Chapter 43

At the main seat, Rong Juan and He Yan sat upright, with Young Master Qin Yan, Qin He, and Young Master Xue beside them.

Next were Qin Tang, Qin Jue, and others; Qin Han and Qin Yan sat together. Everyone laughed and talked freely. Since Qin Yan's Marquis Prefecture was upgraded to a cultivation family, the garden had grown more flowers and plants.

When the atmosphere was lively, the children started making a fuss.

"I just want to eat that plate," Qin He's Fubao shouted.

"I won't give it to you," Rong Yang covered the plate in Qin Lang's hands: "It's mine."

Rong Juan and He Yan looked over. Qin Yan said, "Qin He, go take a look."

Qin He stood up and walked with light steps toward the flower bushes where the children were. Under the gentle sunlight, some flowers had bloomed in red, ginger-yellow, and orange, a riot of colors.

Winter was approaching, and the few flowering plants made the garden very pleasing to the eye.

"What's wrong?" Qin He squatted down and asked her Fubao gently.

"Mother," the little girl stamped her foot: "I want that plate of fruit. I like that plate."

Qin He looked at Qin Lang. Qin Lang held Rong Yang, who said, "It's mine."

Qin He smiled, stood up, and walked over: "Rong Yang, right? I am your aunt. Can you share the fruit in the plate with your older sister? Children should learn to share; everyone should eat together."

Rong Yang reached out to Rong Juan: "Father."

Rong Juan stood up, strode over, and took Rong Yang from Qin Lang's arms.

Rong Juan looked down at Qin He and her Fubao and sneered: "No one can have what belongs to my son."

Fubao burst into tears and ran to find He Yan.

"Uncle, I want that plate of fruit," Fubao said. "And the auspicious cloud. This child has an auspicious cloud."

He Yan asked Qin Lang what was happening. Qin Lang could not lie; it was just that the children had received several plates of fruit and were sharing them. Rong Yang was young, so Qin Lang held a plate for him while the child ate.

The fruit had been brought by Qin He's maid, so Fubao thought it belonged to her.

"The auspicious cloud is mine," Fubao made a scene: "Give the auspicious cloud to me."

Seeing the child crying until she hiccuped, Qin He smiled and said to Rong Yang, "Rong Yang, can you let your older sister play with your auspicious cloud for a while?"

Rong Yang shook his head: "No."

"Then give the fruit to your sister," Qin He stepped back.

Rong Yang was also unwilling. Rong Juan sat down, took fruit from the plate to feed the child. Did he still want fruit? Not to mention Rong Yang, even Rong Juan would not agree. Besides, Qin He, a concubine-born daughter, actually called his son by name.

Rong Juan narrowed his eyes. He Yan frowned: "Rong Juan, you spoil your child so much."

Rong Juan lifted his eyelids: "Do you have an objection?"

He Yan did not waste words with Rong Juan. The little girl cried for the auspicious cloud, and Qin He's eyes turned red from doting on her child. Previously, Young Master Rong had been easy to talk to; he never expected him to be so unreasonable this time.

"Rong Yang," He Yan asked again: "Will you really not give it to your sister?"

Rong Yang refused. Rong Juan narrowed his eyes: "No one can snatch what belongs to my son."

Rong Juan's words carried a hidden meaning, but unfortunately, He Yan did not understand. Only a flash of anger appeared on his face. He Yan took out several spirit fruits from his storage bag and gave them to Qin He's child. The little girl immediately stopped crying and smiled.

"My uncle gave them to me," the little girl showed off proudly: "You don't have any."

Rong Yang said nothing. Rong Juan laughed in anger: "Very good, He Yan, you are truly generous."

He Yan remained expressionless and summoned another low-grade cloud for the little girl.

A cold, sharp expression flashed across Rong Juan's handsome face. Looking at Qin He and her daughter, he said to the little girl: "All these things of yours belong to my son. Is it fun to snatch things from others?!"

Now He Yan laughed in anger: "I gave them, so how did they become your son's?!"

Rong Juan was too lazy to waste words with He Yan. He held Rong Yang and ignored He Yan, ignoring Qin He and her daughter as well. He would not give the child to others. Rong Juan held Rong Yang and fed the little one until he was full.

Qin Bi only heard about this after eating. When returning to the Rong Prince Prefecture, she glanced at the children a few times. Rong Yang was held by Rong Juan, laughing gaily, not taking the previous incident seriously at all.

Back home, the wind rose in the sky. Tomorrow would be winter.

During the day, there was no sign of winter yet, but once the wind rose, the temperature dropped accordingly.

Entering the living room, Rong Juan sat down. In front of Qin Bi, he said to Rong Yang: "Rong Yang, you are Father's son, but everything in the Yan Guogong Prefecture also belongs to you. That family has no children and does not know of your existence. If they knew, they would surely dote on you."

Qin Bi washed her hands and listened. Rong Yang was surprised: "I ran over?"

Rong Juan nodded, a smile in his eyes and brows: "He Yan is also your father. He does not know you, but it is wrong for him to protect other people's children. I hold Rong Yang in the palm of my hand, yet He Yan dares to protect a wild child in front of you."

Rong Yang nodded: "What should we do? They still don't know me."

"He Yan has no children!" No one knew better than Rong Juan how much the Yan Guogong Prefecture longed for a child; they were desperate, their eyes red with longing. Rong Juan said: "It does not matter if He Yan does not know you. There is also the Yan Guogong Prefecture. Since they dote on a wild child, we will poke at their sore spot."

Rong Yang looked confused. Rong Juan said: "You go play the pitiful little one. Don't they like doting on other people's children? Let them dote. When He Yan's own child becomes a pitiful one, he will regret it greatly when he finds out later."

"Okay," Rong Yang nodded: "I will be the pitiful one. I will make him heartbroken."

"The entire Yan Guogong Prefecture," Rong Juan said: "Make them all heartbroken."

Rong Yang nodded vigorously and discussed the plan with Rong Juan in a milky voice.

Qin Bi: "..."

Qin Bi knew very well how much He Yan longed for an heir. She could imagine that if He Yan knew the child he had treated so poorly today was his own child, the feeling would be absolutely satisfying.

Rong Juan did not intend to give the son he held in the palm of his hand to He Yan. He had raised him carefully, and the boy was close to his heart. Why give him to He Yan? Rong Juan doted on his child but would not allow anything belonging to Rong Yang to go to Qin He's child.

Rong Juan would not let Rong Yang suffer a loss, so Qin Bi did not interfere. If He Yan had other children, or if He Yan did not dote on his own child, Qin Bi would have stopped it; there was no need for Rong Yang to go up to them.

But He Yan longed for a child; the entire Yan Guogong Prefecture longed for a child so much they doted on other people's children.

Rong Juan and Rong Yang discussed making He Yan's child in the Yan Guogong Prefecture play the pitiful one, poking at He Yan's sore spot. "You dote on other people's children? See how pitiful your own child is."

A strong wind blew all night. The next morning, the cold wind was desolate.

Shortly after, sleet began to fall, mixed with light rain.

Rong Juan held a small bowl and used a small porcelain spoon to feed Rong Yang: "Eat until you are full, then go squat at the entrance of the Yan Guogong Prefecture. On such a snowy and rainy day, you are so small; squatting at their door will make you as pitiful as possible."

Rong Yang nodded: "Okay, I will eat until I am full."

Qin Bi: "..."

"Eat meat," Rong Juan fed the child a mouthful of meat: "Eating demon beast meat will keep you from feeling cold."

Rong Juan, alas, ate it up, very eagerly making He Yan's child into a little pitiful one.