Chapter 108: Exchange

Qiu Ying handed Xiao Yao and Xiao Yuan over to Tong Mingyu, who had come out to greet them. She briefly explained the events of the day to her and then bade farewell to return.

The sisters first went back to their room to wash up. Xiao Yao really wanted to lie down and rest for a while, but thinking of their grandmother, who was anxiously waiting for them at Ninghe Hall, she had to gather herself, dress up again, and go report back.

“Finally, you two are back. Does the princess still remember you? Did the young princess play with you? Did you see the prince and the heir? What dishes did you have for lunch? I heard Ping’an changed clothes. What happened?” Qin asked several questions in a row.

“Grandmother, you’re asking one question after another, but I promise I’ll answer them all seriously,” Xiao Yao smiled at her grandmother as she spoke.

Thus, the scene in Ninghe Hall appeared as such: the grandmother and granddaughter exchanged questions and answers, two women in their thirties sat quietly listening, a little girl leaned on the couch and occasionally added a word or two. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long before she fell asleep.

It wasn’t until the family had all returned that Qin’s questioning finally came to an end. Xiao Yao felt as though she had just fought a battle; today, she finally had a deep understanding of the phrase “exhausted both physically and mentally.”

“Your grandfather doesn’t want to know about other things. Just tell him, has anyone bullied you two?” General Xiao went straight to the point. Women are so chatty, asking about food and drinks, what’s the use? Isn’t the most important thing whether the granddaughters have had a good day?

“We’re both fine, you don’t need to worry about us,” Xiao Yao replied. The questions from their grandmother all revolved around how to get along with the Wang family. As for whether the granddaughters were happy or how they interacted with others, almost nothing was mentioned. The only question from her grandfather was about how they were doing, and this made Xiao Yao feel very warm.

“Fifth Brother is helping you too.” Xiao Jun had begun to grow more mature. The mischievous child who couldn’t sit still was now more sensible, working harder to learn martial arts.

He had secretly told his mother, “Ping’an is so beautiful, I must learn martial arts well so I can protect her in the future.” Tong Mingyu had shared this with her husband, sisters-in-law, and older sons, and everyone was deeply moved.

“Fifth Brother must study well and learn martial arts so he can protect me.” Xiao Yao just wanted to use these words to encourage her Fifth Brother, never thinking about relying on him or any of her other brothers.

“To learn martial arts well, you also need good weapons. Grandfather, could you give me a real sword as a birthday gift?” Xiao Jun asked.

“In three days, it’ll be Ping’an and A-Jun’s birthday?” General Xiao thought it would be several more days before his precious grandchildren’s birthdays, but it turned out he had remembered the date wrong.

“Ping’an, tell your grandfather what birthday gift you want.” Can there be anyone more biased than this? When the grandson asks for a birthday gift, you ignore him. When the granddaughter doesn’t even open her mouth, you take the initiative to ask. Where is the fairness in that?

“A-Jun, you’re still too young to use a real sword. When you’re ten, I’ll definitely give you the best one. Although there’s no sword this year, there is a small horse, which your father and mother are giving you as a birthday gift.” Xiao Jingkang could not be like his father, who seemed to have only eyes for Ping’an and no one else. After all, both were his own children, and since his father had already given all his affection to Ping’an, he would pay more attention to his son.

“Where is the horse? Can I see it now?” Xiao Jun couldn’t wait to see his gift.

“It’s a bit late today. I’ll take you to see it tomorrow,” said his father.

“Wait until Fifth Brother learns to ride, then I’ll go with you.”

“No, Ping’an can only sit in a carriage, not ride a horse.” Horseback riding is bumpy and uncomfortable for the back and waist. Why not sit in a carriage? You can lie down and watch the scenery.

“A-Jun’s intention is good, how can you…” How could you be so biased like this! Qin didn’t consider that her attitude toward the younger son wasn’t much better than her husband’s, and the two of them were really much the same, equally biased.

“The two children are about to have their birthdays, are your gifts ready? Especially Little Four, don’t think that just because you’re leaving soon, you can skip getting gifts. Let me tell you, that is absolutely not allowed.” General Xiao singled out a reminder.

Why is it that every time we talk, I’m always singled out? Xiao Jingyan regretted not telling everyone that the gifts had already been prepared before his father spoke up. He really wanted to say that even if he had forgotten his own birthday, he wouldn’t dare forget his little niece’s, because the backing behind her was something he couldn’t afford to offend.

“The gifts have already been prepared. Who could forget anyone’s birthday except for the little niece’s?” He quickly patched things up, hoping his father would let it go because of his good attitude.

“I tell you, don’t think Ping’an is just a granddaughter and can be treated half-heartedly. In our family, grandsons and granddaughters have the same status. As elders, we cannot show favoritism,” General Xiao said with conviction.

“Pfft!” The tea that Li Jiaoying had just taken a sip of came out without warning, followed by a series of long coughs.

“How can you not even drink tea properly?” Xiao Jingtai, taking the opportunity to pat his wife’s back, couldn’t help but laugh. His father was really getting more and more amusing. Now, even if you just ask someone who looks after the back gate of the house, they would know who the most biased person in the family is. His old man was here, speaking righteously about fairness, but it was all too obvious. Oh, I can’t hold it in anymore, if I don’t laugh now, I might hurt myself.

Qin took the lesson from her daughter-in-law, set the teacup on the table, and dared not drink any more tea. She turned her head away, pretending not to see.

Xiao Jingkang and his wife had no say in this matter, so they didn’t show any attitude. But their lowered heads and slightly shaking shoulders betrayed them.

Among the grandchildren, Xiao Lang was the kindest, and he just smiled at his grandfather’s words. Xiao Yi and Xiao Yang didn’t notice anything wrong with their grandfather’s statement, and thought it made perfect sense. The younger ones, who spent time with Xiao Yao daily, had long been used to their grandfather’s behavior. They no longer found it strange. Only Xiao Rui secretly rolled his eyes, thinking he might have been adopted. Now, he was planning to ask his father, “Are you really grandfather’s biological child?”

“Well… whether or not there’s a gift doesn’t matter, just as long as everyone can share a bowl of longevity noodles with me,” Xiao Yao, the subject of the discussion, felt very awkward at that moment. She was touched by her grandfather’s doting, but also felt it was unfair to the others, especially to the other three who were of similar age. The same status and age, but different treatments, were bound to cause dissatisfaction.

“Little sister wants a gift, and Fifth Brother will give you his,” Xiao Jun walked up to his sister, gently held her hand, patted it, and comforted her.

“I’ll give mine to sister too,” Xiao Qi generously declared.

“I have one too, I have one!” Xiao Yuan hurriedly expressed hee position.

“You’re all good children.” General Xiao happily patted one and rubbed another, feeling proud of his children for being so well-behaved, friendly, and loving.

“Fourth Uncle, can I ask you for a birthday gift?” Xiao Yao asked sweetly.

Here we go again. Just after being scolded, the storm hadn’t fully settled, and now the little niece was asking for something. Her request probably wouldn’t be easy to fulfill. If he agreed, it might be a trap; if he refused, his father was watching him closely, caring and observing. He couldn’t refuse; what a troublesome little thing.

“Ping’an, tell us what you want,” General Xiao said, actively giving his granddaughter a ladder to climb.

With your support, what can Ping’an not get? Everyone threw sympathetic looks at Xiao Jingyan.

“I want to ask you to bring back some local fun trinkets, travel journals, and miscellaneous books from the Northwest, is that okay?”

“That’s easy. Your fourth uncle will definitely handle it. Just make sure to bring back something when you return along with the birthday gift,” General Xiao made a final decision.

“I’m going on official business. I don’t know if I’ll have that much free time. If I do, I’ll try my best to fulfill your request.” Xiao Jingyan felt as though he was not going on an official trip, but instead running errands for his little niece.

“Ahem, Fourth Brother, I’ll cover the expenses for your trip to the Northwest,” Xiao Jingkang, unable to watch this any longer as the father, added. He hoped his words would slightly comfort his brother’s injured feelings.

“That’s better,” Xiao Jingyan felt a slight warmth, realizing that, aside from his mother, someone else in the family felt sympathy for him.

“Isn’t it a bit unfair for only Fourth Uncle to prepare the gift?” Xiao Jingyan countered.

“Then what do you want?” Xiao Yao asked, hoping to fulfill Fourth Uncle’s wishes if it was within her ability.

“When I return, let’s exchange gifts. One item for one, two for one… Just five for one, okay?” Under his father’s murderous gaze, Xiao Jingyan had no choice but to keep backing down.

“But what can I give you? Writing, painting, making snacks.”

“Writing is out of the question, painting might just about work, but the snacks— I want something new you’ve just experimented with. Also, aren’t you learning embroidery? You can make me a pouch, a fan case, or even a net or something.” Xiao Jingyan made his request.

“Are you sure you want the pouch I’ll embroider?” Xiao Yao asked, feeling nervous since she had only just started learning how to sew and had no idea how the result would turn out. But since Fourth Uncle wanted it, she would just do it.

“Won’t you put more effort into learning? I want to see your sincerity, do you understand?” Xiao Jingyan said desperately.

“I know, I know!” Xiao Yao hurriedly agreed, not wanting to provoke Fourth Uncle, who was clearly upset!