Escape to Your Heart

Chapter 270: Warmth

Fu Tingyun found herself torn between laughter and tears upon hearing this.

She usually taught the children to "rise with the dawn" and led by example, always waking slightly earlier than them. Yet she never imagined this would become an obstacle to Zhao Ling's amorous moods... It just goes to show that everything in this world has its pros and cons... Fortunately, Zhao Ling was often away from home. Back when they were newlyweds, she hadn’t risen early a single day... If he were home all the time, she wouldn’t know how to explain things to the children... Sometimes, absence had its advantages too...

Lost in these scattered thoughts, she swiftly dressed and went to open the door.

Youyou fluttered over like a little magpie.

"Mother, Mother," she chirped, her eyes sparkling with joy, "Where’s Father? I miss him so much! Eldest Brother and Second Brother miss him too. But they aren’t as well-behaved as me—I dressed myself!" She beamed proudly. "You must tell Father later!"

Fu Tingyun smiled and picked up her daughter, gently pinching her rosy cheeks. "Of course. When we see Father, we’ll tell him. I’ll also let him know how good Youyou has been at home—not only learning to dress and eat by herself but also memorizing poetry and helping Mother take care of Xi Ge’er and Xu Ge’er!"

Youyou’s large eyes curved into crescents as she nodded eagerly.

Housekeeper Tong, however, looked awkward.

The gate had already been locked when Zhao Ling returned, naturally stirring up the entire household. Anxin had come to inform her not to disturb the young mistress and young master, as the master had "matters" to discuss with the madam tonight.

As someone who had been through it all, she knew exactly what those "matters" entailed.

She had intended to keep Youyou in bed longer by telling her stories, but the little girl had insisted on getting up, even urging her to hurry, saying, "I can’t wake up later than my brothers—they’ll laugh at me!" Left with no choice, Housekeeper Tong had helped her put on her shoes, only for Youyou to immediately slip off the kang and dash off to greet her mother. Reluctantly, Housekeeper Tong revealed that Zhao Ling had returned, adding, "The master hasn’t risen yet. Let’s wait a while before going over." But this only made Youyou more restless, and the moment Housekeeper Tong looked away, she had bolted straight to the main chamber.

Now, Housekeeper Tong could only murmur apologetically, "Madam, it’s my fault. I failed to stop the young mistress..."

Mortified yet maintaining a composed smile, Fu Tingyun waved it off. "It’s fine. It’s about time to rise anyway."

Housekeeper Tong exhaled in relief.

Fu Tingyun then reminded Youyou in a hushed tone, "You must be quiet. Father only returned late last night and hasn’t woken up yet."

Youyou nodded vigorously, even covering her mouth with her tiny hands to show she wouldn’t make a sound.

Amused, Fu Tingyun carried her daughter into the inner chamber—only to find Zhao Ling already up, sitting on the edge of the bed and slipping on his shoes.

The moment Youyou saw him, she flung her arms open and rushed toward him. "Father! Father!"

Zhao Ling, still with one shoe half on, scooped her into his arms.

Youyou wrapped her arms around his neck, shouting excitedly, "I missed you so much, Father!"

His face lit up with delight.

Watching from the side, Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but laugh.

For a moment, the room brimmed with joy.

Soon after, Xi Ge’er and Xu Ge’er arrived, each escorted by their respective nursemaids.Four-year-old Xi Ge'er was beginning to understand things a little. Upon seeing Zhao Ling, he immediately ran over and hugged his father's leg, shouting, "Daddy, hold me too! Hold me too!"

Ten-month-old Xu Ge'er, however, understood nothing at all. He stared blankly at his sister and brother with a silly grin, hiding in his wet nurse's arms while sucking on his tiny fingers.

Zhao Ling freed one hand to pick up Xi Ge'er and walked over to Xu Ge'er, asking, "Do you recognize Daddy?"

Xu Ge'er glanced at his mother, then twisted his body and buried his face in the wet nurse's bosom, refusing to look up no matter how she coaxed him.

Zhao Ling sighed.

Xu Ge'er secretly peeked at Zhao Ling from the safety of the wet nurse's arms.

This provoked laughter from everyone.

Yu Wei entered cheerfully with Zhenzhu and Kou'er, carrying water for washing.

Zhao Ling handed the children back to Fu Tingyun, saying, "Daddy hasn't washed up yet. I'll play with you all later!"

Youyou responded happily with a "Yes!" and followed Mama Tong and the others to the main hall.

After Zhao Ling and Fu Tingyun washed up in the side room, they emerged to find Yu Wei and the others had already tidied up the inner chamber.

Fu Tingyun's face was slightly flushed.

Yu Wei suppressed a smile and asked Fu Tingyun, "Breakfast is ready. Where would you like it served?"

Fu Tingyun looked at Zhao Ling.

After some thought, Zhao Ling said, "Let's have breakfast in the inner chamber. The children can sit on the kang."

Fu Tingyun nodded to Yu Wei, who acknowledged with a smile and instructed the serving women to bring in the kang table set with breakfast.

Noticing two unfamiliar serving women, Zhao Ling realized they must have been hired after his departure. He asked Fu Tingyun, "Are our household funds sufficient?"

"More than enough," Fu Tingyun replied with a smile as she settled onto the kang. "Last night before you returned, Yu Wei and I were going over the accounts. We're planning to buy a villa at Yuming Mountain."

Zhao Ling nodded, handing her one of the backrest pillows behind him. "A villa would be good. In summer, you can take the children there to escape the heat." As he spoke, he passed her a cup of tea.

The two serving women couldn't help but glance at Zhao Ling in surprise. Later, they whispered to Zhenzhu, "The master treats his wife so well! He even gave her his own backrest pillow to ensure her comfort."

"Of course," Zhenzhu said, straightening her posture proudly. "That's why our master has only ever had our mistress."

The serving women nodded repeatedly. One of them added with a mix of flattery and admiration, "If I had a wife as beautiful as the mistress, I wouldn't look at anyone else either."

Hearing this, Zhenzhu felt even prouder. She gave a haughty nod before turning to attend to her duties inside.

Youyou handled her chopsticks with practiced ease, eating slowly and gracefully. Zhao Ling watched with approving nods.

Seated beside Youyou, Xi Ge'er ignored the plate of pickled cucumbers in front of him, craning his neck to gaze longingly at the braised pork before Zhao Ling.

Noticing his eldest son's chubby, expectant face, Zhao Ling chuckled, "Do you like meat?"

Xi Ge'er nodded vigorously, casting his father a look full of gratitude and pleading.

Amused, Zhao Ling started to move the plate toward Xi Ge'er, but Fu Tingyun stopped him. "If everyone took what they liked for themselves, what would others eat? Should they go hungry?"

Seeing the logic in her words, Zhao Ling returned the plate to its original spot.

Xi Ge'er shot a timid glance at his mother and whispered, "But... but I can't reach it!""If you can't reach it, stand up to get it," Fu Tingyun said. "Or ask the sister sitting next to you to help. A real man should eat and drink freely without hesitation. If you lack courage, don't do it at all." Though speaking to her eldest, her peripheral attention remained on the younger child in her arms. Just then, Xu Ge'er's tiny hand darted like lightning toward the dishes on the kang table. Fu Tingyun quickly moved to stop him but was too late—he had already grabbed a handful of salted peanuts from the plate in front of her, scattering them all over himself and the kang.

Zhenzhu hurried forward to clean up the mess.

Fu Tingyun could only sigh and rub her forehead.

Zhao Ling was equally astonished. "How is he so quick with his hands and feet?"

"I don't know who he takes after," Fu Tingyun replied helplessly. "But whenever you hold him, you'd better keep him away from anything fragile—otherwise, either he or the objects will suffer."

Intrigued, Zhao Ling clapped his hands and said, "Come here, let Daddy hold you!"

Zhenzhu and the others quickly moved the stir-fried vegetables and other hot dishes in front of Zhao Ling over to Fu Tingyun's side, replacing them with cold dishes like pickled snow cabbage. Only then did Fu Tingyun hand the child over to Zhao Ling.

Now Zhao Ling understood why all the hot dishes had been placed before him. Teasingly, he remarked, "I thought you piled all the good food in front of me because you pitied me for not eating well in Guizhou. Turns out I misunderstood—you were just afraid Xu Ge'er would grab them!"

Fu Tingyun laughed. "I didn’t realize you had it so rough in Guizhou. Should I give you some extra silver for better meals?"

"If my lady is willing, I certainly won’t refuse," Zhao Ling bantered back.

Youyou and Xi Ge'er, however, were utterly confused, their wide eyes darting between Fu Tingyun and Zhao Ling. Xi Ge'er even whispered to Youyou, "Daddy is so pitiful—he doesn’t even get to eat meat!"

This sent everyone into fits of laughter.

Perhaps due to the natural bond between father and son, Xu Ge'er, though meeting Zhao Ling for the first time, was unusually calm in his arms.

Zhao Ling untied the jade pendant from his waist and dangled it before Xu Ge'er. "Here, if you grab it, it's yours."

Before he even finished speaking, Xu Ge'er, driven by curiosity, reached for the pendant.

Zhao Ling immediately raised his arm—yet Xu Ge'er still managed to catch the pendant's tassel.

Surprised, Zhao Ling tried a few more times. Occasionally, Xu Ge'er succeeded in grabbing the tassel.

"This child is extraordinary!" Zhao Ling's expression grew serious. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Fu Tingyun. "I think we should find Xu Ge'er a skilled martial arts instructor."

Fu Tingyun was taken aback. "You want him to become a military officer?"

"Not necessarily," Zhao Ling said thoughtfully. "Back then, my master hesitated to take me as his disciple—partly because I was too old and had missed the best time to train, and partly because I lacked natural talent. But Xu Ge'er... his reflexes are so sharp, he might have a real gift for martial arts. I don’t want to waste that potential..."

Sensing something more in his words, Fu Tingyun asked, "Do you already have someone in mind?"Zhao Ling nodded and said, "I know of a senior from my martial arts sect who is a Taoist priest at Jiugong Mountain. He's an internal martial arts master, and my master spoke highly of him, saying his martial skills were unparalleled. I only met him once when I was young, passing by Jiugong Mountain with my master. After that, I was constantly on the move for survival, and later, my official duties left me no freedom to meet him again. If you agree, I'd like to invite this senior to our home to give Xu Ge'er his foundational education..."

Fu Tingyun hesitated slightly.

Apart from imparting knowledge, a master also teaches students how to conduct themselves in life. And this person was a Taoist priest...

Noticing her concern, Zhao Ling smiled and said, "This senior has a humorous personality and keen insight into worldly affairs—he's not rigid at all. Besides, I'm just thinking of trying to invite him; there's no guarantee he'll agree. If he declines, I'll find another way, perhaps inviting a master from the military. In families like ours, children don't necessarily need to master horsemanship and archery, but they should at least know the basics." He gently pinched Xi Ge'er's chubby cheek and added, "Plus, it would help strengthen their physique."

"That's true," Fu Tingyun mused. "The Zhao family rose to prominence through martial prowess—we mustn't lose sight of our roots."

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A minor revision was made to the previous section. If anything feels inconsistent, please look back.

O(∩_∩)O~

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(End of Chapter)