"Does it hurt? Mother will blow on it for you."
Er Bao’s face remained unchanged, as if the injury wasn't his. He shook his head faintly, "It doesn't hurt."
"How can it not hurt? Look, there are several cuts on your hand, and it's bleeding. You're just enduring it and not saying anything."
Whether sweet or bitter, pain or joy, Er Bao endured it all without showing it. He had fallen so badly, yet he hadn't even cried, and there wasn't a hint of pain on his face. If it were Da Bao, who knew how much of a fuss he would have made.
Feng Jin sighed helplessly. Who knew this child had such a personality, so much like Ling Mohan? Coupled with his rowdy older brother Da Bao, Er Bao would surely suffer some grievances in the future.
"Mother... it doesn't hurt..."
As if afraid Feng Jin would worry, Er Bao emphasized his words again, one syllable at a time.
His serious expression amused Feng Jin, and she rubbed the top of his head. "Mother knows, you don't hurt. Mother will bandage your hand for you. Don't run so fast in the future."
Er Bao nodded. But when he saw the bandaged wound on his hand, the faint smile on his lips disappeared without a trace.
It was simply too ugly, and why did it have to have such a big tail? It was useless, just a big burden.
The more he looked at it, the uglier it seemed. He reached out to pull off the big tail, but Feng Jin caught his hand.
"It's just been bandaged. Don't pull it, or you'll reopen the wound and it'll bleed again."
Feng Jin grabbed Er Bao's restless hand and pulled him into her arms. She would hold him all day today, lest this little fellow become restless and move around, reopening the wound.
"Mother... ugly... ugly..."
Raising his hand, which was wrapped like a zongzi, Er Bao pouted his lips, expressing his current displeasure.
Feng Jin furrowed her brows slightly, finally understanding why Er Bao had wanted to pull it off. She couldn't help but retort, "How is it ugly? It's very pretty. Look at this specially tied bow, it's so cute."
Er Bao's mouth twitched slightly. This was called pretty and cute? It was too ugly. With a droopy face, he kept shaking his head to express his disapproval: "No... ugly..."
"What do you mean ugly? It's clearly very beautiful. It's just that your aesthetic sense, like your father's, is wrong. Listen to Mother, and you'll be right. Understand?"
Having her aesthetic sense, which she was proud of, denied by her own son, Feng Jin was immediately displeased. She forced Er Bao to accept it, holding the reluctant Er Bao tightly and walking out.
Seeing this, Da Bao immediately scampered after them, not forgetting to say something to please Feng Jin. "This... is beautiful... Mother... want... want..."
These few words made Feng Jin beam with joy. After speaking, Da Bao leaned over and kissed Feng Jin on the cheek.
"My Da Bao is truly smart and cute, knowing how to make Mother happy."
Feng Jin pulled Da Bao into her arms. Da Bao was so considerate, truly her little warm jacket. Looking at Er Bao, who was exactly like Ling Mohan, he was simply a beggar in tattered clothes.
Er Bao was not moved by the mother-son affection at all. Instead, he stubbornly wanted to tear off the bandage wrapped around his hand. Such an ugly thing on his hand made him feel annoyed.
Unable to persuade Er Bao, Feng Jin had to untie the bandage and rewrap it for him.
Er Bao, having gotten his wish, immediately cheered up, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"You stinking brat, you're just like your father."
"What have I done to offend you now? You're always saying I'm the same as you."
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard Feng Jin scolding Er Bao, and she even included him.
He had understood now. As long as these two little ones had the slightest imperfection, it was all blamed on him.
As long as he retorted, Feng Jin would use the excuse of genetics to deal with him. He never understood what genetics was, only knowing that whenever the two little ones made a mistake, it was all his responsibility.
"You are his father, so naturally, he takes after you. Of course, he's like you."
The more she looked, the more Er Bao seemed to be carved from the same mold as Ling Mohan, not only in appearance but also in temperament.
"Whenever I see Er Bao, I can vividly picture what you were like as a child."
Feng Jin glanced at Er Bao, then at Ling Mohan, further confirming her thoughts.
The man ignored Feng Jin's words, instead sitting on a chair and holding Da Bao, who was running around wildly, in his arms. "Can't you be still? You run around non-stop all day. Aren't you tired? Look at your brother, how steady he is, unlike you..."
"What do you know? This is called lively and cute, and very likable. Unlike you and Er Bao, who are like silent statues, unable to say a word for half a day."
After a pause, Feng Jin continued, "Didn't you go to the imperial court? Why are you back so early? Why didn't you go to Prince Jing's mansion today?"
"I didn't want to," Ling Mohan said indifferently. He couldn't go to Prince Jing's mansion every day.
Besides, spending too much time with Chu Chenyi always affected his intelligence.
"That's rare. You guys are usually inseparable. It's really rare to hear you say you don't want to go..."
Feng Jin's tone was sour, and her gaze towards Ling Mohan was laced with disdain.
"Talking to him for a few more words can lead to some useless things, and he only says nonsense."
"That's true..." For the first time, she agreed with Ling Mohan's sentiment, mainly because Chu Chenyi was indeed like that, always bringing up useless matters.
"Speaking of which, His Majesty is truly pitiable. Which emperor in history doesn't have a dozen or twenty sons? Yet he only has a few sons, and they are all useless. Picking the best from the worst, only Chu Chenyi is presentable."
Feng Jin's tone was full of pity for Emperor Xuanwen. He already had few sons, and they were all incompetent. It was difficult for him to choose an emperor from these few.
Chu Yanxi, his most favored son, was even a hypocrite and colluded with Xiliang. If Emperor Xuanwen knew about this, he would surely be angered to death.
To have such a son was truly tragic. If she were to have such a child, she would rather strangle them to death than be angered to death.