The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family-Chapter 1169 - 269: Promoted to Marquis of Xining

After tossing and turning all night, Chang Yonglin finally fell asleep when the roosters crowed. As soon as day broke, he got up and went to the main courtyard.

Mo Heng had already gone to the morning court, while Pei Qin lay lazily in bed, chatting about delicious foods with her two little radishes, Jiujiu and Xixi.

"Mom! Is this what they call ’quenching thirst by thinking of plums’? I haven’t eaten all night, and the more you talk, the hungrier I get!" Jiujiu asked her while lying in bed.

"I’m so hungry too!" Xixi, hungrier still, had been hungry for a while.

Pei Qin felt it too; she was hungry. "If your dad weren’t attending court, he could have fed us three!"

"Mom, you should get up!" Jiujiu urged.

"It’s too cold outside!" The heavy snow from the day before last was just melting!

Seeing her laziness, Jiujiu, with a sullen face, got up by herself and put on some clothes.

Outside, Huang Qiu and Xue Dong, hearing some noise, laughed as they brought in hot water, assisted her in getting dressed and washing up, and mentioned Chang Yonglin, "He’s been waiting in the front courtyard since early morning, wanting to see the madam!"

Pei Qin, remembering how she had lazily slept all day yesterday, and how both she and Mo Heng had been harshly scolded by Pei Qian, that rascally girl, quickly got Xixi up. "Get up! Time to eat! Little chubby ball!"

Xixi nestled in her arms, acting coquettishly while she helped her get dressed.

Once the trio had merrily got up and washed up, Pei Yuan and Pei Qian also arrived with Happy and Yun Yun.

"Everyone’s here! Let’s just eat here!" Pei Qin reached out to take Yun Yun in her arms to play with her.

"We’ve already eaten," Pei Qian said, giving her a stern look.

They all lived in the General Mansion with their families, each family managing their own expenses and meals, only occasionally eating at the main house.

"I haven’t eaten yet!" Chang Yonglin quickly said.

"Then let’s eat first!" Pei Qin ordered the meal to be served.

Happy saw eggs, milk, and tofu and scooped up half a bowl more.

After the meal, Jiujiu took Happy and Xixi to study. Pei Yuan took out some needlework, consulting Pei Qin as this year’s New Emperor’s coronation meant there would be more activities during the New Year, with more visits and feasting between families. They needed to prepare extra dresses for their older sister and the New Year’s gifts for the prince’s mansion and reciprocal gifts for other houses.

Chang Yonglin sat for a while, listening as they planned and arranged matters, thinking that once the New Year passed, in spring, Wendong was to marry Princess Xi Yun. Brother-in-law Qin would take Sister Qin with him; they surely had to finish Wendong’s wedding first. If military affairs weren’t arranged properly, the Emperor might not let Brother-in-law Qin leave. He somewhat relaxed and said, "Sister Qin, Wendong and I are going to visit Master Ouyang! We must prepare well for the examinations after the New Year!"

Pei Qin was naturally happy to see their ambition. With Xiao Guangzhao gone, Xiao Guangjing couldn’t possibly stop Wendong from participating in the examinations anymore. "Take a couple more people with you when you go out!"

"Okay!" Chang Yonglin smiled in agreement, pulling Wendong to go to Daxing, also giving him some time to cool off and unwind.

When Xiao Yong came over, the two were just about to leave. "Going to Daxing!?" He pulled them back to his place to talk first.

Now that Xiao Guangjing had ascended the throne as Emperor, Xiao Yong’s status as the Crown Prince had changed.

"Just treat me the same way as before! What’s the matter? Let’s discuss it together!" Seeing something was off with Wendong’s spirits, Xiao Yong asked him.

"We all know now about Sister Qin’s origins. She... is from another world, a Different World," Chang Yonglin explained.

Xiao Yong’s gaze flickered, staring at Wendong. "Brother-in-law Qin must have said something, right?"

In front of his two close friends, Wendong could no longer hide or repress his feelings, his eyes reddening, "I had never thought before that my elder sister might not be my real sister. I had never thought about what I would be like without her. I always talked about how grateful I am to my elder sister, but in fact, I had always taken for granted the upbringing and support she provided. Although I felt guilty, I had never thought that I shouldn’t have these things! The clearer my thoughts became, the more I hated myself!"

"How did Sister Yuan and Sister Qian handle this?" Xiao Yong asked him.

"Brother-in-law said to follow our hearts. The second and third sisters act just as before, as if nothing had happened. But how can I keep being the jerk that I was, comfortably enjoying everything my elder sister gave me!?" Wendong was very lost, continually loathing and despising himself.

Xiao Yong said nothing, and with Chang Yonglin, they accompanied him as he cried for a while.

After he had cried, Chang Yonglin patted his shoulder. "Sister Qin once said, ’A real man doesn’t shed tears of blood or sweat!’ But she also said, ’It’s not a sin for a man to cry! Crying detoxifies, letting all the negative emotions out, and then you can gather your spirits to live a positive and sunny life!’"