The Seventh Prince played at the Ding'an Prince's manor for a while, his eyes coveting Pingping and An'an's new toys.
Wang Qingyao told him that they were all gifts from Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo would bring a basket of fresh novelties for Pingping and An'an every so often.
As soon as An'an saw Xiao Mo, she would climb onto him like a koala.
Even the reserved Pingping would drool and smile foolishly upon seeing Xiao Mo, developing a faint desire to compete for attention.
"Can Brother Mo bring me one next time too? I'm also a child," the Seventh Prince asked with longing eyes.
Wang Qingyao: "..."
Xiao Yun: "I'll ask him for you next time."
The Seventh Prince jumped three feet high like a child.
He was truly innocent and romantic; it was a wonder how such a simple prince could be raised in the palace.
When Xiao Yun saw him off, he curiously asked Xiao Yun, "Why do I feel like although my sister can't see, it hasn't affected her at all?"
Before Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao were married, the Seventh Prince had called Wang Qingyao "sister."
After they married, he had called her "sister-in-law" a few times, but it always felt distant and not intimate, so he reverted to calling her sister.
Xiao Yun chuckled twice at his words: "Your Sister Yao Yao is an optimistic and positive person. She often says that since something has happened, one should accept it. Since her eyes are already blind, being sad and upset won't change that; it's better to train herself to adapt to this life as soon as possible."
"Wow," the Seventh Prince exclaimed sincerely, "Sister is a person of great wisdom."
Xiao Yun: "Hehehehe."
The ninth day of the seventh lunar month was the first birthday of the young prince and princess of the Ding'an Prince's manor.
It was originally planned to be a grand celebration, but with Wang Qingyao's blindness, the Ding'an Prince's manor was not in the mood for a large event, so they only planned a family banquet to liven things up.
Even so, people who came to deliver gifts were endless.
Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao personally went to invite Consort Fang.
Consort Fang said indifferently, "I am a widow and have always refrained from attending such banquets. I have already prepared the birthday gifts for the children; you can take them with you when you leave. They are not valuable gifts, and I hope you will not find them wanting."
Her expression was calm, her face devoid of any emotion, like an old nun whose heart had turned to ash.
Wang Qingyao felt a pang of guilt.
To be honest, Consort Fang was not a bad person and had not caused her any substantial harm.
It was just that their values clashed, making it impossible for them to get along, and even her relationship with Xiao Yun had cooled to freezing point.
Xiao Yun and Consort Fang had never been close. Although she was his mother, he was not as close to her as he was to the Old Consort.
However, because she was his mother, he had always harbored respect, love, and gratitude.
Even now, knowing that Consort Fang was not his biological mother but his aunt, he still treated her as his own mother.
It was just that the mother-son bond was ultimately a bit thin.
At Consort Fang's signal, a maid brought over a small, glossy black lacquered box. When opened, it contained two pairs of exquisite tiger-head shoes, each adorned with a pearl the size of a thumb on the surface.
Xiao Yun smiled, "Mother is the children's grandmother; whatever she gives is good, and no one else can compare."
Consort Fang snorted coldly, and the icy expression on her face softened slightly.
Xiao Yun then smiled and described to Wang Qingyao, "Mother has gifted the children tiger-head shoes. The tigers on them look as if they are real, incredibly lifelike..."
"Mother is very thoughtful," Wang Qingyao smiled faintly and asked, "Did Mother make them herself?"
Consort Fang "mm"ed in affirmation.
Xiao Yun exclaimed, "I never knew Mother had such skill! I thought they were bought from outside!"
Consort Fang showed a proud expression and did not reply.
Wang Qingyao then said, "Mother, this birthday banquet is not inviting outsiders; it's just a family gathering. Mother..."
Consort Fang was silent for a moment and said, "It is not appropriate for a widow to attend banquets, and I do not like noise, so I will not go."
Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun did not persuade her further.
Since Consort Fang would not attend, on the second day of the birthday banquet, Wang Qingyao invited Feng Jiangduo.
Feng Jiangduo's younger brother, Feng Jiangbo, was ordered to monitor Feng Jiangduo and refused to let her go to the Ding'an Prince's manor.
Feng Jiangduo ignored him. Since he couldn't defeat her, he had no choice but to shamelessly follow along.
Seeing Feng Jiangduo and Xiao Mo exchanging meaningful glances and speaking softly, he would butt in with meaningless conversation to disrupt them and act as a third wheel.
Wang Qingyao had foreseen this and had also invited the Seventh Prince.
The Seventh Prince was a frequent playmate of Feng Jiangbo in Duanjing. The last time the Seventh Prince went on an outing, he met Mu Jin County Princess who acted bravely, and he had gone on that outing with Feng Jiangbo.
As soon as the Seventh Prince arrived, Feng Jiangbo abandoned the task assigned to him by Prince Dingnan and quickly got engrossed in playing with the Seventh Prince.
Although the Seventh Prince was two or three years older than Feng Jiangbo, he was innocent and romantic, with a child-like demeanor, and they got along as if they were peers.
Besides the Seventh Prince and the Feng siblings, there were no other outsiders.
In the toy room that Wang Qingyao had arranged in Kangping Courtyard, Yin Zhu and Zhi Zi had already placed various items for the "zhuazhou" ceremony on the carpet.
Food, official seals, brush and ink, an abacus, a scale, poetry books, gold and silver jewelry, wooden bows and arrows, and various daily necessities.
As soon as the auspicious hour arrived, the two children eagerly crawled onto the carpet.
An'an was quick. She grabbed the bow and arrow and played with it for a while, then threw the bow and arrow away and went to play with the shiny jewelry. After playing with the jewelry for a while, she lost interest and grabbed the scale to play with...
In short, An'an was restless and played with almost everything on the carpet.
The Old Consort rejoiced, "Oh my, my An'an encompasses everything; she will surely achieve great things in the future!"
Wang Qingyao's inner thought: Heh.
She felt like An'an had the potential to become a female dandy.
Pingping was much more well-behaved. He crawled to the center of the carpet, looked around, and grabbed nothing.
Yes, Pingping grabbed nothing.
He just watched.
In the evening, Wang Qingyao quietly said to Xiao Yun, "Is our son perhaps an idiot?"
Xiao Yun: "Pah! Your son is the idiot!"