FID – Chapter 877

Chapter 877: Are They Getting Close to Me Out of Gratitude? 

Liu Yusheng pretended to be unconscious, but even Feng Qingbai couldn’t escape his fate.

Faced with two old ladies whose combined age exceeded sixty, Feng Qingbai’s expression was completely blank.

He glanced at the two babies who had closed their eyes and were pretending to sleep in the cradle, then reached out and picked them up.

Under the wide-eyed stares of the Empress Dowager and Grandma Liu, he handed one baby to each of them.

“One for each of you. No need to fight over them. Dress them however you like.”

Everyone: “……”

Is this really their biological father?

Treating them like puppies?

The Empress Dowager immediately took the baby in her arms. If she had four hands, she would have hugged both at once.

With the babies dealt with, Feng Qingbai walked to the bedside. Looking down at the woman whose eye was twitching from holding back laughter, the corners of his eyes began to crinkle with a smile.

He had a wife, children, a big family by his side, and even a few friends still trying to make a comeback. His once-broken life was gradually becoming whole.

He squatted down beside her, leaned close to her ear, and whispered softly, “What a blessing being with you in this life. Shengsheng, thank you.”

Hearing the whisper beside her ear, Liu Yusheng slowly opened her eyes. Their gazes met, and smiles bloomed at the corners of their eyes.

In the back, the Empress Dowager and Grandma Liu each held a baby carefully, their movements extremely gentle. The tiny, soft bundles in their arms made their hearts melt.

“Now that the babies are born, they should be given names. We can’t keep calling them just ‘Bao’er, Bao’er’” the Empress Dowager said softly, her gaze tender. “What names would be good?”

“In the countryside, when we have children, we like to give them humble names. That way, they’re easier to raise…”

“No way!” the Empress Dowager cut in without hesitation. “The babies are of noble status. How can we give them lowly names? What if someone calls out ‘Goudan (lit. Dog Egg)’ in public? That would bring misfortune to the babies or frighten others! Who dares to call the young heirs of the King’s Manor such names!”

She glared at Grandma Liu with high alert, as if ready to pounce.

This crude woman—if she dared give the babies names like that, she would… would fight her for it!

Grandma Liu rolled her eyes. “I haven’t even finished speaking yet. Look how flustered you are. Of course our babies can’t be called Goudan or Gouwa. We need to come up with proper names.”

Chen Xiulan, Du Juan, and Liu Muqiu all gathered around, joining in on the discussion about names.

“How about we discuss it later with Father and Dalin?” one suggested. “We’ll choose their nicknames, and leave the formal names to Axiu and Shengsheng. How about that?”

“We already have a Xiao Maodou in the family, so why don’t we also give the two babies nicknames based on beans? It sounds pleasant and isn’t tacky,” someone suggested.

The group huddled together, enthusiastically throwing out ideas, but the Empress Dowager wasn’t having it.

“These children are of royal blood. Their nicknames and formal names should naturally be given by the royal family. I’ll personally go to the imperial temple and ask a master to analyze the characters for their names…”

Grandma Liu replied, “Analyzing characters for formal names is fine, but isn’t that a bit much for nicknames? Are we going to consecrate the names or something? We’re just picking nicknames for now. There’s no need to make such a fuss.”

“How can we not be particular? A name is called for a lifetime! Just look at your two sons—Dalin and Erlin. You clearly didn’t put any thought into naming them back then!”

……

Another argument broke out. Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai exchanged helpless glances.

“Grandma, Empress Dowager, please stop arguing. We’ve already picked names for the babies,” Liu Yusheng said.

Feng Qingbai added calmly, “The younger sister will be named Feng Nanzhi, nickname Hongdou (red bean), symbolizing longing and love. The elder brother will be named Feng Nanmo, nickname…”

He glanced at the older twin who had just opened his eyes and was looking at him. The corner of Feng Qingbai’s mouth curled slightly as he continued, “Badou (Croton Bean).”

The elder baby visibly shuddered. Whether he understood or just really needed to pee, no one could tell.

The crowd, “…”

“Ba-Badou?” Liu Yusheng was stunned. “Wasn’t it supposed to be Qingdou (green pea)?”

Back when they were thinking of names, they didn’t know whether the baby would be a boy or a girl, so they had prepared names for both. For a boy, the agreed-upon nickname was clearly Qingdou.

“Badou. Boys should be raised a bit rough. Besides, humble names are said to bring good fortune,” Feng Qingbai replied with a smile.

“……”

Was this revenge for the pee, the poop, and the kick earlier? Was he really so petty that he’d take it out on his own son?

The older baby’s mouth trembled, and then—“WAAAH—WAAAH—”

He burst into tears, with tears falling like soybeans, making the Empress Dowager and Grandma Liu’s hearts clench in pain.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” the Empress Dowager gently soothed the baby in her arms. “Grandma Empress will give you a courtesy name, one that’s beautiful and dignified, alright?”As she said this, her eyes subtly glanced toward Feng Qingbai.

Though she called herself the Empress Grandmother, Feng Qingbai wasn’t her biological descendant, and there was unresolved resentment between them. Every compromise she made was for the sake of the two babies. But Feng Qingbai might not necessarily grant her that right.

Fortunately, though he looked at her, Feng Qingbai didn’t object.

That meant he tacitly agreed.

She hugged little Badou more tightly, a faint joy bubbling up in her heart.

If she could name the children, then from now on, she would be their imperial grandmother. Even without blood ties, there would still be an unbreakable bond.

“Ah—ah—” Hongdou opened her glassy eyes and waved her little hands.

“Is Hongdou saying she wants a beautiful courtesy name too?” The Empress Dowager smiled. “Grandma Empress will name you both. I’ll go seek characters just for you.”

“Ah—” Hongdou opened her little mouth wide, revealing soft pink gums.

Grandma Liu was green with envy.

Then, looking at the deep affection in the Empress Dowager’s eyes as she gazed at the two babies and even the slight redness in her eyes, she sighed inwardly. 

Fine. Seeing how the Empress Dowager was now all alone, with all her sons gone, rumored to be at the hands of Axiu himself—and not even her maternal family left, she decided to be magnanimous and not bicker with this lonely old widow.

Compared to the Empress Dowager, she herself was already incredibly blessed. Her family spanned four generations under one roof, with dutiful sons and daughters-in-law, loving grandchildren, and a warm, lively household. If she had experienced even half of what the Empress Dowager had gone through, she doubted she’d have had the strength to go on living.

Too painful. Too bitter.

“How strange,” Liu Muqiu remarked in surprise, “The babies just came into the world, but it’s like they can already understand what we’re saying. Look how they react.”

“It really is amazing,” Du Juan added with a sigh. “Badou was teasing his father as soon as he was born, and now Hongdou’s even fighting to get her own courtesy name.”

At the mention of ‘Badou,’ the baby boy’s expression visibly changed. He pouted, which made everyone burst into laughter.

Grandma Liu poked both babies’ tiny noses with mock jealousy. “More than that, these two little things already know how to curry favor! They know the Empress Dowager’s an important person, and both of them were flattering her!”

She was referring to the earlier scene at the doorway, when the babies had reached out to grab fingers and pat palms—she was so jealous she could scream.

The Empress Dowager pretended to be calm. “They know it was always me who rubbed their mother’s belly before they were born. I treated their mother well, so now they’re close to me. It’s gratitude.”

Gratitude? Feng Qingbai’s eyes flickered slightly. He turned to look at the two babies, thoughtful.

Even setting aside the question of why the two were so unusually perceptive, they were indeed especially attached to the Empress Dowager—more so than to him, their own father.

Gratitude… huh?

Liu Yusheng, ever attuned to Feng Qingbai’s moods, sensed the change in him right away and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”