Chapter 78: Yuanzi

Gao Feihe was the primary wife of Pei Xiao. She hailed from the prestigious Gao family; her grandfather was the Grand Tutor to the current Emperor, and her paternal aunt was Pei Xiao’s birth mother, Noble Consort Gao.

She was beautiful and elegant, but having been pampered since childhood, she was naturally extravagant and haughty. Even before the sun had fully set, lamps were lit throughout the Crown Prince’s manor.

Sitting before a vanity mirror carved from huanghuali wood, Gao Feihe was applying a floral ornament to the center of her forehead. She turned her head to ask an old nanny, “Is that brat gone?”

The nanny bowed her head. “He was dumped in Lihu Town, a hundred miles away. He’s only a five-year-old child; he can’t run back on his own. Most likely, he’ll starve to death. The matter was handled discreetly, and no one knows. To the public, we’ll say the wet nurse was negligent during an outing and he boarded the wrong carriage. Rest easy, Your Highness.”

A sharp, ruthless glint flashed in Gao Feihe’s eyes. “It’s better if he dies! I truly don’t understand how a man as brilliant as His Highness could be so sentimental. Before he even married a primary wife, he allowed a mere concubine to bear a son. Now that I’ve entered the household, if I give birth to a son, who would be the eldest? That child’s existence is an insult to me!”

“Your Highness is right; that child deserves to die.” The nanny echoed with a smile. “As luck would have it, the Side Consort had her birthday yesterday. His Highness promised she could go out to play. She could have gone alone, but she insisted on taking the child. Now that the child is lost, the blame falls squarely on her head.”

Gao Feihe curled her lip. “Ji Jiaying is a fool, scurrying about to flatter that brain-damaged brat. Did she really hope that child would become Emperor one day and give her favors?”

The nanny massaged her shoulders and whispered, “It was a wise move by Your Highness. You’ve removed the thorn in your side and driven a wedge between His Highness and the Side Consort. There will be a good show to watch from now on.”

Pei Xiao only learned that Yuanzi was missing after returning to the manor that evening. By the time he found out, Yuanzi had already been gone for an entire day.

Ji Jiaying was kneeling at his feet, sobbing uncontrollably. Gao Feihe stood to the side with an expression of anxious concern. Seeing Pei Xiao’s face suddenly change color, she hurriedly knelt as well, weeping, “It is my lack of care that led to the Little Highness’s disappearance. The Side Consort took him out of the manor with good intentions, and she only hid the news out of fear. It was my failure to monitor his whereabouts that led to this disaster…”

Listening to the two women wailing, Pei Xiao felt incredibly irritable. A burning tightness gripped his chest, and he turned away, unable to stop himself from coughing.

That child was too important—far more important than just being the Crown Prince’s eldest illegitimate son.

Pei Xiao dared not imagine what would happen if Yuanzi truly couldn’t be found. Without the weapon to restrain Yue Xu, would Gongsun Zhu’s son still give him the antidote?

Seeing a few drops of blood in his palm from the cough, Pei Xiao clenched his fist. A raging fire burned in his eyes as he barked hoarsely, “Search! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find the Little Highness for me!”

Meanwhile, Yuanzi was sitting in Bao Ning’s courtyard, looking down and fiddling with his fingers. Bao Ning had placed her small toys on the ground, but Yuanzi wouldn’t play with them.

He was immersed in his own world, incessantly picking at a small piece of skin under his fingernail. He picked until it bled, sucked on it, and then continued picking, as if he couldn’t feel pain.

Bao Ning felt her own nails ache just watching him.

“Chen Jia,” Bao Ning gestured for Chen Jia to go over. “Go hold his hands and stop him from biting. Nanny Liu, get some wound medicine and wrap them up.”

Yuanzi slowly lifted his head to look at her. He was a very fair-skinned child with bright black eyes and long, thick lashes—quite handsome, but clearly not normal. It had taken dozens of attempts at asking his name before he finally opened his mouth to utter a single syllable: “Yuan.” That was the only word he had spoken all day.

Chen Jia held his hands while Nanny Liu quickly brought the medicine. She held him gently, preparing to apply it.

“Be a good boy, Yuanzi. It doesn’t actually hurt. Close your eyes, it’ll be over soon,” Nanny Liu coaxed. “Once the medicine is on, I’ll give you a sweet.”

“Medicine…” The previously quiet Yuanzi suddenly became agitated upon hearing that word. He struggled violently, muttering unclearly, “No! No!”

Chen Jia hurriedly pinned his shoulders, but the strength of the frenzied child was startling. He turned his head and bit down hard on the webbing of Chen Jia’s hand. Chen Jia winced and lost focus for a split second; Yuanzi lunged upward and rushed toward Bao Ning.

Bao Ning was startled. Nanny Liu immediately tried to catch him, but Yuanzi ran faster than a dog and threw his arms around Bao Ning’s legs.

The impact caused the leeks in Bao Ning’s hand to scatter across the ground. Yuanzi refused to let go, smearing tears and snot on her skirt as he cried out, “Mama… Mama…”

Bao Ning was stunned. But looking at this fair, tender child who didn’t even reach her waist, she couldn’t find the heart to push him away—especially since he was calling her “Mama.”

Nanny Liu was equally stunned.

As Yuanzi kept calling for his mother, Bao Ning’s heart softened. She gently stroked his face and soothed him, “Yuanzi, don’t be afraid. If you stop biting your fingers, no one will put medicine on you, okay?”

Yuanzi looked at her with teary eyes and gave a small nod.

The child was so beautiful and well-behaved that Bao Ning’s heart nearly melted. Her maternal instincts were triggered, and she bent down to pick him up and comfort him. Just as her hands touched Yuanzi’s backside, a roar erupted from the doorway: “Whose brat is this?!”

Bao Ning looked up. Pei Yuan was standing at the door holding a whip, his expression displeased. He strode toward Chen Jia and delivered a kick to his backside. “What do I even keep you for? You have the nerve to bring any random thing home? You’ve got a lot of gall!”

The bite on Chen Jia’s hand was still dripping blood, and his rear stung from the kick. He felt incredibly wronged but didn’t dare argue, remaining mute.

Pei Yuan’s actions were intended to “kill the chicken to warn the monkey.” Having dealt with Chen Jia, he walked toward Bao Ning with a dark face and yanked Yuanzi out of her arms. He scolded her, “You’ll hug anything! If you have that much spare time, why don’t you…” Pei Yuan originally wanted to say ‘Why don’t you hug me more,’ but there were too many outsiders in the courtyard, and he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Why don’t you tidy up the house and cook a few more dishes for me!”

His old temper was acting up again.

In front of the servants, Bao Ning gave him face. She took his arm and coaxed him, “He’s quite a cute child. His parents are missing, and I’ve already reported it to the officials. He has nowhere to go, so he’ll stay at our house for a couple of days.”

Pei Yuan’s expression cleared slightly. He frowned and asked, “Boy or girl?”

“A boy. His name is Yuanzi.” Bao Ning tugged at Pei Yuan’s hand, which was still gripping the back of Yuanzi’s collar. “The child is timid. Don’t pull him like that; what if you scare him? Let’s have a barbecue tonight. The stove is ready. It’s cool out, so we can eat outside together, and I’ll warm some wine for you.”

Pei Yuan didn’t let go. He called Chen Jia over to take Yuanzi to another courtyard.

Pei Yuan was highly dissatisfied with the fact that Yuanzi was a boy. He said loudly, “It’s not like you gave birth to him. Why do you care so much? Just let a servant look after him. As soon as the government finds his parents, have them take him away!”

His sleeve was tugged. Pei Yuan ignored it and tried to say more, but his sleeve was tugged again.

Pei Yuan looked down into Yuanzi’s clear eyes. The boy was holding Pei Yuan’s hand and mumbled something.

“Didn’t catch that,” Pei Yuan said impatiently. “Either say it again or get lost.”

“Dada!” Yuanzi tried his best to straighten his tongue and repeated, “Dada.”

Pei Yuan looked at Bao Ning blankly and asked in disbelief, “What did he just call me?”

While Nanny Liu watched the child and lit the stove in the courtyard, Bao Ning pulled Pei Yuan into the vegetable garden to pick produce.

Chen Jia was too literal-minded; when told to pick a bunch of leeks, he picked exactly one bunch—not even enough to fill a tooth. The garden had been tended to since Ji Yun bought the manor; it was a large plot, enough to feed the entire household all summer, filled with colorful vegetables of all kinds.

Pei Yuan sat on a ridge, snapped off an eggplant, rubbed it on his hem, and started chewing on it.

Bao Ning, picking beans, heard the sound and turned back. Pei Yuan held the half-eaten eggplant to her lips. “Want a bite?”

Bao Ning turned her head away in disgust. “It’s not even washed; it’s covered in dirt. Eat it yourself.”

“I wiped it.” Pei Yuan opened his collar, shaking it to let out the heat. “Eat dirt and you won’t get sick. Why are you so picky?”

Bao Ning had brought him here purely to keep him away from Yuanzi, fearing they would clash. she hadn’t expected him to do any actual work.

She had a basket at her feet. As she put beans into it, she chatted with him. “Chen Jia said you brought a girl back, is that right?”

Pei Yuan’s heart jumped. Since returning, he had been so busy dealing with the brat that he had forgotten about Su Mingyou and hadn’t had a chance to mention her.

“Um…” Pei Yuan carefully watched Bao Ning’s expression. “You aren’t angry, are you?”

“Why would I be?” Bao Ning sorted through the beans in the basket. Judging they were enough, she went to pick some eggplants—fully ripe ones, three would suffice.

She answered him, “I trust you must have a reason. It’s not as if you’d bring any beautiful woman home to be a concubine; you aren’t a bandit.”

Pei Yuan chuckled. He leaned over and pulled Bao Ning into his arms, kissing her cheek hard. “I knew my Ningning was the best. There isn’t another little immortal as good as you in this world.”

“Stop calling me ‘Little Immortal,’ it sounds awful.” Bao Ning wiped the spit off her face and shot him a mock glare, stuffing the leftover eggplant back into his mouth. “Not even food can shut you up.”

Pei Yuan just kept laughing. The sun hadn’t quite set, leaving a golden glow over the emerald green leaves. The colors were beautiful. Cicadas were chirping in the distant trees.

After a long day of running around, it was only now that Pei Yuan felt he had returned to a place of true peace. His heart relaxed completely.

He looked down at his hand—calloused at the tips but with distinct joints and long fingers. He deliberately placed it under Bao Ning’s eyes to show off. “Does it look good?”

Bao Ning was busy and pushed his hand away dismissively. “Yes, it looks good.”

“My nails are long.” Pei Yuan toyed with a stray hair at Bao Ning’s temple and whispered, “Who’s going to trim them for me?”

Bao Ning looked at him helplessly. “I will, I will. Just stop messing around and let me finish this.”

Pei Yuan pulled his hand back, propped himself up with his arms behind him, and looked at the clouds. Remembering something, he said to Bao Ning, “Don’t pick too much. I brought back two crystal pig’s trotters for you. If you make too much, we won’t finish it.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier…” Bao Ning looked at the mess of vegetables in her basket with a bitter face, then glanced at the indifferent-looking Pei Yuan. She pursed her lips. “Anyway, my cooking is delicious, so you’d better stuff yourself. If there’s a single vegetable left, you aren’t allowed in bed tonight.”

“It’s not that serious.” Pei Yuan shamelessly leaned toward Bao Ning, trying to kiss her. “If I give you a kiss, won’t you be happy?”

“Bao’er,” at times like this, Pei Yuan knew to use her childhood nickname affectionately, “absence makes the heart grow fonder. Not being allowed in bed won’t do; you have to be considerate of me.”

Coming out of the garden, Pei Yuan straightened his clothes and resumed his stern, serious expression.

Bao Ning thought to herself how quickly he could change faces.

The square stove was lit. It was a two-tiered stove with an iron grate separating the layers and charcoal burning below. Fearing the meat and vegetables would stick to the grate, Bao Ning took a piece of pork skin, rubbed it over the metal, and then placed the skewered food on top to grill.

Nanny Liu and Chen Jia retreated after getting everything ready. Tonight was a feast for the manor; everyone was having barbecue, and the servants had their own stoves lit.

Bao Ning enjoyed the process of cooking, but she loved working with Pei Yuan even more. A home is where there is cooking smoke; no trouble couldn’t be solved by a delicious meal.

Since no one else was coming to the courtyard, Pei Yuan simply took off his shirt and draped it aside, skewering meat while bare-chested. Yuanzi circled around him, his eyes fixed on his fingers. Perhaps because of that “Dada” earlier, Pei Yuan didn’t dislike him as much now. Feeling the goodwill, Yuanzi edged closer to him.

Pei Yuan got annoyed and said coldly, “Brat, go stay over there. Isn’t the dog in the corner? Go find the dog, don’t pester me.”

Bao Ning frowned. “He has a name. Don’t keep calling him ‘Brat’.”

Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow, crooked his finger to call Yuanzi over, and asked, “What’s your name?”

Yuanzi sucked on his finger and didn’t speak.

“Stop biting your finger.” Pei Yuan pulled the chubby hand down and threatened, “If you bite it again, I’ll hit you.”

Bao Ning thought he was being too rough and worried Yuanzi would be scared. She looked over and indeed saw a timid expression on his face. However, he put his hands behind his back and stopped biting.

Pei Yuan was satisfied and asked again, “I heard you have a name. What is it?”

Yuanzi stammered out, “Dada, Dada.”

“Is he trying to flatter me or what?” Pei Yuan looked at Bao Ning in surprise. “This kid is sharp as a tack; he doesn’t look sick at all.”

“A-Yuan, don’t always be so mean to the child.” Bao Ning brought him the grilled leeks and pointed at Yuanzi. “Give them to him. Be patient.”

Pei Yuan took them.

He looked at Yuanzi, and Yuanzi looked back at him expectantly.

Pei Yuan asked, “Want to eat?” Yuanzi nodded.

Pei Yuan felt the child was too dull, and it wasn’t good for a kid to be so quiet; he wanted to make him laugh.

Pei Yuan held the leeks up high, teasing him, “Say ‘Grandpa,’ how about it?”

Sansukini: A bonus chapter for you guys. Happy 2026.

By the way, please checkout my new translation. This one is a comedy/family/romance/transmigration. Very light reading. The title is Ruyi’s Comfortable Life .

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