Duoduo raised her index finger and placed it against her lips.
"Shh!"
Duoduo pulled Yingniang and quickly ran out of the Bamboo Pavilion.
Only when the two had run far away did they dare to laugh out loud.
"Duoduo, Nanny Li is really terrifying. My heart is still pounding even now."
Yingniang patted her chest.
"It's okay, the nanny is actually very nice!"
Yingniang shook her head; she didn't believe Duoduo's words at all.
The two ran happily through the garden and returned to the flower hall.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang and Xu Jinxin had been talking, but stopped immediately when they saw the two run in.
Lianxin hurriedly organized the older maidservants to serve the dishes.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang hugged Duoduo. "Did you see the nanny?"
Duoduo nodded.
"I saw her."
"Mother, the nanny seems to have aged a lot."
"Oh right, Mother, Nanny Li doesn't even have a single servant to wait on her in her courtyard."
"Please arrange for a rough-work maidservant to go over and help with the chores."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang finally remembered.
"It's a good thing you reminded me! I had so many things to do today that I completely forgot about this."
"Baihe, send an honest and diligent maidservant over."
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
Baihe bowed and walked out.
Looking at the table full of food, Duoduo suddenly felt incredibly hungry.
She stood up from the Princess Consort of Pingyang's embrace and climbed onto a stool by herself.
"You must be starving, right? Whatever you want to eat, have Lüzhu serve it for you."
"Yingniang, you too. Tell the maids whatever you'd like to eat."
"Mhm, thank you, Your Highness," Yingniang replied obediently.
Seeing the Princess Consort of Pingyang pick up her chopsticks, Duoduo finally picked up hers and started eating.
After the masters finished their meal, the maids cleared away the bowls and chopsticks and brought up hot tea.
"Duoduo, I heard that you often dream about things that haven't happened yet?"
Xu Jinxin asked, seemingly unintentionally.
After speaking, she stared intently at Duoduo.
Duoduo had been whispering with Yingniang, but upon hearing Xu Jinxin's question, she looked up.
In the air before her eyes, golden words floated.
Still, no one else could see them?
Duoduo saw Xu Jinxin staring at her with a serious expression.
Duoduo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"I can dream about them, but not often."
Xu Jinxin seemed very interested.
"Then under what circumstances do you usually have these dreams?"
Duoduo shook her head. "I don't know either."
"Anyway, they just pop up suddenly."
Xu Jinxin was taken aback for a moment, then pondered deeply.
"Duoduo, have you ever seen Pleasant Goat?"
After saying this, Xu Jinxin unblinkingly observed Duoduo's expression.
Doubt surfaced in Duoduo's eyes.
Pleasant Goat?
Washing Goat?
"Aunt Xu, I have never seen a goat, nor have I seen a cow."
"I have only seen little kitties! The ones that go 'meow meow'."
For some reason, Xu Jinxin actually breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
Only then did she realize that not only Yingniang, but even her best friend Su Xian was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong? Have you guys never seen a goat either?"
The three of them shook their heads at the same time.
"Mother, does Pleasant Goat mean that when people get happy, they turn into goats?"
Yingniang couldn't figure it out.
How could a person turn into a goat after being too happy?
"Haha! Yingniang, your explanation is so interesting!"
"However, this Pleasant Goat is the name of a little goat."
"Little goats have names too? Mother, did you name it?"
"How come I've never seen that goat? Did you eat it?"
Xu Jinxin rubbed her forehead.
"Uh, I didn't raise it, and no one ate it. It lives on the great grasslands."
"On the great grasslands? Then Mother, why did you ask if Duoduo had seen it?"
"Duoduo, have you been to the grasslands?" Yingniang's head was full of question marks.
Duoduo shook her head, her little face drooping.
"Since I was little, I've been in a dilapidated courtyard. Other than the sky above my head, there were only the sounds from outside the wall."
"I've never left the manor since I was born, let alone gone to the great grasslands."
Duoduo's words made everyone in the room fall silent.
After a long time, Xu Jinxin lightly slapped her own mouth.
"It's all my mouth's fault. Duoduo, Auntie apologizes to you!"
Duoduo blinked.
"It's not Auntie's fault! Why are you apologizing?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang came out to smooth things over.
"Alright, it's all in the past now."
"This time on our way to the capital, we'll be passing by a grassland."
"Maybe we'll be able to see goats then!"
Duoduo instantly became interested.
"Mother, are there really goats? What do goats look like?"
"The poem says, 'As the wind blows and grass bends, cows and sheep appear.' Is it really like that?"
Duoduo asked a string of questions.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stroked Duoduo's head.
"You'll know when you see it! I wasn't accustomed to the climate back then and never stepped out of the carriage, so I don't really know what the scene looks like."
"Then Father must have seen it! When Father comes back, I'll ask him!"
Duoduo greatly yearned for the scenes described in the poetry.
She began to look forward to the upcoming travel days.
She had never left the manor before, and soon, she would be going on a long journey!
Yingniang looked envious.
Looking at Yingniang's expression, the Princess Consort of Pingyang suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Jinxin, why don't you guys come along with us for a trip to the capital?"
Xu Jinxin was a little hesitant.
"How about this, I'll go back and ask Li Jin to see what he says?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled.
"The Prince surely also hopes that Teacher Li will accompany us to the capital."
"If we really go, our whole family will be freeloading off of you for food and drinks!"
Xu Jinxin teased.
"No worries! I can eat less and share half with you," the Princess Consort of Pingyang responded with a smile.
"I'll share half of mine with Big Sister too!" Duoduo clapped her hands excitedly.
"Duoduo, only half? What if it's not enough to eat? Auntie and Big Sister will both go hungry."
Xu Jinxin teased Duoduo.
"Don't be afraid, the Teacher knows how to hunt! He can find food!"
Last time, Duoduo had already experienced Li Jin's wilderness survival skills.
Xu Jinxin and the Princess Consort of Pingyang looked at each other and smiled.
"Duoduo has already made up her mind. It seems it will be hard for Li Jin to refuse going."
Duoduo laughed bashfully.
"Jinxin, this is perfect. When the time comes, you guys can stay with us."
"Duoduo will have a companion, and I'll have someone to talk to."
"You know how the Prince is. You can count the words he says in a day on one hand."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang increasingly felt that this was a great idea.
Xu Jinxin clicked her tongue.
"Su Xian, you've changed quite a bit. You actually dare to talk behind the Prince's back!"
"Tell me, if the Prince of Pingyang knew you were talking about him, what would he think?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang blushed.
"How is that talking behind his back? Anyway, you should go discuss it with Teacher Li in a bit."
"If you're going, there are a lot of things to prepare, and we only have a few days left."
Xu Jinxin stood up.
"Alright, I'll go ask right now. Satisfied?"
"Yingniang, let's go."
Xu Jinxin left with Yingniang, and the Princess Consort of Pingyang led Duoduo back to their room.
"Mother, the way Aunt Xu looked at me just now was so strange!"
