The carriage traveled for about two hours and finally stopped by a small river.
Shi Yuanping lifted the carriage curtain and jumped out first. Then he reached out to take Shi Huai from Qinghe's arms, his movements surprisingly gentle.
"We're here," Shi Yuanping said, holding Shi Huai and pointing to a small courtyard with blue brick buildings in front.
"This is our home."
Shi Huai looked in the direction he pointed and was stunned.
This was no ordinary manor. It was clearly an incredibly exquisite garden.
The blue bricks and black tiles, the winding paths leading to seclusion. There were a few bamboo poles planted in the yard, and there was also a plum tree in full bloom in the corner. The air was filled with a faint fragrance.
Qinghe was also stunned, her mouth wide open as if she could swallow an egg: "Second Master, is this your manor?"
Shi Yuanping smiled and carried Shi Huai inside: "It is a manor, just a small one. Don't be disappointed."
Shi Huai thought to himself that if this was considered small, then the side courtyard of the Marquis's Mansion was probably no better than a doghouse.
There was already a woman in her thirties waiting in the yard. She was wearing clean blue cloth clothes and had a kind face. When she saw Shi Yuanping carrying the child in, she quickly stepped forward: "Second Master, is this the young master?"
Shi Yuanping nodded: "This is Nanny Wang. I've invited her to be the wet - nurse. From now on, you'll be in charge of taking care of the child's daily life."
Nanny Wang looked at Shi Huai with a beaming smile. When her eyes fell on his face, she paused slightly, but quickly regained her composure. She reached out to take him and hugged him, cooing:
"Oh, the young master looks so energetic. What bright eyes he has."
Shi Huai knew she was telling white lies, but he still felt quite pleased.
After all, being praised was better than being scolded.
Shi Yuanping showed Qinghe and Nanny Wang around the yard and arranged their accommodations.
Shi Huai lived in a warm pavilion next to the main house. It was a bit smaller than the one in Shou'an Hall of the Marquis's Mansion, but it was exquisitely decorated. There was also a pot of narcissus in full bloom on the windowsill.
Qinghe lived next door, and Nanny Wang lived across from them. With three people and a baby, this small courtyard was just filled up.
After everything was settled, Shi Yuanping called Qinghe and Nanny Wang to him and seriously instructed them.
"This child is very important to me," Shi Yuanping said in a moderate tone, but his voice carried an undeniable earnestness.
"You must take good care of him and not let him suffer the slightest bit of injustice. If there's anything you need, just tell me."
Qinghe and Nanny Wang nodded repeatedly.
Shi Yuanping looked at Shi Huai again, a meaningful smile appearing on the corner of his mouth:
"Kid, grow up well. When you grow up, I have a lot to tell you."
After saying that, he turned around and left. His footsteps faded away on the bluestone path.
Shi Huai lay on the small bed in the warm pavilion, staring at the beam on the ceiling. He wondered what this second uncle was up to.
He had spent two years setting up a scheme just to let the eldest brother, the marquis, have a son outside?
It didn't make sense.
Unless this child had some more important meaning to him.
Shi Huai couldn't figure it out, but he knew that one day, he would find out.
Days passed in this small manor in the outskirts of the capital. It was much quieter and safer than in the Marquis's Mansion.
Nanny Wang was a competent wet - nurse. She fed the baby and changed his diapers on time every day. Her movements were skillful. Although she didn't talk much, she was efficient in her work.
Qinghe remained the same as before. Every day, she would hold Shi Huai in the yard to soak up the sun and chatter with him, even though she knew he couldn't say much.
"Do you know? I think the birthmark on your face is getting lighter," Qinghe said while wiping Shi Huai's face. "Now there's only a small piece left on the left half of your face, and the right half is completely clean."
Shi Huai thought to himself, of course it's getting lighter. His current appearance score had already reached 11, and the area of the birthmark had shrunk by nearly half.
Although there was still a long way to go before he could be considered "good - looking", at least now when he looked in the mirror, he could see the outline of his facial features.
His eyes were not small, his nose bridge was not flat, and the shape of his lips was also nice. If the birthmark completely disappeared, he should have a delicate appearance.
"Ding! Current appearance score: 11. The area of the birthmark has shrunk by 38%, and the skin evenness has increased by 15%. It is estimated that it will take 19 months to reach 30 points (barely presentable)."
Shi Huai silently calculated in his heart that in one year and seven months, he would transform from an "ugly duckling" to someone who was "barely presentable".
By then, he would be over two years old, able to walk and talk, and it would be just the right time to start planning his next move.
However, plans could never keep up with changes.
On the day when Shi Huai turned one year old, Shi Yuanping unexpectedly didn't go out. Instead, he asked Nanny Wang to set up a table of wine and dishes in the yard, saying that he wanted to celebrate the young master's first birthday.
Qinghe was overjoyed. She got up early in the morning to get busy and steamed a pot of birthday peaches. Although they were lopsided, the thought was there.
Shi Yuanping sat at the table, holding Shi Huai in his arms. His expression was much softer than usual: "Kid, you're one year old. Time really flies."
Shi Huai sat on his knees and reached out to grab the chopsticks on the table, but was gently blocked by Shi Yuanping.
"Don't be in a hurry. You can play with these when you grow up," Shi Yuanping said with a smile as he turned Shi Huai around to face him. "Come on, Uncle is giving you a birthday gift."
He took out a small wooden box the size of a palm from his sleeve and opened it. Inside lay a small jade pendant, green all over, carved with a little tiger that looked so vivid.
Qinghe leaned over to take a look and exclaimed: "Second Master, this jade pendant is so precious!"
Shi Yuanping smiled and tied the jade pendant to Shi Huai's belt, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure: "It's not precious. It's just a little token of my affection."
Shi Huai looked down at the little tiger and thought that this second uncle was really generous. This jade pendant clearly wasn't an ordinary one and was worth at least a few hundred taels of silver.
"Kid, do you know why I'm giving you a tiger?" Shi Yuanping's voice suddenly became very soft, as if he was only speaking to Shi Huai.
Shi Huai looked up into his eyes.
"Because the tiger is the king of all beasts. I hope that when you grow up, you can be like a tiger, imposing even without getting angry, and make people not dare to look down on you," Shi Yuanping's gaze was as deep as an unfathomable pool of water.
Qinghe listened on the side and thought it was a bit strange to say such things to a one - year - old baby, but she didn't dare to say anything.
However, Shi Huai heard something else in these words.
Imposing without getting angry and making people not dare to look down.
This didn't seem like a blessing for a child, but rather a kind of expectation.
Just then, there suddenly came a series of rapid hoofbeats outside the courtyard gate.
Immediately afterwards, a servant in gray shorts dismounted and stumbled in.
"Second Master! Second Master! Something terrible has happened!"
The smile on Shi Yuanping's face disappeared instantly: "What's the matter?"
The servant knelt on the ground, out of breath, his face as white as paper: "The Marquis's Mansion... Something has happened to the Marquis's Mansion!"
