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After reading the content of the book, Xiao Yao clearly concluded that He Yu definitely brought more than just this one book out; it was merely an excuse to make He Ziyi cherish resources.
Don't be fooled by He Yu's apparent indifference; in reality, his thoughtful intentions behind the scenes might even surpass his own awareness. Xiao Yao felt both touched and pained, as some people do many things yet remain unknown in the shadows.
Xiao Yao put down the book and said to her two sons, "You can read your father's books freely, but you must not show them to outsiders, and definitely cannot lend them to others, understand?"
"Why?"
"Because it's a secret." Xiao Yao spoke seriously and solemnly. She looked at her two sons but did not intend to tell them why just yet. She simply made her expression grave to emphasize the importance of the matter.
Seeing their mother's serious expression, reminiscent of the gravity surrounding the matters of Wu Yun and Liu Jin, the brothers naturally recalled the consequences their mother had mentioned back then. Even though Xiao Yao said nothing this time, they nodded solemnly, promising to keep this secret.
Soon after, He Yu had not returned for several days. The preparations for welcoming the Eldest Princess left him stretched thin as he repeatedly confirmed whether everything was in order.
Twenty years had passed; was the Eldest Princess still the same? Was her return to court merely a simple visit home? All of this remained uncertain.
For now, all he could do was strive to ensure that everything on his end was done perfectly.
Today, seeing that He Yu had been so busy for several days without returning home, the Crown Prince insisted on sending him back, saying, "Even if you don’t want to rest, you should think about your wife and children at home! What do you think it looks like when you're gone for so long? Alright, hurry back and get a good night's rest; these things can wait."
Thus, He Yu was sent back to his courtyard and arrived just in time for the afternoon.
Recently, both sons had been diligently studying in the study room. Competing with each other in learning was actually quite enjoyable. Their schedules were mostly synchronized; they would practice martial arts in the bamboo forest in the morning and play with Wu Yun and Liu Jin for a while. After breakfast, they would learn archery from their instructor during the cooler part of the morning. Once it got hot after noon, they would go indoors. At that time, Wu Yun and Liu Jin would also come inside to escape the heat; this summer was exceptionally hot.
After chatting with their mother for a bit and having lunch, they would rest for about half an hour before heading back to study. At this point, they read different books: He Ziyi focused on Military Strategy while He Zi'an read various literary texts and occasionally drew when inspired. After dinner in the evening, the brothers would start practicing their writing; calligraphy was a task that needed to be completed no matter who it was for.
When He Yu returned home, he saw Xiao Yao sitting alone on the couch lost in thought. Hearing his footsteps, she turned around and her expression immediately brightened with joy. "You’re back!"
"Well," He Yu suddenly felt a pang in his heart, realizing that he had indeed been neglecting her quite a bit lately. He lay down, wrapping his arms around Xiao Yao's waist, resting his head on her legs. Xiao Yao looked down, frowning, "Haven't you been sleeping well these past few days?"
"Yeah," being back beside his beloved, He Yu felt all the tension from the past few days melt away as he closed his eyes and began to doze off. "Where's our son?"
"Our son is studying in the study; he's been very diligent lately," Xiao Yao said with a gentle smile, massaging the acupoints on He Yu's head to help him relax.
"Mm." He Yu hummed comfortably a couple of times, taking one of Xiao Yao's hands and lightly kissing it. "It's great to have a daughter-in-law around; being massaged by my wife is truly a pleasure!"
Xiao Yao couldn't help but laugh and scold him a little, but seeing the dark circles under He Yu's eyes, her teasing words turned into concern. "Alright, you've clearly not slept well these past few days. Although it's important for the Eldest Princess to return to court, you can't go without sleep. You should rest up."
"Okay." Now completely relaxed beside Xiao Yao, He Yu was overwhelmed by fatigue and didn't want to say another word; he just wanted to rest well. He turned over, hugging Xiao Yao's waist, and fell into a deep sleep.
"Mother! I..." He Ziyi had just stepped into the inner chamber when Xiao Yao gestured for him to be quiet. Then he saw his father sleeping soundly on Xiao Yao's legs.
His father hadn't returned for several days, so he was naturally happy to see him today. But Xiao Yao waved her hand and said, "Your father has been busy and hasn't slept well; let him rest properly. You should go find your brother and play with Cloudy Golden Flow for now, and come back later for dinner."
Hearing that Father hadn't slept well for several days, He Ziyi immediately nodded in understanding. "Then can I go play with my brother and the Princess?"
"That's fine; go ahead," Xiao Yao nodded in agreement but then added after a moment's thought, "Remember to take Princess Yang Ning home first before you both come back, alright?"
"Mm, understood!" With their mother's approval, the brothers happily went out to find Yang Ning. The courtyard returned to tranquility once more. Cloudy and Golden Flow quietly walked in; Xiao Yao petted them one by one. Cloudy Golden Flow lay down quietly on the ground, perhaps influenced by their master’s demeanor, as both large cats gradually closed their eyes and fell asleep.
Xiao Yao was wide awake, so she asked Yun Zhu to bring over the various beads that had been prepared in the manor, planning to string them together for fun.
He Yu felt that he had a very restful sleep; in just one or two hours, he hadn't even dreamed.
When he woke up, he felt quite refreshed. He didn't rush to get up and looked up to see Xiao Yao holding a string and weaving patterns that He Yu couldn't understand.
Feeling some movement on his leg, Xiao Yao shifted her attention from the string and met He Yu's dark eyes.
"You’re awake!" Xiao Yao smiled brightly. "Just in time for dinner. I want porridge and vegetables tonight. You’re too tired; porridge is easier to digest."
"Okay." He Yu had no objections. It had become a rule in his family to listen to Xiao Yao. Even He Ziyi and He Zi'an were very conscious of listening to their mother at home, although outside, Father was more imposing and Mother would also listen to him.
But at home, it was natural for them to listen to their mother; there was no need to question it. He Yu got up from Xiao Yao's lap, and she slowly moved her legs, as staying in the same position for over an hour had made her body a bit stiff and her blood circulation not very good.
He Yu took the initiative to massage Xiao Yao's legs, and fortunately, she quickly felt better.
"What are you doing?" He Yu asked curiously.
"Didn’t you bring back a lot of tribute beads from outside recently?" Xiao Yao handed a box to He Yu. Inside were all sorts of beads: jade, bloodstone, coral, agate, Bodhi seeds, as well as some glass balls and crystal beads. The box was specially customized by Xiao Yao from a craftsman; it was a small box divided into about twenty compartments based on the material of the beads, with different colors placed in different sections.
"Where did you get so many?" He Yu asked in disbelief.
"I’ve been collecting them," Xiao Yao said proudly. "Look, those crystals are from the whole piece you gave me when I married into the manor last year. Didn’t I ask you to find a Western craftsman to shape them into different forms? And that colored glaze was also brought by you; it’s so beautiful in various colors. Oh, look at those jade beads; they’re from the rough material you gave me before. Didn’t I ask someone to carve two pendants and a bracelet? The leftover scraps were ground into beads…"
Xiao Yao chattered on, and the more He Yu listened, the more amazed he became. He had thought those scraps would be discarded, but he never expected that Xiao Yao had processed them carefully and kept them organized.
He Yu carefully examined the beads and discovered that despite being scraps, some were indeed particularly valuable. For instance, the jade that Xiao Yao had just shown was a piece of high-quality water jade that He Yu had inadvertently acquired. There were also those crystals, especially the tourmaline beads, which were all top-notch.
After looking them over, He Yu smiled and said, "Even if you don't make these into a bracelet, you could sell them for quite a bit!"
"Of course! These are all high-end goods!" Xiao Yao replied seriously.
It was obvious that anything entering the Prince's Residence couldn't be of inferior quality. Even if it was raw material or scraps, the quality would surely be excellent, so Xiao Yao's collection was definitely not lacking.
"Are you going to make the beads for yourself?" He Yu asked curiously.
"Of course not," Xiao Yao laughed. "Look at this string; it's quite short. I'm planning to make two for Princess Yang Ning."
"You're already planning on a bride price?" He Yu teased with a smile. After all, in recent days, He Zi'an had clearly visited Yang Ning more often than He Ziyi. Despite his age, Xiao Yao knew that this princess had definitely caught her son's attention.
Initially, she thought about having her son make something himself to give to Yang Ning, but after considering it, she felt that with He Zi'an's emotional intelligence at five years old, no matter how smart he was, he probably wouldn't come up with anything suitable. So she decided to take matters into her own hands as his mother.
"Absolutely," Xiao Yao said while finishing up the string in her hands. "Growing up together is the best way to nurture a relationship; we have to start from childhood!"
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