Chapter 171

Chapter 171

With her eyes closed, Jiang Chun started exaggerating: "Master, don't let Yu Ge'er's young age fool you. He's not your typical baby.

How many babies do you know who only cry when they're hungry or need a diaper change?

This kid is clearly something special. His temperament is way beyond that of an average baby—he's super patient and calm.

Isn't he a natural fit for learning painting?

I asked my mother-in-law, and she said my husband was nothing like Yu Ge'er when he was little. If things didn’t go his way, he’d scream his head off.

So, even with my toes, I can tell Yu Ge'er’s going to outshine his dad in painting.

Master, missing out on a genius like Yu Ge'er would be a huge loss for you.

Even if you pass on, you’ll regret it so much you won’t be able to rest easy, wishing you had another fifty years just to teach Yu Ge'er."

Jiangyan: “…”

What is she even talking about?!

He'd heard people brag before, but this was next-level stuff.

Sure, she might have convinced her own student, but he wasn’t buying it.

Just as Jiangyan was about to hand Yu Ge'er back to Jiang Chun, he looked down and met the baby’s dark, wide eyes—like two shiny grapes.

The infant's eyes were clear and bright, as black as jet, purer than the most transparent crystal.

Jiangyan held his gaze with the baby for a moment, gradually noticing something different.

Most infants did not have such a calm and waveless gaze like Brother Yu.

So, Jiang Chun wasn't just boasting; this child was indeed extraordinary?

For a moment, Jiangyan felt confused, unsure if he had truly seen Brother Yu's exceptional qualities or if he had been successfully swayed by Jiang Chun's persuasion.

He pressed his lips together, staring at Brother Yu for a long time before suddenly saying to Jiang Chun, "I haven't seen Brother Yi in a while. Have someone bring him over for me to see."

Jiang Chun immediately instructed Guiye, "Have Nurse Xu bring Brother Yi here."

Without comparison, there would be no harm. Compared to the quiet and well-behaved Brother Yu, Brother Yi was much more "lively."

He either kicked through his swaddling clothes or broke his cradle, and even snapped several rattles that Nurse Xu used to entertain him.

He was simply a problematic infant!

For this reason, Jiang Chun specifically asked Jiang He about the original host's behavior when he was young.

Jiang He said the original host was just an ordinary infant, whose strength increased gradually with age, unlike Brother Yi, who was born with great strength.

Well, it turned out that Jiang Chun didn't have innate strength; Brother Yi was the one with true innate strength.

Nurse Xu soon brought Brother Yi over.

Jiang Chun took Brother Yu from Jiangyan's arms and then gestured for Nurse Xu to hand Brother Yi to Jiangyan.

As soon as Jiangyan took Yi Ge'er into his arms, he felt a weight settle against his chest.

He carefully weighed Yi Ge'er with both hands and smiled, "Yi Ge'er's face looks the same size as Yu Ge'er's, but he's much heavier."

Yi Ge'er blinked his phoenix-like eyes and tilted his little head, as if sizing up Jiangyan. While examining him, he blew bubbles.

Jiangyan gently stroked his delicate cheek and smiled, "Yi Ge'er is indeed more lively."

Thinking that Jiangyan was playing with him, Yi Ge'er smiled in response.

Seeing the innocent and adorable smile of the baby, Jiangyan found himself smiling along.

He couldn't resist gently poking Yi Ge'er's chubby cheek with his finger.

Yi Ge'er laughed even more, kicking his legs around in the swaddling clothes.

Then, with a "rip," the swaddling clothes tore.

The next moment, Yi Ge'er's little foot poked out through the hole in the swaddling clothes.

Jiangyan was speechless for a moment.

This was the first time he saw just how strong Yi Ge'er really was. Stunned, he watched as Yi Ge'er's tiny, soft foot poked through the tear.

After a beat, he looked up at Jiang Chun, unsure of what to say, "Is Yi Ge'er always this active?"

Jiang Chun had Gui Ye fetch Yi Ge'er's account book. Holding Yu Ge'er in one arm and the account book in the other, she read the details to Jiangyan.

"Yi Ge'er, now three and a half months old, has already kicked through sixteen swaddling clothes, twelve cradles, broken six rattle drums, and torn five belly bands and four silver bracelets.

I can't imagine how much more he'll ruin before he grows up.

As his mother-in-law, I can only keep track of the damages and have him repay them with his salary when he grows up."

Jiangyan's mouth twitched.

One kid has been wrecking things since day one, and his mom keeps track so he can pay it all back later.

Talk about a true mother-son duo!

He then shifted his gaze to Yu Ge'er, who was quietly nestled in Jiang Chun's arms, and asked, "Has Yu Ge'er not destroyed anything?"

Jiang Chun kissed Yu Ge'er's cheek and smiled, "Nope, our Yu Ge'er is as well-behaved as they come."

Jiangyan realized just how different Yu Ge'er was from other babies.

Although most babies weren't as destructive as Yi Ge'er, it was rare to find one as obedient and quiet as Yu Ge'er.

Jiangyan suddenly didn't want to go to Jiangnan as much.

Yu Ge'er's calm nature would definitely help him focus.

For a child starting to learn painting from scratch, the first and hardest requirement was to be able to sit still.

Seeing such a promising talent, his heart itched with desire.

If he didn't take Yu Ge'er under his wing and left it to his dad, Song Shian, with Jiang Chun watching like a hawk, any slight strictness from him would likely be met with her interference.

If they ruin a promising young talent like Yu Ge'er, I’ll never rest easy, just as Jiang Chun warned.

Though this was what he thought in his heart, Jiangyan spoke playfully, "People say a child's personality is set by the age of three. Yu Ge'er is only three and a half months old now, so we'll wait until he's three to see if he's really a promising young talent."

Upon hearing this, Song Shian suddenly looked up at Jiangyan.

What does Master mean by this?

Is he not going to the Jiangnan region anymore?

Does he not want to die anymore?

Had Jiang Chun's exaggerated praise of Yu Ge'er actually persuaded him?

Master had always been stubborn; neither I nor the Jiang family had been able to persuade him.

When did he become so easy to convince?

Jiang Chun saw an opportunity and seized it, "Then, Master, you really shouldn't go to Jiangnan. You need to stay in the capital and keep an eye on Yu Ge'er, so we, as first-time parents, don't mess up his upbringing."

Jiangyan cursed with a smile, "You're first-time parents, but does your Master have experience raising a baby?

When Shian started learning painting from me, he was already eight years old, and he could write well and recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently.

How was I supposed to teach a kid who couldn’t even read or write how to paint?"

That said, he didn’t bring up the matter of going to Jiangnan again.

The problem that had been lingering in his mind for so long, with no solution in sight, was somehow resolved.

Song Shian looked at Jiang Chun with bright eyes, filled with infinite gratitude and love.

She was indeed his savior, having rewritten his life and saved Master's life.

Trading loneliness and misery from his previous life for marital bliss and family warmth in this life, he thought this trade was very worthwhile.

The marriage between Song Shiying and Lan Zizhou was finally set. The two families exchanged their marriage horoscopes on April 30th.

*

Lan Zizhou was actually a bit reluctant, thinking that Song Shiying's personality was too lively, and it would be hard to maintain mutual respect in marriage after marrying her.

But this couldn’t really be considered a major flaw.

When he brought this up with Master Lan and Second Mistress Lan, he was scolded by both.

Second Mistress Lan even told him to look in the mirror and assess his own worth, asking how he had the nerve to criticize a legitimate daughter of the Song family.

Master Lan was more direct, saying that if he continued to speak nonsense, he would use family discipline to beat him.

Lan Zizhou could only sullenly shut up.

Since May is considered a "poisonous month" by ancient people, where marriage discussions are taboo, the two families had to pause the wedding procedures and wait until June.

Though the wedding preparations were on hold, that didn’t stop Song Shiying from bossing Lan Zizhou around.

She sent him to the South City to buy her favorite water chestnut cakes, then made him fetch the braised pig trotters she had reserved for Second Mistress Lan, and even had him write a plaque for her new estate.

When Lan Zizhou went to the Song family to deliver the Dragon Boat Festival gifts, she even playfully stroked his face, sending him running away, red-faced and flustered.

Lan Zizhou regretted it endlessly.

He should have firmly opposed this marriage right from the beginning. Now that the betrothal contracts have been exchanged, it's too late to regret it.

Song Shiying, however, was in high spirits and ran to Jiang Chun to show off: "Surprisingly, getting married isn't so bad after all. At least I've got someone who can run errands for me."

Jiang Chun gave her a sideways glance and scolded her with a smile: "Take it easy. Just because Lan Zizhou seems easy-going doesn't mean you should take advantage of him."

Song Shiying grinned: "The betrothal contracts have been exchanged. Where could he possibly go?"

Jiang Chun's remark was offhand, and she didn't intend to lecture seriously.

In fact, she thought this was quite nice.

Given Lan Zizhou's bookish nature, if Song Shiying didn't take the initiative, the two of them would likely end up like other noble couples of this era, treating each other with formal respect and just getting by.

How boring would that be?

Jiang Chun didn't concern herself with Song Shiying, and Madame Zhuang didn't have time to pay attention to her either. Entering May, besides exchanging Dragon Boat Festival gifts with various families, she also had to prepare the dowry for Song Shichu.

The wedding date of Song Shichu and Zhou Kaicheng was approaching.

Zhou Kaicheng was the same age as Song Shian, both being twenty-six this year.

Song Shichu was twenty, and at her age, she would be considered an unmarried woman past her prime in ancient times.

Both the Zhou family and the Song family were somewhat anxious, so they shortened the time span for the wedding preparations and set the date for June 16th of this year.

Madame Zhuang had been preparing Song Shichu's dowry for years, but after the family's assets were seized, most of it was sold off by the Ministry of Revenue.

After the Song family was exonerated, Madame Zhuang, after dealing with the initial chaos, began to replenish Song Shichu's dowry.

Although most of it had been gathered, there were still many small items to arrange.

Although Song Shichu was a concubine-born daughter, she had been raised by her and was as cherished as her own daughter.

So, in addition to the ten thousand taels of silver from the family estate, Madame Zhuang added another ten thousand taels for her.

A dowry of twenty thousand taels of silver would be impressive even among the elite in the Imperial City.

Besides Song Shichu, there was also Song Shiqian, who was getting married on November 2nd, and Song Shiying, who was in the midst of wedding preparations. Madame Zhuang also had to take care of the affairs of these two siblings.

Madame Zhuang was so busy that she barely had time to enjoy her grandchildren.

Taking the opportunity, Madame Zhou proposed to release Second Madam Li from the family temple to assist Madame Zhuang.

Before Madame Zhuang could even object, Song Shiying flatly rejected the idea: "No, it's not that I'm being disrespectful or slandering my mother, Grandmother. If you release her, she won't be much help to Madame Zhuang and might even hinder her progress.

As for me, it doesn't matter much since I'm marrying into another family, and even if she causes trouble, it will be limited.

But who can guarantee that she won't meddle in my brother's wedding again?

The former Anping County Princess, although her title has been stripped and she was ordered to marry out of the Imperial City, is still the daughter of the Princess of Xiangyang. What if she still has her eyes on my brother?

So, my brother's wedding must go off without a hitch.

Even if you want to bring my mother back, it has to be after my brother's wedding."

Madame Zhou was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing several times before she finally closed it in frustration.

*

The time quickly arrived in June.

Yu Ge'er, at five months old, was still quiet and well-behaved, lying quietly every day.

Yi Ge'er, also five months old, was already able to flip over fluently and could even sit up.

And once he sat, he would sit for half a day without feeling tired at all.

Most babies lie down for the first three months, sit up by six months, and start crawling by eight months, but he was already sitting up at five months.

At this rate, in another month or two, he would be crawling around.

Jiang Chun pointed at Yi Ge'er, who was playing with his toes on the daybed, and said to Yu Ge'er lying next to her, "Look, your brother can already sit, and you can only lie down, not even able to flip over. Don't you think that's a bit unreasonable?"

Is he really the reincarnated one?

Even if he’s pretending to be slow, there’s a limit. Can’t he at least keep up with his twin brother?

Yu Ge'er slightly opened his mouth, yawned, and slowly closed his eyes.

In just a moment, he fell asleep.

Jiang Chun: "..."

She was definitely overthinking it. Who else would be so uncompetitive if they were really reincarnated?

But to Jiang Chun's surprise, the two boys started crawling even earlier than she expected.

On the fifteenth of June, Jiang Chun and Zhong Wenjin went together to the main courtyard to give the dowry gift to Song Shichu.

The two had discussed beforehand and prepared similar gifts: a set of ruby-inlaid gold headpieces, two boxes of fabric, a pair of vases, and four small gold ingots weighing five taels each.

In terms of silver, that would be around 700 to 800 taels.

Such a generous dowry gift was quite impressive, and Song Shichu was extremely grateful.

Madame Zhuang showed a satisfied smile. The two daughters-in-law giving such generous gifts obviously reflected their respect for her.

It also made her, as their mother-in-law, look good.

However, this meant that when Song Shiying and Song Shiyue got married, they would also have to give similar dowry gifts.

It would inevitably be somewhat costly.

But then again, both daughters-in-law were quite wealthy, and if they didn’t feel the pinch, why should she worry for them?

Madame Zhuang pursed her lips and spoke to Jiang Chun about the main matter, "The Zhou family originally found a Zhou family male child to help with the bed-warming ceremony, but unfortunately, the child caught a cold in the hot summer.

Just now, Madam Zhou the first wife sent someone to ask if Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er could help with the bed-warming ceremony. What do you think?"

According to the Great Zhou customs, only male children could perform the bed-warming ceremony, and Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er, as twin boys, were clearly the top choice for this task.

Jiang Chun immediately agreed, "Why not? There are red envelopes for bed-warming, and while Yu Ge'er is content, Yi Ge'er, who owes a lot, could use this chance to earn some money to pay off his debts."

Madame Zhuang twitched at the corner of her mouth.

Which mother would actually keep track of every item her son broke as a child and insist on him paying it back?

Because of the bed-warming ceremony, on the sixteenth of June, Jiang Chun joined the Song family, along with the three brothers, to see Song Shichu off to her wedding.

After all, she has to look after Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er.

As the wedding procession arrived at the Zhou family, Jiang Chun was personally welcomed into the bridal room of the courtyard where Zhou Kaicheng was staying by Elder Madam Zhou.

By this time, the bridal room was already packed with female guests who had come to watch the commotion. There were members of the Zhou family, as well as relatives who had come from outside as guests.

A middle-aged woman, who looked like a wedding attendant, came forward to pay her respects and then smiled widely at Jiang Chun. "The auspicious time is approaching," she said. "Please have the young masters brought to the bridal bed."

Jiang Chun looked at Nursemaid Pan and Nursemaid Xu. "Take them over," she said.

"Yes, madam," the nursemaids responded in unison before walking slowly to stand in front of the bridal bed.

The brothers were dressed very festively, in red jackets and red pants. Inside the pants, Jiang Chun had specially asked Zhong Wenjin to help procure some diapers.

Otherwise, if they were to wet Song Shichu and Zhou Kaicheng's bridal bed, it would be quite embarrassing.

As soon as they appeared, the women in the room burst into praise.

"Oh my, what handsome young masters!"

"Master Song is a well-known handsome man, and Madam Song is also very beautiful. No wonder their kids are such lookers."

"I think the older brother looks like Madam Song, and the younger brother looks like Master Song, but both have Master Song's fair skin, pale and soft."

"Madam Song is very fair too, and they are both tall, so these young masters will surely grow up to be tall."

"Madam Song is really good at giving birth. Not only did she give birth to twins, but they’re both so pale and adorable. It’s enough to make anyone jealous."

"..."

After a lot of chatter, the crowd finally quieted down when the wedding attendant spoke up and started the bed-rolling ceremony.

Normally, babies this age, even if they can turn over, need an adult to coax them with toys or food.

Yi Ge'er was different.

As soon as he was placed on the bridal bed, he started rolling.

The wedding attendant could hardly keep up with his fast pace, which made her quickly recite auspicious blessings: "First roll for gold, second roll for silver, third roll for sons and daughters, fourth roll for parents' health, fifth roll..."

With her words, Yi Ge'er rolled even more happily.

After rolling around, he ended up on his knees and started crawling on the bed, hands and feet moving quickly.

Jiang Chun's eyes almost popped out.

Which good child could crawl at five and a half months old?

Even if they could crawl, it usually took time for them to get the hang of it.

But this child crawled so fast, as if he had been crawling for months, circling around on the bridal bed.

In contrast, Yu Ge'er, after being placed on the bridal bed, lay still, not moving at all.

Nursemaid Pan gently pushed his little bottom and coaxed, "Yu Ge'er, look how well your brother is crawling. Why don't you move a little too? How about turning over?"

Yu Ge'er glanced at her with his dark, grape-like eyes, then looked away and continued lying there as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Chun stepped forward and turned Yu Ge'er onto his stomach on the wedding bed.

Yu Ge'er just lay there, as still as a thousand-year-old turtle, not moving an inch.

Jiang Chun flipped him back over, then turned him onto his stomach again.

This cycle repeated three times before she finally stopped.

Since they were supposed to be the lucky kids rolling around the bed, they had to at least put on a show; otherwise, how could they have the face to take the Zhou family's large red envelope?

Yi Ge'er was attracted by their antics, flapping his little arms and legs as he crawled over.

He reached out and grabbed Yu Ge'er's little hand, making "ah ah" sounds.

Yu Ge'er gave him a side-eye and pulled his hand back.

Yi Ge'er reached out again.

Yu Ge'er pulled back again.

The two brothers started playing this game of "he runs, he chases."

In the end, it seemed that Yu Ge'er had had enough of his troublesome brother. He rolled over in one swift motion, then got onto his knees and started crawling quickly to the opposite side of the bed, where he lay down again.

Jiang Chun’s eyes widened in shock. "What the...?"

Sure, she was surprised when Yi Ge'er started crawling at five and a half months, but this was something else entirely.

After all, Yi Ge'er was naturally strong, heavier than Yu Ge'er, and much stronger than ordinary babies, so he obviously had an advantage in physical activities like crawling.

But how could Yu Ge'er crawl too?

He usually couldn’t even roll over, just lying there like a lump all day.

How did he suddenly learn to roll over and crawl so fast? Had she missed something?

She turned her gaze to the two nursemaids.

Just as she was about to ask, she saw that they both looked as if they had been struck by lightning, clearly just as unaware as she was.

Jiang Chun: "..."

Nice one, Yu Ge'er, keeping this a secret from me!

If Yi Ge'er hadn’t come to bother you, you probably wouldn’t have moved at all, right?

She couldn’t tell if this little troublemaker was being sneaky or just lazy.

But one thing was for sure, he wasn’t reborn.

If he were reborn, he’d be better at hiding it.

That both brothers could crawl at five and a half months drew a chorus of admiration from the female guests.

Several young female relatives were so envious that they came over to ask Jiang Chun for the old clothes of the two brothers.

Jiang Chun graciously agreed and told them to send someone to the Song family to collect the clothes later.

Yi Ge'er wiggled his bottom, glanced at Yu Ge'er, then turned his head to Jiang Chun and made a couple of "ah ah" sounds.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Chun understood him right away, picked him up with a smile, and teased, "Your brother won't play with you? Then we won't play with him either.

Mother will hold you, not him. Let's isolate him."

This childish remark caused everyone to laugh.

However, Yu Ge'er didn't react, just lying there quietly as if he wasn't the same baby who had just flipped over and crawled.

Jiang Chun was speechless and asked Nursemaid Xu to pick him up.

Madam Zhou hurriedly offered two big red envelopes, gently placing one in Yi Ge'er's hand and another in Yu Ge'er's.

But in the next moment, Jiang Chun confiscated both.

She said with a grin, "Mother will keep these for you, to save for your future wives."

This felt incredibly satisfying!

Madam Zhou’s lips twitched, and she awkwardly complimented, "Madam Song, you are truly humorous."

After enjoying a grand feast at the Zhou family, the group returned to the Song family after the wedding celebration.

The moment they got back to Dan Gui Court, Jiang Chun excitedly told Song Shian, "Husband, Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er can crawl now. Today at the Zhou family's bed-warming ceremony, the two crawled faster than each other."

Song Shian raised his eyebrows in surprise, "It's no surprise that Yi Ge'er can crawl, given how swiftly he rolls over. It was only a matter of time.

But Yu Ge'er couldn’t even flip over. How did he suddenly learn to crawl?"

Jiang Chun shrugged helplessly, "If you ask me, who should I ask? Maybe you should ask Yu Ge'er?

I've suspected before if he was reborn from a previous life, just like you."

Song Shian said firmly, "Impossible, I didn't remarry in my previous life, so this person didn't exist."

Jiang Chun gave him a sideways glance, "What if your past life and his past life are different?"

Song Shian furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment, then murmured, "You mean that this current life of ours is actually his past life?"

"Yes," Jiang Chun nodded first, then smiled, "But don’t worry, I’m pretty sure Yu Ge'er isn’t reborn. I was overanalyzing."

Trusting Jiang Chun deeply, Song Shian felt his tension ease.

He chided, "Rebirth requires perfect timing, location, and harmony. It's not something just anyone can have such good fortune.

Having two time travelers in one world is already rare enough. How could there also be two reborn people?

Wouldn’t that make the world seem chaotic?"

Jiang Chun nodded in agreement.

Song Shian tried to analyze Yu Ge'er's behavior, "Yu Ge'er is somewhat lazy, but his mind probably takes after mine, with a photographic memory. He actually learned to roll over from Yi Ge'er a long time ago, but was too lazy to put it into action."

"As for crawling, he picked it up right here today."

Jiang Chun nodded. "That's probably the only explanation that makes sense."

She then laughed and scolded, "This little rascal, I thought he was well-behaved and obedient, but now it seems he's both lazy and smart, a tough opponent indeed.

Once they get older, we’ll have our hands full trying to outsmart and outmaneuver them."

Song Shian put on a serious face and snorted coldly, "Don’t worry, you’ll handle the muscle, and I’ll handle the strategy.

Those two little troublemakers won’t slip out of our hands so easily."

Jiang Chun picked up his palm and slapped it with hers, "Pa!", then made a fist like a playful gesture, "Together, we’re unstoppable."

Song Shian was amused and laughed, leaning over to give her a quick peck on the lips, "Smack!"

Jiang Chun took out the big red envelopes given by Madam Zhou from her sleeve, opened them, and saw that each contained a hundred taels of silver notes.

That added up to two hundred taels.

Jiang Chun grinned like a mouse that had stolen some oil, laughing, "Wow, just a few rolls on the wedding bed, and we’ve earned two hundred taels! Maybe we should train Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er to be professional bed rollers."

Song Shian laughed helplessly, "We’re not so desperate that we’d stoop to something so undignified. If Mother finds out, she’ll never let you live it down."

If it weren’t for the Zhou family being related to us by marriage, and they dared to ask Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er to be bed rollers, Madame Zhuang would have had them chased out with big sticks.

The Song family’s grandchildren are far too dignified for that.