Chapter 58

Chapter 58

As Pei Ze finished speaking, the little cat in the copper basin looked up at him and let out two soft meows, as if approving of the name "L'il Horse."

His eyes lit up with satisfaction, and he bent slightly, waving at the kitten. "L'il Horse~ L'il Horse~"

"Meow~"

"Help!" squawked the parrot loudly.

Pei Yue's steed, *Treading Snow*, was a renowned horse—tall, robust, and glossy. If this tiny kitten were to pass by it, *Treading Snow* would likely have to be careful not to step on it. The thought that Pei Ze saw this kitten as a miniature version of *Treading Snow* made Ming Tang wonder what the horse itself would think of the comparison.

...Speaking of which, she wondered how Pei Yue was doing now and where he had reached on his journey.

A fleeting thought crossed her mind before she smiled and asked Pei Ze, "If they're the same, why not call Uncle's horse 'Big Cat' instead?"

"Meow~" Little Horse chimed in at just the right moment.

"Help!" the parrot echoed loudly.

Pei Ze frowned slightly, stumped by this perfectly logical question. After pondering for a while, he finally sorted out his thoughts. Glancing at Mrs. Pei and then at Ming Tang, he said very seriously, "Uncle's horse, Uncle names it. A Ze's kitten, A Ze names it."

Air-tight logic. Ming Tang couldn't help but nod in strong agreement.

But having said that, Pei Ze suddenly remembered that Mrs. Pei hadn't given her opinion yet. He quickly turned to her, hesitantly tugging at her sleeve and giving it a gentle shake. "Grandmother~ Can A Ze keep the kitten?"

Still holding onto her sleeve, he tilted his head up to look at her, his eyes full of hope.

Mrs. Pei neither agreed nor refused, simply instructing a maid, "First, separate the cat from the parrot. Their racket is splitting my head."

The maid obediently carried the copper basin with the kitten inside to another room, handing it over to someone experienced in raising cats for temporary care while awaiting further instructions.

Once the kitten was gone, the parrot, which had been tirelessly shouting "Help!" fell silent. It flapped its wings a couple of times in its cage before settling quietly on its perch, reverting to its usual self—a bird that only knew one phrase.

Pei Ze, who had thought that simply pleading with his grandmother would secure permission, watched helplessly as the maids took the kitten away. Anxiety crept into his heart, and his grip on Mrs. Pei's sleeve tightened.

The threshold of the main room was high. Mrs. Pei crossed it effortlessly, but Pei Ze, still clinging to her sleeve, was left stuck behind.

Normally, when leaving the main room, Pei Ze was either carried out or had to climb over the "mountain" of the threshold on all fours. But now, with one hand still holding onto Mrs. Pei's sleeve, he couldn't repeat his usual method. He tried several times but couldn't figure out how to cross the threshold without letting go.

Letting go meant giving up his determination to keep the kitten, but holding on meant he couldn't follow his grandmother closely. For a moment, Pei Ze was caught in a dilemma.

Mrs. Pei, lips curved in amusement, stood just beyond the threshold, neither helping him nor moving forward, simply watching.

Growing desperate, Pei Ze looked up to study his grandmother's expression. Realizing she wouldn't help, he swiftly shifted his focus to Ming Tang, who was standing beside him.

With a bright smile, he leaned in and nuzzled against her hand, pleading pitifully, "Mother~ Help~"

Caught off guard by Pei Ze's sudden display of affection, Ming Tang's mind was instantly filled with "Yes, yes, yes!" She reached out, grabbed the back of his clothes, and lifted him lightly. In an instant, Pei Ze was airborne—before he could even react, he had crossed the threshold, landing safely on the other side.

Blinking in surprise, Pei Ze confirmed he had indeed made it inside before beaming at Ming Tang again. Then, without delay, he turned and trotted after Mrs. Pei.

"Used and discarded, huh?" Ming Tang muttered under her breath, amused by how this child could be even more heartless than her. She followed the two and took her usual seat, curious to see how the grandmother and grandson would negotiate this matter.

Especially since the original resident of Jinghua Hall—the simple-minded parrot—had already made its displeasure with the new guest abundantly clear.

Mrs. Pei sat by the window on the elevated kang. Even standing on the footrest, Pei Ze couldn't climb onto her lap by himself. So, he simply wrapped his arms around her leg instead.

He tried shaking it like before but found it immovable. Giving up quickly, he switched tactics, calling out in a drawn-out voice, "Grandmother~"

Mrs. Pei glanced down at her grandson, fighting back a grin. She cleared her throat lightly and asked Nanny Zhou, "How did A Ze end up with a cat in such a short time?"

Nanny Zhou had already investigated the matter and answered smoothly, "The cat belongs to the warehouse. It gave birth to three kittens. According to Zhao Da's wife, two didn’t survive, and this one is the smallest. The mother cat must have sensed it wouldn’t last long in the cold, so she carried it here."

She added, "Madam didn’t see it, but the mother cat placed the kitten near our young master and then disappeared in a blink."

As Nanny Zhou spoke, Pei Ze listened attentively and nodded eagerly in agreement. The motion was too vigorous—his chin bumped against Mrs. Pei's knee, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Mrs. Pei’s concerns about the cat’s origins and temperament vanished instantly. She quickly gathered Pei Ze into her arms, soothing him, "A Ze, say something for Grandmother. Does it hurt anywhere?"

Pei Ze nodded. "My teefies... hurt~" Before Mrs. Pei could respond, he burrowed deeper into her embrace. "When Little Horse grows up, it’ll go 'whoosh' too! So awesome!"

His eagerness suggested he wasn’t seriously hurt.

After coaxing him to rinse his mouth and confirming there was no blood, Mrs. Pei relaxed. Seeing Pei Ze still red-eyed, breathing through his mouth to ease the pain, yet stubbornly staring at her, she couldn’t stifle a chuckle. "Alright already, you win. You can keep your 'Little Horse.'"

Pei Ze’s face lit up with joy, though smiling tugged at the sore spot, making him wince. He pressed his lips together but still managed to beam brightly.

"A Ze has Little Horse now!" Slipping off Mrs. Pei’s lap, he rushed to Ming Tang to boast. "Mommy doesn't have one, nyah-nyah."

But Mrs. Pei wasn’t finished. She turned to Ming Tang. "There are many people in this courtyard, and I keep several birds. That cat is small now, but it’s already raising Cain. Who knows how it’ll be when it grows up? Why not raise it in your quarters instead?"

Ming Tang had no objections to keeping a cat. "Sure."

Then, looking down at Pei Ze, she mimicked his earlier smug expression, smugly pursing her lips. "Now Aunty's got the cat, and A Ze doesn’t."

Pei Ze froze, then turned to Mrs. Pei in dismay. With his teeth still aching, his lower lip jutted out authentically.

Mrs. Pei sighed, giving Ming Tang a sidelong look before reassuring Pei Ze. "Your aunt is just teasing. Little Horse will still be your cat—it’s just staying with her. You can visit it every day when you go to play with her."

A Ze sniffled. "Okay."

The next morning, after breakfast, Pei Ze didn’t wait for Ming Tang. He had someone take him straight to Chengyi Hall.

Chengyi Hall was Pei Yue’s residence. Given his austere personality, the courtyard lacked even flowers or plants, leaving the servants with little to do. Only after the new mistress came—someone easygoing who didn’t mind their chatter—did the atmosphere lighten.

Yesterday, the imperial court had promulgated the edict granting Ming Tang’s title, and the household had celebrated. Chengyi Hall, under Wen He’s lead, held another round of rewards. Everyone was in high spirits, and when the young mistress returned from Jinghua Hall with a kitten to raise, their excitement knew no bounds. Some even burned midnight oil sewing a cushion for it.

Little Horse, having faced life’s harshness early, adapted without fuss, allowing everyone to dote on it with docile patience.

Ming Tang was preparing to head to the main hall with her "assignments" when she ran into Pei Ze’s group. Raising a brow, she put on a show of delight. "A Ze, you’re here to see Auntie so early? Come with me to Mother’s place first, and we’ll return together later."

Her expression was convincingly joyful. Pei Ze, picking up on her joy at his arrival, hesitated. He wanted to say he was here for the cat but didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

...But he really wanted to play with Little Horse as soon as possible. Pei Ze wriggled in indecision.

Tickled by his dilemma, Ming Tang relented. "Go on, then. When I left, they were feeding Little Horse milk."

Pei Ze perked up immediately. After bowing to Ming Tang, he scampered off, his hurried footsteps giving him away.

News of Ming Tang’s formal appointment as the heir’s lady had spread slightly after the Pei family set off celebratory fireworks yesterday. Since they weren’t throwing a feast, only close friends sent well-wishing presents.

When Ming Tang arrived, Mrs. Pei passed over the stack of matching gift registers, testing her knowledge of what each family’s presents signified and how to reciprocate if those households had celebrations in the future.

Ming Tang scanned through them methodically. Having been briefed by Mrs. Pei before, she remembered the particulars and parsed each one effortlessly.

Mrs. Pei listened, giving approving nods.

As the pile shrank, Ming Tang halted at a particular register and uttered a small gasp—to her surprise, there was even a gift from *the Yun family*.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be gifts sent by the Yun family's eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Guan. The selection was quite comprehensive, clearly thoughtfully prepared, though the overall value wasn't high—likely sent personally.

"Before I could ask Mother, what was the verdict on Huang Shi's case?"

"By law, she should have received forty strokes of the cane, but as an official's wife, she paid a commutation fee to avoid the caning and returned all the embezzled funds," Mrs. Pei explained. "However, when the bailiffs arrived at her doorstep yesterday, they happened to encounter Huang Shi and publicly declared they were taking her for interrogation. The incident has already spread."

Observant people probably discerned the underlying reasons and might even guess that the Pei and Yun families would, at the very least, become estranged from now on.

"Review your mother's gift list," Mrs. Pei reminded.

Ming Tang located the one from the Ming family and noticed, upon closer inspection, that aside from items for her, there were many clearly intended for Pei Ze—longevity lock amulets, playthings, and primers, roughly similar to what her mother would send to her elder sister's child.

How efficient! No wonder when she wanted to send a letter yesterday to inform her mother about A Ze, Mrs. Pei had said it wasn't necessary.

Ming Tang was briefly impressed by the foresight and swiftness of a seasoned matriarch.

Under Ming Tang's unhidden admiring look, Mrs. Pei felt a fleeting discomfort before quickly masking it. She then asked: "Look at these two gift lists—how should we prepare return gifts in the future?"

Ming Tang examined them closely. One was from Pei Tang, the Duke of Dingguo's younger brother, and the other from Pei He, the Duke's third cousin.

By kinship, Pei Tang's family was closer, yet their gift list contained only perfunctory gifts, signaling deliberate distance. Pei He's gifts, while modest in value, included writing supplies—a nod to Ming Tang's scholarly roots—along with items for Pei Ze.

Ming Tang replied, "For the second uncle's family, we can return gifts of similar value. For the third cousin's family, we should skip the ostentatious gifts and focus on practical, useful things."

Mrs. Pei nodded approvingly. "Well said." She then elaborated on the temperaments of both families, advising Ming Tang on how to interact with them during the New Year's banquet.

As mentor and protégé, their conversation inevitably touched on various family anecdotes, some quite amusing, and Ming Tang was all ears.

A teacher's greatest joy is encountering an earnest student.

Though still unaccustomed to Ming Tang's openly admiring gaze, Mrs. Pei found herself sharing more and more without realizing it.

By the time their daily session ended and Ming Tang returned to Cheng Yi Hall, it was already lunchtime.

Pei Ze, who had spent the entire morning watching Xiao Ma without growing bored, heard Ming Tang return and excitedly announced, as if discovering a new world, "Mother, I found out Xiao Ma's paw pads are pink!"

Xiao Ma, now accustomed to its new nest, lay on the cushion, batting at the tassel a maid dangled. When it lifted its paw, the pad was indeed pink.

Ming Tang approached and feigned amazement, "Oh! They really are pink! So cute!"

Her tone was too theatrical, and Pei Ze saw right through it, wrinkling his nose in solemn accusation. "Mother, you're faking it."

"I’ve noticed your vocabulary is growing impressively fast," Ming Tang remarked in surprise, mussing A Ze's hair. "Fine, I apologize. But I think Xiao Ma isn’t as cute as our A Ze, so it’s only natural I can’t gush over it."

Pei Ze paused, glancing down at the kitten, then at his own chubby little hands. He grinned shyly as he tugged Ming Tang's skirt and said softly, "Mother, let’s eat."

Passing a small table, Ming Tang noticed the plum blossom painting she had drawn to amuse Pei Ze was still spread out. She stopped and saw the number of reddened blossoms was incorrect. Bending down, she reminded Pei Ze, "A Ze, did you miss coloring one for Uncle Yue yesterday?"

Even excluding today, there was one fewer red blossom than the days since Pei Yue had left.