“Mother, it’s nothing.” Cui Xian forced himself to drink the medicine. Fortunately, being a martial man, his wounded spirit healed somewhat after a few days’ rest. He heard that Wei Qingshan would be hosting a full-month banquet in a few days and had sent invitations to his colleagues—but none to him.

He planned to personally deliver a congratulatory gift in a few days—after all, it was a joyous occasion; surely they wouldn’t turn him away at the door.

Jia Feng also came to see his cousin, never having witnessed him in such a state before. “Cousin, which family’s daughter is it? They’re all the same anyway.”

Cui Xian couldn’t stand his idle cousin. Though he’d been studying at his house to prepare for the imperial exams, he’d seen little progress over the years. Instead, Jia Feng was constantly getting into trouble. Cui Xian closed his eyes, unwilling to engage.

Jia Feng stuck to him like glue, whispering, “Cousin, why don’t I take you to Yihong Pavilion? I’ve got a regular there.”

Cui Xian grabbed the teacup from the bedside and hurled it at him. Jia Feng yelped in fright. “Fine, I won’t go!”

Feeling his kindness had been taken for granted, Jia Feng huffed and walked off, fanning himself.

As Wei Qingshan’s two little ones neared their full-moon celebration, Lin Yu had arranged for a carriage to fetch He Dongdong and the others early. He Dongdong was thrilled to visit the county seat for the first time, and all four family members arrived dressed in their new New Year clothes.

The carriage had barely stopped when He Dongdong leaped out. Shi Tou carried the two little ones down, and Yun-ger refused to let He Dongdong hold his hand, dashing toward the courtyard himself. “A-Ma, I’m here!”

Yun-ger scampered over and threw himself into Lin Yu’s arms. Lin Yu pinched his little cheek. “Running so fast, are we?”

He Dongdong followed in behind. Spotting Lin Yu’s courtyard, he gasped, “Yu-ger, your place is huge! And so pretty!”

The courtyard was indeed lovely—blue-tiled brick houses, even the ground paved with bricks, and the open spaces dotted with flowers and plants. It was both clean and beautiful.

Lin Yu glanced behind him. “Why are only Yun-ger and Lei-zi here? Where are the other two little ones?”

“How could I bring all four at once? Shi Tou and I couldn’t manage them. The two little ones are staying at my mother’s place for a few days.”

Just the thought of bringing all four children made He Dongdong’s head ache. With four kids running and jumping around, he and Shi Tou wouldn’t have been able to keep up. So he’d brought only the two older ones.

Zhao Yueniang brought over tea and some snacks. They probably hadn’t eaten well during the journey, so they could have some light bites first. Dinner would be ready soon.

Zhao Yueniang called out, “Dongdong.”

He Dongdong looked her over. “Haven’t seen you in a while, Yueniang. If you hadn’t called out, I almost wouldn’t have recognized you.”

Zhao Yueniang smiled. Brother Dongdong was just teasing her—it wasn’t nearly as exaggerated as he made it sound.

Lin Yu beckoned to Tuan-ger, “Tuan-ger, come play with your two big brothers.”

Tuan-ger ran over, tilting his little head to look at Yun-ger and Lei-zi. Not shy at all, he was delighted to have two new brothers to play with.

The three little ones grabbed some snacks and dashed off to play in the courtyard.

Lin Yu picked up the two younger ones to show He Dongdong. He Dongdong took one and gave it a hug. “This one doesn’t cry, huh?”

“That’s the younger one. The older one here doesn’t like being held.”

He Dongdong refused to believe it. “Let’s swap.”

He remembered Tuan-ger being perfectly well-behaved as a baby, smiling sweetly at everyone. This little one, however, lay in his arms chewing on his own hand in his swaddling clothes—neither crying nor smiling, but oddly calm.

He Dongdong noticed that Wei Yang, whom Lin Yu was holding, was smiling happily and seemed perfectly content. so he swapped with Lin Yu. But the moment the little one was in his arms, he started wailing as if stung by needles, prompting Lin Chao beside them to start whimpering too.

He Dongdong chuckled twice and quickly handed the baby back. “You hold him.”

Lin Yu took Wei Yang back. These two little ones were nothing like Tuan-ger had been. Wei Yang was a crybaby who hated lying in bed and only wanted to be held. As for Lin Chao, he didn’t cry, but he didn’t smile much either.

Sometimes when the two babies lay together, Lin Chao would get annoyed by Wei Yang’s crying and kick him with his little feet.

Lin Yu watched, amused. They couldn’t even roll over yet, but he knew these two would have plenty of opportunities to spar later.

By evening, Wei Qingshan and Shi Xiaoliu had returned too. With He Dongdong’s family of four joining them, the courtyard buzzed with activity. With so many people, they set up two tables for dinner.

Shi Xiaoliu and the others wouldn’t be going to the shop tomorrow either. With the full-month celebration coming up the day after, the shop would be closed for three days. They stayed home to help with tasks like sorting and washing vegetables.

After dinner, He Dongdong pulled Lin Yu aside for a chat. They hadn’t seen each other in quite some time, and He Dongdong had plenty to share.

Early the next morning, people began knocking on the door delivering chickens, ducks, vegetables, and other provisions. With the banquet scheduled for the following day, all the supplies had to be prepared today. Aunt Wang and Aunt Liu, who usually looked after the two little ones, went to help. Lin Yu and Wei Qingshan each held one child, soothing them.

The courtyard bustled with people coming and going. Baskets upon baskets of chickens, ducks, and fish were delivered into the yard. Shi Xiaoliu and the others pitched in to help.

Tuan-ger led Yun-ger and Lei-zi around the courtyard to look at the fish. The three of them would suddenly reach out to catch a fish without warning. He Dongdong called out, “Hey! Yun-ger, you’re not allowed to play in the water with your little brother!”

Yun-ger tugged at Tuan-ger. “Little brother, let’s stop playing. My little father’s really scary—he’ll scold us!”

“Huh? What did you say, Yun-ger? I heard that, who is scary?!”

Yun-ger quickly covered his mouth. “Little father, I didn’t say anything.”

Yun-ger tried to pull Tuan-ger away, but Tuan-ger was crouched by the wooden basin, both hands busy feeling around in the water. He was having too much fun to leave. “Brother, no pulling.”

Lin Yu saw this and called out, “Tuan-ger, no playing in the water.” “

Tuan-ger finally obediently stood up, holding onto the edge of the wooden basin. But he lost his balance, his hands slipped, and he lunged right toward the basin. Lin Yu watched helplessly as Tuan-ger plunged into the water. The fish in the basin, startled, scattered everywhere. Some even jumped out. Tuan-ger sat in the water, still a bit dazed.

He Dongdong quickly scooped the little one out. Thankfully, the weather wasn’t cold anymore, though the child was now soaked through.

Tuan-ger, finally coming to his senses, burst into tears. Wei Qingshan set down the small tree branch he was holding and walked over. “Your little daddy told you not to play in the water. Who’s being disobedient?”

Wei Qingshan fetched hot water and stripped the wet little bundle clean. Sitting in the basin, Tuan-ger still wept, pouting with hurt. “Daddy, the fish hit me.”

“Tomorrow, Daddy will stew them all for dinner.”

Tuan-ger nodded, nodding, and held out his little chubby arm for Wei Qingshan to see. “Daddy, it hurts.”

Wei Qingshan almost chuckled. The little one’s arm was red where the fish’s tail had struck him. After washing him clean and changing his clothes, the child snuggled against Wei Qingshan’s shoulder, no longer mischievous.

Lin Yu wiped away his tears. “There, there. No more crying. Daddy will get you some sesame candy.”

Tuan-ger nodded eagerly. “Little Daddy, fish bad.”

“Mhm, I know. Who told you to play with them?” Lin Yu recalled the little one diving headfirst into the fish tank and couldn’t help but chuckle. Who knew how many times the fish had swatted at him when he fell in?

Wei Qingshan coaxed Tuan-ger for a while before the boy finally climbed down to play with Yun-ger and the others again.

The next day, the banquet was held. Wei Qingshan’s side brought many guests, each carrying gifts and bringing their families. The courtyard was bustling with activity. Lin Yu and Wei Qingshan each held a little one. Both children wore small silver locks around their necks, dressed in bright red satin shirts, and wrapped in two patchwork quilts made by He Dongdong.

Everyone gathered to see the babies. Twins were rare, and people craned their necks to get a look. Wei Yang’s eyes darted around excitedly, no sign of sleepiness today. Lin Chao, however, lifted his eyelids but seemed listless, finding the commotion a bit much. He closed his eyes, burrowed into his swaddling cloth, and drifted off to sleep.

Tuan-ger was perched on Zhou Bao’s shoulders, happily dangling his legs. Zhou Yizhou tugged at his father’s clothes, “Daddy, put Tuan-ger down! I want to play with Tuan-ger! Play with Tuan-ger!”

The courtyard bustled with people coming and going. Worried he couldn’t keep an eye on Tuan-ger, Lin Yu asked Zhao Yueniang to watch him. With so many people in the courtyard today, it wouldn’t be good if he got bumped into.

Cui Xian had also come today, bringing two pairs of silver bracelets. He saw Zhao Yueniang smiling as she played with a little one. Spotting him, she paused, then took the little one aside.

Cui Xian’s illness had mostly subsided, though his complexion remained poor. Seeing Zhao Yueniang still ignoring him, he felt deeply hurt. Zhou Bao also spotted Cui Xian. He knew Wei Qingshan hadn’t invited him to the full-moon banquet, yet here he was.

Seeing Cui Xian’s despondent expression, Zhou Bao approached to offer comfort. “Commander Cui, have you truly done nothing to offend Qing Shan?”

Cui Xian shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Then it’s baffling. Wei Qingshan isn’t the petty type. Why would he give you the cold shoulder?”

Cui Xian didn’t know either. Not only was Wei Qingshan cold to him, but even Zhao Yueniang seemed to have turned against him.

Zhou Bao was also puzzled. What exactly had Cui Xian done to offend Wei Qingshan? Seeing that few guests remained around the couple, he stepped forward. ”Qingshan, um… Cui Xian is here today too.”

Lin Yu asked, “Brother Zhou, who is Cui Xian?”

“You don’t know? He’s a commander at the city defense office. I once suggested he propose to your family.”

Lin Yu looked at Wei Qingshan. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“The Cui family from Drunken Immortal Pavilion? What’s there to propose?”

Lin Yu finally understood why Wei Qingshan had never mentioned this matter—it truly wasn’t a reputable family.

“Brother, how did Cui Xian ever cross you?” Zhou Bao pressed.

“He can go ask his own parents.”

Zhou Bao felt uneasy inside. He relayed this to Cui Xian, who abandoned his midday banquet and rushed home in a panic. How could this possibly involve his parents?!