Yingniang stomped her foot and ran into the rain after her.
"Duoduo, wait for me!"
"Sister, come quickly!"
Duoduo stopped, waiting for Yingniang to catch up before the two continued walking forward.
Duoduo held an umbrella and arrived at the place where the peonies were planted.
In the pouring rain, the peonies seemed to have gained some vitality.
"Sister, help me hold the umbrella."
Duoduo handed the umbrella to Yingniang.
Yingniang found it a bit strange. "Duoduo, these peonies haven't bloomed yet. What are you looking at?"
Duoduo reached out her hand and infused a golden light into the rainwater.
"I want to play in the water!"
Duoduo's eyes darted around.
"Sister, you must absolutely not tell anyone else!"
"Alright!"
Yingniang nodded in agreement and shielded Duoduo completely from the rain.
Duoduo spread her hands out, and a patch of golden light descended.
Duoduo flipped her hands over, and the golden light scattered into the flowerbed.
The golden light fell upon the peonies along with the rain.
In the blink of an eye, the peonies became vibrant.
Duoduo flipped her hands once more, and the peonies began to sprout buds.
At this moment, the rain stopped.
A rainbow appeared in the sky.
"Wow! So pretty! Sister, look!"
Duoduo pointed at the rainbow in the sky, her little face glowing with joy.
"Wow! It's so beautiful."
Yingniang lowered the umbrella, equally amazed by the rainbow.
The rainbow was right above their heads, like a colorful bridge.
Duoduo reached out her hand, feeling as if she could almost touch it.
"Huh, the peonies have bloomed?"
Yingniang inadvertently noticed the peonies blooming competitively in the flowerbed.
The peonies that had been wilting just moments ago were now full of energy, their branches and leaves gleaming.
Duoduo, who had been reaching out trying to touch the rainbow, withdrew her hand and looked at the flowerbed.
"Ah! They really bloomed! So pretty!"
Duoduo happily ran from one end of the flowerbed to the other.
"Sister, is this flower pretty?"
"It's pretty!"
"What about this one?"
"Also pretty!"
Duoduo fell into a dilemma.
What should she do if every single peony flower was beautiful?
She wanted to pick the most beautiful one for her mother.
But which one was the most beautiful?
Suddenly, one of the flowers swayed gently.
"Wow! This one is the most beautiful!"
Duoduo immediately spotted that flower.
"I'm going to take you to see my mother, don't be afraid!"
The flower swayed, seeming to indicate that it was not afraid.
Duoduo carefully plucked the flower, and then she even stroked the plucked branch.
"Sister, I am going to find my mother! Let's go!"
Duoduo led Yingniang and ran swiftly toward the courtyard of the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
The flower branch that Duoduo had just stroked swayed its leaves, quickly sprouted another bud, and bloomed once again.
"Mother! Mother!"
Before Duoduo even got close, she started shouting.
Inside, the Princess Consort of Pingyang, who was checking accounts with her maids, stood up in alarm.
"Duoduo? Didn't she go to class?"
At that moment, Duoduo ran in like a gust of wind.
"Mother, the peonies have bloomed!"
Duoduo held up a large peony flower and looked cheerfully at the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was stunned.
"This flower? Is this flower from the garden?"
Duoduo ran up to the Princess Consort of Pingyang and handed the flower to her.
"Yes, Mother. It rained, and the flowers bloomed."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang took the flower, extremely pleasantly surprised.
"Really? I thought they wouldn't survive."
"This is wonderful! This flower smells so sweet!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang took a deep breath.
Duoduo looked at the Princess Consort of Pingyang with a beaming smile.
Lianxin looked at the peony flower that still bore water droplets, and she noticed that Duoduo's sleeves and skirt hems were wet.
"Princess, how did your clothes get wet?"
Hearing the maid's words, the Princess Consort of Pingyang finally noticed that Duoduo's clothes were wet in many places.
"Quick, go fetch clean clothes and change the Princess."
"What if she catches a cold?"
"You, you must have run off to play in the water again, haven't you?"
"Why didn't the servants attending to you try to stop you?"
Duoduo waved her hand and pointed at Yingniang by the door.
"I came here with my sister."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang only then saw Yingniang standing at the door.
"Oh, when did Yingniang arrive?"
"Why are you standing at the door? Come here quickly!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang waved at Yingniang, and Yingniang finally walked over to bow to the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"Yingniang greets the Princess Consort."
"Good child, rise quickly."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pulled Yingniang up and looked at her curiously.
"Why are you here? Where is your mother?"
"To answer the Princess Consort, I came with my father."
"Mother, sister is my study companion!" Duoduo explained to the Princess Consort of Pingyang excitedly.
"Study companion? Yingniang?" The Princess Consort of Pingyang was very surprised.
How come she hadn't heard of this?
"Princess Consort, have you forgotten?"
"Lingfeng came over and said that the Prince was worried the Princess would be lonely studying by herself, so he selected a study companion for her."
"I know about that, but Lingfeng never said that the person was Yingniang."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stroked Yingniang's cheek.
"From now on, I will have to trouble you to accompany Duoduo."
Yingniang patted her chest. "Princess Consort, please rest assured. I will definitely urge my little sister to study hard."
After Yingniang finished speaking, her brow furrowed.
"What's wrong? Is the coursework too difficult, and your sister can't keep up?"
Seeing Yingniang's expression, the Princess Consort of Pingyang showed concern.
The Prince of Pingyang had extremely high expectations for Duoduo; many of the things taught were already beyond what a child her age should be learning.
Now that he had specially invited a teacher over to instruct her, it must be even harder.
Yingniang shook her head.
"My sister is too outstanding. I couldn't understand a word of what she and my father were talking about."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was stunned.
"Your father? Talking with Duoduo?"
Yingniang nodded. "My father is now my sister's teacher."
Duoduo also nodded happily.
"Mother, the teacher is as amazing as Father! I like the teacher!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang rubbed her temples, which were aching from reviewing the accounts.
"Wait, let me get this straight."
"Yingniang's father is the teacher the Prince of Pingyang invited for Duoduo?"
"So, Yingniang is Duoduo's study companion?"
"Yes!"
Yingniang and Duoduo answered in unison.
Lianxin, who was standing to the side, interjected, "Princess Consort, why not just invite Madam Li to the estate as well."
"Madam Li can keep you company and chat, and when the Princess finishes her classes, they can go back together."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pondered, "That's a good idea!"
Yingniang smiled and waved her hand.
"My mother said she is too busy, and she will come to keep the Princess Consort company when she has free time."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang laughed.
Her close friend had a restless nature.
If she really had to sit still and keep her company all day, she would go crazy.
"Yingniang, go back and tell your mother that she must remember to come and keep me company."
"Okay," Yingniang agreed obediently.
"Mother, let's go! Let's go to the garden to see the flowers!"
Duoduo pulled on the Princess Consort of Pingyang's hand, dragging her outside.
