keeping a snake as a pet.

Her younger sisters kept dogs and cats; she herself had raised a pure white rabbit.

How could someone possibly keep a cold-blooded animal like a snake?

Xu Sanning even suspected the girl was joking and reached out to pat her little head. “Yao Yao, aren’t you exaggerating a bit?”

Even if she really had a snake, how fat could a snake get?

Just as she doubted her, Yao Yao instinctively reached for the large pocket at her waist.

Standing behind her, Xie Yixing immediately stepped forward and grabbed her chubby little hand, stopping her in time.

Meeting Xie Yixing’s gaze, Yao Yao instantly realized that they were in the palace, and she couldn’t secretly let Huahua out.

Poor Huahua could only stay tucked inside her pocket.

But she had recently noticed that Huahua had gotten much heavier. If it curled up on her shoulder to sleep, it wouldn’t take long before her shoulder started to ache.

Yao Yao quickly dropped the subject of how fat Huahua was and once again lifted the pastry toward Xu Sanning’s mouth.

This time, Xu Sanning didn’t react in time and instinctively took a bite.

The sweet taste spread through her mouth.

She had not consumed any sugar for a long time in order to maintain her figure and meet her grandmother’s standards.

There was definitely a lot of sugar in this pastry. After a couple of chews, Xu Sanning suddenly felt guilty.

Would she gain weight from this?

Seeing her frown, Yao Yao thought the pastry wasn’t to her liking.

She quickly put it down and picked another one from a different jade plate. “Sister, try this one?”

Seeing Yao Yao about to stuff another one into her mouth, Xu Sanning hurriedly shook her head. “Yao Yao, eat it yourself. I don’t really like sweets.”

Hearing this, Yao Yao’s expression suddenly dropped.

How could someone not like pastries when they were so delicious?

Although Brother Persimmon (Xie Yixing) didn’t like them at first either, under her persistent coaxing, he eventually started tasting them on his own.

Xie Yixing was already used to Yao Yao’s habit of force-feeding people.

From humans to snakes, Yao Yao spared no one.

Whenever new pastries were served in his mother’s quarters, Yao Yao would insist on giving a piece to every single person before she’d eat any herself.

Even the last piece had to be taken home for her little flower snake.

That little flower snake had visibly gotten plumper.

Seeing Yao Yao’s disappointed expression, Xu Sanning’s heart softened.

Especially when Yao Yao’s long, curled eyelashes fluttered gently, a sense of guilt bloomed in her heart.

Yao Yao meant well, but she truly couldn’t eat more.

The lingering sweetness between her teeth tugged at her heart.

She was at an age where she was still growing, and naturally, she loved sweets.

Sigh. If only she could live as carefree as Yao Yao. At least when it came to food, Yao Yao didn’t have to deny herself.

Although Yao Yao was a little upset about her failed feeding attempt, her mood changed quickly, and she never held grudges.

Before Xu Sanning could think of something nice to say to cheer her up, Yao Yao was already attracted by a nearby game of pitch-pot.

Seeing Yao Yao raise her little head with curiosity, Xu Sanning immediately suggested taking her to try it.

From the look in her eyes, it was clear that this was her first time seeing such a thing.

Trying it out wouldn’t hurt.

Since she would be staying in the capital from now on, she’d inevitably have to participate in these activities.

Hearing she could play too, Yao Yao excitedly looked at Xie Yixing, wanting to pull him along.

Surprisingly, Xie Yixing refused.

He instructed Nanny Wu to watch over Yao Yao closely and not to let anyone other than Xu Sanning approach her.

Meeting the warning look in the young lord’s eyes, Nanny Wu immediately became extra vigilant, not daring to let Yao Yao out of her sight.

Yao Yao asked curiously, “Brother Persimmon, don’t you like playing?”

Xie Yixing glanced at the noble girls not far away winking at him and slightly turned his body to the side. “That’s a game for girls.”

“Oh, alright.”

Yao Yao looked a bit disappointed and blinked at Xie Yixing. She secretly thought to herself: If only Brother Persimmon could become a pretty sister too…

Brother Persimmon was so good-looking. If he were a girl, he’d definitely be the most beautiful of them all!

Thinking of this, Yao Yao couldn’t help but turn to Nanny Wu, who was practically glued to her side. “Nanny, if Brother Persimmon turns into a girl, can I bathe with him?”

At home, her eldest sister always bathed with her.

Nanny Wu, who was older, heard this question and started wondering how the young master could possibly turn into a girl.

But on the other side, Xu Sanning was stunned and asked in shock, “You and the young lord are this close?”

Yao Yao blinked and nodded again.

Xu Sanning hadn’t expected that a prestigious noble house like the Marquis’ would not require gender separation at this age.

Before she could ask more, Yao Yao suddenly grinned with a very serious expression, “Pretty sister, Brother Persimmon smells nice and feels soft. He’s very comfy to cuddle with when sleeping.”

“Do you want to try too?”

Nanny Wu and Xu Sanning both fell into silence upon hearing that.

Especially Xu Sanning, whose visible reaction was one of tension.

Nanny Wu quickly reached out to cover Yao Yao’s mouth and looked apologetically at Xu Sanning. “Miss Xu, Miss Yao Yao often jokes like this. Please don’t take it seriously. A girl’s reputation is very delicate. Just pretend you didn’t hear anything.”

Xu Sanning quickly nodded.

Though it may have been childish talk, what Yao Yao said was probably true.

If she had said something like that in the Xu family, her grandmother would have punished her hundreds of times already.