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Chapter 120: Going Home

General Xiao is now fully focused on accompanying his elderly wife and granddaughter. When in a good mood, he even goes hunting in the mountains with his subordinates. On a peaceful day, General Xiao took his two granddaughters and circled the Royal Manor.

Next, they would be busy with Zhao Mian’s wedding. To make his former subordinate’s wedding grand and lively, General Xiao called all his grandchildren together.

“Little sister, little sister, Fifth Brother misses you so much,” Xiao Jun said, giving Xiao Yao a big hug. The two had been apart for nearly ten days. If we equate one day of separation to several autumns, they had already been apart for many years. Who wouldn’t miss each other?

Xiao Rui and Xiao Yuan, the siblings, were completely relegated to spectators. Xiao Rui didn’t care for such scenes, while Xiao Yuan had long stopped having any illusions about her older brother. Instead, she focused her attention on the well-tempered Xiao Qi and asked pitifully, “Sixth Brother, do you miss me?”

“I do,” Xiao Qi replied. Although it was only occasionally, he had indeed missed her. At home, he had dreamt of Xiao Yao several times, as Fifth Brother always talked about her, saying “sister, sister.” Today, he had come here intending to tell his sister how much he missed her, but unexpectedly, Xiao Yuan, like a highwayman, interrupted him.

“I’ll take you to see the bride-to-be.” Xiao Yuan had learned this phrase from Xiao Yao. She loved it and had begun using it with Zhao Mian, even dropping the formal title of “bride-to-be.”

“What does ‘bride-to-be’ mean?” Xiao Rui asked, always curious about new things.

“Idiot, it means a girl who is about to get married but hasn’t yet,” Xiao Yuan showed off, proud of her knowledge.

“I didn’t even have to guess. This must have been said by Ping An,” Xiao Yi said with an expression that made it clear he didn’t need to guess.

“Second Brother, you’re so smart. You guessed it right away!” Xiao Yuan said enviously.

Xiao Rui sneered. “That’s because someone as silly as you would never come up with such a phrase. You two are together, and all the stupid things are yours, the good things naturally go to Ping An. Even a fool can tell the difference.”

“You think you’re so clever, today Grandpa will make sure you learn who’s foolish and who’s not.” Unable to listen to any more, General Xiao appeared decisively. That little rascal, daring to criticize his younger sister! Just look at how well Ping An and his siblings get along, and compare that to the two kids from the third house, who don’t even seem like siblings. If you said they were enemies, that would be more fitting. It’s all Arui’s fault. He doesn’t act like an older brother. Today, I must correct this behavior.

Xiao Yuan, who was about to feel a little down, watched as her older brother was chased and beaten, instantly revived with energy and cheered loudly for her grandfather.

“Thank goodness I don’t have any sisters,” Xiao Qi wiped his forehead, feeling extremely lucky.

“Fourth Brother is a failure. If it were me, I’d make sure my sister spoiled me, and if I had a younger sister, I’d spoil her instead. Ruiyi is so good, can eat, sleep, and is obedient. Fourth Brother doesn’t know how to appreciate the good things he has,” Xiao Jun moved Xiao Qi aside to make room for their grandfather.

“Grandfather, please forgive me. I won’t speak out of turn again.”

“I don’t want to hear that. What I want to hear is something else.”

“Which sentence do you mean? Stop for a moment, as long as you forgive me, I’ll say anything.”

“If you still need others to remind you, you obviously haven’t reflected properly. I’ll beat you, and you think about it.”

“Ah! I can’t think of anything with you doing this!”

“Then I’ll keep hitting you until you remember.”

“You guys are just standing there, not coming over to stop me. How inconsiderate,” Xiao Rui glared angrily at his brothers, running while lamenting, feeling abandoned by his so-called family.

“What happened? Did Arui upset your grandfather? Hurry and apologize,” Madam Qin said, protecting her grandson like a mother hen with her chicks. The old man really doesn’t care about his grandson at all. Even if there’s something, he pretends not to see it; even though his grandsons are good, he rarely shows them kindness. Doesn’t he know who he can rely on in the future, whether it’s the grandsons or granddaughters? I’ve never seen someone so biased against boys.

“Don’t chase him, don’t hit him anymore. Arui is thick-skinned, so you need to be careful with your own health too.”

“Because of your grandmother’s face, I’ll let you off today. But remember this, all of you.” General Xiao looked around, speaking sternly: “The girls must be pampered. Your mission, as brothers, is to care for and love them. Whether at home or outside, even if you have to suffer, you must never let them feel wronged. If I find any of you bullying your sisters, the punishment won’t be as light as today. Understood?”

“Yes, Grandfather!” The six grandsons answered in unison.

Madam Qin’s body swayed slightly. From now on, the Xiao family boys would live to serve their younger sisters, like oxen. There are still nearly ten years before Ping An and Ruiyi grow up. Does that mean even the great-grandsons have to follow their ancestors’ ways and spoil their two aunts?

“Zhao Mian wants Ah Jun and Ping An to be the bedwarming children. I’ve already agreed.” Madam Qin revealed this bombshell, hoping to stun the old man and make him forget the earlier conversation.

“Aren’t bedwarming children usually boys? Why would you want Ping An to do it?” General Xiao asked, confused.

“Of course, it’s because Ah Jun and Ping An are twins, a good omen! Zhao Mian wants to share this blessing,” Madam Qin said, her face glowing with pride. The dragon and phoenix twins were Xiao family’s pride, and a topic others envied and loved to talk about.

“He must have good foresight.” The mention of dragon and phoenix twins with blessings successfully diverted General Xiao’s attention and saved Xiao Rui.

“So, are we going to the new bed to sleep? Am I supposed to go with my sister?” Xiao Jun had been a bedwarming child before, staying in his cousin’s new house for a night when the family got married.

“Fifth Brother and I will go together. Who came up with this idea?” Xiao Yao asked, startled. She had never heard of using dragon and phoenix twins for bedwarming before. This idea was indeed novel.

“Can I come too?” Xiao Yuan asked pitifully. Without her sister around, she would be lonely in bed!

“Ruiyi is obedient, so tonight you’ll sleep with Grandmother.” It’s the couple’s big day, so the little granddaughter shouldn’t be causing trouble.

If you ask Xiao Yao how she felt about sleeping on the wedding bed, she could only say the sight of all the red decorations excited her but didn’t help with sleep. Looking at Fifth Brother beside her, who slept soundly, Xiao Yao found herself unable to sleep. After struggling for a while, she finally managed to doze off.

After this experience, Xiao Yao never wanted to be a bedwarming child again.

Fortunately, the weather was perfect on the day Zhao Mian got married. The bride’s sedan chair circled the manor before shooting the curtain, crossing the fire basin, and performing the heaven-and-earth ceremony. Zhao Mian gave out red envelopes to all the children present. For Xiao Yuan, everything about the wedding was a new and exciting experience. After the newlyweds entered the bridal chamber, the little girls, who hadn’t had enough of the festivities, began to work on their older brothers.

“Eldest Brother, hurry up and bring a sister-in-law home.”

Gentle Xiao Lang was embarrassed as his sister named him in front of everyone.

“Do you even know what shame is? How can you ask for a sister-in-law?” Xiao Rui rolled his eyes in frustration.

“I want to see a wedding. If I don’t ask Eldest Brother, should I ask you? I can’t count on you,” Xiao Yuan said.

“Do you mean that, Eldest Brother, Second Brother? You saw it, right? You have to testify, so Grandpa knows who’s being bullied here,” Xiao Rui learned to ask for external help. No choice—he had learned his lesson.

“Ruiyi, stop causing trouble. How can you say that about Fourth Brother?” Xiao Yao quickly stepped in to stop it. The topic of marriage had become taboo in the Xiao family, especially because of Uncle Four. Everyone was avoiding it.

“Tomorrow, we’re going back. Are you staying or leaving?” Xiao Yi asked.

“We have to ask Grandpa and Grandma,” Xiao Yao answered. They had already been staying here for more than ten days. Though she didn’t want to return to the capital, she knew Grandpa still had lessons to teach the Ninth Prince and the others. The rainy weather had delayed lessons, and if the family stayed too long, it would be hard for Grandpa to explain to the Emperor.

“If Ping An and Ruiyi haven’t stayed long enough, Grandpa can let you stay a few more days,” General Xiao said, seeing that his wife and granddaughter were enjoying their time here. He was tempted to let them stay longer, but he knew he had to go back. The Emperor was kind enough to give him more than ten days off, but as a subject, he had to always remember his duties and status. He couldn’t risk making the Emperor unhappy.

“What does Grandma say?” Xiao Yao asked, not wanting to act on her own. With Grandpa and Grandma around, her opinion as a child could easily be ignored.

“Your grandmother said, ‘It’s up to you two.’” General Xiao lightly patted his granddaughter’s shoulder, smiling at how thoughtful she was.

Xiao Yao then turned to Xiao Yuan, wanting to hear her opinion.

“Wherever you go, I’ll go.” As long as she didn’t have to be separated from her sister, whether it was at the manor or back home, she didn’t care.

“Then let’s go back together. I miss Dad, Mom, Second Uncle, and Second Aunt.”

“Alright, we’ll go back to the capital tomorrow.” General Xiao beamed with joy, happy that his granddaughter was willing to accompany him home.

The next day, the Xiao family’s convoy slowly started moving under the watchful eyes of everyone at the manor. When they reached the lakeside, Xiao Yuan shouted that she wanted to ride a horse to enjoy the scenery.

General Xiao was a bit troubled. How could he manage both granddaughters by himself?

“Grandfather, you can hold Ruiyi. I’ll take care of Ping An,” Xiao Yi said, reaching out to pull his sister in front of him, carefully securing her in his arms, gentle and considerate.

General Xiao shot a disapproving glance at his grandson. That quick-witted little rascal! He had wanted to carry Ping An, but Xiao Yi beat him to it. Although Xiao Yi was usually clever, he hadn’t guessed what his grandfather would want.

General Xiao carried Xiao Yuan, and Xiao Yi carried Xiao Yao. After enjoying the view for a while, the sisters were placed back in the carriage, and the convoy quickened its pace toward the capital.

Tong Mingyu and Li Jiaoying were already waiting at the front door to welcome their in-laws. After more than ten days apart, the family was finally reunited.

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