Chapter 170 Annoying Person

Chapter 170 Annoying Person

Du Li deliberately slowed his pace, chasing after Du Min as they ran through the vegetable garden. Once they were far away from Meng Qing, he whispered a reminder: "Run to the backyard."

"What?" Du Min stopped in his tracks.

"Run to the backyard."

Du Min glanced back and immediately understood Du Li's intention. He clenched his fist and waved it at Wang Chuan, then turned and ran along the wall towards the backyard.

Du Li chased after him.

In the blink of an eye, the two brothers disappeared.

Wang Chuan's eyes widened. He exclaimed "Ah!" twice. When his father didn't return, he could only shift his gaze to Meng Qing and Wang Zhou. His gaze wandered for a few moments before finally settling on Meng Qing's face.

Meng Qing smiled at him, and Wang Chuan subconsciously smiled back, but then felt embarrassed and lowered his head, twisting his fingers.

Wangzhou was amused. He reached out and hugged his little brother, asking, "Mom, isn't my little brother fun?"

"He's fun and brave. He didn't even cry when he heard the sound of firecrackers after entering the city." Meng Qing tentatively held Wang Chuan's little hand. Seeing that he didn't struggle, she held both of his chubby hands in her own and turned to Wang Zhou, saying, "With you and your father here, I've never worried about Wang Chuan while I'm away. Is Wang Chuan still breastfeeding? I haven't seen him breastfeed for so long. Is he hungry?"

Wang Chuan understood the question "Are you hungry?" He patted his stomach and shook his head.

"Aren't you hungry?" Meng Qing asked. "I remember now, your grandma fed you steamed egg custard."

“He’s still breastfeeding, but he doesn’t eat much. He only eats two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The rest of the time he eats with us,” Wang Zhou replied. “He eats everything. He eats rice, noodles, meat, eggs, and he even enjoys vegetable porridge. My grandparents say he has a strong mouth.”

Wang Chuan seemed to know that he was being talked about, and he tilted his head and listened intently.

"Just like you, you had a good appetite when you were little, and you would eat anything given to you." Meng Qing held her second son but did not forget her eldest son. She recalled, "When you were little, your favorite food was fish soup. There were many fish in Wu County, and the fish meat was tender. Your father would scrape fish meat and steam it for you three times a day."

Meng Chun got up and quietly left, not wanting to disturb the mother and her two children as they exchanged their feelings.

Du Li and Du Min were chatting idly in the backyard when they heard footsteps and both looked over.

"Brother Chun, come and sit down," Du Li invited.

Meng Chun waved her hand, "You guys chat, I'm going to take a nap."

"Where is my second sister-in-law's imperial edict of investiture? Has it been brought back? Please bring it out so I can see it," Du Min said.

"In the courtyard where she lives." Meng Chun had returned beforehand to bring back the reward Meng Qing had received.

Du Min got up to look, and Du Li also got up and followed.

The imperial edict and the jade ruyi were displayed in the hall, fifty bolts of silk were stacked on the tables and chairs, and a large red flower also appeared in the room.

"Why did you bring this back too?" Du Min patted the big red flower. There were no outsiders in the room, so he didn't bother with the rituals of washing hands and burning incense for show. He simply took down the imperial edict and unfolded it to read it.

Du Li glanced at him a few times, then walked behind him and followed to watch.

Footsteps suddenly sounded in the courtyard, startling Du Min, who instinctively tried to put the imperial edict away.

“It’s Wang Zhou.” Du Li recognized the person by the footsteps. “What are you afraid of? Are you afraid someone will report you for disrespect?”

"Dad, where's the big red flower that Mom was wearing?" Wangzhou followed the voice and came over. "My mom said she had my uncle bring the big red flower back."

Du Li grabbed the big red flower, went out, and handed it to him. "Wang Chuan didn't cause any trouble, did he?"

"No, he's pretending to be quite well-behaved." Wang Zhou chuckled and ran off carrying the big red flower.

"What? Is Wangchuan not a peaceful person?" Du Min heard this and brought up the old topic again: "You should have brought Wangzhou and Wangchuan with me to Huaizhou. Look at me, I've only met Wangchuan three or four times this year, and I don't even know him anymore."

Ignoring his complaints, Du Li answered the first question: "Back when Wangzhou could walk, the geese at home were afraid of him. Now that Wangchuan can't walk yet, the geese at home are already afraid of him and hide away. As soon as he appears, all four geese run back to their pen, without making a sound."

"What happened?" Du Min asked, intrigued. "How did Wang Chuan manage to subdue those four fools?"

"They're not stupid; they know who they can and can't scold. Wangchuan held the geese to keep them from running away, and they didn't dare to scold him once," Du Li chuckled. "When your second sister-in-law first left home, Wangchuan couldn't find her and cried day and night. Whenever he cried, I would carry him around the front and back yards. When we got to the front yard, he would cry, and the geese would squawk. When the geese squawked, his crying would subside. After a while, whenever he made a fuss, I would carry him to see the geese. The geese got scared of his crying and stopped squawking. When he could crawl, he would crawl all over the yard chasing the geese, exhausting them so much that they stopped laying eggs. The goose pen was the dirtiest, and we wouldn't let Wangchuan go in. The geese gradually realized..."

"So the geese rushed back to their pen as soon as they saw Wangchuan?" Du Min chimed in.

Du Li nodded with a smile, "These four geese are our family's heroes. They helped raise Wangzhou and now they play with Wangchuan."

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Li vaguely heard two goose calls, but they disappeared in the next instant. He thought he had misheard.

"Huh? Why is the goose running?" Meng Qing asked.

“They’re afraid of my little brother,” Wangzhou replied.

Wang Chuan turned to look at Meng Qing, pointed at the goose with one hand, and called out "goose, goose" in his mouth.

"Oh! You're just like your brother, you can't even speak yet, but you've already learned to call out 'goose'." Meng Qing raised the red silk in her hand a little higher, so that Wang Chuan wouldn't be dragged to the ground by the big red flower in front of him.

Wang Chuan called out "Goose!" twice more. He hugged the large red flower that covered his entire body and moved slowly and unsteadily on the ground.

Meng Qing tightened her grip on the red silk in her hand, using the two red ribbons to support Wang Chuan as he struggled to learn to walk. She and Wang Zhou followed behind, and the mother and son chatted about Chang'an.

“Back then, your uncle and I were measuring the north-south span on Zhuque Street with our feet when a eunuch came and called me away, saying that the female saint wanted to see me… I met the female saint in the Zichen Hall of Daming Palace. I saw her through the beaded curtain, and I was so nervous that I broke out in a sweat. When I knelt down, I left two wet handprints on the floor tiles,” Meng Qing said with a smile.

Wang Zhou imagined it for a moment and seemed to be able to picture the scene at that time.

"The palace was magnificent. The pillars were so thick that it would take two people to encircle them. The roofs were so high that your voice would echo. The pillars were inlaid with gilded enamels, and the blue bricks on the floor were almost as big as a head, smooth as jade and polished like bronze mirrors. When it got dark, the palace was lit, and you could see the flames flickering through the floor bricks." Meng Qing described the scene in her memory. "When I came out of the Zichen Palace, the female officials saw me off from the Daming Palace. I kept looking back. I thought this might be the only time I would ever have the chance to enter the palace in my life. But in twenty or thirty years, my son might often come to the palace to meet the emperor. The three of us, mother and son, separated by decades, would meet in the palace."

Wang Zhou trembled all over. He seemed to see himself stepping into the Daming Palace twenty or thirty years from now, and across the span of twenty or thirty years, he saw the departing figure of his mother.

"My life has been worthwhile. I was born into a merchant family, a merchant's daughter. Thanks to Master Konghui, I learned many characters. I married a farmer and changed my household registration. I collaborated with my brother-in-law, an official, to create a business that benefited myself, the people, and the country. I used my cunning to enter the palace, was granted the title of Lady of the County, and paved a path to the court for my children and grandchildren. I have turned my life around, and you have more opportunities to choose from." Meng Qing was too proud; she was too amazing.

Wang Zhou wiped away his tears, took two steps forward and hugged Meng Qing's waist. "Mother, thank you. I will definitely not let you down."

Wang Chuan couldn't walk anymore, and he cried out unhappily.

A goose cautiously peeked out, but when he called out, it was so frightened that it turned and ran away, its webbed feet slapping the ground with a loud thud.

Meng Qing: ...

"Annoying thing," Wang Zhou muttered.

Meng Qing smiled, dragging the child attached to her, and continued to follow in Wang Chuan's footsteps.

Wang Chuan, dragging a large red flower, approached the stable and pointed at the bluebird inside, which was about to grow into a large horse.

Meng Qing instantly realized, "You want to wear a big red flower while riding a horse too?"

Wang Chuan understood the words "horse riding," and his eyes lit up. He nodded repeatedly.

"I'll go get the horse." Wang Zhou ran off.

Meng Qing pulled Wang Chuan back, took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face, and Wang Chuan looked at her, then smiled shyly, his eyes blinking uncertainly.

Meng Qing was overjoyed. She cupped Wang Chuan's face and kissed him, saying, "Silly boy, I'm your mother."

"The horses are here." Wang Zhou led the horses over.

“You get on, and I’ll hand Wangchuan to you,” Meng Qing said. “Can you take him with you on the horse?”

“Yes.” Wang Zhou went to the gatehouse and brought back a stool. He stepped onto the stool and mounted his horse.

Meng Qing took off the big red flower, handed it to Wang Chuan, and under Wang Chuan's close gaze, she stood on the stool with the big red flower in her hand, stuffed the big red flower in front of Wang Chuan's chest, and tied it to Wang Zhou's back.

The big red flower covered Wangchuan's head, and Wangzhou used one hand to press it down.

Meng Qing jumped off the stool and said, "You two young scholars, please ride your horses through the streets."

Wang Zhou blushed, then flicked the reins and shouted "Giddy up!" as he spurred his horse to move.

Wang Chuan didn't understand anything, but his long-cherished wish had finally come true, and he laughed heartily.

Du Li and Du Min walked out one after the other, and when they saw this scene, the two brothers stopped in their tracks.

"Life is truly hopeful, and there is more and more hope as we live." A surge of pride welled up in Du Min's heart, a feeling of having a successor to carry on the family line. For a moment, he even felt a sense of selflessness for the sake of future generations. "In another twenty or thirty years, our branch will be thriving too."

Du Li nodded, and the next moment, he felt a pain in his chest.

"You're so lucky!" Du Min grabbed Du Li and shook him. "How can you be so lucky? I'm so jealous."

Du Li smiled smugly, "Everyone has their own destiny; you can't envy it."

Du Min slapped him again, saying, "You're really hated."

Du Li punched him back.

Du Min screamed in pain, and he took the opportunity to shout, trying to vent all the frustration in his heart.

Meng Qing had been granted the title of Lady of the County, had established connections with both the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel, and also controlled the business of the free school. She was wealthy, famous, and had connections; all she lacked was power. But her two sons could earn that power in the future; she had more than enough. Du Min was filled with apprehension. What did he still have that would make Meng Qing cooperate with him? Would their positions still be aligned? Would she still unbiasedly benefit him? Was her home still his home?

"Stop yelling! I held back, I didn't hurt you," Du Li said.

Du Min ignored him, he kept shouting with his eyes closed, how could he make them be tied tightly to him?

"Third Uncle, what's wrong?" Wang Zhou rode over on horseback.

Meng Qing also came over, "Third brother, what's wrong?"

Du Min stopped speaking, opened his eyes, and shook his head weakly.

Meng Qing looked at Du Li.

“His jealousy got the better of him again,” Du Li said.

"Nonsense!" Du Min jumped three feet high, refusing to admit it. "Don't talk nonsense."

Du Li looked at him with surprise, and Du Min looked embarrassed. He glared at Du Li and said, "I'm going out for a walk."

"Third Uncle, I'll stay with you." Wang Zhou could tell that his third uncle was really troubled.

Du Min hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "Okay."

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Author's Note: There will be another update at 12 o'clock.