Chapter 136: Leisure Time

Lao Jiu listened with curiosity as Yan Yan brought up the Jin family. Yan Yan’s intention was quite simple, and she had no desire to keep it from him. "My Lord, would it be alright if, after we return to the capital, I send for my aunt to visit?"

Lao Jiu looked at her curiously, neither nodding nor shaking his head. Yan Yan leaned her head gently against his shoulder, murmuring, "A couple of days ago, I invited Miss Xuan'er to join us on our journey to the capital. Seeing how much effort Lady He put into selecting her daughter's entourage, I was suddenly struck by a sense of melancholy. I wonder what my mother felt when she allowed me to enter the manor with my sister all those years ago."

Lao Jiu had been listening with a smile, but at these words, he could not help but let out a soft sigh. It turned out his little girl was missing her mother; watching Lady He fret over He Xuan'er had stirred memories of her own past.

A surge of tenderness washed over him. He patted her cheek with his large palm and laughed, "There is no need to wait until we reach the capital. Sweet Well Village is right along our route; I shall accompany you there to pay a visit when the time comes."

"We can really go?" Yan Yan sat up straight, her large eyes filled with pleasant surprise as she gazed at him. Lao Jiu stared, entranced by those expressive eyes, and offered a soft smile.

He remembered that it was those very eyes that had first captivated him—so deeply that for a long time afterward, he judged every woman he met by her eyes. While there were many types of eyes in this world, he had never encountered any quite like Yan Yan's.

"Of course we can go. I will go with you," Lao Jiu whispered, pressing a light kiss to her eyes. Content, Yan Yan smiled and tucked herself back into his embrace.

Their tender moment was soon interrupted by the shrill cries of Hongzheng and Hongzhang. For some reason, the three children could not bear to see their parents being intimate. Whenever Lao Jiu showed even a hint of affection—a hug or a gentle gesture—the little ones would immediately bristle. They would scramble onto Yan Yan, glaring at Lao Jiu as if asserting their territory.

Lao Jiu found it amusing that his two sons showed absolutely no fear of him. He wasn't sure if other sons feared their fathers, but he remembered a time in his own youth when he would hide at the very sight of the Kangxi Emperor. Because of this, he was quite pleased with their boldness, especially Hongzhang’s, who was a classic example of someone brave yet meticulous.

At that moment, having finished their shrieking, Hongzheng and Hongzhang sprinted toward Yan Yan and dove into her arms. Lao Jiu reflexively reached out to steady her, fearing she might be knocked over by their momentum.

Yan Yan stumbled back a step, but with Lao Jiu’s help, she regained her balance. She crouched down to wipe the sweat from their faces, asking in a playful, childish tone, "Where have you two been running? Look at you, drenched in sweat! And where is your sister?"

Lao Jiu chuckled, thinking that Yan Yan was still a child herself to ask such a rapid-fire string of questions that would surely confuse the boys. Sure enough, after staring at her for a moment, they simply pointed behind them, where Sweetheart was walking into the room with Cui'er.

Having answered her, the boys turned their charms toward Lao Jiu. They still remembered him taking them horseback riding when they first arrived in Yongping Prefecture. Spotting a horse tethered at the entrance, they had come specifically to demand a ride.

After the boys babbled for a long time, Lao Jiu remained baffled and looked to Yan Yan for help. She hadn't understood them either, so she knelt and asked, "What is it you want your father to do?"

Sweetheart entered then, uninterested in the boys' commotion, and began snacking happily on some fruit. Seeing this, Hongzheng and Hongzhang remembered that they had returned for snacks as well. They let go of Lao Jiu’s hand and sat down obediently to eat.

Yan Yan sighed helplessly at her children’s penchant for food, which made Lao Jiu laugh out loud. He eventually learned of their wishes from Nanny Song, and by evening, he had enlisted the Tenth Prince to help take the children riding.

Unexpectedly, Anna arrived to visit and expressed great interest upon hearing their plans. When Yan Yan saw Anna emerge in a dashing riding outfit, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of envy. It seemed that horseback riding, much like driving in the future, was not just a sport but a vital life skill.

Of course, Yan Yan had yet to master this skill, so she could only watch from the sidelines with Sweetheart. Seeing the elegance of Anna’s posture, the Tenth Prince’s competitive spirit flared. "Hey, want to race a lap?"

Anna looked at him in surprise, then quickly caught on and laughed, "Who’s afraid of you?" The Tenth Prince set Hongzhang down, and Lao Jiu brought Hongzheng back to Yan Yan’s side, remarking with a smile, "Those two are speaking different languages, yet they managed to understand each other?"

Yan Yan looked at him in surprise. "My Lord, you understood them?"

Lao Jiu raised an eyebrow, shooting her a mock-annoyed glare. "Am I really that dim in your eyes?" Yan Yan shook her head, beaming as she gave him a thumbs-up. "My Lord is simply too dashing; I am utterly awestruck."

Yan Yan had become much more casual with him, rarely using the self-deprecating term "your servant" anymore, which made Lao Jiu smile with fond resignation. Sweetheart, Hongzheng, and Hongzhang, seeing their mother’s gesture, hesitated for a second before all raising their own thumbs and shouting in unison, "Dashing!"

Yan Yan and Lao Jiu were stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Meanwhile, the Tenth Prince and Anna had begun their race. To Yan Yan, Anna rode with a touch of European aristocratic grace—a truly pleasing sight. The Tenth Prince, however, rode with a wilder energy, and in terms of pure speed, Anna was no match for him.

Yet, Anna’s unyielding nature made it impossible for her to concede. Even after Lao Jiu had taken Yan Yan and the children back, the two were still racing lap after lap, locked in a contest to see who would be the first to yield.

The Tenth Prince, thoroughly enjoying his ride, had no way of knowing that a formal notice for an overdue debt had already arrived, carrying a cold, resentful breeze as it settled onto his desk back home.