CHAPTER 379: CHAPTER 347: HE DOESN’T NEED A SOUL

Su Yaoqi was healed by the little one’s soft and doughy voice, and his previously awkward and unnatural face gradually showed a smile. He asked him, "So after your father married your mother, was he no longer unlucky?"

Jinbao sat down next to Su Yaoqi, propping his chin with one hand, putting on an all-knowing expression, "If dad’s not unlucky, then I’m in trouble."

"Why?" Su Yaoqi was even more curious.

Jinbao glanced at his mother who was both amused and exasperated across from him and began to complain to outsiders, saying that his grandmother told him that in the past two years on his birthday, his parents were never around. Each year, just around his birthday, his parents would have to go out and leave him alone at home.

As he spoke, he would cast a resentful look at his mother.

Feeling her son’s "eye warning," Wen Wan: "..."

She never knew her son actually had the ability to comfort people through shared misery.

Back in the day, to comfort Hao Yun, her husband seemed to use the same method...

The amazing thing was, the little one’s words seemed to work. The whole demeanor of Su Yaoqi was entirely different from before. He reached out to rub Jinbao’s little head and asked with a smile, "So according to you, big brother can also marry a gentle and virtuous wife in the future?"

Jinbao shook his head, "Big brother is happy every day and has no worries."

Su Yaoqi obviously didn’t expect the little one to respond like this. After being stunned, he laughed, "Turns out I’m the narrow-minded one."

The concept of men marrying and having children is a deeply rooted idea for the majority of people. Some people’s futures are arranged from the day they were born, and they can only numbly follow the predetermined path, living a numb life, and eventually going back to where they started.

Compared to a life constantly being arranged, the little one’s seemingly childish words become a sort of ideal state.

Although the little one didn’t think much when he said it, Su Yaoqi still found a lot of wisdom in it.

Seeing these two getting along happily made Wen Wan feel gratified. She timely suggested, "It’s rare for Fourth Young Master to come by, why not stay and have a meal with us before going back?"

Su Yaoqi didn’t agree, "My mother is still waiting at home, I can’t linger outside for too long."

In fact, Wen Wan’s personal invitation made Su Yaoqi quite want to stay, but since Song Wei wasn’t around, he thought staying for a meal as an outsider wouldn’t be appropriate.

No matter how simple-minded Su Yaoqi was, he knew about the opposing relationship between the Su and Song Families.

Unable to stay for the meal, Wen Wan personally saw him out the door.

Jinbao stood at the door, waving goodbye to big brother.

After watching the Su Family’s carriage go far, Wen Wan turned her eyes back and asked Jinbao, "Who taught you to say those things just now?"

Jinbao scratched his head, very conflicted.

It seemed like mom taught him, and dad taught him too, he didn’t know whose head to put it on.

Seeing the little one’s demeanor, Wen Wan knew her question was in vain. She smiled and didn’t hesitate to praise her son, "You’re so young yet you already know not to reveal others’ shortcomings, Jinbao, that’s great."

The little one understood this sentence, he told his mom, "It was brother who said it."

"Brother?"

Jinbao recalled last time when his brother came home for the New Year and whispered in his ear that exposing others’ shortcomings was immoral. Jinbao didn’t understand at the time and asked what it meant to expose others, and his brother explained a lot. Jinbao couldn’t understand it, but he vaguely felt that the big brother who came today was very uncomfortable because of the injury on his face, so he couldn’t mock him.

"Yeah, it was brother."

Jinbao nodded vigorously, his little brain could think of many things, but his mouth couldn’t express them smoothly, so he simply said nothing and just replied to his mom with that sentence.

Wen Wan knew quite well that for a three-year-old, understanding not to reveal others’ shortcomings was already impressive. To expect him to explain the reasons like an adult was impossible. She could only speculate based on the snippets Jinbao gave, "Did brother tell you not to casually make fun of others?"

Jinbao tilted his head and thought for a moment, he couldn’t recall, but it sounded about right.

So he nodded again.

That little gesture made Wen Wan silently laugh, she poked his chubby face, "If you understand, then nod; if you don’t understand, are you still nodding?"

Jinbao pouted, he really wanted to understand too, but his little brain couldn’t keep up.

...

The matter of going to the manor to celebrate Jinbao’s birthday was thus decided. Wen Wan asked Song Wei to find a way to send a message to Yuanbao, asking if he could take a day off on Jinbao’s third birthday.

Yutang Palace quickly replied with a message from Yuanbao saying he could leave the palace on the night of the twenty-fifth.

Wen Wan then sought permission from her in-laws. Old Song had no objections, saying it was fine to either go or not go.

Granny Song glanced at Wen Wan sideways, "In the past two years, it was us as grandparents who accompanied him on his birthday. It’s rare that you two are home, and it’s about time you spent a year with him. Go wherever you want, but your old father-in-law and I won’t join the fun."

Wen Wan wasn’t surprised by her mother-in-law’s response.

Or rather, on the way here, she had already predicted based on her mother-in-law’s temperament that she would refuse.

...

On the evening of April 25th, Eunuch Sanbao personally drove the carriage to send Song Yuanbao back.

As soon as he walked through the door, Song Yuanbao picked up his younger brother and weighed him, then said, "It’s only been a few months, and you’ve gotten heavier."

Jinbao puffed up his chubby face, "Hmph!"

Mother had said he wasn’t fat; he was clearly adorable.

Already three years old, Jinbao had some weight to him, so Song Yuanbao couldn’t hold him long and put him down, then asked Wen Wan how they planned to celebrate the birthday.

Before Wen Wan could answer, the little guy excitedly said, "Go to a place with lots of fish."

Song Yuanbao looked puzzled and turned to Wen Wan.

Wen Wan smiled and explained, "It’s been a bit hot these past few days, so we’re planning to go to the manor. We’ve picked a place that’s not too far from the city, just in the suburb, with a river where we can catch fish. Jinbao loves fish, and after much consideration, I think this place is quite nice."

Seeing Song Yuanbao’s hesitation, Wen Wan added, "Don’t worry, we’ll definitely be back before dark tomorrow so it won’t delay your return to the palace."

Song Yuanbao couldn’t help but smile, saying that wasn’t the issue; he was just worried about the safety of the manor.

Back in Ningzhou, Song Yuanbao had already seen troublesome commoners. Whether before or after his father’s success in the imperial examinations, or even as an official, there were always a few troublemakers stirring things up.

Wen Wan understood Song Yuanbao’s concerns. She had experienced those countryside neighbors herself. The honest ones were genuinely honest, but the malicious ones could dig graves, curse the deaf and mute, and ruin people’s lives.

However, it’s different at the manor. The manor head and the tenants all worked for the Song family. They were the masters, and even if the people there were just putting on appearances, they would still be courteous, unlike those envious, benefit-grabbing peasants in Ningzhou who would bite chaotically.

After hearing Wen Wan’s explanation, Song Yuanbao felt reassured and asked if the grandparents were going.

Wen Wan didn’t want to repeat her mother-in-law’s remarks, so she simply replied, "The manor is a bit far, and the elders don’t feel like making the trip, so we won’t force them."

Song Yuanbao suddenly laughed, "Grandma must be grumbling that mom and dad weren’t around for Jinbao’s birthdays the past two years."

Wen Wan said, "Yuanbao, you must be the worm in your grandma’s belly. You know exactly what she’s thinking."

Song Yuanbao arrogantly replied, "The well is drawn three times for good water. Man learns from three masters. I used to learn from dad, and now I learn from His Highness. Combining what both taught me, isn’t it easy to grasp human nature?"

Song Yuanbao had been at the palace for so long, and the times he came back were so few and hurried that Wen Wan didn’t have a chance to ask him anything. Now that she finally had the chance, she didn’t want to miss it, so she quickly asked, "You’ve been a companion for nearly a year; do you have any special impressions of His Highness?"

Song Yuanbao replied affirmatively, "I used to think that being born into the Royal Family and having the wealth and honor that ordinary people could only dream of for several lifetimes must be a very happy thing until I entered the palace and realized that my previous thoughts were completely wrong. The higher the status, the more expectations elders have for them, and naturally, their demands increase too.

Before the second prince, there was only one prince in the palace, and under such circumstances, His Highness’s position as Crown Prince seemed secure. He could have indulged himself, and it would have been understandable. However, the truth is that the Emperor has strict requirements for him, and His Highness is even stricter with himself.

I heard that since he started his studies at the age of six, he set a set of rules for himself: a schedule for every hour of every day, including studying, eating, and sleeping. Even the amount of meat he consumes is regulated—not one piece more, not one piece less."

Here, Song Yuanbao paused and continued, "Of course, his rules are much more than these, and there are many I haven’t discovered yet."

Listening to this, Wen Wan thought about her husband during his exams. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t compare to such discipline and couldn’t help but sigh, "Someone so strict with himself, it’s the first time I’ve seen this."

With no outsiders at home, Song Yuanbao spoke without reservation, "When I first entered the palace, my first instinct was that such a person would likely become a soulless puppet, too rigid in everything."

"And later?"

"Later, it turned out he doesn’t need a soul."

"..."