Chapter 131
Chapter 131: Resembling the Eldest Brother
In Duke Ning’s manor, Madam Yun was busy with household affairs. After feeding Yun Wan Ning, she set the little one beside Yun Wan Yao so the sisters could lie together.
That day when the carriage lost control, Yun Wan Yao’s injuries had not been severe, but the physician still insisted she rest for a time. So Madam Yun assigned maids and matrons to watch her daily, tending to every need. After several days of confinement, Yun Wan Yao was nearly bored to death.
Now that her little sister was placed at her side, she became the perfect remedy for Yun Wan Yao’s restlessness. She stroked Yun Wan Ning’s soft cheeks, then squeezed her tiny, adorable hands, unable to stop playing with her.
Yun Wan Ning blinked at her and silently complained in her heart: [Oh dear, after lying around for days, my sister must be bored out of her mind to treat me like a toy. Is a baby’s face and hands really that nice to touch? Why do Father, Mother, and all my siblings love touching me? I’ve touched myself too, and aside from being soft and smooth, there’s nothing special…]
Without thinking, she reached up to touch her own face. Yun Wan Yao found this amusing and burst out laughing.
“Pfft…”
The sudden laughter left Yun Wan Ning bewildered. She stared wide-eyed at Yun Wan Yao, then thought: [Did Sister just remember something funny? Why laugh so suddenly? Ah, I forgot to say—Sister is so beautiful. Her smile could kill me…]
Flattered, Yun Wan Yao continued to pinch her little sister’s face with delight. The baby’s skin was soft and springy, truly irresistible.
“In just a few days, you’ve grown a bit more, little sister. Your brows, eyes, lips, and nose blend all of Father and Mother’s best features, and you even look somewhat like our eldest brother. You’re the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. When you grow up, you’ll surely be the most beautiful young lady in Haojing.”
Hua Wu and Little Tao nodded in agreement: “Exactly. We also think Fourth Young Miss has inherited all of the Duke and Madam’s best features, looking very much like the young master. She’s the prettiest child we’ve ever seen and will be the capital’s most beautiful lady—just like you, miss.”
Yun Wan Yao blushed. “I’m not the most beautiful. Sister Yun Nuan, Zhao Zhao, A’Tang, and Su Qian Xue are all beautiful.”
“But in our hearts, miss, you’re the most beautiful,” the maids insisted.
Yun Wan Ning eagerly agreed: [Yes, yes, in my heart, Sister is the most beautiful too. Wait—did Sister and the others just say I look like Eldest Brother? Really? Oh, that’s wonderful…]
She adored Yun Wan Chen’s looks, so hearing she resembled him filled her with joy. [Come to think of it, I’ve used my spiritual power to scan the entire ten-li radius, even counting the mouse holes in the manor, but I’ve never looked at myself. Should I take a peek now?]
Unable to resist, she sent out her spiritual power to examine herself—and froze, nearly drooling. [Oh my, I was this cute as a baby? No wonder everyone wants to hold me. Even I want to hold me! Ahhh, so cute. I’m definitely cuter than a panda. And yes, my features really do look like Eldest Brother’s. I’m in love!]
Delighted, she stared at herself again and again, falling into a blissful loop of self-admiration that lasted over half an hour. Yun Wan Yao was stunned, realizing more than ever how vain her little sister could be.
Hua Wu and Little Tao, who could not hear her thoughts, simply found her radiant little expression unbearably cute. Unable to hold back, they gazed at Yun Wan Yao with pleading eyes: “Miss, may we touch Fourth Young Miss? She’s just too adorable.”
Yun Wan Yao hesitated, then said, “If you want to touch her, you’ll have to ask my little sister.”
Hua Wu and Little Tao fell silent. The miss could just say no, so why pass the request to someone who couldn’t speak?
Feeling awkward, Yun Wan Yao coughed and amended, “All right, just one touch each, and be gentle.”
The two maids beamed and hurried to the bed, surrounding Yun Wan Ning with eager hands.
Lost in admiring herself, Yun Wan Ning didn’t hear their exchange. When she was suddenly grabbed, her spiritual power jolted, nearly lashing out. Thankfully, she pulled it back in time.
[What are Hua Wu and Little Tao doing, suddenly putting their hands all over me? I almost hurt them! Still, it’s my fault—I was too caught up in my own cuteness.]
After a few moments of indulgent touching, Yun Wan Yao stopped them. They reluctantly let go, while Yun Wan Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Being pinched by both at once made her feel like dough being kneaded on a board—rather exhausting.
Yun Wan Yao lay on her side facing her sister, holding her tiny hand as she began to chat. “Ah, little sister, these days of lying around have been stifling. That day the carriage lost control—Wan Ye told me it wasn’t an accident, but a deliberate plot. I don’t know who was vile enough to do it. Actually, I do have a suspect, but no proof. If I had proof, I’d have our brothers throw a sack over them and beat them half to death…”
The more she spoke, the more indignant she became—until she remembered that Pei Yu had already been beaten half to death and would be bedridden even longer than her. That brought some comfort.
Her little sister’s voice sounded in her mind: [To be honest, I suspect Su Qian Xue ordered Pei Yu to do it. And I think this was just the first step—they must have more plans aimed at breaking you and Prince Qi apart…]
Yun Wan Yao froze as she listened, realizing the reasoning made perfect sense. In truth, Pei Yu’s absence these past days was likely due to Wan Ye’s beating, which had derailed his scheme entirely.
Her face paled.
[Oh no, Sister’s face just changed—she must be thinking about something unpleasant. She’s probably worrying about facing even worse in the future. Sister, you should stay in more often. My arrays will block the system from getting in. If you must go out, take more people—or take me. I’ll protect you.]
Yun Wan Yao: “…”
The rest of the afternoon passed in this unique style of conversation.
When feeding time came, Little Tao happily brought a bowl of milk. Since the wet nurse’s death, Madam Yun had cared for Yun Wan Ning herself, but with her recent busyness, she had trained Little Tao to help. The girl had quickly learned to feed, change, and dress the baby on her own.
After feeding, Little Tao wiped her mouth and patted her back to burp. Yun Wan Ning rested against her slender shoulder, arms lightly around her neck.
[Ah, Little Tao’s childcare skills keep getting better. If she keeps this up, will I have to call her wet nurse instead of sister? No, sister is better—she’s only fourteen now, and when I can talk she’ll only be fifteen or sixteen. Calling her wet nurse would make her sound so old.]
Yun Wan Yao: “…”
[Huh? There are people coming to the manor—lots of them. Who could they be?]