Chapter 176: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 176: Cousin is Great with Kids
Aunt Qiu hurriedly entered, whispering, “The marquis of Guo is here to visit.”
Qi Wangfei was taken aback. Normally, people came to Lanruo Temple to pay their respects and pray for blessings. Unless there was a major or urgent matter, they typically wouldn't engage in socializing or flattery at a temple. After all, having worldly desires in a place meant to be pure didn't seem very sincere, did it?
So, the sudden visit from the marquis of Guo made Qi Wangfei feel uneasy. She thought to herself that there must be an urgent matter for him to come here.
After a moment of surprise, Qi Wangfei quickly tidied herself up and glanced at Zhou Shi.
Zhou Shi understood immediately and pointed toward Suisui and Song Kuan, saying, “I’ll take the two kids to the backyard to play. I heard the vegetables in the temple are growing well, so it’s a good opportunity to check them out.”
The Qi Wangfei nodded in agreement but couldn't help but express her concern. “Suisui is weak; don’t let her run too far. If she gets tired, let Aunt Xi carry her…”
The thought of separating from Suisui, even temporarily, made Qi Wangfei anxious.
Zhou Shi couldn’t help but want to laugh at the situation, but she held it back and continued to reassure Qi Wangfei. She had children herself, and leaving the little ones at home while they visited the temple made her uneasy too.
After giving her instructions, Qi Wangfei watched Zhou Shi lead the two children into the backyard, still feeling a bit uneasy.
Suisui, not quite understanding why she had to follow her second aunt out, turned back to look at her mother multiple times.
Seeing the little girl’s pitiful expression almost made Qi Wangfei relent. However, she also thought that if the marquis of Guo had important matters to discuss, it would be inappropriate for the children to be present. After some hesitation, she steeled her resolve and let Suisui stay with Zhou Shi.
Though Suisui wasn’t particularly happy about it, she found comfort in her older brother, Song Kuan, who was kind enough to play with her, even offering to carry her when she got tired.
Song Kuan was well-fed and strong; while he wasn't as tall as Feng Xuanrui, he still gave off a sense of security. His gentle demeanor and soft voice soon had Suisui feeling at ease, and she nearly nodded off, thinking that she wanted to go home with Song Kuan tonight!
But deep down, she knew her brother was her priority. She quickly shook her head, saying, “Sorry, brother Kuan, I need to go back and find my brother.”
Her brother was the most important!
Song Kuan had initially hoped to keep the little girl at his home for a few days, but seeing her reluctance, he accepted his failure without regret. It was all just an experiment.
He thought to himself, if the mountain doesn’t come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain!
People have legs for a reason—to run!
So, he planned to visit his aunt's home in a few days!
Song Kuan was naturally good with kids. He had developed this skill in preparation for having a sister, but fate had given him a younger brother instead.
He recalled his brother as a chubby, adorable baby, who often laughed while accidentally peeing on him. But he thought to himself, children have no control over such things; it's perfectly normal.
However… how did his brother end up becoming such a troublesome child?
Feeling a bit regretful, Song Kuan sighed. “It’s okay, Suisui. If you’re happy, then your brother is happy too.”
Song Kuan was emotionally stable, unlike many other children who would run around making noise. He quietly led Suisui to see wildflowers, vegetable patches, and various little insects crawling in the soil.
Whenever Suisui got scared, he would protect her and crush any bugs that scared her.
Zhou Shi watched this and felt a pang in her heart. “He’s never been so gentle with Ping Ge’er at home.”
A maid beside her couldn’t help but chuckle, “The second young master is also protective of the fourth young master.”
The fourth young master was four and a half years old and just entering the troublesome phase of childhood.
Even though the second young master had a gentle temperament, there were still times he would lose his temper.
It was common for the two brothers to mess around and play fight at home.
Zhou Shi understood that brothers grow up fighting; that’s how their bond deepens.
Yet, seeing Song Kuan being so protective of a little girl made Zhou Shi feel both sweet and a little stir-crazy.
She thought, why not have another child?
She was still young, not yet thirty, and having one or two more wouldn’t be a problem.
She had endured three days of pain when she gave birth to Song Ping, which left her with a psychological shadow. So, for the past few years, she had avoided the topic of having more children.
Now, seeing Suisui made her heart flutter once again.
Such a gentle and sweet little girl—who wouldn’t want one?
The more she liked Suisui, the more she wanted to have a daughter of her own.
She thought, I can’t steal my sister-in-law’s child, but I could always have my own!
Meanwhile, Qi Wangfei welcomed the marquis of Guo at the entrance of the kitchen, being cautious and aware of the propriety of their interaction. She did not invite him inside.
The marquis of Guo, unaware of the subtleties, greeted Qi Wangfei and then asked, “Where’s Suisui?”
To alleviate any misunderstandings, he quickly added, “I came to find Suisui because I wanted to ask about the charcoal she made last time. That little girl’s charcoal is excellent; it works wonderfully!”
After the charcoal was dried, the marquis of Guo couldn’t wait to take it back to the Ministry of Works.
There, he and his colleagues lit a fire on a warm spring day.
At first, everyone thought the charcoal looked a bit ugly.
But as they burned it, they began to realize something was off!
This charcoal…
It burns longer than expected!
Of course, only the ones with the right proportions burned longer.
Some batches were discarded early on due to incorrect ratios.
The charcoal Suisui made had the right proportions, but they were not in excessive quantity.
After trying it out, they quickly sorted out a few batches with 30:70 and 40:60 ratios, which they had analyzed after breaking down the charcoal for further examination.
For the nobility in the capital, the significance of such charcoal was minimal.
After all, they could easily afford to buy charcoal.
However, for ordinary families…
How many lives could be saved this winter if they had access to such charcoal?
The Ministry of Works, being one of the less favored departments among the six ministries, had a relatively low status.
As a result, many officials at the bottom of the Ministry of Works came from humble backgrounds. Even if they had become successful, some of their relatives still lived difficult lives.
Or perhaps, there were families from their hometown who were struggling.
If there were such charcoal available…
At first, they laughed and joked, treating it as a routine experiment.
However, upon discovering the charcoal's special properties, everyone couldn't help but urge the marquis of Guo to quickly bring Suisui to their Ministry of Works!
*To be continued at 7 PM.*
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