Chapter 262: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
**Chapter 262: The Cute Little Rocking Horse**
The children's efficiency was still quite high.
Before dinner, they had not only assembled the little rocking horse, but had also pushed Suisui around on it for several laps.
The flexible wheels and steady wooden horse gave off a refreshing feeling, as well as a sense of care and attention to detail.
Furthermore, Feng Xuancang, thinking about Suisui's safety, had made a simple safety belt out of deer leather.
Of course, they didn’t really have a concept of safety belts yet, but Feng Xuancang thought that his little sister was still young. If she sat alone on the rocking horse and lost her balance, it could be dangerous.
So, he drilled three holes into the rocking horse and attached two deer leather straps to it.
When Suisui sat on the rocking horse, if she was afraid of falling, she could tighten the straps around her.
The deer leather was soft and long enough.
Although it didn’t guarantee complete safety, at least if she fell, the straps would offer some cushioning.
Suisui was so impressed by Feng Xuancang's thoughtfulness that she exclaimed, "Third Brother, you're amazing!"
Suisui had a deer leather bag, which she had carried when going to the study before.
Now, seeing the deer leather safety belt, she was truly surprised and touched by how much her third brother cared for her.
After praising him, her eyes reddened.
As soon as Suisui's eyes reddened, the young masters began to feel sorry for her.
Feng Xuanyu even hurriedly searched for a handkerchief, fearing that his sister might burst into tears.
Feng Xuancang gently comforted the children, not wanting them to feel too upset.
Fortunately, Suisui didn’t cry in the end. She obediently allowed her brothers to help her, and after sitting on the rocking horse, she went around for two more laps.
Feng Xuanyu found it fun and wanted to climb on too.
He was young, so Feng Xuancang and the others were accommodating of him.
Thus, Feng Xuanyu climbed on, and Feng Xuanyan also squeezed up.
However, it was too tiring to pull three children at once, so Feng Xuancang casually lifted Feng Xuanyu off.
Feng Xuanyu was unhappy but understood that with too many people, his third brother couldn’t pull them all.
In the end, he jumped down and began to push from behind.
The rocking horse had a guardrail at the back, which allowed the children to lean on it when they got tired. However, since it was made of wood, it was a bit hard.
Still, it was convenient for Feng Xuanyu to push it from behind.
But feeling the wood in his hands, Feng Xuanyu wasn’t satisfied. "Next time, we should sew a cushion for this, so it’s softer."
It was hard and would hurt Suisui if she bumped into it.
It was fine for them to sit on it—they were tougher and could handle it—but his little sister couldn’t.
Hearing this, Feng Xuancang realized that he hadn’t thought of everything and immediately nodded in agreement.
Aunt Xiang showed up just in time, saying that her stitching skills were good. She would measure the size and sew a cushion for them later.
Prince Qi, who had been worried, finally relaxed when he heard Aunt Xiang’s promise, and sat back down, smiling.
The children played for a while, and soon it was time for dinner.
Dinner was once again very abundant.
Suisui had egg dumplings with purple rice porridge.
It’s said that this purple rice is a tribute.
It was a gift from today’s Emperor Uncle, and although there wasn’t much of it, Father said he wanted to let them have a taste, so he had the kitchen cook some.
In truth, Suisui couldn’t really tell the difference.
But since Father said it was good, it must be something special.
So, she made sure to eat more.
The children’s appetite was about the same—a small bowl of porridge was already the limit. Moreover, Suisui had also eaten three egg dumplings.
By the end, she was almost stuffed.
Fortunately, there was entertainment after dinner, so they could move around and digest a bit.
After dinner, Qi Wangfei quietly called Feng Xuanbo over and whispered a few words to him: “Tonight, go back and spend some time with your mother.”
The princess didn’t say much more.
Feng Xuanbo didn’t understand, but he knew that unless something unusual happened, his mother wouldn’t ask him to return and spend time with her.
As the sons grew older, they would move to the eastern courtyard, separated from their parents.
It was a normal part of growing up for children to live independently.
Feng Xuanbo, being smart, didn’t ask further questions. Qi Wangfei was actually worried that Concubine Ren might feel uneasy about the Empress Dowager’s gift, so she wanted her son to accompany her and ease her mind.
After sending Feng Xuanbo off, Qi Wangfei sighed, “Time passes so quickly. Tomorrow is already the end of the month, and Zhege’er and the others should be returning soon.”
At the end of each month, the Imperial Academy and other prestigious schools would give students a day off.
The scholars could return home for a bit of rest.
They might change clothes, bring back some money, or pick up books, for example.
After a month of hard study, it was a rare opportunity to relax.
Upon hearing the mention of their eldest son, Prince Qi nodded in delight: “Tomorrow, have the estate send some good things back. Zhe’er likes Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, so have the kitchen prepare it early in the morning. Let it cook so it’s rich in flavor. Also, have someone tidy up their rooms and add some flowers since the blooms are looking good.”
Though Prince Qi talked at length about his eldest son, he didn’t forget about his second son, who would also be returning tomorrow.
Thinking about the second son, Prince Qi frowned slightly.
He still didn’t understand. Although he wasn’t the sharpest, he wasn’t foolish either. But Concubine Ren, with all her scheming, he couldn’t figure out why they had such a dim-witted child.
If it weren’t for his face, which almost looked like a copy of his own, Prince Qi might even have suspected that the midwife had made a mistake.
But after some thought, Prince Qi sighed and added, “Yu’er likes lamb chops. Make sure to arrange that for him too.”
They were all his sons, and he loved them all, so he didn’t want to favor one over the other and cause any discomfort.
The children only got one day to return home every month.
Qi Wangfei smiled and agreed.
Later, when the children grew tired, Qi Wangfei had Feng Xuanrui and the others go back to the eastern courtyard to rest.
Feng Xuanbo said he missed his mother and wanted to return to the back courtyard.
When Feng Xuanbin heard this, he also felt the urge.
Qi Wangfei naturally didn’t stop them. It was perfectly normal for young children to miss their birth mother.
When Feng Xuanrui saw that both his brothers were staying, he couldn’t help but approach Prince Qi: “Father, I miss you too. Can I stay as well?”
Prince Qi: ...
He wasn’t particularly eager to have him stay.
However, since the youngest was still small, Prince Qi couldn’t bear to turn him away, so he reluctantly allowed him to stay.
Feng Xuanrui cheered in excitement.
Feng Xuanjie watched enviously but didn’t dare to say anything.
It was Feng Xuancang who noticed and whispered to him: “If you miss your mother, just tell Father, he will agree.”
Hearing this from his third brother, Feng Xuanjie shook his head: “I’d rather not. Mother’s been feeling unwell lately and probably went to bed early. If I go back, I might trouble her.”
Feng Xuancang thought for a moment, recalling that when he had seen Lady Wen a few days ago, her complexion had indeed looked poor. He nodded: “Alright then, you can come with me to the eastern courtyard. Tonight, it will just be the two of us brothers.”
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