CHAPTER 603: CHAPTER 394: THE CHANGE IN THE EASTERN PALACE

"Lord Xiao is being too kind," said Ran Yan.

In the Tang Dynasty, the term "大人", was a respectful address for one’s father, so when Ran Yan called Xiao Song "Lord Xiao," she meant it as "Father Xiao," not referring to his official title.

Actually, the chances of having twins are slightly more influenced by the female, as either one egg cell splits into two or more, or more than one egg cell is released and fertilized, resulting in twins or multiple births. Hence, there are identical and fraternal twins.

Ran Yan carefully observed the three children’s appearances; the eldest and the second looked quite alike, while Ruoruo’s little face had not yet fully developed, making it difficult to discern her features.

Xiao Song reached out his finger to play with the children.

Turning her head towards him, under the warm glow of the lamp, Xiao Song lay on his side in a white robe on the couch, propping his head with one hand and teasing the children with the other. His black hair cascaded over the brocade quilt, a gentle smile gracing his handsome face. His bright eyes twinkled with a hint of laughter, as if scooping up a clear spring. He had shaved his beard earlier to avoid pricking the children, and now, he bore a devastatingly beautiful visage.

The second child caught something enthusiastically, but suddenly paused, his innocent, watery eyes staring at Xiao Song.

Moments later, he burst into tears with a loud "wah—".

His crying was no minor issue, as it prompted the eldest to join in, and Ruoruo, who was sleeping, was startled awake by her brothers’ cries and joined them even before opening her eyes.

The usually composed Xiao Song suddenly became flustered, unsure which child to comfort first as his usual calmness was nowhere to be found.

Ran Yan, however, remained calm, "The second one probably wet himself."

Hearing the noise, Xing Niang and Wan Lu from the other room hurriedly came in, brought clean diapers, and Xing Niang efficiently changed the second child.

The four of them took some time to pacify the children before they calmed down. Seeing Ruoruo’s innocent sobs, Ran Yan felt a deep pang of heartache and gently lifted her up to soothe her.

Soon, the eldest and the second were joyful again, and the second child, who had started the whole thing, even cracked a smile after feeling better.

"You little rascal," Xiao Song said, both annoyed and amused.

Ruoruo felt a bit more settled in Ran Yan’s arms, cried for a while, and then yawned and went back to sleep.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the eldest who had started crying! Otherwise, how could it have been resolved so easily?

During this time, Ran Yan had figured out the crying patterns of the three children. The second child cried the most, sometimes inexplicably bursting into wails but calming down after making everyone fuss over him. The eldest cried quite often too, usually chiming in if the second started, but falling silent when others did not cry. However, if he was the one to start crying, it was as if the sky would change, plants would grieve, and non-criers would have their hearts torn, unable to stop until all was quiet.

Because of this, the whole household was on edge, and all the servants treated the eldest like he was Buddha, getting nervous over even a hiccup.

Of the three children, Ruoruo was the most well-behaved, typically eating then sleeping, waking up only to eat again, and not crying if denied food, but rather pouting pitifully with tears in her eyes, ready to fall but never quite dropping—excruciatingly endearing.

Ran Yan sighed, having a child was a test of strength, and taking care of them, even more so, especially those who were initially fragile. Thankfully, they had a host of servants to help, otherwise what would they have done with three kids all at once!

After the toll of midnight, they fed the children again and finally settled them into their cradles.

Exhausted, Xiao Song lay down on the couch, "Ji’er resembles me as a child."

Lying down beside him, Ran Yan said, "He’s been naughty from the start, not intentionally bad, but just like a little troublemaker."

"Speaking of troublemakers, Shu’er is really the mischievous one. Look how he has all the maids in the courtyard terrified, fearing even when he takes a deep breath," Xiao Song wrapped his arm around Ran Yan, laughing, "I reckon, Shu’er and Ji’er will be quite adept at handling people when they grow up."

Feeling sleepy, Ran Yan mumbled, "You might as well ask your master about it; he was still a disciple of the Taoists six months ago."

Xiao Song chuckled softly, aware of Wu Xiuhe’s reputation; he switched spiritual schools frequently, each time spouting convincing and well-researched doctrines, but in a few days, it was something entirely new, with the amazing part being that none repeated in a year.

The time spent caring for the children was simultaneously hard and swiftly passing. Due to the special circumstances of the children, the daytime banquet had been postponed.

Three months later, after several esteemed physicians declared Ruoruo out of danger and her features had become more defined, at seven months old and just around eight or nine pounds, she was exceptionally adorable. Having heard that washing a baby’s face with breast milk could lead to tender skin, and since Ruoruo ate very little, Ran Yan used the leftover breast milk to wash her face daily.