Chapter 669: Both Hands Are Very Important

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Let me touch your tummies to see if it’s round and full?’1 Su Ying said as she reached out to touch their stomachs.

The two children, who were very tense at first, began giggling when Su Ying touched their stomachs.

“Mother, Nanny said that we should eat less at night, or we will become fat.” Ling laughed joyously as she grabbed Su Ying’s mischievous hand.

Su Ying let go and pinched her soft little face. “You two are how many years old? You have so much homework every day, and you expend so much physical energy. It’s only right for you to eat more. Just don’t eat until you are overstuffed.”

As she spoke, she scooped another bowl of bird’s nest porridge for each of them. “Shall we have another bowl each?”

In truth, the two children hadn’t really eaten much. When they saw Su Ying scooping for them, they began eating dutifully.

When they saw that the kids were almost done eating, both Su Ying and Xiao Jin put down their chopsticks.

The palace maids cleared the bowls and plates and brought tea and snacks over.

“Your Imperial Highness, this is sour fruit water. Honey has been added to it so it tastes sweet and sour and is particularly appetizing. Imperial Chef Hea made it specially for Your Imperial Highness.”

When he found out that Su Ying’s appetite hadn’t been good recently, Hea Shouyi had been trying different ways to prepare all sorts of food for her.

Su Ying held the bowl and took a sip. At first, she only wanted to take two casual sips. To her surprise, after one mouthful, her mouth was filled with the freshness and sweetness of the fruit. This sweet taste had a slight tinge of sourness, and it tasted just right.

Soon, Su Ying finished the entire bowl.

Zhou Qing could tell that Su Ying liked it at a glance. “Does Your Imperial Highness like it?”

Su Ying nodded. “Not bad.”

Xiao Jin took a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her lips. “If you like it, I’ll get Uncle Hea to make more for you tomorrow using fresh fruits.”

“Mm-hmm. Good idea.”

After the family of four finished chatting, Xiao Jin took Ji to the outer hall to check on his homework.

Ling and Ji’s studies and schoolwork were already separated. After Ji left with Xiao Jin, Ling followed Su Ying to the washroom to wash up.

Su Ying’s body was feeling lethargic now, so she leaned on the soft couch by the side and waited.

After Ling came out of the bathroom, she pounced into Su Ying’s arms like a bird returning to its nest.

“Mother, take a sniff. Do I smell good?”

Ling beamed happily and spread out her arms as she twirled around in front of Su Ying.

Su Ying made a show of sniffing her. The little fellow’s body had a faint scent of incense mixed with the scent of soap. The scent was faint and very pleasant.

“Ling smells so good.”

After getting Su Ying’s affirmation, Ling climbed onto the couch and sat down leaning against Su Ying.

Su Ying took a clean handkerchief and helped her dry her still dripping-wet hair.

Ling’s big, doe-like eyes stared eagerly at Su Ying’s stomach. She even raised her head to look at Su Ying a few times. “Mother, do you have a younger brother or sister in your belly?”

She asked cautiously as if worried that she would startle the baby in Su Ying’s belly if she spoke too loud.

Su Ying replied with a smile, “That’s right. Would you like a younger brother or a younger sister?”

Ling puffed up her little face and lowered her tiny head without answering.

Su Ying raised her eyebrows, but her hands didn’t stop moving.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen today to make you unhappy? Can you tell Mother?” Children always had their own thoughts when they became more grown up. Su Ying was very curious to know what was inside this tiny head.

Ling raised her head to look at Su Ying as if she had made up her mind. Her eyes were exceptionally serious. “Mother, after you have younger brother or sister, will you still want me and Big Brother?”

Su Ying was taken aback. She wasn’t expecting Ling to ask such a question.

She did not answer her directly. Instead, she stopped what she was doing and put the wet handkerchief aside. Then, she stretched out her two hands in front of Ling.

“Ling, look at Mother’s two hands. Is there anything different between the two?”

Ling lowered her eyes to look seriously for a long while before shaking her head. “No, Mother. They’re all the same hands.”

“Then if a bad person wants to cut off one of Mother’s hands, which hand do you think Mother should give up?”

Ling’s two eyes widened in shock when she heard that. “I will protect Mother. I will never let the bad guys cut off Mother’s hand!”

Su Ying looked at the tiny fuming face and felt a warm sensation in her heart. “Mother is just giving a hypothetical example. What if one hand must be chopped off? Which one do you think should be chopped off?”

“What if…” Ling didn’t like this kind of “what if,” but she still thought about the question seriously.

Su Ying didn’t rush her and just waited quietly.

However, after thinking for a while, Ling still could not think of an answer. “Mother, I don’t know which hand to choose. They are both equally important.”

Su Ying smiled as she pulled the girl into her arms and placed her tiny hand on her still-flat belly.

“That’s right. You and your big brother are like Mother’s left hand, and the child in my belly is Mother’s right hand. Ling, do you think that Mother will not want her left hand if she has her right hand?”

Ling answered without thinking, “No!”

“Yes, because both hands are very important to Mother. Whether it’s you, your big brother, or the baby in my belly, they are all very important to Mother. Mother will not give up the other for any one of you. You must always remember that Mother will always love all of you.” After saying that, she kissed Ling’s little face. That kiss also melted the worry on her tiny face.

Ling understood and hugged Su Ying joyfully.

At first, when the two children found out that Su Ying was pregnant with another baby, they were worried that she wouldn’t like them anymore. As a result, they became more careful in their actions.

Now that Ling had received Su Ying’s affirmative reply, there was nothing to worry about anymore.

“I will always love Mother too,” Ling responded.

“Me too. I will always love Mother too.”

Ji walked in rapidly from outside the door and threw himself into Su Ying’s arms.

The three of them hugged each other as they enjoyed the warmth from each other’s bodies.

Now that the two children had returned to normal, Su Ying was finally relieved. It was also because she had been physically exhausted these past few days and was not in good spirits that she did not immediately notice that the children’s emotions were not quite right.

After their worries were cleared up, Ling pestered Su Ying to tell her stories while Ji was also unwilling to leave.

Su Ying lay in the middle of the bed with the two children lying on either side of her. She couldn’t be bothered with the complicated rules either, so she simply closed her eyes and gently told them a story.

In reality, she was very lacking in resources in this aspect in the past. In her memory, only her Mama told her stories.

She still remembered those stories.

“Mama, did you see that? I have always remembered what you said. No matter what happens, no matter what difficulties I encounter, I will be strong and live on.”

Xiao Jin stood quietly in front of the bed and watched the trio of sleeping mother and children. He told the eunuch to carry Ji back to his room.

He then stepped forward and gently carried Su Ying up.

Su Ying’s body subconsciously stiffened for a moment, but when she smelled the familiar scent of Xiao Jin’s body, her tensed nerves gradually relaxed.

Xiao Jin looked at Su Ying sleeping peacefully.. How could anyone have imagined that she was someone who could kill an ox with a single punch?