FID – Chapter 905

Chapter 905: Only I, This Reckless Woman, Can Cure Her

Besides Grandma Liu who followed Liu Yusheng in and out of the palace and had some understanding of palace affairs, the rest of the Liu family knew nothing about the underlying turbulence and intrigues.

Since the two little ones had passed their full month and Liu Yusheng had recovered, the whole family was ready to return to Xinghua Village.

“You two haven’t been married even two years yet; you’re still newlyweds. People always say newlyweds should enjoy their time together. Bringing two babies around at such a good time is really inconvenient. Why not let us take the babies back with us? Our whole family can take care of the little ones, and everything will surely be more thorough. Besides, you’re both still young and inexperienced with raising kids. When we leave, you’ll be flustered and overwhelmed, causing suffering for yourselves and the babies, isn’t that right?”

That afternoon, taking advantage of everyone being present, Liu Dalin started persuading his daughter and son-in-law in the main hall with a solemn and righteous tone.

“Dad…” Liu Yusheng was helpless, not wanting to say the babies were still nursing.

“Dad, it’s not that you can’t take them back,” Feng Qingbai smiled and added just as Dalin’s eyes lit up, “but if the two little ones go back, what will they eat?”

The light in Dalin’s eyes immediately went out with a whoosh, and he wilted.

That was the hardest part: the two babies, perhaps inheriting their dad’s obsession with cleanliness, ate nothing but breast milk and rice water. Even if they took the babies back and had more people carefully caring for them, they simply couldn’t feed them properly.

Chen Xiulan looked at the deflated man and felt both annoyed and amused. Before, Nannan was the top priority, and he constantly made things difficult for Axiu. Now that there were two little ones, he had become generous and was acting like a deeply understanding father.

Why didn’t he realize this before?

“The best place for little babies is to stay close to their parents. You shouldn’t always be jumping to conclusions. Now even Elrin is almost as steady as you used to be,” Grandpa Liu scolded Dalin with a grunt.

Hearing the praise, Liu Erlin immediately straightened his back a bit, grinning from ear to ear, looking proud and triumphant. Du Juan wanted to cover her eyes. 

Steady? Don’t embarrass yourself!

Grandma Liu sat beside the two little cradles, watching the two babies sleeping soundly inside, her eyes full of reluctance. “We’re about to leave soon. Who knows when we’ll see the two little ones again. It’s probably not until the New Year festival. By then, both babies will be able to sit up.”

It was a pity the great-grandmother couldn’t stay with them, to see them slowly learn to roll over, to sit, to crawl.

Just thinking about it made her sad.

Chen Xiulan walked over, crouched by the cradles, and softly said, “They say at seven months they can sit, at eight months they crawl, at nine months they stand. By the New Year, they won’t need anyone to support them; the babies will be sitting on their own. When that time comes, they’ll look completely different.”

The two women’s sorrow and reluctance spread quietly through the hall, and the elders’ expressions grew heavy.

Liu Yusheng also felt sad, quietly squeezing Feng Qingbai’s hand to restrain the wave of parting sadness rising in her heart.

Liu Zhiqiu, sitting nearby, laughed teasingly, “Why is everyone making such a big fuss? It’s not a big deal. Ever since my brother-in-law built those two passenger ships for the Canal Guild, a round trip from the village to the capital takes just over half a month. Do you want to see Xiao Badou and Hongdou? That’s easy! Just take the passenger ship straight to the capital. Blink, and you’re there. Look at you all acting like the sky is falling; the two little ones would be laughing at you. Wouldn’t you, Badou, Hongdou?”

Liu Muqiu chimed in, “Before, the trip to the capital was really long. It took at least a month one way. That was the real wait. Now it’s just ten days, no big deal. Once we go back, you can come visit the babies anytime you want. The ships my brother-in-law built are for our convenience.”

To cheer up the elders, she boldly called the King ‘brother-in-law’ together with Liu Zhiqiu.

Sure enough, the elders’ gloomy expressions quickly faded, and they shot glances at the two of them, then at Feng Qingbai. Seeing Feng Qingbai’s embarrassed face, they couldn’t help but laugh.

In the cradle, Badou and Hongdou were still sound asleep, oblivious to everything around them. Light laughter filled the hall, dispelling the tense atmosphere.

“Grandpa, Grandma, we’re going back in two days. Why not spend these days having fun around the capital? Since you’ve been cooped up in the manor taking care of the babies, you should relax and enjoy yourselves for a couple of days before leaving. Otherwise, it’ll feel like you wasted your trip to the capital. Later when you sit under the big pagoda tree in the village, and the old folks ask what fun things there were in the capital, you’ll be tongue-tied. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? We came to the capital to take care of our granddaughter during her confinement and look after the two babies. Who came here just for fun?”

Seeing that Liu Zhiqiu’s persuasion was once again firmly shut down by the elders, Liu Yusheng quietly scratched Feng Qingbai’s palm.

These past two months, the elders at home had been busy all day taking care of her and the little ones. They disliked ordering servants around and did everything themselves. Just washing the diapers the babies used every day was enough to make anyone’s back ache.

She felt both heartache and guilt.

Her family loved her deeply, personally attending to every detail to care for her meticulously.

She loved them too and wished for their daily happiness and peaceful old age.

“Everyone, while you’re here, I have something I want to ask for your help with, and only you can do it.” Feng Qingbai, holding the woman’s hand in his own, turned to the elders with a serious expression, as if entrusting them with an important matter.

Grandpa and Grandma Liu exchanged glances and then their expressions turned serious. “What is it? Tell us.”

Axiu never lied in front of them. If he looked this serious, it meant the matter was truly difficult.

“I want to ask you to help take the Empress Dowager out to relax a bit. You must know some of what happened between her and me. The matter is in the past, but I still feel guilty towards her. From now on, I want to treat her like my own elder and care for her dutifully. Life in the palace isn’t easy. She can’t live freely, always frowning, with no one to talk to…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when Grandma Liu interrupted, “Alright, no need to say more. Tomorrow I’ll drag her out of the palace myself. You get things ready, and we’ll all go to the countryside estate for a few days. That old woman is as stubborn as a mule. Honestly, only a rough old woman like me can handle her.”

The term ‘rough old woman’ once again filled the hall with stifled laughter.

The Empress Dowager had always referred to Granny Liu as a ‘rough old woman,’ and yet she was the only one the Dowager could never get the better of.

The matter was settled in just a few words.

From the sidelines, Liu Zhiqiu silently saluted Feng Qingbai in admiration. For two whole months, he’d worn out his tongue trying to persuade the elders to leave the manor to no avail. 

Feng Qingbai made a single request, and the matter was effortlessly resolved.

That was the difference when you were skilled in strategy. The same goal, expressed differently, could be achieved with ease.

People in politics were indeed crafty and cunning.