Li Pan'er was already over a year old, and as agreed earlier, Mrs. Lu would keep Li Pan'er in the Capital City while she herself left to find Li Chou.
Leaving her daughter in the capital, Mrs. Lu felt very uneasy. Looking at her carefree daughter, she couldn't help but shed tears. She wanted to take her daughter with her.
"Sister-in-law," Li Xia walked in.
Mrs. Lu wiped her tears and greeted her, "Sister."
"Sister-in-law, when have you decided to leave? I'll come to see you off then," Li Xia inquired about Mrs. Lu's departure date.
"I'll leave the day after my elder brother and the Chang'an Princess get married," Mrs. Lu stated the date.
"Have you packed everything? It's more northerly there, and the winters are even colder than in the Capital City. You should bring more warm clothes," Li Xia said with concern.
"Mother has arranged for everything to be packed," Mrs. Lu replied. It was Mrs. Lu's thoughtfulness that allowed her to make the decision to entrust Li Pan'er to her care. If it were left to Auntie An to raise her, Mrs. Lu would never have agreed.
Seeing Li Xia enter the room without picking her up and talking to others, Lu Liucheng started crying. Li Xia got up and picked up Lu Liucheng. He hugged Li Xia's neck, opened his mouth, and nibbled on Li Xia's face, then started laughing. This was his favorite thing to do, leaving his mark on Li Xia's face.
Mrs. Lu also picked up Li Pan'er, who was nearby, and looked at Lu Liucheng in Li Xia's arms, feeling a hint of envy. She envied Li Xia for having a son as her firstborn. Mrs. Lu had been so sure she was having a boy, but it turned out to be a girl.
Auntie An had frowned immediately and said unpleasant things, though Mrs. Lu had stopped her. But in the year since Pan'er's birth, Auntie An hadn't come to see her once. Mrs. Lu had completely given up on Auntie An.
Lu Liucheng, after staying in his mother's arms for a while, didn't want to sit inside anymore. He pointed outside, wanting to go out. Li Xia had to carry Lu Liucheng to the courtyard.
At this time, Mrs. Lu walked back into the courtyard. Seeing Lu Liucheng, she happily came forward to hold him. Lu Liucheng wasn't shy and was happy to be held by anyone. He didn't cry or fuss in Mrs. Lu's arms.
"Such a good boy," Mrs. Lu was very fond of the soft and cuddly Lu Liucheng.
"He's well-behaved now, but when he starts fussing, it's unbearable," Li Xia said, feeling a headache just thinking about Lu Liucheng's crying fits. She had never seen a child who could cry so much.
Mrs. Lu's actions dispelled the dissatisfaction of the Emperor and Empress, who had been somewhat displeased by the Chang'an Princess's unwillingness to build a Princess Mansion.
Li Xia, carrying Lu Liucheng, walked into the new Songtao Courtyard, which had doubled in size. Chang'an, assisted by her maids, had changed out of her wedding dress. Seeing Li Xia and Lu Liucheng, she smiled and walked over, "Cheng Cheng, I've missed you so much. Did you miss auntie?" She said, kissing him on the cheek.
"He should call you aunt-in-law now," Li Xia's words made Chang'an realize that she was now Li Hui's wife.
"Then, Sister Xia, should you call me sister-in-law now?" Chang'an said somewhat mischievously.
"Sister-in-law," Li Xia changed her form of address, causing Chang'an to blush. She looked herself up and down, turned around, and took a piece of jade from the dressing table as a "name-changing fee".
"This jade was specially carved by my elder brother to give to you. And now you're giving it back to me," Li Xia laughed, looking at the jade in Chang'an's hand.
Chang'an hurriedly took back the jade, looked at the dressing table, and picked up a hairpin, "This can be the name-changing fee."
"There's no need to rush, you can give it tomorrow," Li Xia didn't accept it, instead handing Lu Liucheng to Chang'an.
Chang'an took him, carefully adjusting her posture to hold Lu Liucheng. He seemed to like the smell on Chang'an and started sniffing and moving around on her.
"Sister Xia!" Chang'an called out in panic.
"Don't be afraid, my son is giving you practice. When you become a mother in the future, you won't be flustered," Li Xia laughed from the side, not stepping forward to help. Chang'an carefully restrained Lu Liucheng, not letting him move around. After a while, her face was covered in sweat.
"Sister Xia, is this how hard you work every day taking care of children?" Chang'an sighed, realizing how difficult it was to be a mother.
"That's not necessary. Usually, the wet nurse and maids take care of her," Li Xia said, mostly just playing with her for a while.
"But you just said you wanted me to get familiar with her, yet you don't even look after her yourself," Chang'an Princess pouted. She had really been so nervous about this.
"I wanted you to relax," Li Xia's words made Chang'an Princess smile. From this morning until now, she had been tense the whole time. She felt joy about her upcoming marriage to Li Hui, but also worried that Li Hui might not like her. She was also concerned about not gaining Mrs. Lu's approval, among other jumbled thoughts.