Chapter 122: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 122: Suisui Has Her Own Ideas
After Qi Wangfei helped Suisui get ready and tidy up, they came out to meet the marquis of Huguo.
The marquis was a bit older than Qi Wangfei, over forty, with no gray hair but sporting a rather mature-looking goat beard, half of which was white. His not-so-old face made him look somewhat comical.
Upon seeing Qi Wangfei, the marquis stood up to pay his respects and expressed his gratitude for Grand Princess's residence.
Qi Wangfei waved her hand dismissively, inviting him to sit and chat.
Suisui, holding her mother's hand, stood beside her chair. Her small hand clung to her mother’s arm, and her bright, lively eyes timidly glanced at the marquis.
When they entered, the marquis had already noticed her. After the recent commotion, he had returned to Grand Princess's residence and heard quite a bit about Suisui.
He didn’t ask too many specifics, but seeing Qi Wangfei’s affection for the child, he smiled and greeted Suisui, “So this is Suisui? What a lovely little girl!”
Suddenly receiving praise from an older uncle, Suisui felt a bit shy and nestled closer to her mother.
Despite her bashfulness, she didn’t forget her manners, responding with a soft but clear voice, “Hello, Uncle. Thank you for saying I’m cute.”
Her little face turned red after speaking.
Qi Wangfei looked at her adorable daughter and felt an urge to reach out and pat her. How cute she was!
However, with others present, she managed to control herself and turned to thank the marquis for his compliment. She also inquired about the safety of the Grand Princess and her party.
Upon learning that everyone was safe, and only some houses and fields had been damaged without any casualties, Qi Wangfei breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”
No casualties were the best news.
For their social class, having some houses and fields damaged was hardly a significant issue.
The marquis nodded, agreeing, “We were fortunate to have the protection of the royal family.”
Hearing this made Qi Wangfei’s heart skip a beat. Although she knew he was just being polite, she couldn’t shake her own feelings of guilt.
So, she quickly waved her hand. “No, no, it’s all thanks to the Prince’s good fortune.”
After some pleasantries, the marquis curiously asked, “I heard you and the young lady were making charcoal. How did it go? Would you like me to offer some guidance? I often help with that at the Ministry of Works.”
Qi Wangfei felt that what Suisui was doing was simply a fun activity for them at home, and it wasn’t necessary to involve others. What if it didn’t burn well and upset the little girl?
She initially wanted to refuse outright, but then she saw Suisui’s eager expression, and the words died in her throat.
After thinking for a moment, she smiled at the marquis and nodded. “Then, it would be a bother to you.”
The marquis waved his hand nonchalantly. “Not at all, as long as the princess doesn’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Qi Wangfei responded politely.
They all headed to the backyard where the charcoal was drying.
Suisui was quite serious while shaping the charcoal.
Although some of the pieces didn’t look very good due to the proportions, overall, they were quite impressive.
The marquis initially thought he would see just the kids’ playful attempts, which wouldn’t be particularly impressive.
He thought it was unreasonable to expect a five-year-old to make perfectly shaped charcoal.
But now, it seemed to be better than expected.
The marquis squatted down, gently lifting his garment to get a closer look at the pieces.
There was surprise and curiosity.
After observing for a while, he asked, “Why are there holes poked in them?”
Suisui had mentioned this before, and Qi Wangfei recalled it. She smiled and explained, “This allows the pieces to communicate with each other, improving the burning effect and making it more thorough.”
The theory was quite intriguing. The marquis pondered for a moment.
Having worked in the Ministry for many years, his position wasn’t high, and many believed he relied on his family background and was simply coasting along.
In truth, he had stayed in the mid-level due to his genuine interest, occasionally dipping into the lower levels to conduct small studies.
Despite his low rank, he had a fair understanding of many things and enjoyed thinking deeply.
Now, he truly contemplated the holes in the charcoal.
After a while, he tentatively asked, “May I take some of these back to the Ministry for experimentation?”
This question left Qi Wangfei uncertain.
She looked at the charcoal, then at the marquis, and finally turned to Suisui.
Meeting the little girl’s innocent gaze, Qi Wangfei asked, “Uncle Su wants to take the charcoal back. What do you think, Suisui?”
These pieces were what Suisui had worked hard on all morning, and Qi Wangfei didn’t want to make the decision without her daughter’s input.
What if the child felt sad later?
Suisui didn’t expect her mother would ask her opinion.
She leaned against her mother’s leg, looking up and softly said, “I’ll listen to mother.”
Her obedient demeanor was heart-melting.
Qi Wangfei felt her heart soften. She gently stroked Suisui’s head with her free hand, her voice tender, “You can’t always just listen to me, Suisui. You need to have your own thoughts. If you like it, say you like it. If you don’t want to give it away, we can keep it for ourselves to play with.”
Suisui didn’t quite understand; she was just driven forward by the sleep coach and Lele’s encouragement from the night before.
After a morning of shaping charcoal, she felt she had had her fill of fun. As for the results, she didn’t care much.
When her mother asked her, she thought for a moment and nodded, “Suisui likes it, and Suisui is willing!”
Lele had mentioned that if these were promoted, perhaps fewer people would die this winter.
Suisui knew it was cold in winter.
If more people had charcoal, wouldn’t that mean they wouldn’t freeze to death or suffer from frostbite?
If that were the case, Suisui would be willing to give away all the charcoal.
She didn’t understand the concept of sacrifice or righteousness; she just wanted other children to be warm in winter.
The two sons of the Grand Princess had the same father and mother but different surnames, which will be explained later.
(End of this chapter)
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