At the age of five, Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake had already begun learning to write. In ancient times, this might have been considered rather early. However, Little Rice Cake was keen on learning and had long wished to start.
Little Chilli, always wanting to be part of the fun, was usually prone to teasing her brother. Although she loved biting his head when she transformed into a dragon-rabbit, she adored him dearly and was terribly clingy. When Little Rice Cake started studying, she naturally refused to be left behind.
So Mu Zhan arranged excellent tutors for them.
The first thing they naturally learned was to write their own names.
Unexpectedly, Little Chilli faltered right from the start. She found the strokes too numerous and the characters too difficult to write.
Her name was Mu Ning, and both characters were quite complex in traditional script. As she practiced writing them, she nearly wept. She even solemnly protested to the tutor, “Actually, my name isn’tMu Ning. I’m called Little Chilli.”
The tutor was very patient and demonstrated how to write “Little Chilli” for her.
It had more strokes and was more complex.
This time, Little Chilli couldn’t hold back and, with a pitiful wail, burst into tears.
The tutor felt a headache coming on; he wasn’t good at comforting children.
Little Rice Cake, who had been diligently writing his name nearby, came over and said, “Look at mine.”
Little Chilli, her eyes still watery, hiccupped through her sobs. Distracted, her voice weakened as she turned to look. She realized her brotherMu Lin’s name was even trickier to write than her own.
Suddenly, her heart felt comforted. Perhaps happiness is born from comparison; she suddenly felt her situation wasn’t so dire after all.
With just one sentence, the young prince had soothed the wailing little princess.
The tutor breathed a huge sigh of relief and resumed teaching the children.
As the tutor looked down, Little Chilli leaned in close and whispered to her brother. At this time, they should have passed secret notes, but alas, both were still kids who had not learnt to write yet.
“Big brother, let’s change our names.”
Little Chilli had finally thought of what she considered a brilliant idea.
Little Rice Cake sighed inwardly, knowing that ignoring her would only make her chatter incessantly. So he whispered, “If you can persuade Father Emperor.”
Little Pepper was quite confident in her ability to act coy. She nodded vigorously, about to speak, when the desk was tapped lightly.
The tutor cleared his throat deliberately. “Your Highness, do you recall what I said before the lesson began?”
Little Chilli immediately apologized meekly, “No whispering during class. I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
The tutor nodded approvingly. While the princess was admittedly a tad too spirited, her attitude was at least earnest. A promising pupil indeed.
No sooner had he thought this than he was slapped in the face the very next moment.
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Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but want to snort when he saw it, but he managed to hold it in.
Mu Zhan, however, was quite blunt in his criticism. “It’s hideous.”
Little Rice Cake felt a touch of shame, his hand instinctively fidgeting with the hem of his robe. Wen Mingyu quickly patted him on the head, saying, “Not at all, Little Rice Cake writes beautifully. For his age, this is already excellent. He’ll only improve with time.”
Little Rice Cake breathed a sigh of relief, silently resolving to practice his calligraphy diligently.
Little Chilli, upon being told her penmanship was poor, showed no sign of being discouraged. Instead, her eyes sparkled brightly as she nodded vigorously in agreement. “My writing is really hideous. So please change my name. I’d like to be calledYi Yi.”
Mu Zhan and Wen Mingyu: “…”
They were both left speechless by Little Chilli’s suggestion.
Of course, Little Chilli ultimately didn’t get her way, and no amount of coaxing helped.
Mu Zhan stated flatly, “Changing the name is not out of the question. Let’s go with Mu Yan.”
At first, Little Chilli didn’t understand. Not until she saw her Father Emperor writing for quite a while before finally showing the characters did shefreeze. In an instant, she felt that the name Mu Ning was wonderful and so lovely.
Thus, the matter of renaming was put to rest, never to be mentioned again.
Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake continued their lessons, learning new things. Both were bright, so naturally the tutor was fond of them. Although the young princess found it hard to stay still, with her brother keeping her in check, he always managed to keep her under control.
At last, the day off arrived.
Little Chilli was like a bird released from its cage, chirping excitedly as she flitted about everywhere.
Since starting school, playtime dwindled considerably, so she wanted to seize the chance to play to her heart’s content. She even dragged her brother along with her as they raced off, so full of energy that the palace servants chasing after them felt as though they might keel over. Little Rice Cake looked exasperated; if she weren’t his own sister, he would probably have been tempted to give her a good smack.
After rounding a corner on the path, Little Chilli suddenly halted. Her smile vanished, replaced by a weighty look.
Gripping her big brother’s hand tightly, she said with solemnity, “Could that be Daddy?”
Little Rice Cake froze and looked over too, only to find a big, rather fierce-looking dog standing before them. Its eyes were sharp while its bearing was imposing. Most importantly, it had a rabbit clamped firmly in its jaws.
A fluffy, snow-white rabbit with floppy ears!
Both little dumplings had seen Wen Mingyu’s lop-eared rabbit form before, so seeing one with its head clamped in a dog’s jaw filled them with shock and dread.
That thought exploded in both Little Rice Cake and Little Chilli’s minds all at once, rendered in bold red letters with three exclamation marks. A crisis of the gravest order.
They had no time to think of anything else. Even though the big dog was stronger than them and looked terrifying, they overcame their fear for their daddy’s sake. Charging forward, they pried open the dog’s jaws and rescued the lop-eared rabbit.
The palace servants who had followed behind were stunned by the sight. Although they knew this dog belonged to General Wei and had never harmed anyone, it was still a dog, incapable of human understanding. What if it bit the young prince and princess?
The very next moment, the black-and-white coated dog, which bore a striking resemblance to a wolf, opened its jaw wide and seemed to be making a move to snap at the little princess’s head.
The palace servants were sent into a panic and rushed forward to rescue the children.
But unexpectedly, Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake reacted even faster. Both were so angry by the dog’s behavior that they couldn’t resist reaching out with their small hands to swat at the large animal, shouting in their babyish voices, “Bad dog! Bad dog!”
In the end, it was this formidable dog that found itself being chased and beaten by two children, scurrying about in a cowardly fashion and whimpering pitifully.
After a good chase, the big dog ran off too quickly for Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake to catch up, so they picked up the lop-eared rabbit and prepared to return to Taiji Hall. Fearing their daddy might be bitten, they also ordered the servants to fetch the imperial physician.
The palace servants wished to explain that this was General Wei’s rabbit, often forced to play head-biting games with the husky, so it was nothing to worry about. But the two young masters looked solemn. Though still children, their commands possessed a hint of the sovereign’s authority that brooked no argument. The servants had no choice but to obey.
Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake clutched the snow-white lop-eared rabbit affectionately as they ran all the way to Taiji Hall. Upon entering, they spotted Mu Zhan and hastily raised the rabbit and exclaimed urgently, “Father Emperor! Daddy’s being eaten by the dog! Look at him quickly!”
Mu Zhan froze upon hearing this. For a moment, he couldn’t make head nor tail of what they were saying.
The next second, Wen Mingyu, who had been walking behind Mu Zhan, stepped forward and asked in confusion, “… What’s wrong with me?”
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake both looked up at Wen Mingyu, then glanced down at the lop-eared rabbit they were holding aloft, looking bewildered and dumbfounded.
Wh-what… There are two daddies?!
Just then, the lop-eared rabbit seized the brief lapse of them being in a daze, struggling free and leaping to the ground before hopping away.
It took Mu Zhan and Wen Mingyu a moment to grasp what had happened, and they both burst out laughing.
Wen Mingyu laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks, clutching his aching stomach. Mu Zhan, too, was laughing heartily and was not at his usual faint, lip-curling smile but a hearty, booming laugh that startled both little dumplings. It was as though the emperor had been possessed.
Little Rice Cake and Little Chilli realized their mistake and instantly felt embarrassed, wishing they could vanish into thin air. Finding no such option, they scurried behind a pillar to hide.
Wen Mingyu thought they were so cute.
Although their mistake made them look a bit silly and quite amusing, there was also a touch of emotion. So small and clearly frightened, yet they had still rushed forward to save him.
Wen Mingyu stepped forward, scooped the two little dumplings up, and cradled them in his arms. Smiling, he gently admonished them, “I’m very happy you were thinking of Daddy, but from now on, you must ensure your own safety first. Otherwise, I’ll be really worried, understand?”
The two dumplings nodded, although they didn’t really grasp the full meaning. “Daddy and Father Emperor, you must take good care of yourself too, or we will be very worried. “
Their tone was that of little grown-ups, their expressions earnest. When they spoke of worry, they even pressed their hands to their chests, as if to say their hearts ached.
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan, both receiving a lecture, nodded back, smiles playing on their lips.
Just then, the sound of cheerful footsteps approached, accompanied by a bark.
Little Chilli looked up at the sound, and her eyes lit up instantly. “Naughty dog!”
She slid right out of Wen Mingyu’s arms and dashed straight towards the husky, calling out to her brother for reinforcement as she ran.
In the end, whether the husky was deliberately holding back or was genuinely no match for the two kids, he was subdued. Little Chilli even climbed onto its back, treating it like a pony, and rode it around the courtyard.
Wen Mingyu watched from the sidelines, making no move to rescue the husky. He had not forgotten how that silly dog had once tried to play head-biting games with him. This time, it had come begging for it.
By the end of the day, Little Chilli, Little Rice Cake, and the husky had become good buddies. When Wei Yingwu came to collect the dog, they were reluctant to part with it, hugging the dog tightly and refusing to let go.
Wen Mingyu simply suggested, “Would you like to keep a pet? Just so you know, you’ll have to look after it carefully yourselves.”
Little Chilli nodded eagerly, full of enthusiasm.
Little Rice Cake hesitated, however, fearing he might not be able to care for it properly. Yet he couldn’t resist her sister’s coaxing.
“So, what would you like to keep?”
Mu Zhan and Wen Mingyu had originally intended to give them a mild-mannered cat or dog, but Little Chilli raised her hand with sparkling eyes and declared, “I want to keep a chick!”
Wen Mingyu and the others froze.
Little Rice Cake proceeded to analyze the situation with utmost seriousness, concluding it was feasible. After all, once grown, it could be eaten. Little Chilli, furious, nudged him with her head, insisting it was out of the question.
Eventually, Little Chilli did indeed raise a little yellow chick. She was present when it hatched. The chick mistook her for its mother at first glance and followed close behind her naturally, chirping away.
The chick’s feathers were a soft, pale yellow down, with shiny black eyes and a tiny beak. It looked just like a little ball of fluff and was very cute.
Although Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake were still children themselves, they cradled the little yellow chick in their palms, feeding it with extreme care. They chirped back in response, engaging in cross-species communication with the chick. It was a scene so precious, no matter how many times you saw it.
Wen Mingyu captured this scene in a painting. Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake, their small hands still inked, pressed their palms on the corner of the painting with a satisfying ‘thump’ and then, holding the chick, left a tiny claw print. The entire painting instantly came alive with childlike charm and vitality.
Mu Zhan watched in silence, his eyes crinkling with amusement. He then ordered the painting to be mounted and hung in the imperial study.
ChiFu: Hello everyone! sorry for being inactive. I would like to update everyone that our first exams passed peacefully. I guess? Anyway, wishing for good scores! Next month is another set of exams again, but for now, I’m giving myself a good rest. My sleeping schedule was terrible during exam week, with only 2 hours of sleep every day, so I feel sleepy most of the time after. Hoping to fix this!