Chapter 315 - 314: Compromise
After finishing the meal, they sat for half an hour in the flower hall.
They drank tea and chatted for a while, and Ji Mingzhu personally escorted Liu Xu to the guest courtyard.
Most of the people Liu Xu brought were settled elsewhere, but those close to her who traveled far and wide with her remained in the guest courtyard.
The maids serving them, the errand boys, Ji Mingzhu arranged everything well for her.
In the time it took to eat a meal, Liu Xu’s luggage was already neatly organized.
The gifts she brought from the capital city were also arranged on the table.
Liu Xu initially planned to send them to the main courtyard the next day, but now that the items were ready, without going through the usual formalities, she directly gave them to Ji Mingzhu.
Fortunately, she had two maids with her, so there was no worry about not being able to carry them.
"Inside there’s beauty cream, rouge and powder, as well as toys for the children. They’re just small items, don’t mind them."
Ji Mingzhu accepted them calmly, "The lip balm you sent before had a nice color and felt particularly comfortable to use. I was even thinking of asking Yun Ling to send me some from the capital."
Liu Xu raised an eyebrow, "Isn’t it a coincidence, there’s some inside."
There are rouge shops in Yanzhou City, and Ji Mingzhu had visited them a few days ago.
But compared to the items from the capital city, there’s still a noticeable difference.
If Liu Xu decides to do business here, she could set up a rouge shop at that time.
Ji Mingzhu recollected her thoughts and thanked Liu Xu again for the gifts, "Traveling such a long way, you must be tired, so rest well. If there’s anything, just instruct the housekeeper. Meals will be delivered to the courtyard at the appointed time, you just focus on resting."
"Thank you for the trouble."
Ji Mingzhu shook her head, "I only have to move my lips, the rest is managed by the housekeeper."
Liu Xu stopped being formal with her, "You better go back, if Zimu and Zishan wake up and can’t see you, they might start crying."
This is true.
The children are growing up, learning to recognize people.
Every time they wake up, they look for Ji Mingzhu.
Initially, the wet nurse could still lull them to sleep, but now it’s not possible.
Ji Mingzhu has to personally feed and soothe them, only then will the two little ones stop crying.
However, Ji Mingzhu isn’t eager to send the wet nurse away, even though the little ones always cry looking for her when they first wake up.
But at other times, with the wet nurse’s assistance, she can relax a bit.
"You just rest well, I’ll come find you tomorrow."
"Alright."
Letting Jade take the items, Ji Mingzhu returned to the main courtyard.
Just as she entered the courtyard gate, she heard the sound of crying rising one after another.
One was loud and forceful.
The other was lacking in strength, pitiful.
Ji Mingzhu quickly quickened her pace and entered the main room, seeing Xie Yunzhen holding one child in each arm, looking at her helplessly.
"Other people’s children grow up to be more sensible, why do ours seem to be the opposite, they’re more troublesome than when they were younger!"
Ji Mingzhu wholeheartedly agreed.
It’s fortunate there are plenty of helpers in the mansion, otherwise she and Xie Yunzhen might "lose their minds."
She quickly took over her daughter.
The siblings are very in sync, every time the daughter cries, the youngest son will follow with whining.
At these times, you need to soothe the elder one first.
The elder one is lively and strong, every time Xie Yunzhen worries she might fall out of Mingzhu’s arms.
While soothing the son, he also needs to focus on the daughter and Mingzhu.
If there’s an unexpected situation, he can catch the daughter in time.
Ji Mingzhu, holding her daughter, walked to the place where the gift boxes were, "Your grandmother sent gifts for you and your brother, let’s go see what’s in the boxes."
"Also, Aunt Liu who visited today brought you toys, let’s open them one by one, okay?"
Zimu is a clever little one, his little ears moved upon catching the keywords, he immediately stopped crying.
His eyes are red, as are his nose.
Big droplets of tears hang on his eyelashes, looking innocent and pitiful.
As their mother, Ji Mingzhu can’t bear to see the children looking pitiful.
While wiping her daughter’s face with a handkerchief, she softly spoke reassuring words.
Zimu is impatient, reaching for the gift box and babbling something.
Ji Mingzhu was almost unable to restrain her.
She had no choice but to swap the little ones with Xie Yunzhen and let him hold the elder one.
Zimu’s energy is too abundant, Xie Yunzhen used to believe that normal children were like her.
Only recently did he realize, other people’s kids were just a bit more rowdy than Zishan.
They don’t behave like Zimu, who moves around like a monkey all day, disappearing in a blink.
And she must keep moving, or she’ll start crying.
She’s restless for even a moment.
Mingzhu spends a lot of energy caring for the children, if not for the continuous consumption of supplements and assistance from others.
Xie Yunzhen wonders if Mingzhu might get sick from exhaustion caring for the two kids.
Jade brought over a chair for Ji Mingzhu to sit.
Zishan sat quietly in his mother’s lap, his eyes glued to the gift boxes.
From his expression, Ji Mingzhu could sense a hint of anticipation.
Meanwhile, Zimu was already getting impatient.
She leaned forward eagerly towards the pile of gift boxes, but fortunately, Xie Yunzhen caught her in time.
The little one flailed like a lively loach.
Seeing their daughter so vivacious, Xie Yunzhen felt both happy and sorry for Mingzhu’s hard work with the kids.
In the end, he chose to stand by his wife, gently patting his daughter’s back.
"Be good, let your mother open them, you and Zimu just watch."
"Hmph～"
The little one hummed in her childish voice, retracting her tiny arms, looking somewhat sulky.
Ji Mingzhu found it amusing, placing the largest box on the table in front of Zimu, letting her open it herself.
The little one couldn’t open it but having something to do, she instantly stopped acting up.
Furrowing her little brows, she focused intently on tackling the gift box.
Xie Yunzhen lowered his gaze, seeing his daughter’s chubby face and her determined expression, he couldn’t help but smile.
He said to Ji Mingzhu, "You’re really great, knowing how to handle her."
Ji Mingzhu raised her chin slightly, "Wisdom comes with age."
Xie Yunzhen: "..."
While talking, he handed a gift box to his son for him to fiddle with.
Both children quieted down, allowing Ji Mingzhu to finally have the time to open the gift boxes.
Xie Yunzhen also helped.
Princess An He sent many things.
There were clothes and shoes for the children, toys, and a bunch of top-quality supplements.
Xie Yunzhen picked them up and looked through them, realizing they’re all suitable for women.
Obviously, he knew whom his mother intended them for.
Princess An He didn’t like Ji Mingzhu, but she never skimped on her food, drink, or daily necessities.
This trait hasn’t changed, not in the past life, nor in this one.
Ji Mingzhu placed the Luban lock in the children’s hands, although they didn’t know how to play with it yet, holding something would stop the siblings from fussing.
She said to Xie Yunzhen, "Etiquette calls for reciprocity, shouldn’t we send some gifts to your mother?"
Ji Mingzhu has made many compromises for him, Xie Yunzhen understood this well.
If it weren’t for her affection for him, with her temperament, Ji Mingzhu would never have gotten along well with his mother in this life.
Feeling moved, he couldn’t resist giving Ji Mingzhu a kiss on the cheek.
Then, the second child expressionlessly threw the Luban lock at him...