The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0800 First Word

It was Liu-er's second birthday, and Zaozao had also given half a day off to celebrate it with her younger sister.

Upon returning to the rear courtyard, Zaozao first went to the kitchen to look for Yuxi. When she saw Yuxi, Zaozao stood ramrod straight and called somewhat stiffly, "Mom." Recently, in order to avoid Yuxi forcing her to study and learn characters, she had been staying in the front courtyard. Now that she was facing Yuxi again, she still felt somewhat apprehensive.

Zaozao had been hiding in the front courtyard and refusing to come back. In a fit of anger, Yuxi told Mama Bai to stop preparing food for her and made Zaozao eat communal meals from the big pot with Huo Changqing in the front courtyard. However, standing-post training and practising martial arts were physically demanding, so instead of eating less, Zaozao's appetite had actually increased, even though she ate without tasting the food.

Looking at the mischievous little troublemaker Zaozao had become, Yuxi's heart softened. She said gently, "Go play with your younger sister." She did not want to be a strict mother either, but with an unreliable husband, she could only play the white-faced role herself. Seeing her daughter like this made her feel awful, too.

When Zaozao saw that Yuxi was no longer pressuring her to study or practise writing, and was even speaking very gently, she immediately replied loudly, "All right, I'm going right now." As long as she didn't have to read or write, she was willing to do anything.

A little while later, Yuxi carried the freshly baked little biscuits into the room. These biscuits were something Heshou had come up with. Yuxi herself was not particularly fond of this type of pastry, but Zaozao and Liu-er both liked them. As soon as she entered, she saw Zaozao talking to Liu-er. Well, to be precise, Zaozao was doing all the talking while Liu-er listened attentively.

Yuxi set the biscuits on the table, walked over, and asked with a smile, "What are you talking about with your younger sister?" Because of the issue of studying, Zaozao had been avoiding Yuxi, so mother and daughter hadn't had a proper conversation in quite some time.

Zaozao replied cheerfully, "Mom, I was telling Meimei about the estate. The estate is so much fun, Mom! There are cows and puppies, and you can even climb trees and raid birds' nests." Huo Changqing went to Guo Xun's estate once a month, taking Zaozao with him each time, so she was very familiar with the place.

After saying this, Zaozao added, "I told Meimei that the next time I go to the estate, I'll bring back some bird eggs for her." Actually, Zaozao could already climb trees and raid birds' nests. She had merely seen the children on the estate doing it and was eager to try it herself.

Yuxi put a hand to her forehead. Was climbing trees and raiding birds' nests really something a young girl should be doing? Fine. She supposed she ought to regard Zaozao as a son, since Huo Changqing was raising her exactly like one.

Seeing Yuxi's expression, Zaozao asked very cautiously, "Mom, what's wrong?" Zaozao was not afraid of Yun Qing, and she was even less afraid of Huo Changqing. The only person she feared was Yuxi.

Yuxi reined in her temper, stroked Zaozao's head, and said gently, "The trees are so tall. What if you climb up and fall?"

Zaozao was certainly someone who would climb up along the pole when given one. Seeing that Yuxi wasn't angry, she threw herself at her and declared loudly, "Mom, I won't! Little Monkey and the others climb trees, and they've never fallen. I definitely won't fall either."

Yuxi now regretted agreeing to Huo Changqing's condition back then. Unfortunately, it was too late to go back on her word now. Yuxi picked up a biscuit and handed it to Zaozao. "We still have to wait for your Dad before lunch. Eat this biscuit first to pad your stomach." Zaozao was very clever; unfortunately, all that cleverness was devoted to playing.

Zaozao was overjoyed. She took the biscuit and immediately popped it into her mouth. "Delicious." After saying that, her eyes settled on the other biscuits on the plate. However, she did not dare take another one without Yuxi's permission.

Seeing Zaozao's radiant smile, Yuxi sighed inwardly. "If you like them, have some more. But don't eat too many, or you won't have room for lunch later." Perhaps she had really been too harsh on Zaozao. After all, the child was only four years old.

It was almost noon when Yun Qing finally returned. Yuxi did not complain. She took his heavy cloak and placed it on a chair. "Why are you so late today?" She and their two daughters had all been waiting for Yun Qing so they could have lunch together.

When Zaozao saw Yun Qing, she hugged his leg and shouted, "Dad!" The instant she finished speaking, a tiny voice followed right behind hers.

Yuxi reacted quickly, turning around and scooping up Liu-er, who was sitting on the bed. Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "Liu-er, you spoke?"

Yun Qing also picked up Zaozao and sat down beside the bed. Smiling, he urged, "Come on, Liu-er. Call me Dad one more time and let me hear it." Yun Qing was very happy that Liu-er could speak, although he wasn't as excited as Yuxi.

However, Liu-er did not understand what Yun Qing was saying. She stared at Yun Qing and Yuxi with her large eyes, as though she had no idea what they were talking about.

Seeing this, Yun Qing asked Yuxi, "Could I have misheard just now?" Yun Qing began to suspect that the voice he had heard had merely been his imagination.

Yuxi thought for a moment, then looked at Zaozao. "Call your Dad loudly again, just like you did a moment ago." She did not know whether this would work.

Apart from refusing to listen to Yuxi when it came to studying, Zaozao was otherwise very obedient. As soon as Yuxi told her what to do, she immediately shouted, "Dad!"

Liu-er raised her head, looked at Yun Qing, and also called, "Dad." Zaozao had a booming voice, but Liu-er was quite different. Her voice was soft, sweet, and delicate, and especially pleasant to hear.

Yuxi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly coaxed Liu-er, "Come on, Liu-er. Say Mom. Mom..." Unfortunately, Liu-er refused to give her any face and would not say it.

Zaozao was a clever child. Seeing this, she immediately shouted, "Mom!" Her voice was so loud that it made everyone's ears hurt.

Liu-er lived up to everyone's expectations and followed her by saying, "娘 (niáng; mom)." data-type="youtube" href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hVzDUa2iwNQ?si=W6RFOJLxGMGb56TC">Wolf📹..."

Yuxi did not care that Liu-er's pronunciation was inaccurate. Holding Liu-er, she became so emotional that her eyes reddened. "My child has finally started talking." Over the past several days, Yuxi had been so worried about Liu-er's failure to speak that she had nearly worried herself into growing white hair. Now that the child had spoken, she could finally put her mind at ease.

How could Yun Qing not know what Yuxi had been thinking? He embraced her and said with a smile, "I kept telling you not to let your imagination run wild, but you simply wouldn't listen." Despite his repeated assurances that nothing was wrong with Liu-er, Yuxi had spent all this time anxious, afraid the child might never learn to speak.

Now that her worries had been put to rest, Yuxi even managed to eat nearly half a bowl of rice at lunch.

After lunch, the family of four remained in the room. Yun Qing explained to Yuxi why he had returned late that day. "Feng Dajun told me today that the caves on Mount Maluo are dry and well ventilated, making them excellent places to store grain." Feng Dajun had previously stored fifty thousand dan of grain on Mount Maluo.

Yuxi glanced at Zaozao and said, "Let's talk about this later." She did not want to discuss official matters in front of the children.

It was only after Zaozao had gone to take her afternoon nap and Liu-er had also fallen asleep that Yuxi said, "The children are still young. They don't know what information they can share and what they must keep to themselves. If they accidentally reveal confidential information, it could cause serious trouble."

Yun Qing thought Yuxi's concerns were justified and immediately nodded. "Mm. Next time, I won't discuss things like this in front of the children."

Yuxi asked, "Those caves are dry and well ventilated, so they're certainly good for storing grain. But if the grain is placed inside the caves, could rats or other pests get to it?" Rats reproduced quickly. If proper precautions were not taken, the losses could be substantial.

Hearing this, Yun Qing knew that Yuxi had agreed to the proposal. "That won't be a problem." When storing military grain, they naturally had to account for rats and insects. They had long since developed ways to deal with them.

Yuxi said, "Since you already have a way to deal with that, storing the grain at Mount Maluo should be fine." When the time came, the grain collected from Lanzhou could be stored at Mount Maluo.

Looking at Yuxi, Yun Qing asked, "Yuxi, have you sensed something?" Mount Maluo was enormous and had many caves. Storing one or two million dan of grain there would not be a problem at all, yet Yuxi did not seem to think that amount of space was excessive. There had to be a reason for that.

After a moment's silence, Yuxi replied, "I haven't sensed anything, but I feel uneasy." She knew that there would be a flood in three years' time. The flooding in Jiangnan would leave the people throughout the region unable to make a living. As for what would happen in the northwest, she did not know. What she was certain of was that the northwest would also be affected; she simply did not know how severe the effects would be.

Come to think of it, she could only blame herself for caring too little about affairs outside her own world in her previous life. As a result, she now didn't have even a single thread to follow. All she could do was store more grain and take precautions before disaster struck.

Yun Qing's expression became grave. "You feel uneasy?" If something could make Yuxi feel this uneasy, then something serious was bound to happen.

Seeing Yuxi nod, Yun Qing hurriedly said, "Don't leave the residence for the time being. If you miss Mother-in-law, invite her to come here instead." Yun Qing believed Yuxi's sudden unease might mean her life was in danger.

Seeing Yun Qing's reaction, Yuxi did not even know how to explain herself.

Yun Qing said, "Caution can keep a ship sailing for ten thousand years. We need to prepare the grain, but we also have to pay attention to our safety." The Yun residence was under extremely tight guard. As long as Yuxi did not go outside, nothing would happen to her within the residence.

Yuxi was touched. Yun Qing was this nervous because he cared deeply about her and the children. Taking his hand, Yuxi reminded him, "Then you need to be careful, too." Just because no assassins had appeared recently did not mean they were no longer out there.

Yun Qing gave a sound of acknowledgement. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of myself." Thanks to his frequent experiences of being targeted for assassination in the past, he was extremely vigilant about such matters.

That afternoon, Yuxi did not go to the front courtyard either. Instead, she held Liu-er and taught her to speak. "Mom. Come on, Liu-er, call me Mom."

Liu-er eventually grew impatient with all the coaxing and finally said, "娘 (niáng; mom)." data-type="youtube" href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hVzDUa2iwNQ?si=W6RFOJLxGMGb56TC">Wolf📹..." She could say 'Dad' so smoothly and effortlessly, yet she kept getting 'Mom' wrong. Yuxi's heart felt blocked.

Yuxi patiently said, "Not 'wolf'. It's 'mom'. Come on, say it again. Mom." If no one taught this child, she would probably stop speaking again. As for Liu-er's laziness, Yuxi was completely at a loss.

After being taught repeatedly, Liu-er finally managed to call her 'Mom' correctly. Once she had said it, she gave a delicate little yawn, indicating that she wanted to sleep.

Yuxi, however, was unwilling to let her sleep and still wanted to teach Liu-er to talk. But Liu-er was clearly no longer interested in learning. Even after Yuxi had taught her for quite some time, she refused to say another word. Fortunately, Yuxi was very patient; otherwise, she would have been extremely worried about these two children.

Mama Lan proposed with a smile, "Second Young Miss has been learning to talk for such a long time, so she must be tired. There's no harm in letting her sleep for a while. We can wake her up when it's time for dinner."

Yuxi shook her head. "Better not let her sleep. If she sleeps now, she won't be able to sleep tonight." And when Liu-er could not sleep, it was Mama Lan and Momo Quan who suffered through her restlessness. Compared with Zaozao, Liu-er was far more delicate and demanding.

Seeing this, Meiyun suggested from the side, "Wangfei, back when we were learning characters at the academy, we used to read along with the large characters you wrote for us. Perhaps if you use large character cards to teach Second Young Miss, she might become interested."

Yuxi's eyes lit up. Without waiting for Mama Lan to respond, she walked out. In the blink of an eye, Yuxi returned with a painting in her hands.

Pointing at the tiger📹 in the painting, Yuxi said, "Liu-er, look! What's this? This is a tiger📹." The magnificent striped tiger📹 had been painted so vividly that it seemed almost real. She was currently teaching Liu-er to speak rather than teaching her to recognise written characters. Using this kind of brilliantly coloured painting would therefore be much more likely to hold her interest.

Liu-er was extremely interested and reached out for it, but Yuxi refused to give it to her. Yuxi repeated, "Come on, repeat after Mom. Tiger📹. This is a tiger📹..." Yuxi had no shortage of patience when it came to Liu-er. If teaching her once was not enough, she would teach her twice; if twice did not work, then three times. Eventually, she would manage to teach her.

"A-hu📹..." Liu-er's pronunciation was not quite accurate, but Yuxi was delighted nonetheless. This showed that her method was working.