Taking Er Bao from Ling Mo Han's arms, Feng Jin cooed for a long time before a smile finally appeared on Er Bao's face.
If she had a camera, she would have captured this precious moment. After all, seeing Er Bao smile was an extremely rare occurrence, a once-in-a-century event that deserved to be cherished.
Accustomed to Er Bao's aloofness, the sudden burst of warmth from Da Bao initially overwhelmed Ling Mo Han. In no time, he was left flustered by Da Bao.
Ling Mo Han desperately suppressed his near-breaking emotions and, raising his hand, gently brought it down to Da Bao's bottom, warning in a soft tone, "If you don't behave, I'll throw you out!"
Upon hearing the meaning behind Ling Mo Han's words, Da Bao let out a wail and burst into tears. The sudden turn of events left Ling Mo Han at a loss. He didn't know whether to stand or sit with Da Bao in his arms, and he helplessly turned to Feng Jin for help.
"Hold him and comfort him!"
Feng Jin's face was filled with helplessness. He couldn't even comfort a child. She truly admired Ling Mo Han for provoking Da Bao without the ability to soothe him.
"Don't cry... be good!"
Ling Mo Han spoke the words of comfort with a stiff tone. His demeanor wasn't like someone coaxing a child at all; it was more like someone reprimanding a soldier.
It had no effect whatsoever; instead, it made Da Bao cry even harder.
Mother and son watched Ling Mo Han's attempts to comfort the child with slightly dazed eyes.
Amused by Ling Mo Han's flustered and helpless state, Feng Jin shook her head and sighed helplessly. She stepped forward and, hand in hand, taught Ling Mo Han how to comfort a child.
"Rock him like this, move your hands gently, and soften your tone. This is your son, not a soldier under your command. And you are trying to coax a child, not scold a soldier. Switch your roles!"
Feng Jin glanced at the man's impassive expression and directly pulled the corners of his mouth into an arc.
"Hold it like this, you must smile, understand."
Ling Mo Han's mouth curved upwards, but soon he felt his face stiffen. This feeling was truly uncomfortable.
He had sacrificed so much to coax the child. Fortunately, Da Bao was somewhat cooperative. With Ling Mo Han's persistent and unyielding efforts, Da Bao finally stopped crying and even gave Ling Mo Han a satisfying smile.
"Take the two of them out to play for a while."
For the past two days, for safety reasons, they had kept the two of them confined to their room. It wasn't a good idea to keep them cooped up like this all the time; they needed to go out and move around occasionally.
Ling Mo Han, one in each arm, effortlessly picked up the two little ones and walked out, heading directly to the garden outside.
"Go slower, don't drop Da Bao," Feng Jin said with some worry, afraid that Ling Mo Han might be too rough and drop the child.
"Even if I fall myself, I won't let my son fall."
At this moment, the father and sons were getting along more harmoniously. Da Bao, as expected, was a natural charmer and didn't require any worry. As for Er Bao, he was now quite happy, his smile never fading.
Feng Jin, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, sat in the pavilion and leisurely admired the scenery of the entire garden. This small post station had a well-maintained garden, truly possessing the charm of a southern water town.
She quite liked this Suzhou-style garden feel. When she returned to the capital, she might consider renovating their garden in this style.
"Ling Mo Han, shall we renovate our garden at home to be like this? We could also excavate the existing pond to make it larger and plant a garden full of lotuses, what do you think?"
"Whatever you wish," Ling Mo Han said without any objection, simply following Feng Jin's wishes.
He was utterly clueless about garden renovations. Moreover, all household matters were managed by Feng Jin. Even if he wanted to interfere, he lacked the financial means.
It was a pity that his purse was so light; he had to seek Feng Jin's permission even to spend a penny.
"There's no point in talking to you about this. I know it's a waste of breath."
She shouldn't have said anything, it was a complete waste of her breath. Ling Mo Han would have no useful suggestions; she would have to figure things out herself.
Feng Jin was already mentally sketching the overall layout of the garden, planning to find a team of skilled craftsmen to start the work upon their return to the capital.
The craftsmen who had previously renovated the medical hall and the Imperial Beauty shop were quite good. Their craftsmanship was exquisite, and they also had their own ideas for innovation, quickly bringing her desired results to fruition. This garden renovation project could also be entrusted to them.
Feng Jin got up and wandered around the garden. She needed to observe the design of the surrounding gardens to speed up her drawing process later.
After walking only a few steps, Feng Jin faintly heard sobbing sounds. Following the sound, she saw a hunched figure crouching on the ground. The more she looked, the more familiar it seemed, and curiosity compelled Feng Jin to walk closer.
"What are you doing here?" Feng Jin stepped forward and recognized the person crying on the ground as the palace maid she had punished.
"This servant did not know Madam was here. I inadvertently offended Madam, and I beg Madam for punishment."
Upon seeing Feng Jin, Zhenzhu's first reaction was to immediately kneel before Feng Jin.
Feng Jin was stunned. Was she that fierce-looking, or did she have such a wicked heart that people immediately knelt to beg for mercy upon seeing her?
"Get up, I will not punish you."
Once Zhenzhu was sure she wouldn't be punished, she cautiously stood up. The moment she looked up, she saw the jade pendant hanging from Feng Jin's waist and was instantly stunned. Wasn't this jade pendant Cui'er's? How was it on Madam?
"Madam... the jade pendant on your waist, is... is..."
Halfway through her question, Zhenzhu realized her失态 (losing composure) and hurriedly closed her mouth, daring not to ask further.
"Are you referring to this?" Feng Jin took off the jade pendant and presented it to Zhenzhu: "Do you recognize this half of the jade pendant?"
Zhenzhu looked at the jade pendant, trying her best to control her emotions, but her eyes still couldn't help but water.
"Madam, where did you get this jade pendant?" Although she knew it was inappropriate to ask, she couldn't help but inquire.
Feng Jin's eyes narrowed sharply, and she looked at Zhenzhu with a scrutinizing gaze. After a long pause, she replied, "This jade pendant was given to me by someone. She said that this jade pendant was originally a pair, divided into two pieces, one piece for her, and the other for her sister."
Upon hearing this, Zhenzhu could no longer suppress her emotions. Tears fell like pearls from a broken string, and her heart felt as if it were being gouged by a knife.