FID – Chapter 994

Chapter 994: I Can’t Bear These Ungrateful Brats

Caught off guard, the Empress Dowager’s face shifted from red to black, and from black back to red: a full spectrum of expression.

Finally, glancing at the villagers around her, all of whom were doubled over laughing, she picked up a piece of food and bit into it with determination.

It was just holding back a laugh. How hard could it be!

She was the Empress Dowager! If she couldn’t even manage this, what sort of dignity would that be?

“Pfft—” A tiny, broken sound escaped her mouth, and she nearly choked on the food.

The brief silence around her was instantly shattered by even louder laughter.

“You shameless woman, stop talking to me!” the old lady snapped, exasperated.

“All right, all right, don’t be mad. Can’t I just serve you some food?”

“You’ve got saliva on your chopsticks! Use the communal ones!”

“Changing chopsticks just to serve a bit of food? That’s too much trouble. Don’t worry, my health is fine. You’re not going to catch anything!”

By the end of the meal, the Empress Dowager had eaten half out of exasperation.

Even before going to bed, she was still annoyed. First thing in the morning, she planned to tell the shameless woman that she intended to take Badou and Hongdou back to the palace!

In the morning at a farming household, activity started very early. Before dawn, the villagers were already up, bustling about the kitchen—preparing breakfast, feeding chickens and ducks, tending the pigs, and gathering tools needed for the fields.

The Liu family courtyard was no exception.

Grandma Liu and her two daughters-in-law were accustomed to rising early. They prepared breakfast, egg custards and porridge for the two little ones, and also made flatbreads and water for the men heading out to the fields.

March was approaching, the snow in the village had long melted, and the farmers were already turning the soil and irrigating the fields in preparation for the upcoming spring planting.

Worried that the two little ones might be hungry, the Empress Dowager immediately got up when she heard movement outside. After washing up, she headed to the front courtyard.

The previous night, the two children had been looked after by Chen Xiulan and her husband, who had insisted that the elders not intervene, so as not to disturb their sleep.

Reaching the front courtyard, she saw General Qin already practicing his martial arts, with several onlookers clapping and cheering from the side. His movements were agile, his punches and kicks swift, giving no hint that he was well past fifty.

The Empress Dowager glanced at him briefly, then looked away with a straight gaze.

Hmph, show off.

At his age, this was probably the only thing he could still flaunt.

By the doorway, Badou and Hongdou were already sitting up in the cradle while holding the railing. Their big, glossy eyes blinked curiously as they watched the man practicing.

The little ones; expressions were surprisingly focused.

The Empress Dowager walked over and sat beside the cradle. Hongdou immediately looked at her, raising both tiny hands and grinning.

She smiled, picked up the little one, and pinched her cheek gently. “You looked captivated just now… Can our little Hongdou really understand what she’s watching?”

After speaking, she leaned over and gently stroked Badou’s little head, who was also looking at her. “Are you hungry? In a bit, Granny Empress will go to the kitchen and bring you some egg custard.”

“Ah—Grandma—”

The Empress Dowager froze, staring blankly at Hongdou in her arms, letting the little hands touch her chin.

She couldn’t immediately recover from the single sound she had just heard. With a trembling voice, she asked, “Hongdou, can you say ‘Grandma Empress’ one more time?”

“Grandma—Grandma—Ah—giggle-giggle-giggle!” Badou pounded on the crib railing with tiny hands, shouting the single syllables excitedly and laughing nonstop.

“Grandma—ah-ei—” Hongdou, not to be outdone, cried even louder than Badou.

The Empress Dowager’s lips quivered as she broke into a smile, tears silently spilling from her eyes.

The scene gave Grandma Liu, who had just peeked out from the kitchen, a huge shock. “Oh no! What’s happening? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

She shouted as she rushed out of the kitchen. “Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Or did something make you unhappy? Tell me, and I’ll go help you!”

As soon as Grandma Liu shouted, everyone’s attention immediately turned to the Empress Dowager at the doorway of the hall.

There she was—crying and laughing at the same time, continuously wiping her tears. The old matron behind her looked completely helpless.

Qin Xiao, unable to restrain his movements from his martial stance, strode forward toward the Empress Dowager. “Your Majesty?”

“Badou and Hongdou just called me ‘Grandma!’” The old lady lifted her reddened eyes and looked around at the worried faces of those surrounding her. Her voice was thick with a nasal tone, but it couldn’t hide her pride. “Our Badou and Hongdou learned to say Grandma first!”

Everyone else: “…”

So that’s why the Empress Dowager had been crying so uncontrollably?

Once they processed it, Grandma immediately exploded. “Impossible! I teach the kids every day to call me Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa. How could they call Grandma first?”

“I also taught them to say Grandpa and Grandma,” Chen Xiulan said dejectedly. How could the children’s first words be Grandma? Maybe the Empress Dowager had misheard?

Liu Zhiqiu glanced at the elders and understood. “So you’ve all been secretly teaching the kids to call someone behind my back?”

“The kids are over ten months old, and they’re learning to speak. What’s so strange about that?” Grandma Liu shot him a glare, but still squatted down, teasing the two little ones. “Badou, Hongdou, be good. Say Great-Grandma, Great-Grandma—”

“Giggle-giggle-giggle! Grandma—”

Grandma Liu felt like she’d been hit with an arrow. She ground her teeth in frustration. She truly adored these two little ungrateful brats.

The rest of the adults didn’t give up, taking turns trying everything—coaxing, bribing, even clowning around—but they couldn’t get the children to say a single other word.

From time to time, the courtyard echoed with the adults’ bickering, teasing, and laughter.

The warm sun rose in the east, golden light cutting through the morning mist, gently spreading over every corner of the courtyard.

Even the old lady’s silver hair seemed suffused with the soft, warm glow.

The people in the courtyard basked in the morning sunlight, playing with the children, joking, and having breakfast.

Everywhere was filled with the unique warmth and vitality of a farmer’s household.

“Dalin, Erlin, have you finished your breakfast? Time to check the water in the fields!” Outside the courtyard, a farmer carrying a hoe on his shoulder shouted as he passed the gate.

“Coming, just a minute!” Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin finished their bowls of porridge, set them down, grabbed the farming tools leaning against the courtyard wall, and joined the group of men heading to the fields. They didn’t forget to call back, “Father, Mother, we’re leaving!”

Even at around forty years old, in front of their parents they still acted like children, accustomed to reporting where they were going.

Once the two sons were off, the daughters-in-law went to the Qing River to wash clothes, while Liu Zhiqiu and Liu Muqiu set off together toward Xinghua Ridge.

Grandma Liu finally had a chance to sit down and rest, but she couldn’t stay idle. She swept a clean patch of ground in the courtyard, then went back to the hall to fetch a clean straw mat. She laid it on the cleaned ground, and before the Empress Dowager could react, she picked up the two little ones from the cradle and set them on the mat, letting them crawl freely.

“Shameless woman! You actually put Badou and Hongdou on the ground? Don’t you know how dirty it is?”

“They’ve got the straw mat, it’s clean,” Grandma Liu waved her hand casually. “Country kids don’t fuss over such things. Crawling around, rolling on the floor, even running around naked: what’s the big deal? Children are active; let them play on their own. As long as they don’t get hurt, it’s fine.”

The Empress Dowager’s chest heaved in indignation, shivering with anger.

Her two little ones—country kids? No! They were noble members of the imperial family! How could they crawl on the ground and explore the stove?