The two nieces rarely co over, so Wen Wan invited them to stay for dinner and have fun for the day, arranging to send them back in the evening.
During this ti, Wen Wan flipped through the almanac and noticed that Shangsi Festival was approaching. She discussed with Song Jiao, "How about we don’t host a banquet at ho? On Shangsi Festival, I’ll take you out for a spring outing. Your third uncle can inform Mr. Liang and invite him along. What do you think?"
Song Jiao gave the sa answer, "It’s fine for Third Aunt to arrange as she sees fit."
Wen Wan closed the almanac and glanced at the young girl, "Do you have sothing on your mind? There’s no one else here, feel free to talk to ."
Song Qi and Jinbao were playing in the courtyard, leaving only Wen Wan and Song Jiao inside.
Song Jiao smiled, "What could I have on my mind? I’m just thinking about how I’m getting married soon, but Sanyang still hasn’t co back. It’s a bit upsetting; I was hoping she could see off when I beco a bride!"
Regarding this matter, Wen Wan expressed helplessness, "As long as Sanyang hasn’t regained her mory, we can’t bring her back. Just consider as if you don’t have this sister for now, don’t overthink it."
Song Jiao nodded and then inquired about Song Yuanbao, "I heard from my parents that when Big Brother beca the top scorer, many families wanted to catch a son-in-law. After that, people frequently visited our mansion, all aiming for Big Brother. He’s not that young anymore. Have Uncle and Aunt arranged a betrothal for him?"
"Not yet."
The matter of Song Yuanbao’s engagent is still up in the air, and Wen Wan was reluctant to say more, "Boys mature late. At fifteen, his mindset is still very immature, so there’s no rush for engagent."
"Is he doing well in the palace?" Song Jiao asked again.
Wen Wan replied truthfully, "When he first went there, he would get up to study before the rooster crowed, learning literature in the morning and martial arts in the afternoon, with hardly any free ti throughout the day. Recently, His Highness took over the affairs of the governnt office, so things have eased, and he’s able to co ho more frequently."
Song Jiao laughed, "With His Highness being so outstanding, I’m sure Big Brother has learned quite a bit by staying by his side."
"He’s indeed made great progress," Wen Wan agreed wholeheartedly, "Without the Eldest Prince’s strict guidance over the past two years, Yuanbao might have truly overslept at the provincial examination and wouldn’t have ranked as the top scorer."
Picking up that the young girl was using this to inquire about the Eldest Prince, Wen Wan naturally shifted the topic, "Enough about him, let’s talk about you. How have you been lately?"
"The sa as always. Our parents don’t let us sisters help out, so we end up staying ho all day, hardly paying any attention to what’s going on outside."
"That’s perfect. During the Shangsi Festival, there will be many people going on outings, so it’s a good chance to get out and stretch your legs," Wen Wan said, glancing at her and asking, "Have you made your spring clothes for this year? The mansion just bought a batch of trendy fabrics. Why not take two pieces back and have beautiful outfits made for you and your sister."
Song Jiao felt a bit embarrassed, "There’s no need, Aunt. I still have fabric."
Song Qi happened to co in and heard this, imdiately joining the conversation, "If Sister doesn’t want them, then I’ll take both pieces. Third Aunt has such a great eye for fashion. Just look at what she’s wearing; it’s all the latest style and fabric. I’m envious. I want to dress up as beautifully as Third Aunt!"
Wen Wan laughed, "How can you wear two pieces of fabric by yourself? Just make one outfit from each color, and the leftovers can go to your sister."
Song Jiao looked at her younger sister and asked, "Why did you co in all of a sudden? Where’s Jinbao?"
ntioning Jinbao, Song Qi instinctively touched the back of her hand, her gaze dodging, not daring to look at Wen Wan and turning her head aside, "The little fellow doesn’t like playing with , so I had no choice but to co in and chat with you guys."
In her own ho, she was not accepted by her younger brother, and the sa happened with her cousin at the uncle’s house. Sothing was clearly wrong with her sister.
Song Jiao frowned and told Wen Wan that she would go take a look.
Wen Wan stopped her, "No need. With Yun Cai around, Jinbao won’t have any trouble."
Besides, the little fellow was cunning and wasn’t likely to allow himself to suffer a loss. It seed Song Qi hadn’t gained an advantage from him.
More importantly, Wen Wan didn’t want the sisters to start a quarrel at her ho.
Song Qi paid no mind to it and sat down, looking at Wen Wan eagerly, "I just heard you ntion the Shangsi Festival. If Third Aunt is going out, can I co along?"
Before Wen Wan could respond, she continued, "I’ve been in the Capital for so long, and apart from the few streets outside our alley, I haven’t really been out to have fun. Third Aunt, won’t you give a chance to broaden my horizons? Otherwise, having been here for over a year, I’d still just be an ignorant country girl. Wouldn’t that embarrass you and Third Uncle if word got out?"
Wen Wan hadn’t thought about any embarrassnt; she was just considering that Song Qi was a troubleso character. If she didn’t get her way, she might turn around and cause a scene, possibly upsetting Song Jiao’s prospective match.
However, as an elder, Wen Wan couldn’t let a younger one manipulate her. She looked at Song Qi with a warning tone, "You can co, but you must follow my arrangents the entire ti. Otherwise, Shangsi Festival will be the last ti I take you out."
Wen Wan’s gaze was calm, carrying the authority of her rank, and her words weighed heavily on Song Qi’s heart. Song Qi suddenly dared not play any tricks in front of Third Aunt; she nodded hesitantly, "I understand."
There was a trace of guilt in her voice.
During dinner, to avoid being scolded by Granny Song, Song Qi didn’t dare to speak a word. On the other hand, Song Jiao chatted and laughed freely with their grandparents.
After the al, Wen Wan instructed Yun Cai to take the two sisters to the storeroom to pick two types of fabric to take with them, only then arranging for their transportation ho.
Jinbao’s little belly was round from eating, wanting to throw himself onto the soft couch, but Wen Wan wouldn’t let him lie down. She took him out for a walk to help him digest, and took the opportunity to ask, "Why didn’t you let Second Sister play with you today?"
The little guy was walking with his hands behind his back, in an elder’s manner, and upon hearing this, he snorted softly, "We had a bet to solve the Nine Linked Rings, and the loser had to bark like a dog. Then I solved it, and she didn’t, but she wouldn’t bark like a dog and wanted to teach her. I didn’t teach her, so she pinched ."
Wen Wan’s expression soured, "Where did she pinch you?"
As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward, grabbing Jinbao’s small arm to roll up his sleeve and check.
Jinbao said, "She didn’t manage to pinch . I bit her first, so she didn’t dare."
Imagining Song Qi’s deanor gave Wen Wan a headache. "If this happens again, tell your mother imdiately, okay?"
Jinbao wore a mournful expression, "Next ti, don’t let her co to our house. Let the dogs out when she cos."
"Naughty boy," Wen Wan chided him with a glance, "Why are you learning to let dogs loose instead of learning the good things?"
Jinbao felt wronged, "Second Sister is a bad person, so why can’t I let the dogs bite her?"
Wen Wan explained to him, "Second Sister did sothing wrong and should indeed be punished, but if you let the dogs bite her out of anger and accidentally cause harm, then no matter how big her mistake, it will be your fault. Do you understand?"
Jinbao shook his head, "I don’t understand. Second Sister is bad and should be bitten by dogs."
Wen Wan stopped, crouching down to et his eyes, "Who taught you that?"
The little guy pursed his lips but didn’t speak.
Wen Wan softened her tone, "Mother ans to tell Jinbao that there are many ways to get back at soone who bullies you. Just letting the dogs bite isn’t the only way, and there are surely smarter and better thods if you think creatively, thods that let her fall without realizing it’s your doing. That’s what real cleverness is, understood?"
Seeing the little guy still a bit perplexed, Wen Wan gave him an example, "When your father and I were still in the countryside, soone who didn’t want him to pass the exams tried to sche against him by piling stones on the road he had to take. Their plan was discovered by Mother and Brother. Can you guess what we did?"
The little guy answered, "Hit him!"
Wen Wan was embarrassed, "Not hitting. We waited in the woods early and scared them away by pretending to be a crying ghost doll."
The little guy tilted his head thoughtfully.
Wen Wan said, "See, this way, they couldn’t stop your father from taking the exams, got frightened, and didn’t even know it was us. Isn’t that smarter than hitting them?"
The little guy seed to have learned sothing from this and nodded firmly.
Wen Wan smiled softly and ruffled his little head, "That’s more like it. Jinbao needs to be the smartest of the smart, not a brute who ruins things. Okay?"
"Okay~"
——
Once it was decided to go on a spring outing, having girlfriends along was a given.
The next day, Wen Wan personally went to the Governor Mansion. She hadn’t visited in several days and purposely didn’t notify in advance, hoping to surprise Lin Xiaoyue. Unexpectedly, just as she reached the front courtyard, she heard a shout, "Su Qing, that little bastard, is still not back? Hurry up and pack your things to go back to Jizhou with !"
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