Chapter 516: Three Little Dorks
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Qi Qingyao had a vague feeling that she was not alone, so she opened her eyes.
The three children were lying on the bed, looking at her with scrutiny and curiosity.
Qi Qingyao gently pulled the three children in to sleep with her, but they had no intention of sleeping.
Xiaobao knelt in front of her and stared at her neck with a particularly upset expression.
Qi Qingyao suddenly realized something and sat up abruptly.
Dabao and Erniu were scrambling to say something but were stopped by Xiaobao
Erniu’s eyes were watery, and she mumbled, “Mommy…”
Xiaobao frowned and said, “Your neck… is red.”
Dabao widened his eyes and asked worriedly, “Did Mommy get beaten?”
Qi Qingyao scratched her head and lamented to herself about these three children’s excellent observational skills. She supposed it would be hard to hide things from them even if she wanted to, so she might as well tell them the gravity of the situation. She sighed and said, “I went to the palace. Many things tend to happen in the palace, and I almost got killed.”
Dabao immediately looked like he was about to cry. He wiped his eyes, hugged Qi Qingyao’s arm, and said, “Mommy, let’s go back, shall we?”
“Yes, Mommy, let’s go home.” Erniu could not help but get a little teary.
Only Xiaobao used his rationality to ponder the current situation with a thoughtful expression.
“You three little dorks.”
Qi Qingyao embraced the three children in her arms and rubbed each of their heads. She said in a low voice, “The capital is not a place we can enter and leave as we wish.”
Xiaobao pursed his pink lips and remained silent.
Dabao asked, “Then what should we do now?”
Qi Qingyao answered, “For now, I’ll be fine as long as I don’t go back to the palace.”
Xiaobao looked at her with a childish and stubborn expression which obviously said ‘how could you be fine?!’
Qi Qingyao laughed and kissed Xiaobao on the cheek.
Only then did Xiaobao relax slightly.
“Erniu.”
Qi Qingyao suddenly shifted her gaze to Erniu’s teary face. She caressed her face and said, “You and Dabao are both very talented. It’s just that since Dabao ate the pill, he has gotten a head start. You’re different—you were born with all seventeen pressure points opened.”
Erniu stopped her tears and wiped her face with her small hand. She angrily puffed out her cheeks and said, “Does Mommy want Erniu to start cultivating immediately?”
Pretty smart. “You’re only four years old. But, as the old saying goes, start trying sooner rather than later. Cultivation has to be started as early as possible!”
Qi Qingyao spoke about these realistic concerns in a relaxed manner. “Mommy is getting old. One day, when Mommy is gone, it’ll be up to the three of you three to support and help each other.”
Hearing this, Erniu burst into tears. She hugged Qi Qingyao as she wept. “Mommy, Erniu doesn’t want Mommy to be gone! Erniu wants to be with Mommy forever.”
Her tears and snot smeared all over Qi Qingyao.
However, Qi Qingyao did not mind.
She just hugged and comforted her.
Dabao also got very sad when he saw that Erniu was sad. He wiped his tears and said, “Dabao also wants to be with Mommy forever.”
Xiaobao did not cry. He blinked his big, black eyes and said softly, “Mommy…”
“Dabao. Erniu.”
Qi Qingyao suddenly called out.
Dabao and Erniu both looked up at her at the same time, with seriousness in their clear and pure eyes.
Qi Qingyao said, “Both of you must remember—if anything happens when Mommy is not around and you can’t decide what to do, you have to discuss with Xiaobao before making a decision.”
She had lived with them for at least a few months. She had found that although these three children looked very alike, Xiaobao was the smartest and calmest. Dabao was a little rash, and although Erniu was smart, she was not as calm as Xiaobao.
As soon as these words left her mouth, the three children rose in disagreement.
Erniu threw herself into her arms and said in a spoiled manner, “Mommy, Erniu wants you to accompany us forever.”
Qi Qingyao patted Erniu’s head and said with a sigh, “Don’t act like a spoiled child! Mommy is talking about something very important.”
“But…” Erniu said aggrievedly.
Qi Qingyao kissed Erniu’s forehead and she calmed down a little. Then, she said, “Of course Mommy wants to be with you guys forever, but there’s always a ‘what if’. If the ‘what if’ comes true and we hadn’t planned ahead yet, wouldn’t we be frantic?”
Erniu, “...”
Xiaobao was deep in thought.
Qi Qingyao leaned into Erniu’s ear and said mysteriously, “Erniu, Mommy has something for you to do.”
“...” Erniu’s eyes brightened as she widened them with curiosity.
After Qi Qingyao whispered in her ear, Erniu got up and out of the bed. She said excitedly, “Mommy, I’ll listen to you and go now!”
After Erniu rushed out, Xiaobao cupped his chin, his face making it clear that he was contemplating many thoughts.
“Will he teach Erniu?”
“At this point, I don’t have a choice.” Qi Qingyao got out of bed with the two children. She opened the teapot and glanced in it to make sure there was still tea remaining, then poured herself a cup and drank it in one go.
Xiaobao presented another possibility. “What about Uncle Lu?”
Qi Qingyao shook her head. “Although the Lu family is the top chamber of commerce in Northern Liang and he is considered the richest man in Northern Liang, his wealth is still no match for raw power. Besides, Li Ruoxuan is now a grand master. If he can teach Erniu and she can forcefully mooch the title of a master from him, it’ll be very helpful for you guys’ future.”
Xiaobao pondered for a moment. He did not agree with her. “But… didn’t Mommy say that he’s very bad, and he even killed Auntie’s entire family?”
“The flavor of revenge depends on our strength. We’ll take things one step at a time. After we leech off Li Ruoxuan and achieve certain abilities, it won’t be too late to get even with him.” Qi Qingyao smiled and looked at the empty teapot, then suddenly laughed. “Come here! Mommy will tell you a little story called ‘Enduring Hardships to Plan A Revenge’!”
Dabao and Xiaobao asked Qi Qingyao to wait. Qi Qingyao was stunned as the two children happily ran away to retrieve their confectioneries. After a while, one of them came in holding a teapot, and the other came in carrying confectioneries on a small tea tray.
Qi Qingyao, “...” They had prepared snacks to listen to a story!
After Erniu ran out of the courtyard, she gazed at the huge mansion in a trance. She circled it once and asked a little maid where Master Li was. The little maid did not dare to bring this small guest to meet the State Preceptor without a good reason, so after thinking for a while, she brought Erniu to see Zhu Shen.
As soon as Erniu saw the familiar face, she ran over happily. She grabbed the hem of Zhu Shen’s clothes with her little hand and held her head up. “Uncle, where is Uncle Li?”
Since Zhu Shen was quite fond of Qi Qingyao, he was also very fond of these three lovely children. He responded, “The State Preceptor is meditating in the room.”
Erniu said with a soft and gentle voice, “I want to see him.”
Zhu Shen thought about it for a while, then took Erniu into Li Ruoxuan’s courtyard.
He told Erniu to wait as he went to notify his master.
Only then did he bring Erniu to the doorway.
Zhu Shen told Erniu to go in by herself, then left.
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