Chapter 247: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 247: Making Paper Kites
Prince Qi took Suisui and her two sisters to make paper kites.
The paper kites were already prepared, but even though the bamboo had been processed, it was still quite smooth in some areas.
Prince Qi was concerned that some edges might still be sharp enough to scratch the children.
So he only let them choose the paper and handle the main surface, while he, along with Sui Si and Aunt Xiang, took care of the finer details.
The main purpose of letting Suisui and her sisters participate was to give them a sense of involvement, which would make them happy.
After all, what did it matter if they messed up a few paper kites? Even if they got completely ruined, the prince's residence could easily afford more!
So, let them play! Making the children happy was the most important thing.
At first, Shen Huatang and Liu Hemeng were a bit reserved and shy.
But soon enough, they became so absorbed in the activity that they forgot their hesitation.
"This isn't right; it can't be pasted like that!"
"Meng Meng, yours is the one that's wrong! Mine is correct!"
...
The two sisters even started bickering about how to paste the kite paper.
Suisui, holding a large sheet, was about to start pasting when she heard her two sisters quarreling.
Their tones weren’t sharp; they were just speaking a bit loudly. Rather than arguing, it was more like a spirited discussion.
Suisui knew her sisters weren’t genuinely angry, so she felt reassured and stood there quietly, holding her oiled paper and listening.
She looked at Meng Meng, then at Tang Tang, watching them in turn.
Arguments...
In the past, arguments had seemed very scary to Suisui.
Whenever her aunt and uncle argued, it was always Suisui who got scolded or hit afterward.
In the village, even the dogs would get kicked after an argument.
So, Suisui used to be very afraid of quarrels.
But now, watching her two sisters argue until they were red in the face, Suisui didn’t feel afraid; in fact, she found it quite amusing.
Liu Hemeng insisted that a particular spot should be pasted a certain way, while Shen Huatang, unwilling to back down, held her paper up and gestured to prove she was correct.
The two girls became determined, finally deciding that they would settle things by trying out their methods to see who was right.
"I’ll do it!"
"I will too!"
...
Suisui watched with interest from the side and couldn’t help but lift her own paper high: "Me too!"
The soft, childlike voice instantly broke the tense atmosphere of the sisters’ argument.
Shen Huatang couldn’t hold back and pursed her lips, laughing.
The previously intense mood immediately lightened thanks to Suisui’s interjection.
Liu Hemeng couldn’t resist playfully tugging on the little tassel on Suisui’s hat.
Suisui let her pull it, even leaning her head closer.
Her obedient expression made Liu Hemeng reach out to gently touch Suisui’s ear.
As she touched her ear, Liu Hemeng suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Suisui, you still don’t have your ears pierced, do you?"
Pierced ears?
Suisui knew what that meant.
It hurt!
Both Grandfather Liu and her mother had mentioned it before.
Her mother, feeling protective of her, decided against it. And Suisui was also afraid.
So, though they’d considered it before, the idea of ear piercing had been put aside. Now that Meng Meng brought it up again, Suisui instinctively covered her ears and took a small step back, whispering, "It hurts, I don’t want it!"
Liu Hemeng, who had her ears pierced when she was very young, didn’t remember much about it.
Maybe it had hurt, but she didn’t have any memory of it.
Seeing Suisui’s fear, Liu Hemeng smiled and said, "Then don’t do it. It’s not something you absolutely need."
Prince Qi let the three children play as they liked, watching them with a face full of affection.
Just watching them quietly filled him with a deep sense of contentment.
The more he watched Suisui’s adorable expression—especially those big, round eyes that grew wider whenever she was startled—the more he was reminded of Xiao Liu when he was young.
And of course, she looked just like him, too!
Adorable, simply adorable!
It was as if he were indulging his younger self.
The more he thought this, the softer and more affectionate his expression became.
When he heard Suisui say no to ear piercing, he didn’t care what had been said before; he immediately smiled and nodded, "Suisui says no, so no it is."
Receiving her father’s support, Suisui happily ran over, put down her drawing paper, and hugged his arm, looking up with a beaming face. "Then let’s skip the ear piercing, alright? Grandfather Liu said it hurts a lot!"
Just imagining piercing his little girl’s ears was enough to break Prince Qi’s heart!
And now, seeing her looking up at him with those innocent, doe-like eyes, he softened even more.
With no hesitation, he nodded. "No piercing, absolutely no piercing!"
Did earrings really have to be worn through pierced ears?
He’d ask the artisans later if there was another way.
Piercing must be painful!
Now assured by her father, Suisui nodded happily, "No piercing!"
Liu Hemeng also agreed that skipping it was a good idea.
When her own ears were pierced, she’d been too young to remember, so she hadn’t thought much about it.
But thinking of piercing Suisui’s ears now made it sound painful.
So, it was better not to.
Shen Huatang didn’t say anything, but she gently touched Suisui’s ear to comfort her. "If you don’t like it, you don’t have to get it."
After all, noble girls in the capital all had pierced ears.
But it wasn’t a strict rule, and no one would dare mock the daughter of Prince Qi!
Prince Qi spent the whole afternoon helping the three children make paper kites, which ultimately ended up as a pile of odd creations.
No surprise there—children have quirky ideas and lots of creativity.
One piece would be pasted here, another there, and in every way, it looked a bit askew.
But Prince Qi embraced it all, not minding a bit, even smiling as he patted Suisui’s head, saying, "My little lady has the best, most unique ideas."
No one could compare!
With Prince Qi’s indulgence, the three children had a wonderful time.
As for the young princes, working hard in their lessons, nodding and struggling through their studies?
Prince Qi felt, What does that have to do with me?
I no longer need to sit in class, listening to tutors, but the hardships I endured, they should experience too.
It’s the first step in growing up!
As for the fact that his precious girl couldn’t read yet...
Later that night, as he lay in bed, Prince Qi thought seriously, "I really do need to teach Suisui to read. Otherwise, when she grows up, she’ll feel frustrated seeing everyone else able to read while she remains illiterate. Unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable."
Qi Wangfei, listening nearby, sighed a little. "But you keep taking her out to play, and her tutor is already trying to introduce her to reading."
Prince Qi was unsatisfied. "That won’t do, teaching so many children at once. How’s that proper instruction? My precious little one needs personalized teaching. Now, who should we invite for that?"
At these words, Qi Wangfei couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
If it weren’t for Master Shen owing a favor to the prince’s residence, and the emperor himself stepping in, did he really think that with their reputation, they could have secured a Teacher like Master Shen?
And now the prince wanted yet another tutor?
What a fanciful dream.
Midnight bell.
►►CLICK HERE FOR ADVANCE CHAPTERS◄◄
Comments
Post a Comment