Chapter 452: Chapter 448: Little Master_1
“Humph! What’s so special about her? She just got lucky! If I had been the Emperor’s disciple, I might have been named a princess by now.” Seventh Aunt Niu Cui couldn’t resist remarking.

Niu Cui, the seventh aunt, was only nineteen this year, she was born into a family that ran a tofu shop. Because of her beauty, fiery nature, and sharp tongue, she was chosen by the Wei family head, who paid five hundred taels of silver and gave an extra house to marry her as the seventh aunt.

Madam Cao retorted with a thin smile, “Exactly, anyone who becomes the Emperor’s disciple would be crowned as a Commandery or County Princess, but she took the initiative.”

Niu Cui glanced at Madam Cao distastefully and went back to her room.

She was indeed indignant and envious of Yingbao’s good fortune, who was roughly her age, capable of marrying the wealthy and young seventh son, and possessing such an honorable status. However, she was not stupid. How could she not see that Madam Cao was deliberately trying to stir up trouble?

Hah! She wanted to use her as a pawn? No way!

Who in the Wei family didn’t know that the family’s future depended on Wei Qi, the seventh son? She was still so young, and if that old guy kicked the bucket, she would have to rely on Wei Qi to support her for the rest of her life.

In Jiqing Yard, the lanterns and decorations were hanged up. Madam Wang sat with Yingbao on the heated brick bed, teasing Chu Wuyang while examining her daughter-in-law’s small belly.

She wanted to ask why the couple, who had been married for so long and were so deeply in love, had not conceived yet.

But today was a holiday, and it was not appropriate to ask such somber questions.

Once the new year was celebrated, she’d invite a famous gynecologist from the major pharmacy, let him examine her daughter-in-law, and see if she needed some tonics.

While she was thinking, a maid reported, “Madam, the kitchen just informed that the meal is ready, should they serve it now?”

Madam Wang glanced outside at the fading daylight and nodded, “Let them serve it.” A quick dinner would allow her son and daughter-in-law to retire early and rest.

The maid bowed and retreated.

Madam Wang ordered the maids to place the banquet table in the front hall, and she led her son and his wife to the banquet with her.

Of course, Chu Wuyang was also taken along, cradled in Anrou’s arms.

Because it was a family feast, men and women were not separated. The head of the Wei family and his wife sat around the table with Wei Zhan, his wife and several married sons.

The five concubines and more than a dozen underage children all had a separate banquet in a side room, while their daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and others had another table set up in the main hall.

The first and second aunts did not attend, as they were living in seclusion in a nunnery in Luzhou and rarely appeared in public.

During the meal, several adult stepsons in succession proposed a toast to Wei Zhan and Yingbao.

Wei Wulang, who was only two years older than Wei Zhan and had played with him since childhood, was closer to Wei Zhan than the other brothers.

However, because he was mild mannered and had poor social skills, and his mother was not favored, the head of the Wei family did not particularly care for him.

Yingbao looked at everyone at the table.

Of Wei Zhan’s six brothers, four were left and two died prematurely.

The ones at the table were only Wei Wenbo, the eldest son, Wei Wensong, the second son, Wei Wenlin, the third son, and Wei Wuzheng, the fifth son.

After dinner, several children, led by their respective mothers, came to kowtow to the head of the Wei family, his wife, Wei Zhan, and Yingbao, asking for new year’s money.

Yingbao instructed Magnolia to take out the prepared red envelopes and handed them out one by one.

These children were the offspring of Wei family illegitimate sons, not yet adults. One of them was only a few months older than Chu Wuyang. It looked like he was about one year and a few months old, already able to speak. He was guided by his mother to call Yingbao his seventh aunt.

Yingbao found the sight of such a small child stooping to kowtow to her amusing, so she reached out to touch his head, asking, “What’s your name?”

“Fanzhi, my name is Fanzhi.” The toddler responded, pausing between words.

Yingbao laughed, “Fanzhi, what a good name.”

Chu Wuyang, sitting beside her, stretched his head to look at Fanzhi, bobbing his head and mumbling something in a child’s gibberish.

Upon seeing the little one, Fanzhi came over, took Wuyang’s small hand and smiled at him with a tender gesture, unlike the rough manners of other boys.

Yingbao watched for a while, contemplating.

Chu Wuyang was growing up and certainly needed playmates. It might be good to invite Fanzhi over often to accompany him.

Mrs. Wang noticed it too, and laughed, “The two of them do seem to be getting along quite well.”

She turned to her fifth daughter-in-law and suggested, “Yang, why don’t we let Fanzhi come over more often to keep Wuyang company?”

She didn’t know about Chu Wuyang’s identity, but seeing how much Yingbao cared about him, she started to pay more attention to this child too.

Yang smiled slightly, “That sounds great. I was also worrying that Fanzhi had no one to play with.”

Standing aside, Cao rolled her eyes secretly.

This Yang seems like a silent person, but now she is acting clever. In order to flatter the Seventh Master, she is even willing to let her son be playmates with a servant’s son. What a loss of status.

The Wei Family’s master laughingly said, “Little Fanzhi is all alone, he can barely walk properly yet. It would be better to have two older kids to play with him.”

He then turned to his oldest daughter-in-law, Cao, and his second one, Mrs. Yu and said, “Shu Nan of our eldest son’s family and Mo Yu of our second son’s family are around the same age, they are only four or five years old. Why not let them play with Wuyang?”

Before Yingbao could respond, Cao retorted, “Father, you must be joking. Shu Nan is wild, he wouldn’t know how to play with young children.”

Mrs. Yu also said, “Father, Mo Yu is about to start studying, he has no time for play.”

The master of the Wei family furrowed his brows, but as it was New Year’s Day, he did not express his anger

He only cursed them privately: “Ingrates!”

Yingbao smiled faintly, “Father, Fanzhi alone is enough.”

Even if my Sisters-in-law agreed, I would still need to evaluate them. Those who can stay around Wuyang must be gentle, intelligent and understanding. Those children who reach out and push others, they must never stay.

Once the New Year’s money was distributed, Fanzhi indeed started playing with Wuyang.

The two children sat on the kang bed, chirping and chattering in a language that adults could not understand. Occasionally, Fanzhi would also patiently teach Wuyang how to call people. He repeatedly said to Wuyang, “Brother, I am your brother.”

Wuyang then mumbled a few words and actually called out “brother”.

Looking at all this from the side, Anrou, who had been watching, was filled with joy. She said to Yingbao with excitement, “Commandery Princess, Wuyang can now call people.”

Yingbao naturally also heard it. She gently petted the two children’s heads and praised, “Wuyang is very clever, and Fanzhi is even more clever. He can even be Wuyang’s little teacher.”

Fanzhi understood that the Seventh Aunt was praising him. His little face beamed with joy, tinged with a bit of pride.

Seeing the two boys playing happily, Mrs. Wang was also quite pleased. She told Yang, “You should bring Fanzhi over to play with Wuyang more often.”

Yang nodded, “Yes.”

After a while, dusk gradually began to fall.

The master of the Wei Family ordered people to set off fireworks in the courtyard.

The fireworks boomed, bursting forth vibrant gleams in the sky.

The Wei Family boys were like wild horses without reins, each holding different types of fireworks, running around the yard after lighting them up.

Wuyang was so excited that he couldn’t help leaping around in Anrou’s arms, also wanting to play.

Fanzhi, held in Yang’s arms, was indifferent to all of this. He kept looking over at Wuyang.

He still remembered the words of praise from his Seventh Aunt. He was supposed to be Wuyang’s little teacher.