"Do you really want a younger brother?" Yi Qing looked at Baozi and asked.
Xiao Tian blushed a little. He wanted to stop her from going on, but somehow he didn't say a word.
Baozi nodded seriously. "I really do. I can help Mother take care of him, play with him, and teach him to read and practice martial arts. Mother won't have to worry about a thing."
He knew that Yi Qing was a person who hated troubles, so he had taken all her concerns into consideration.
What a good boy!
Yi Qing rolled her eyes. "In that case, I'll grant your wish!"
"Really?" There was a glimmer of surprise in Baozi's eyes. "When can I have a little brother?"
"Today," said Yi Qing.
Xiao Tian blushed to the roots of his hair. "Yi Qing! Don't talk nonsense in front of the child!"
It was embarrassing to talk about their privacy in front of Baozi. After all, the boy was old enough. Even if he didn't understand now, he would remember.
Yi Qing pretended to look at him in surprise. "I just wanted to say that I'll adopt the dog as my godson. Then Baozi will have a brother. Why are you blushing?"
Her eyes seemed to say, tsk, tsk, tsk. How impure this man is!
Xiao Tian was speechless with rage.
Baozi was even angrier. He was almost in tears. He stamped his feet and said, "Mother, you're bullying a child!"
Yi Qing burst out laughing.
Xiao Tian frowned, picked up Baozi, and sat him on his lap. "Don't worry. You'll definitely have a younger brother or sister. You'll have one next year for sure."
"Really?"
"When has Uncle Xiao ever lied to you?"
Baozi stopped crying and began to smile. "Then I'll wait."
After a while, Baozi left with the dog in his arms. Yi Qing stretched out her foot and kicked Xiao Tian. She looked at him with a mischievous smile. "Are you not going to remain chaste anymore?"
Unexpectedly, Xiao Tian grabbed her foot with his big hand. He gritted his teeth and said, "You asked for this."
"Hahaha... Ouch, Xiao Tian, I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Hahaha..."
Baozi was squatting under the screen wall, catching ants. Hearing his mother's laughter, he couldn't help muttering, "Uncle Xiao really knows how to deal with her."
Xiao Tian didn't let Yi Qing go until she was too weak from laughing.
Yi Qing wanted to say something cheeky, but in the end, she didn't dare.
But Xiao Tian seemed to be a different person today. "Tomorrow, tomorrow night, I'll invite the Emperor to be our wedding witness."
Yi Qing was stunned. After a long while, she said, "Are you serious?"
"What do you think?" Xiao Tian looked at her. There seemed to be two flames burning in his starry eyes. "I've waited for a long time."
"Aren't you going to wait for a proper wedding later?"
"I can't wait anymore."
And there won't be a proper wedding either. With Baozi here, it would be laughed at if they held a wedding later. The stupid straight - laced Xiao Tian thought so.
"Aren't you going to ask for my opinion?" Yi Qing raised her eyebrows.
"No need to ask. Opposing won't work."
Seeing that Yi Qing didn't say a word, Xiao Tian felt a little flustered. "Say something!"
"Opposing won't work. I have to accept it reluctantly." Yi Qing blinked her eyes. "I'm thinking about what position would be more comfortable when I'm forced."
Xiao Tian: "… I knew it!"
Yi Qing burst out laughing. When it came to being thick - skinned, Xiao Tian would never be her match.
She just liked this kind of little wolf dog who would blush when teased, who was introverted yet passionate and easy to get angry.
But whether he was really a wolf or not, she had to find out!
"Seriously," Yi Qing said, "Why did you suddenly make up your mind? What stimulated you?"
Xiao Tian said in a low voice, "A beauty in the Emperor's harem suddenly died."
"Ah?" Yi Qing was surprised. "How did she die?"
"She drowned in the water."
Yi Qing immediately suspected foul play.
"She wasn't framed. The Emperor summoned her to serve him. She accidentally fell into the water while serving the Emperor. Someone jumped into the water to save her right away, but they couldn't save her."
Xiao Tian still remembered that beauty because she looked a bit like Yi Qing between her eyebrows, so he had taken a few more looks at her.
Unexpectedly, she was gone just like that.
Xiao Tian suddenly felt a lot of panic about the unknown future. Accidents came so suddenly that there wasn't even time to say "I love you".
"Yi Qing, I've loved you for a long time."
Yi Qing thought she should laugh at him, but looking into his affectionate black eyes, she actually felt her eyes getting hot.
She took a deep breath. "Well... I accept. But not tomorrow."
"Why?"
Because tomorrow was the anniversary of her death in her previous life and the day she came to this strange world.
Even though she didn't believe in ghosts and gods, she wanted to go to the temple to burn incense.
"Because I'm going to worship the Buddha tomorrow and ask the Buddha to bless us to grow old together." She said casually, and then watched as a blush slowly crept up Xiao Tian's face.
He said seriously, "Then I'll tell the Emperor to change it to the day after tomorrow. You can tell me what you need. I'll have someone prepare it. I'll go with you tomorrow!"
"No need," Yi Qing said. "You go and prepare the things. I don't want anything else. Spring is here, and the wild geese should be coming back. Just go and find two wild geese yourself."
Wild geese symbolized loyalty. This was her only request for Xiao Tian.
She didn't want Xiao Tian to go. She wanted to go alone to tell the Buddha that she no longer hoped to go back.
She already had a son and the person she loved. She was willing to stay for them.
"Okay!" Xiao Tian agreed without hesitation.
Yi Qing didn't sleep well at night because soon her life would change. There would really be one more person in her life.
Zi Su was right. Since she liked someone, she should admit it openly. It wasn't her style to be afraid of getting hurt and dare not face her own heart.
Once the move was made, there was no turning back. Even if Xiao Tian changed in the future and let her down, she would admit defeat gracefully. There was nothing she couldn't afford to lose.
Apart from making the decision, she felt more anticipation and joy in her heart.
The next day, when Baozi and Xiao Tian were going to the academy, she was too embarrassed to get out of bed because she was afraid that Xiao Tian would see the dark circles under her eyes and laugh at her for saying one thing but feeling another. She was actually very excited but still pretended to be calm.
After breakfast, she had a carriage prepared. She took some silver notes and incense and headed for the Daxiangguo Temple.
Today she decided to donate a lot of money for the incense. She must get the best fortune - telling!
"Baozi," Xiao Tian said to the little boy on the way to the academy. "Your mother and I are going to get married."
"Great!" Baozi was very excited. "Will you also make a bright red robe for me?"
He had seen people getting married and remembered the lively scene very clearly.
Xiao Tian: "… No. Your mother and I will just invite Uncle Emperor and you to witness the wedding. Is that okay?"
"That's okay too." Baozi thought for a while and then said, "Uncle Xiao, can I call you... Dad from now on?"
Seeing the expectation in his eyes, Xiao Tian couldn't bear to disappoint him. "You can when there's no one around. When there are people, wait a bit."
"Okay. Dad!"
Xiao Tian almost fell off his horse. His hand holding the reins was trembling.
The scene he had imagined many times had come unexpectedly. His performance really disappointed himself.
He felt as if something was stuck in his throat and he couldn't speak.
Baozi looked back at him. His eyes were full of uneasiness and a bit of hurt. "Uncle Xiao, aren't you happy? Did I..."
"No. Say it again. Don't call me Uncle Xiao anymore!"