New Return of the Pearl: The Group's Pet Swallow Flies

The next day, Xiaoyanzi was awakened by voices outside the door. She opened her eyes in a daze. She saw the familiar bed curtains, the familiar room, and a girl lying next to her. It was Ziwei.

She rubbed her eyes and heard faint voices outside the house. After listening for a long time, she heard Xiaoyanzi get up and tiptoe to the door barefoot to listen to what they were saying.

"Madam said that we should wake the ladies up when the sun rises, but they are sleeping so soundly and I heard that they are still grouchy when they wake up, so I dare not wake them up."

"I don't dare either. It is said that our eldest daughter has a terrible temper when she wakes up. She will beat people if she disagrees with them."

"Really? Why haven't I heard of it?"

"Really? I once heard the lady calling the young lady to get up. Then the young lady started yelling and there was a lot of noise in the room. Then the lady looked unhappy and told us not to go in and disturb the young lady."

"Ah, the young lady is so grumpy when she wakes up, it's terrible, let's go quickly and stop talking here, I'm afraid the young lady will hear us and scold us."

"Go, go, go, go quickly..."

The discussions outside the house disappeared, and Xiaoyanzi in the house was in a state of dismay.

She hid at the door, holding her chin and thinking, when did she get angry at her mother? And what did she say was so serious?

Ziwei was also awakened by the voices outside the door. She quietly walked to Xiaoyanzi and saw that she looked distressed and had no idea what had happened. She burst out laughing.

Hearing the laughter, Xiaoyanzi turned around and asked her in confusion, "Ziwei, when did I get so irritable when I woke up, and even got angry at my mother?"

Xiaoyanzi really couldn't remember.

Seeing Xiaoyanzi sleeping with messy hair and disheveled clothes, Ziwei pulled her up with amusement and walked to the bed to sit down. After tidying up her clothes and hairstyle, she said, "Speaking of this, I just remembered that this happened when you came back some time ago."

"At that time, you had just come down from the mountain, and we returned to the Xiao Mansion to stay for a while. We didn't sleep all night that day, and we kept listening to you talking about abdominal muscles until dawn, when we went to sleep.

Early in the morning, mother called us to get up and have breakfast, but you said you didn't want to eat because you were too sleepy. You waved your hand and knocked over the breakfast that mother had someone bring, almost scalding mother. Mother didn't know that we didn't sleep the night before, so seeing that you were too sleepy, she didn't call us again. I woke up at that time, but was too sleepy, so I didn't have time to explain to mother.

Afterwards, my mother didn’t tell me that she came to our room to serve us breakfast and that you knocked it over. If they hadn’t told me just now, I wouldn’t have remembered it.”

Xiaoyanzi suddenly understood after hearing the explanation, and then her face was full of guilt. She didn't expect that she almost hurt her mother accidentally before. Thinking of this, she quickly picked up the New Year clothes placed aside and put them on while saying, "Then I have to get up quickly and apologize to my mother."

Ziwei smiled, put on her new year clothes, and prepared to wash up.

However, their hair was still a little messy. Neither of them knew how to comb their own hair, and neither of them could do it well for the other. They had no choice but to ask the maids hiding outside the door to help them comb their hair.

Half an hour later, the two clever and meticulous little girls had finished cleaning up.

Although they haven't celebrated their birthdays yet, they will be one year older after the New Year. The two four-year-old girls, wearing red and pink dresses and cute little buns in their hair, held hands and ran to the front yard with smiles on their faces.

The entire Xiao Mansion was filled with joy. Red lanterns, blessing characters, couplets, every detail exuded a festive atmosphere. The servants all had smiles on their faces, and were happy for the New Year.

Seeing the two young ladies coming, the servants all bowed and greeted them.

Nanny Wu followed behind the young ladies with a smile on her face. She had been waiting by the side since the princesses got up. Seeing how free and at ease the princesses were in the Xiao Mansion after leaving the palace, she felt very happy for them.

"Miss, Miss, Happy New Year. Madam is in the front hall, please come over for dinner."

Gan Ju was sent by the lady to ask the two young ladies to have dinner in the front hall. As soon as she walked around the garden, she saw the two young ladies coming hand in hand. Her face was full of smiles. After bowing, she invited the two young ladies to go to the front hall.

Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei greeted their aunt with a smile, "Happy New Year, Aunt Ganju."

Gan Ju walked forward with a smile, met Madam Wu's gaze, nodded to her, then took the hands of the two young ladies on the left and right and walked towards the front hall.

She knew that it was the nanny sent by Concubine He in the palace, but she was the head maidservant beside the Madam and had watched the young ladies grow up. Now that she was in the mansion, she could serve the two young ladies better.

However, she felt relieved that there were multiple people caring for and taking care of the two young ladies.

Nanny Wu followed behind the few people, looking around the Xiao Mansion. This was not her first time at the Xiao Mansion, but everyone in the Xiao Mansion, whether masters or servants, was in harmony. There was no intrigue or twists and turns, which surprised her. Logically speaking, the Xiao family was now a noble family, and Lord Xiao was even an earl, and was very popular at the time.

If someone else had such a noble status, they would have been so proud that they would have either spent a lot of money on gold and silver or brought beauties into the mansion. However, the Xiao Mansion had always been decorated in a restrained and luxurious style, which showed the noble status without giving people the feeling of a nouveau riche. There were no concubines in the mansion, and when the servants discussed the mistress and the master, their eyes were full of admiration and respect.

Nanny Wu saw this and felt quite moved. No wonder Princess Huanzhu was so lively and cute in the palace. She was pampered and loved in the mansion. How could she not be lively and simple? However, a princess like this deserved to be loved by everyone.

After walking for a while, the group ran into the Du family.

It was Mr. Du Chengyu, Mrs. Du Hua Yan, the eldest son of the Du family, Du Xueyang, his wife Yang Anxia and Du Shaoan.

Seeing her grandparents coming, Xiaoyanzi's face was full of smiles. She let go of Ganju's hand and ran forward happily. Ziwei walked over slowly and obediently, with the smile on her face also growing infinitely.

"Grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, cousin, you are here."

"I've met my grandparents, uncle, aunt, and cousin."

The two shouted in unison, one voice sounded more intimate and lively, the other voice was well-behaved and steady.

"Hey, my dear granddaughter, Little Swallow, Happy New Year."

Du Chengyu took the little swallow who rushed over before his wife, and looked at her with a smug look. Then, with a smile on his face, he held the little swallow affectionately, weighed her, and said with a smile, "Oh, little swallow has gained weight, your little face looks chubby."

Hearing this, Xiaoyanzi covered her face with some fear and said dissatisfiedly, "Grandfather, why do you say that I am fat as soon as you come here?"

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter when they heard this.

Facing the old man's smug look just now, Hua Yan shook her head helplessly and laughed. Seeing Ziwei coming over, she picked her up without hesitation and said with a smile, "Girl Ziwei has grown a lot taller."

Ziwei blushed and said, "I feel like I haven't grown taller."

When Xiaoyanzi heard her grandmother praise Ziwei for growing taller, she just thought that her grandmother knew how to praise others, so she stretched out her hands for her grandmother to hug her, mumbling, "Grandma, I want you to hug me too, and praise me for growing taller. I don't want grandpa to hug me anymore. He's a bad guy. He always says I'm fat when he comes."

Du Chengyu didn't expect that his beloved granddaughter would despise him for just a casual remark. He quickly hugged the little girl tightly, fearing that she would fall, and coaxed her, "Oh, little ancestor, please stay well, isn't it good if I don't say anything to you? You have grown taller, eat more meat, and you will soon be taller than your brother."

Xiaoyanzi thought that she was so small that she could only reach her brother's thigh at most. Her brother was eleven years old now and was almost as tall as her father's waist. She was still far from being taller than her brother.

But I was still quite looking forward to it, hoping that she could grow taller than her eldest brother.

Du Shaoan saw that Little Swallow's eyes were rolling around and she looked mischievous. She looked extremely cute, with her pretty little face and her red lips slightly raised.

Ziwei watched her grandparents playing with Xiaoyanzi. Although they did not ignore her feelings, she still felt a little bit of longing for her grandparents.

I don’t know how they are now?

Yang Anxia seemed to notice a trace of loneliness on Ziwei's face. She smiled and quickly took two exquisite boxes from the maid, one for each of them, and handed them to Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei respectively.

"Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei, although you are princesses now, we are a family now that we are home. Today is the New Year, and we should have waited for you to come and pay New Year's greetings, but since we have been living in the Xiao Mansion, there is no such rule of waiting for you to come and pay New Year's greetings. I will come directly to bring you gifts. I wish you a happy New Year."

Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei hadn't seen their grandparents for a while. When they saw their aunt's gift, they suddenly remembered that today was the first day of the new year, and they should pay New Year's greetings to their elders.

Thinking of this, the two of them hurriedly struggled to get off their grandparents.

Du Cheng and Hua Yan thought that the children wanted to personally accept the gifts prepared by their aunt, so they let go and gently put them down.

Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei held hands and stood in front of the elders, wishing them a happy new year word by word, "Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei wish grandpa, grandma, uncle, aunt and eldest cousin a happy new year. May grandpa and grandma be healthy, uncle and aunt be healthy and smooth, may cousin get what he wants, and may everyone have a happy new year, peace and good fortune, and everything goes well."

This was the blessing that the two of them had thought of long ago and had rehearsed together in advance. After all, it would be more impressive when two people said it together than when one person said it.

As expected, the blessings from the two four-year-old girls stunned everyone. However, on second thought, it was normal for the two girls to be knowledgeable since they were studying in the palace.

However, the Du family members were all cheered up and laughed.

Du Cheng and Hua Yan were still holding the two little girls respectively, chatting and laughing as they walked towards the front hall.

Du Xueyang followed behind his parents and quietly held his wife's hand. Her body stiffened at first and she wanted to struggle, but he held her firmly in his hand and she could not struggle.

Yang Anxia never thought that Du Xueyang would be so bold. In public, with his mother-in-law and father-in-law in front of him, and his son and servants behind him, how dare he hold her hand like this? If someone found out, it would be so embarrassing.

Perhaps she was too nervous and shy, her delicate face was flushed. She looked at the big hand holding hers, her eyes were full of joy and shyness. In fact, she was still very surprised to be held by him and walk like this.

Seeing that her struggle was futile, Yang Anxia stopped struggling and let him quietly hold her hand. Fortunately, she was wearing a jacket and skirt today, and a cloak to cover her face, otherwise, they would definitely be discovered.

Du Xueyang felt that the little hand he was holding was no longer struggling, and a smile flashed across his eyes. He felt that the little hand that was cold just now was now warm, and even sweat was oozing out of the palm. The corners of his lips couldn't help but rise slightly, and then he let go of his hand.

Yang Anxia looked at him blankly. The gentle touch was fleeting, and was followed by a cold wind. She quickly put her hands into her cloak. Her heart, which had been beating hotly just now, gradually felt cold as the other party let go of her hand unexpectedly.

But before she could feel disappointed and sad for too long, she felt her husband walk to her right side, quietly grasp her right hand, hold her hand, and interlock their fingers.

The gentle touch surrounded the cold little hand. Yang Anxia looked up in surprise, only to receive the other party's doting smile in return.

If it was just now, she would have thought that he was teasing her on purpose, but now she finally realized that he was afraid that her hands were cold, so he warmed her hands specially.

Thinking of this, the cold wind no longer felt cold. I just felt hot inside, and my body gradually became warm. I lowered my head to hide the blush on my face. My right hand was wrapped up, and the other person held my hand, holding their fingers together, and walked forward.

Just like the past ten years, he has always stood in front of her, shielding her from the wind and rain, and leading her all the way forward...

Du Shaoan didn't notice the little movements between his father and mother at first, but the uncontrollable smile on his father's face still made him discover a clue. When he looked carefully, he found that his father was quietly holding his mother's hand and walking forward, and a smile couldn't help but flash across his eyes.

He grew up in love and knew how to love. He thought that if he could find his true lover one day, he would be like his parents, obeying her in everything and being gentle and doting on her.

Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei Du Cheng and the couple walked all the way to the front hall. They sat in the arms of their grandparents, seeming taller than others. They turned back inadvertently and saw the little movements of their uncle and aunt. They looked at each other and smiled secretly with their hands covering their lips. It turned out that their uncle and aunt were as loving as their parents.

Ziwei smiled sadly. In this life, her mother was still alive and was taken back to the palace by the Emperor. However, there were three thousand beauties in the harem, and it was obviously impossible for her mother to be as loving as her adoptive father, mother, uncle, and aunt. However, there was nothing she could do about it. After all, as a member of the royal family, she enjoyed all the wealth and glory, but she always had to pay a price. The price was the loss of freedom and the ability to love and be loved.

Fortunately, she and Xiaoyanzi are both girls, so there will be no intrigues between them, no life-and-death struggles for power and interests. Fortunately, fortunately.