Chapter 46
The moment Xu Qingshi heard that irritating voice, he knew it belonged to Wei Herui. He cursed inwardly, thinking, What rotten luck.
"Xu Qingshi, why aren’t you answering me? Could it be that you regret picking up that woman to be your mother?" Wei Herui smirked triumphantly at him.
"What do you know?" Xu Qingshi scoffed lightly. He didn’t regret it at all. After all, what other mother would bring him so many puzzle locks or have a grandfather who casually handed him five thousand taels of silver?
At the thought, Xu Qingshi recalled how frugal Madam Wei usually was.
"Oh, Wei Herui, how did you get the money to come to Treasure Pavilion today? Did your mother suddenly grow generous? Or did you steal the silver from your family?" Xu Qingshi eyed Wei Herui up and down.
"Xu Qingshi, what’s there to be proud of? Even if my mother gives me less, at least she’s my real mother. Unlike some people who probably don’t even remember what their birth mother looked like. What a pity—no one even gives you pocket money." Wei Herui shook his head like a little adult.
"I may not have a birth mother, but I have a stepmother. And she may not have much, but she has plenty of money. The silver she gives me at once is more than what your mother gives you in a month." Xu Qingshi figured that since Li Tianyou was so generous, Li Zhiwei wouldn’t be stingy either.
Besides, that whole chest of toys—Wei Herui’s mother would never buy him so many.
She’d just scold him for wasting his mind on trivial things.
"Who knows if that’s true? Didn’t they say your stepmother donated all her dowry to the court? Maybe she’s just flaunting the An Manor’s money to act rich." Wei Herui was convinced that had to be the case. Otherwise, how could anyone be more generous than his own mother?
"You’re talking nonsense! Even if my mother donated her dowry, my grandfather would definitely prepare another lavish one for her!" Xu Qingshi frowned. How could Li Zhiwei possibly be short on money?
"Who’s to say? Can a merchant’s daughter really conjure silver out of thin air?" Wei Herui didn’t believe his own mother could produce money, let alone Li Zhiwei.
"My mother can conjure silver," Xu Qingshi declared confidently.
"My mother can too!" Wei Herui retorted, displeased. His mother couldn’t possibly be worse than Xu Qingshi’s!
"My mother makes delicious food!" Xu Qingshi refused to back down.
"My mother makes lots of delicious food!" Wei Herui hesitated before saying this.
Truthfully, he wasn’t entirely sure his mother even knew how to cook well.
"My mother’s food makes you happy after eating it!" Xu Qingshi thought of Li Zhiwei’s dishes—just the memory made him feel cheerful.
"My father loves my mother’s cooking!" Wei Herui said, though his voice wavered.
"My father loves my mother’s cooking the most! After eating it, he gets even stronger!" Xu Qingshi reasoned that since his father was already strong, his stepmother’s food must make him even stronger.
"My father can carry my mother around the courtyard after eating her food!" Wei Herui boasted, thinking how impressive it was—his mother was quite sturdy, after all.
As Madam Lin, the wife of the Young Master Wei, stepped out with her close friend, she stumbled upon hearing the words, her face flushing crimson with embarrassment. That wretched child—what nonsense was he spouting?
"My father can carry my stepmother and me around the entire courtyard after eating the delicious food my mother makes!" Xu Qingshi refused to back down. After all, his father was far more impressive than Wei Herui’s—hah!
His father could carry one person, but Xu Qingshi’s father could carry two at once!
"My father can eat eight bowls of my mother’s cooking in one go!" Xu Qingshi cut in before Wei Herui could finish.
"My father can eat eighty bowls of my mother’s cooking in one go!" Wei Herui raised his little hand triumphantly, his face brimming with pride.
Madam Qu, Lin Ziyi’s friend, looked at her teasingly and remarked with a smile, "I had no idea your culinary skills improved so much after marriage. Who would’ve thought Lord Wei would be such an enthusiastic admirer?"
"Madam Qu, please don’t tease me. You know exactly how skilled I am—Wei Herui is just making things up." Lin Ziyi was mortified. She would definitely have to discipline Wei Herui when they got home.
Didn’t he know what was appropriate to say and what wasn’t?
"My father adores my mother!"
"My father loves my mother even more!" Wei Herui didn’t understand why Xu Qingshi kept saying such things.
But in his young mind, his father had to be superior to Xu Qingshi’s. Otherwise, why was his mother still by his father’s side, while Xu Qingshi’s birth mother was no longer around?
To little Wei Herui, this was proof of his father’s greatness.
Besides, in this battle with Xu Qingshi, he couldn’t lose—and neither could his father.
"My father would fight bad guys for my mother!" Xu Qingshi taunted, his expression challenging.
"My father would steal bad guys for my mother!" Wei Herui declared smugly. If the bad guys belonged to his family, Xu Qingshi’s father wouldn’t even get a chance to fight them!
The crowd around them grew larger. At first, no one paid much attention to the children’s bickering.
But gradually, people stopped to watch, their curiosity piqued.
Once they caught wind of the boys’ boasts, the onlookers stifled laughter. Many in the capital recognized Wei Herui and Xu Qingshi.
"My father is the strongest—he can run around the capital shirtless!" Struggling to think of another advantage, Xu Qingshi suddenly recalled his father practicing martial arts bare-chested in their estate.
Imagining his father’s muscular physique, Xu Qingshi felt certain of his father’s prowess.
The noblewomen and young ladies inside the room blushed at first, then turned to Xu Qingshi with eager anticipation. When would Prince An next parade shirtless through the capital?
They wouldn’t mind seeing that...
"Your father’s nothing special. Mine can run around the capital three times—completely naked!" Wei Herui held up three fingers, gloating at Xu Qingshi. One lap? His father could do three!
The noblewomen’s gazes shifted to Wei Herui. The Minister of Ceremonies was rather handsome—a naked sprint?
They wouldn’t object to that sight either...
"Ziyi, dear, while it’s lovely that you and your husband are so affectionate, you really should be mindful of what the child hears. Such talk..." Madam Qu teased, thinking to herself that the refined Minister of Ceremonies had quite the wild side.
Lin Ziyi’s face burned with humiliation. She wanted to disappear!
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Xu Heming—who was pleading with Emperor Zhu Jingchen to grant him permission to marry Li Zhiwei—suddenly found himself sneezing uncontrollably.
"Minister Xu, if you're unwell, you should return home and rest for a few days," Zhu Jingchen remarked, watching him with a thoughtful gaze. He wondered if he had perhaps pushed the man too hard.
