The weather was beautiful on his day off. The bright winter sun hanging high in the sky was warm and cozy.
Wen Mingyu donned a small and fluffy yellow hat on Little Rice Cake and Little Chilli. Each of their hats had small plush ears on the side, making them look like two plump baby bear cubs out for a stroll.
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan both carried each of their babies. Since the two little ones were still quite young, just over forty days old, they couldn’t spend too much time in the sun. After thirty-nine minutes, they had to be taken back inside. Thus, they simply strolled around Taiji’s hall courtyard.
As advised by the imperial physician, Wen Mingyu covered their faces and heads, allowing only their small hands and plump feet to receive some sunshine. Little Chilli, who was livelier than Little Rice Cake, enjoyed waving her arms and legs around even when she was lying in the crib. Now that she was in the open air, she was even more excited as she kicked her small, stubby legs and grinned happily.
On the other hand, Little Rice Cake was more reserved. He nestled in the arms of his daddy, clenching his little fists and squinting his eyes as he silently relished the warm sunshine.
Both little dumplings were unbearably cute and irresistible.
Naturally, they saw the snowmen Mu Zhan had built in the courtyard; two large snowmen surrounded by several small ones, their heads adorned with leaves and twigs.
Wen Mingyu remembered the origins of these snowmen and couldn’t help but smile as soon as he saw them. Today, one of the reasons for going outside was to have a look. After all, as the weather warmed up, the snowmen would start melting.
This time, Wen Mingyu pointed to the small snowmen and said to his little dumplings, “Those are your brothers and sisters.”
Mu Zhan: “…”
Wen Mingyu saw his subtle expression and burst into unrestrained laughter. And even though the two little dumplings couldn’t giggle yet, they seemed to be able to pick up on their daddy’s happy emotions. They both raised their little fists enthusiastically and curved their small mouths into giggle smiles, as if laughing with Wen Mingyu.
Wen Mingyu squeezed their small hands and nodded with a smile. “Yes, that’s right.”
Mu Zhan: “…” I’m going to shovel these snowmen right now.
Wen Mingyu seemed to read his mind and smiled, saying, “Those snowmen were personally crafted by His Majesty’s hand, and they hold great significance. If they just melted when the weather warms up, wouldn’t that be a pity?”
Mu Zhan: “… Not a pity.”
Wen Mingyu continued as though he hadn’t heard him, “Why don’t we move them in the ice cellar to preserve them. Then we can wait for Little Rice Cake and Little Chilli to grow up a little so they can visit their siblings in the summer.”
Mu Zhan couldn’t take it anymore. Holding Little Chilli in one arm, he reached out with the other and pinched Wen Mingyu’s cheeks firmly but not too roughly. His palm cupped his chin, his thumb pressing one side, while his index and middle fingers pressed the other. It looked like he was going to force-feed him something.
He didn’t use too much force, but Wen Mingyu’s mouth still uncontrollably puckered into a pout that resembled a little heart and was basically begging to be kissed.
Mu Zhan leaned in and really gave him a kiss, then remained near him with his eyes narrowed in a dangerously provoking manner. “Still want to continue? I might get the impression that you really want to give them siblings so much.”
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At the same time, he covered the little dumplings’ eyes with his hand, fearing it might become a bad example. What if the children were corrupted? However, Mu Zhan didn’t even think it was a big deal. In his eyes, intimacy between them was a perfectly normal thing. A mere kiss meant nothing and, if anything, demonstrated how good their relationship was. That kind of emotional closeness could positively influence the children.
When the allotted time had passed, Wen Mingyu brought the dumplings back inside the temple. Covering their eyes with his palm and then uncovering them again seemed to entertain them as their small, round eyes lit and they waved their small fists in excitement.
Wen Mingyu played with them for a while, giggling foolishly the entire time. Later, he even dragged Mu Zhan over to play with them together.
The day passed, and the regular work schedule resumed. After a long day, just seeing the two soft little babies in the crib made all the fatigue melt away. Wen Mingyu picked up Little Rice Cake and uncontrollably poked his soft cheek. His cheeks were like jelly, forming a little dimple. He couldn’t resist leaning in and giving it a smack.
Little Rice Cake was kissed by his daddy and appeared to be quite happy. His eyes formed tiny crescent moons as he giggled. Wen Mingyu attempted to put Little Rice Cake down and pick up Little Chilli, but he wasn’t having it. He held onto a lock of Wen Mingyu’s hair and refused to let go.
Wen Mingyu laughed and gently coaxed him before setting him down and picking up Little Chilli.
When awake, Little Chilli was like a ball of energy and would raise her small fist in the air. As Wen Mingyu gently pinched her hand, she opened her tiny fingers and grasped his finger in return. Wen Mingyu thought she was adorable as he looked at her. He even felt the urge to kiss her little hand—and an urge to take it into his mouth.
Hold on, wasn’t that a little too weird?
Wen Mingyu self-reflected for a moment but still kissed her hand anyway. Afterward, he used a clean brocade handkerchief to carefully wipe them clean before disposing of the evidence.
Wen Mingyu later spoke to Mu Zhan about how healing the little ones were. Mu Zhan nodded. Indeed, just looking at them could effortlessly lift his mood.
This mood, however, was short-lived.
Because when they reached two months, they began wailing excessively at night.
Wen Mingyu had previously been concerned that Little Rice Cake didn’t seem as energetic and vivacious as Little Chilli and speculated that perhaps his health wasn’t good. But listening to what the imperial physician had said, that the little prince and princess were in excellent health, he was at last relieved and thought that perhaps it was just a difference in temperament.
But once he heard Little Rice Cake’s wailing at night, Wen Mingyu swiftly changed his mind.
That cry had an earth-shattering sound, like thunder crashing right into your skull.
Naturally, the two small lords were left to be cared for by palace servants at night. But because Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan didn’t feel comfortable having their children so far away from them, their cribs were set up in the side hall. The night was peaceful, and with only one wall between them, loud noises could readily pass through. One baby crying might have been tolerable to hear, but they were twins. Once one began to cry, the other would follow suit. A full-on duet would then be performed by the duo. The results could be described as catastrophic.
The two dads now didn’t feel healed. Mu Zhan even thought that if these weren’t his own kids, he might have stuffed them in a sack and tossed them out.
Though, of course, they couldn’t bear to see their precious little dumplings yowl themselves hoarse. Whenever the palace servants failed to soothe them, Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan would rise in the middle of the night to personally calm them down.
They would hold and softly rock them, or play with them a bit before bed.
Perhaps it was the result of the passage of time, but the two little dumplings were starting to identify faces and had a natural fondness for their two daddies. If either of them came to soothe them, they would immediately close their eyes and fall asleep.
But it didn’t always go so smoothly.
Wen Mingyu found himself helpless. He reached out to cover Little Chilli’s eyes and declared, “You’re asleep now.”
But when he eventually withdrew his hand, Little Chilli’s eyelids popped wide open right away, gazing at him with bright, sparkling eyes. She was in high spirits and thought Daddy was playing a game with her. Meanwhile, Little Rice Cake, unwilling to be left out, also turned his head over, eager to join in.
Wen Mingyu: “…”
Daddy will go down on his knees and beg, Can you please go sleep now?
Wen Mingyu was so sleepy that he nearly burst into tears.
Seeing Wen Mingyu sagging over the edge of the crib, looking somehow broken and grasping at straws, Mu Zhan couldn’t help but laugh.
Wen Mingyu looked up and caught the smile on his face. He instantly glared at him, annoyed, and made a “Still in the mood to smile at me? You come and try” gesture.
Mu Zhan had no reason to refuse, so he had to accept the challenge. He approached them, carefully put the two little dumplings in their crib and began rocking it softly, in the hopes that they might nod off amid all of this swaying and passing. Though, regretfully, it didn’t work.
Wen Mingyu cruelly laughed at his face.
Ultimately, they discovered that it was surprisingly useful to stuff a ragdoll into each of them to hold onto.
They managed to get a decent night’s sleep at last.
The two young daddies went lazily back to their bedchamber and nearly walked straight into a pillar on the way because they were too sleepy.
Their fatigue also impacted their work during the day.
While Wen Mingyu was working, he occasionally couldn’t resist shutting his eyes. His head bobbed up and down as he dozed off. Then, after a moment, he would suddenly be startled awake and throw himself back to work.
Mu Zhan, during court meetings with the ministers, also had trouble staying awake. At one point, he didn’t hold back and leaned on his hand, closing his eyes for a moment and casually letting out a yawn.
The courtier’s faces immediately changed the following second, thinking that His Majesty was becoming impatient, especially the minister who was speaking at that moment. He was convinced that His Majesty must have been unhappy with him, and a sudden punishment might fall at any second.
But they waited warily for some time, but the emperor remained silent. After the state affairs were discussed, Mu Zhan simply dismissed them.
As they exited the hall, the ministers were still a bit dazed, wondering how they had managed to escape unscathed. But having a scare but getting through it safely was still the best.
None of them could have predicted that the so-called tyrannical emperor was actually being worn down by his own little babies’ nighttime cries. After all, the majority of nobles would leave child-rearing to wet nurses and nannies, barely sparing them a thought beyond occasional playtime with them. Fathers in particular would only start paying attention when their sons were old enough to hold a writing brush. At that time, they would hire esteemed tutors and check their homework from time to time.
After getting their tiger dolls, the little dumplings were able to entertain themselves by hugging and playing with them. Although they still woke up yowling in the middle of the night, now when they opened their eyes and saw their ragdolls, they would grab and snuggle them, often falling back asleep soon. There was a little decrease in the frequency of wailing. After suffering for six weeks, Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan finally started seeing some improvement, and they no longer staggered around like half-dead from sleep deprivation.
One day, while playing with the little dumplings, Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan talked about something important.
What they talked about was the other form the little dumplings might take. Based on what Wen Mingyu had learnt before, the features would typically manifest between the ages of two and three, though in some cases it could manifest sooner. It was said that the stronger the spiritual power, the earlier it could be. They couldn’t be sure exactly when it would occur. If it suddenly appeared and neither of them were present, a palace servant might see it first and start a panic. They might even be mistaken for demons.
In regard to this, Mu Zhan’s attitude was exceptionally cool and collected. “They are the only prince and princess, highly favored and cherished. No one will dare claim that they are not. And if someone wants to make use of the subject and stir up something, this one can transform into his dragon form, fly above the capital, and firmly establish their identity as true dragon-born children, leaving no room for doubts.”
Wen Mingyu relaxed when he heard this. Given Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake’s status, there really wasn’t much to be worried about.
He held Little Chilli’s plump arm and gave it a playful shake as he smiled. “What a reliable father.”
Little Chilli swung her small fist at her daddy in response.
The Author has something to say:
Jade cub: Go to sleep.
Little Chilli & Little Rice Cake: Don’t go to sleep! Play time! Whoaaa hahaha!
Jade cub: Someone please just end me.
ChiFu: aaaa I apologize for going MIA again. I’m in my third year, so there are a lot of requirements our prof wants us to meet. Aaaa give me a break, school!!!