Chapter 661: Outing

Editor: Atlas Studios

A group of mountains formed by a few mountain peaks, Little Lotus Seed Mountain was not far from Ju Prefecture City. Because the mountain peaks looked like lotus seeds, it was called Little Lotus Seed Mountain. The scenery on the mountain was beautiful, and many temples and nunneries had been built upon it. Therefore, many officials and gentry built houses halfway up the mountain for the women who went up the mountain to rest.

The Qi and Fan families had just arrived in Juzhou City not long ago, so it was naturally impossible for them to build a house. Instead, they bought it on the spot. Ever since they made up their minds to find time to go out every ten days, Mu Yangling had set her sights on Little Lotus Seed Mountain.

She asked Zhu Liang to find out if anyone was selling a house on the mountain and bought one nearby as a resting place for them when they went there for an outing.

When people heard that the Prince’s estate wanted to buy a house, the officials and gentry fought to offer their own. Zhu Liang did not dare to accept it and only chose to buy a house far away from other families that had gorgeous scenery.

Seeing that even Little Bear was riding on a horse, Fan Zijin was too embarrassed to get into the carriage. Hence, he got Yanmo to bring a horse over to ride alongside Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling.

The sky had just lit up. Little Bear was originally a little sleepy, but now that he was riding on a horse and entering the lively morning market, he immediately gazed around happily.

Seeing his round head sticking out of Qi Haoran’s clothes and turning left and right, Fan Zijin found it interesting and clapped his hands. “Little Bear, come over and let Uncle carry you, okay?”

After looking at Fan Zijin’s arms and then at his father, Little Bear decisively threw himself into his father’s arms and buried his head into his father’s clothes without moving.

Qi Haoran laughed happily and raised his head smugly. Clearly, he was very satisfied with his son’s choice.

Fan Zijin pursed his lips and thought to himself that he would eventually have a son.

At the thought of this, Fan Zijin felt a little melancholic, and he wondered when Little Madam Xia would be pregnant. The concubine sent from the capital was locked in the house by him and could not go out easily. However, if Little Madam Xia still did not have a child in two years, was his eldest son really going to come from a concubine?

Wouldn’t his persistence over the past few years become a joke then?

Fan Zijin was still feeling melancholic when Little Bear poked his head out of his father’s clothes again and stuck out his tongue at him. Fan Zijin instantly tossed his worries to the back of his mind and teased Qi Haoran. “Quickly let me carry Little Bear. Don’t worry, I won’t let your son fall.”

The two brothers bickered all the way. Little Bear found it interesting and reached out to Fan Zijin. Just as he was about to hug him though, he retracted his hand with a whoosh and turned around to hide in Qi Haoran’s clothes.

Fan Zijin was so angry that he scolded him. “You’re just like your father.”

Qi Haoran shook his head smugly.

Mu Yangling couldn’t help but purse her lips and smile. She turned her horse around to Little Madam Xia’s carriage and jumped onto it. At the time, Little Madam Xia happened to be secretly looking ahead. When she saw Mu Yangling enter, she was shocked. “You didn’t make a sound when you got into the carriage. You almost scared me to death.”

“Sister-in-law, what are you looking at? Why are you so engrossed?” Mu Yangling sat beside Little Madam Xia and poured herself a glass of water.

Little Madam Xia sighed. “Look at your cousin. Seeing how fond he is of Little Bear, it’s obvious that he wants a child too. It’s all my fault for being so disappointing.”

She had already learned from Mu Yangling that although her husband wasn’t in excellent health, it did not affect his ability to have children much, so she felt that this was most likely her problem.

“Don’t be anxious. Didn’t we calculate the dates this time?” Mu Yangling held her hand.

Blushing, Little Madam Xia asked in a low voice, “Is your method really effective?”

“This is a remedy I heard from somewhere else. It should work.” In order to increase credibility, Mu Yangling said, “This is what my mother told me.”

Little Madam Xia had heard from her husband that although Mu Yangling’s family background was not eye-catching, her mother came from the aristocratic Shu family. The Shu family had a deep foundation and had always had access to more resources than the average person. If Mu Yangling really heard this method from Madam Shu, it was most likely true.

Little Madam Xia lowered her head shyly, feeling half relieved.

As Little Lotus Seed Mountain was not far away, they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain by the time the sun had just risen. When they reached the top of the mountain, it was only about nine o’clock. Instead of entering the courtyard, Mu Yangling got off the carriage halfway up the mountain and said with a smile to everyone, “Get the servants to bring the things back. We’ll play here.”

Not far away was an empty space. It was the time of the year when the grasses were tall and the nightingales were in the air. In the middle of the green grass were a few small flowers. Dragonflies and butterflies would stop on the branches and perch on the flowers at the side from time to time. Seeing this, Little Bear’s eyes widened.

When Qi Haoran saw this, he immediately waved his hand and said, “We’ll listen to the Princess Consort.”

Fan Zijin was simply traveling with the group and did as he was told. He did not care about anything else and only cared about playing and eating. Hence, when he heard Qi Haoran’s words, he slowly got off the horse and swayed to the empty grassland. Nodding, he said, “Not bad. It’s a good place to fly a kite.”

The servants quickly moved the felt down and spread it on the grass. They also brought down a few plates of snacks, fruits, and two pots of tea. After putting down five handmade kites, they only left behind a few servant girls and servant boys to serve their masters. Zhu Liang brought people to carry the other things up and send them to the courtyard.

This was halfway up the mountain, and Mu Yangling had chosen an excellent spot. Standing here, one had a panoramic view. Looking down, she could see more than half of Ju Prefecture City. On the left, there were mountains surrounding it. In the distance, the top of the mountain was hazy, resembling the land of immortals.

This was the first time Little Bear was admiring the scenery from such a high altitude. He still didn’t understand what it felt to have one’s heart swell with pride, only knowing that he was ecstatic. Then, he followed his heart and shouted at the top of his lungs, circling around his parents as he did so.

Seeing that her son was so thrilled, Mu Yangling immediately felt that the hair she had yanked at in frustration while developing this itinerary was worth it.

Little Madam Xia rarely had time to come out and play. At this moment, looking at the marvelous scenery below, she also felt refreshed. As she heaved a sigh of relief, she felt much more relaxed.

Eyes narrowed, Fan Zijin also felt that this place had been chosen well. He sat cross-legged on the felt and said regretfully, “It’s a pity that there’s no zither or flute. Otherwise, it’d be fun for us to play a song together and have Haoran do a sword dance.”

Qi Haoran was already running around on the grass with his son on his shoulders and letting out loud exclamations from time to time. Mu Yangling chased after the father and son, scaring Little Bear so much that he screamed from time to time. Then, he kept patting Qi Haoran’s head and shouting, “Giddy up.” Now that Fan Zijin’s poetic mood was completely ruined by this family of three, he waved at Little Madam Xia and said, “Let’s go to the side and take a walk. Ignore them.”

Little Madam Xia pursed her lips and smiled, then carefully placed her hand upon Fan Zijin’s and the couple walked hand in hand to admire the scenery.

Mu Yangling picked a small white flower on the ground and handed it to her son. Beaming, she taught him, “This is a flower. A flower.”

Little Bear took the small flower and opened his mouth. In the end, he still mumbled and failed to repeat the words clearly. Disappointment flashed across Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling’s eyes. Qi Haoran held his wife’s hand tightly and said with a smile, “Don’t be anxious.”

Then, he tugged at a branch at the side and continued to teach his son. After trying for a long time, Little Bear still couldn’t pronounce the words accurately. He only tugged at the leaf and mumbled something incoherently to his parents, clearly in a cheerful mood.

Although his parents didn’t understand what he was trying to say, they still smiled and nodded from time to time. Little Bear’s interest was piqued.

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