Extra Story: The Cross-Dressing Incident
"Ling Xueying!" A furious roar erupted from the front courtyard, causing Xueying, who had been sipping tea in the hall while bonding with her mother-in-law, to choke on her drink. Yun Moxin, ever doting on her daughter-in-law, hurriedly patted her back.
As Ning Fei stormed into the hall like a wildfire, four accusatory gazes immediately locked onto him. He halted mid-step and forced a dry laugh, "Mother... you're here..."
"Of course I am!" Yun Moxin's willow-thin eyebrows shot up. "Your father just praised you the other day for maturing after marriage, but it seems you’ve only been putting on a show!" Even as she scolded her son, she didn’t forget to comfort Xueying, "Don’t be afraid, Xueying. Today, your mother-in-law will see justice done for you."
Ning Fei nearly howled at the heavens. His mother, who clearly favored her daughter-in-law over her own son, didn’t even bother to ask for the facts before taking sides. At this rate, if Xueying pointed at a water buffalo and called it a goat, Yun Moxin would nod in agreement and applaud enthusiastically.
Resolute, Ning Fei turned and shouted outside, "Get in here!"
Under everyone’s scrutiny, a delicate little beauty shuffled in, dragging her skirt hesitantly from the outer room. Yun Moxin’s eyes lit up, and she nearly sprinted forward. "Whose young lady is this? She’s absolutely lovely!"
"Mother..." Ning Fei covered his face in defeat. "Take a closer look and tell me who this really is..."
After a long stare, Yun Moxin finally lifted her head uncertainly. "Is this Rui’er?"
"Exactly," Ning Fei said darkly, shooting a glare at Xueying, who looked utterly innocent. Today was their son’s second day at the Private School. If he hadn’t impulsively decided to escort the boy himself, the next generation of the Ning family would have been ruined by her hands. "Xueying dressed him like this—"
"Oh my!" Yun Moxin cut him off, her face alight with joy. "I had no idea little Rui could look so adorable all dressed up!"
"Mother..." Ning Fei gritted his teeth so hard they creaked. "Rui is a boy! How could you let him wear a skirt?"
"He’s just a child, what does it matter?" Yun Moxin crouched down and scooped her grandson into her arms, admiring him fondly. "You used to dress like this too when you were little..."
"Really?" Xueying gasped in surprise, covering her mouth. "Ning Fei wore dresses as a child?"
"Of course!" Yun Moxin puffed up with pride. "He took after me—when he was little, he looked so pretty all dressed up that the young masters from other families would flock to our house every day..."
Xueying stifled a laugh and glanced at the petrified Ning Fei before adding, "It’s hard to imagine him like that now."
"Indeed," Yun Moxin sighed, suddenly crestfallen. "It’s all his father’s fault for indulging him in martial arts. Within a couple of years, his frame became so rough. Sometimes I regret it—if I’d known he’d turn out like this, I should’ve had a daughter instead. Just look at Yixiao—no matter how much he trained, he never became such a brute."
Ning Fei finally snapped out of his daze, his face burning, but he still made one last attempt. "Even if I wore girls’ clothes back then, it was out of necessity! But now, with me objecting—" His words caught in his throat as the two women before him fixed him with ominous glares. Defeated, he quickly tossed the question to his son instead. "Rui, tell them yourself—do you want to go to the Private School dressed like this?"Ning Xurui looked at the adults clearly divided into two factions before him and answered slowly, "No."
Hearing his son's reply, Ning Fei couldn't help but show a pleased expression. Yun Moxin pressed on unwillingly, "Why not? Isn't this pretty?" Ning Xurui thought for a moment and shook his head, "It is pretty."
"If it's pretty, then that's settled," Yun Moxin said triumphantly, looking at Ning Fei. "Since it's pretty—" "But," Xurui continued, "Little Rui wants to grow up to be a brave man like Daddy, so I want to wear clothes like Daddy's."
"Good son," Ning Fei laughed heartily. Xueying froze for a moment before glaring angrily at Ning Fei. "Did you teach Rui to say that?" "No," Ning Fei answered quickly. "I just told him to learn more from me..."
"What's so good about learning from him?" Xueying immediately turned her criticism toward Ning Fei. "Yesterday, I heard him telling you the story of how he led a team to divert the pursuers, allowing the Emperor to escape safely, didn't I?" Seeing Little Rui nod, Xueying scoffed disdainfully. "He's just bragging. If it weren't for Aunt Yixiao and Uncle Feng, he'd still be locked up eating leftovers in prison. By the time everyone else had already followed the Emperor back to the Imperial City, he was still scurrying toward Lucheng..."
"You heartless woman..." Ning Fei stomped in anger. "I received the news halfway. If it weren't for you being left behind in Lucheng, I would have turned around and caught up with His Highness long ago. Hmph, I wonder who it was that, back then, disregarded their son's safety just to go out and have fun..."
As the two of them argued more and more heatedly, Ning Xurui stood there dumbfounded. Just as he was frozen in place, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from beside him, pulling him toward the hall door. "Rui, come on. It's almost time. Let them argue. Grandma will take you to Private School."
"But I still need to change clothes," Ning Xurui said, tugging at his skirt.
"Rui, you want to become as strong as your daddy, right?" Yun Moxin smiled, her eyes crinkling. "You just heard it—Grandma also made your daddy wear skirts when he was little. This is a secret our family can't let outsiders know—the men of the Ning family, as long as they wear skirts when they're young, will definitely..."
The two in the hall remained immersed in the joy of their bickering, completely unaware of the grandmother and grandson whispering as they walked farther away.
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