"Ah?" Duoduo looked at Xiao Yi, dumbfounded.
Xiao Yi was amused by Duoduo's expression.
With a relaxed brow, he patted Duoduo's shoulder. "Father believes in you! Good luck!"
After speaking, Xiao Yi signaled Yunxiao to wheel him away.
Duoduo turned to her father's retreating back and called out, "Father, buying a gift requires silver!"
Without looking back, Xiao Yi waved a hand. "The estate's accounts have no silver!"
Yunxiao couldn't bear it and turned his head to glance at Duoduo.
He wanted to tell the little Princess that the Prince had actually prepared the birthday gift long ago.
But he didn't dare!
Watching her father's departing figure, Duoduo's little face immediately fell.
Father was too stingy!
Auntie Xu said this was called abusing child labor!
If she had known it would be like this, she shouldn't have asked at all.
Seeing Duoduo looking so dejected, Su Xian felt a pang of sympathy.
"Duoduo, Mother still has some private savings. Later, I'll have Baihe bring it to you."
Duoduo shook her head.
"Mother, there's no need."
"How can that be? You're preparing a gift for His Majesty, how can you be the one paying for it?"
"Be a good girl. Baihe, go to my vanity box and bring the bank notes over."
"Yes!" Baihe replied and prepared to leave.
"Baihe, don't go!" Duoduo stopped her.
"Mother, I haven't even thought about what kind of gift to prepare yet."
"How about this: once I've figured it out, I'll come ask you for it, okay?"
"If the bank notes are kept with me, what if I lose them?"
Duoduo blinked her eyes, trying to persuade Su Xian.
"Alright then, Mother will keep it safe for now." Su Xian felt Duoduo made sense.
Seeing she had convinced her mother, Duoduo felt a bit relieved.
"Mother, let's go for a walk to digest our food first, and exercise a bit later." Duoduo took Su Xian's hand.
"Don't you still have homework to write? I can go by myself." Su Xian was worried about delaying Duoduo.
Duoduo shook her head.
"Father just said I should just hand in the ugliest piece."
"As for the recitation, I've already memorized what the teacher assigned by heart."
Su Xian knew that Duoduo had a super-strong memory.
So, if Duoduo said she had memorized it, then she naturally had.
The mother and daughter walked in the garden for a while, then began their exercises.
Su Xian could now keep up with Duoduo's pace and even exchange a few moves with her.
"Mother, you're so amazing now!"
Duoduo spared no effort in praising Su Xian.
Su Xian's face was flushed from the workout.
"I'm still not as good as you!" Su Xian was very self-aware of her own abilities.
Duoduo took a handkerchief from Lüdou to wipe her sweat.
"Mother, you would definitely have no problem taking down an adult man now." Duoduo gave Su Xian confidence.
Su Xian smiled gently.
"With such a strict master like you, if I still couldn't make progress, wouldn't that be a disgrace to your painstaking efforts?"
Duoduo also laughed.
"Let's go, we should head back and bathe. Look at the sweat on your forehead, it's as if you were just fished out of the water."
Su Xian gently wiped the sweat from Duoduo's forehead.
Duoduo nodded, and the mother and daughter held hands as they returned to the room to wash up.
Once cleaned up, Duoduo climbed onto the bed and buried her head into the quilt.
"Wow! So comfortable!"
Duoduo sighed happily.
Su Xian gently patted Duoduo's little bottom.
Only in her mother's room did Duoduo truly act like a child.
"Cover yourself properly, be careful not to catch a cold later."
Su Xian said this while making Duoduo lie down properly and tucking her in.
Duoduo scooted inward, leaving space on the outside.
"Mother, come up quickly."
Smiling, Su Xian took off her shoes and lay down as well.
As soon as Su Xian was settled, Duoduo rolled into her embrace.
"Mother, you smell so nice!"
Amused, Su Xian gently patted Duoduo.
This child was still so clingy!
Under Su Xian's gentle coaxing, Duoduo fell asleep in an instant.
Looking at Duoduo who had fallen asleep in seconds, a happy smile appeared on Su Xian's face.
She closed her eyes, hugged Duoduo tightly, and drifted off to sleep.
At Prince Ling's Mansion, Song Shuyu had a stiff face and was biting her lip, still writing her homework stroke by stroke.
Ever since Song Shuyu became a Princess, she hadn't written a single word.
Since returning to the mansion, she had started writing.
Back when she was at the Song residence, she hadn't written much to begin with.
Old Madam Song used to say that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent.
Song Shuyu also disliked tedious things like reading and writing.
So, when Madam Song asked Song Shuyu to learn to write, Song Shuyu used her grandmother's theory to lecture her mother.
Madam Song already favored Song Shuyu, so after trying to persuade her twice, she never brought it up again.
Song Shuyu never expected that one day, she would not only have to write but also acquire knowledge.
Song Shuyu felt like the sky was falling.
However, Prince Ling had made it very clear that this was a beneficial opportunity for Prince Ling's Mansion, and no one was allowed to back out.
If anyone dared to feign illness to avoid attending classes, they would be kicked out of Prince Ling's Mansion!
Song Shuyu was frightened by the sharpness in Prince Ling's tone, which completely dispelled her idea of faking an illness.
When she found out that Xiao Yunning also didn't want to attend, Song Shuyu swore that she would study hard.
She wanted to win glory for Prince Ling's Mansion!
Today was Song Shuyu's first class.
Song Shuyu found listening to the lecture agonizing.
Because she couldn't understand a single word the teacher was saying.
She tried hard to keep herself from nodding off, widening her eyes to listen to the teacher.
During a break in class, Song Shuyu saw that Xiao Yunning had fallen asleep, Duoduo was spacing out in the back row, and Danyang next to her was playing with a nine-linked ring puzzle.
A sense of pride welled up in Song Shuyu's heart.
She knew it, she was the most amazing one!
Upon returning to Prince Ling's Mansion, Song Shuyu began doing her homework, full of fighting spirit.
She swore to hand in the best answers.
However, the ideal was grand, but reality was harsh.
Looking at the first character she wrote, which looked like a blob of ink, Song Shuyu almost threw her brush away!
Seeing Song Shuyu's expression fluctuating, Chunxiao hurriedly tried to comfort her.
"Princess, you are still young, so naturally you don't have much strength in your hands."
"This servant remembers that when the Heir was your age, his handwriting was even worse than yours!"
Song Shuyu looked suspiciously at Chunxiao. "Are you telling the truth?"
Chunxiao nodded vigorously.
"This servant wouldn't dare deceive the Princess. I heard that the Heir practiced for a long time before he could write well."
"If you practice a bit more, Princess, you will definitely be able to write well."
Song Shuyu nodded. She remembered that when she learned embroidery in the past, her grandmother had said the same thing.
Practice more, and naturally, it will get better.
So, Song Shuyu kept practicing and practicing.
"Princess, it is already the hour of the Pig. Are you still going to practice?" Chunxiao checked the time and came over to remind her.
"What? It's already that late?" Song Shuyu was shocked.
"Oh no, I haven't memorized my homework yet!"
"Quick, Chunxiao, bring me my book!"
In her panic, Song Shuyu flung her brush, splattering several blobs of ink onto the paper she had just written on.
"Ah! My assignment!"
