Suddenly, Yi Qing realized that she seemed to have dug a big pit for herself.
Baozi was too smart, so sometimes he was prone to making the mistakes that smart people often made - doubting everything.
Right now, he must have thought that Yi Qing said those things on purpose because she had married Xiao Tian and wanted him to have no estrangement with Xiao Tian.
Yi Qing decided to leave this problem to Xiao Tian to solve. She was at her wit's end.
"You should talk to Uncle Xiao later."
"Uncle Xiao? Isn't he my father?" Doubt was even more evident in Baozi's eyes.
Yi Qing didn't want to talk anymore.
As she was speaking, she saw Shuang'er, Sang Sang's daughter, peek her little head out at the door and then quickly retract it, looking just like a startled little chick.
She didn't have much hair yet, and there were two little buns tied with red strings on top of her head. She was extremely cute.
Yi Qing waved at her with a beaming smile. "Come in, Shuang'er. I've brought you a gift."
Shuang'er looked at Sang Sang, who said with a smile, "Since the lady is calling you in, come in."
Only then did Shuang'er slowly shuffle in.
Perhaps because Yi Qing had been away for too long and they had only met once before, she showed a bit of unfamiliarity and shyness.
Yi Qing opened the bundle she had brought back, rummaged through it, and found a box of silk flowers made in the shapes of various vivid flowers. She picked out one in the shape of a begonia flower and handed it to Shuang'er. "Do you like this?"
The silk flower was so exquisitely made and brightly colored that Shuang'er's eyes immediately lit up.
But she didn't dare to answer, and she didn't even dare to look at the silk flower too much.
Baozi took the silk flower from Yi Qing's hand and gave it to her. "If you like it, just take it. My mother has plenty more."
Yi Qing said with a smile, "This whole box is for Shuang'er."
Baozi simply took the whole box, stuffed it into Shuang'er's arms all at once, and said, "Consider this as an apology for accidentally stepping on your cricket last time."
Yi Qing: "… Baozi, did you bully Shuang'er?"
Shuang'er said, "Young master didn't do it on purpose."
Yi Qing: "…"
She hadn't even said anything yet, and here Shuang'er was already defending him?
Yi Qing was tempted to joke about having Shuang'er be Baozi's little wife, but then she thought that in this era, finger - in - womb betrothals were common everywhere. If Sang Sang took it seriously, it would be embarrassing, so she didn't say it in the end.
"Go out and play. Wait for your… father to come back."
Baozi glanced at her, his gaze somewhat profound, and then pulled Shuang'er out.
"Hey hey hey, why are you leaving so soon? I haven't had enough of a look yet!" Xue Miao'er was anxious. "Yi Qing, how do you manage to give birth so well? Your son is so good - looking. Well, he takes after his father more."
Yi Qing ignored her rambling and asked Sang Sang, "Is Shuang'er getting used to living here? If anyone says something unpleasant, you must let me know."
Sang Sang was raising her daughter on her own, which was likely to attract criticism from others. And Sang Sang was a strong - willed person, so she probably wouldn't ask for help easily. That's why Yi Qing gave her such an admonition.
Sang Sang gave a gentle smile and bowed. "Thank you, lady, for your concern. Shuang'er is very comfortable living here. It's just that she lacks a bit in terms of etiquette. Sometimes she is a bit too familiar with the young master."
Yi Qing waved her hand. "They're just kids. Why use those rules to restrict them? Let them play on their own. How is Jushuang? Is her cold serious?"
"She should be getting better soon. When she heard you were coming back, she was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and wanted to come back. I persuaded her to wait until she was completely well before coming back, so as not to pass on the illness to you and the young master." Sang Sang said with a smile.
"That's good. You can take Miao'er down first. I'll take a rest."
Soon, Yi Qing was left alone in the room. She slumped on the couch and casually picked up a medical book, reading it haltingly.
On the way back, she had learned a lot of characters from Xiao Tian and had made great progress.
It was just that she had been lazy before. A few characters weren't that hard to learn, were they?
She had a lot to learn. In the future, as the general's wife, she would have to socialize outside and even enter the palace. She couldn't bring shame to Xiao Tian.
But her foundation was too shallow, so reading this book was a bit difficult and… hypnotic. Coupled with the fatigue of the journey, now that she was finally back home, Yi Qing soon slumped there and fell asleep.
When Xiao Tian came back, he saw Yi Qing covering her face with the book, slumped on the couch, sleeping soundly. There was a suspicious glistening trace at the corner of her mouth.
So she could be so cute sometimes.
Xiao Tian didn't wake her up. He tiptoed to the bed, picked up a thin quilt, unfolded it, and covered her with it.
Yi Qing had a light sleep and soon woke up. After a brief moment of confusion, her eyes quickly regained clarity. "Why did you come back so soon? Didn't the emperor keep you for dinner and have a long conversation with you by the candlelight?"
Xiao Tian gave her a sideways look.
Yi Qing said with a grin, "I didn't say anything. It's your own dirty mind."
Xiao Tian: "…"
"Have you seen Baozi?" Yi Qing asked again, with a look of schadenfreude on her face. "He really doesn't seem to believe that you're his real father!"
Serves you right for pretending!
Xiao Tian couldn't help but reach out and pinch her face. "Why are you so happy? Whether he believes it or not, I am his father."
"That's different. If he acknowledges you as his real father, you can discipline him however you want. If he thinks you're not his biological father, and if we have more children in the future, he might be very sensitive. You won't be able to scold or beat him."
"He's my son. I can scold and beat him if I want." Xiao Tian said in a very macho way. "I didn't see him when I came back just now. I want to discuss something with you…"
"Is it about the emperor?" Yi Qing squinted her eyes.
Xiao Tian nodded.
Yi Qing snorted. "I knew it. You're always on his side. Tell me, what does he want me to do?"
"It's not what he wants you to do. It's my own idea." Xiao Tian said. "I don't want the matter of your origin to become a thorn in the emperor's heart that he can't pull out."
"Are you scared?"
"I'm not scared, but I don't want any trouble, and I don't want you to be targeted by others." Xiao Tian said.
"Tell me. What's your plan?" Yi Qing said lazily, secretly lifting her foot and pretending to accidentally touch his thigh.
Xiao Tian: "… Behave yourself. I'll come to you later."
Yi Qing: "…"
Hey, under her influence, his flirting skills were getting better and better!
Xiao Tian didn't fool around with her. He said seriously, "You go and meet Huang Jingjing to feel out her intentions. I'll take the emperor outside to listen. In this way, no matter what she says, the emperor will know that you have a clear conscience and that you're not in the same group as her."
This Huang Jingjing was that second - generation girl from Xuzhou. Yi Qing suspected, no, she was basically sure that she was a time - traveler.
Yi Qing rolled her eyes. "Okay."
Xiao Tian didn't expect her to agree so readily. For a moment, he stood there, stunned.
"Who made him the emperor?" Yi Qing said. "I don't want him to keep an eye on me either. It's better to solve this as soon as possible."
In fact, she was a bit looking forward to the scene of meeting Huang Jingjing. When fellow villagers meet fellow villagers, there's no need to shed tears. Her tear glands were naturally under - developed, but at least she could find some connection with the previous world.