Looking at Qin Qingwan’s innocent and adorable expression, Xu Ming froze for a moment before smiling and gently ruffling her little head.
Qin Qingwan pouted her lips in slight dissatisfaction since Xu Ming didn’t kiss her as she had hoped. But her displeasure was short-lived, as with most children. She soon realized that having her head patted by Xu Ming actually felt quite nice. Like a little kitten, she narrowed her eyes contentedly and nuzzled against Xu Ming’s palm.
Noticing Xu Xuenuo standing off to the side, staring blankly at her, Qin Qingwan suddenly felt that she had been too focused on playing with Xu Ming, neglecting Xu Xuenuo and leaving her out.
Qin Qingwan shuffled over to Xu Xuenuo, her little feet making soft tap-tap sounds as she walked.
“Xuenuo-jie, let’s play snowball fight together~”
Xu Xuenuo turned her head away with a small huff. “I’m not that childish.”
Qin Qingwan blinked her big, bright eyes. “But it’s really fun! Come play with us, Xuenuo-jie. You’ll love snowball fights!”
Tilting her head cutely, Qin Qingwan replied, “But we are little kids.”
Xu Xuenuo’s cheeks turned slightly red. “I’m not a little kid. I’m already a grown-up.”
Qin Qingwan bit her finger thoughtfully. “But Mama said, when a child says they’re already grown up, that just proves they’re still a child. Only little kids say they’re grown-ups.”
“I—I am a grown-up!” Xu Xuenuo clenched her tiny fists, her expression showing a hint of frustration.
Hearing Xu Xuenuo raise her voice, Qin Qingwan froze on the spot, her little face scrunching up. Tears welled up in her big, glistening peach-blossom eyes. “Wahhh! Xuenuo-jie, I’m sorry! Qingwan didn’t mean anything bad! Please don’t be mad at me! Wahhh!”
“I—I wasn’t being mean to you! Don’t cry! Only little kids cry over nothing!” Xu Xuenuo panicked as large tears rolled down Qin Qingwan’s cheeks. She was completely flustered, unsure of what to do.
Qin Qingwan stood there with her head tilted back, crying louder and louder. “But Qingwan is a little kid, wahhh!”
“Alright, alright! I’ll play snowball fight with you, okay? Will that stop you from crying?” Xu Xuenuo finally gave in, utterly defeated.
Qin Qingwan’s tears stopped abruptly. Her sparkly eyes still glistened with leftover tears as she sniffled and asked, “Really?”
Qin Qingwan jumped up joyfully, grabbing Xu Xuenuo’s hand and dragging her over to Xu Ming. “Ming-gege, the three of us can play snowball fight together now!”
“Okay,” Xu Ming nodded.
Naturally, he wouldn’t refuse.
Besides, Xu Ming found his half-sister quite amusing. She had a distinct “tsundere” personality, always putting up a proud and tough front, yet deep down, she was kind and gentle.
“But there are three of us. How do we play snowball fight?” Qin Qingwan bit her finger, her little head falling into a small bout of confusion.
“How about the two of you team up against me?” Xu Ming suggested.
“Hmph! This lady never gangs up on someone. How about you both take me on instead?” Xu Xuenuo crossed her arms, lifting her proud little chin. “I can handle both of you on my own!”
Just then, a loud “honk-honk-honk” came from the other side of the courtyard. The Tianxuan Goose came waddling over.
“Xiaobai, do you want to join the snowball fight too?” Qin Qingwan asked.
“Xiaobai” was the name Qin Qingwan had given the goose. Xu Ming had never objected, so the name stuck.
The Tianxuan Goose nodded and nuzzled its head against Qin Qingwan affectionately.
Xu Ming twitched slightly at the sight. This arrogant goose, which showed him absolutely no respect as its master, behaved with utmost gentleness toward Qin Qingwan, even letting her ride on its back at times.
“Alright, Xiaobai, you team up with Ming-gege, and I’ll team up with Xuenuo-jie,” Qin Qingwan declared, assigning teams.
“Honk honk!” The Tianxuan Goose nodded enthusiastically.
“Alright, it’s decided! Let’s start!” Qin Qingwan said, pulling Xu Xuenuo and Xu Ming away to create some distance. “Three, two, one—go!”
As soon as Qin Qingwan announced the start of the snowball fight, the mischievous goose shoved its wings into the snow, then flung them upward with great force. Snow erupted into the air, scattering in every direction.
It wasn’t just Qin Qingwan and Xu Xuenuo who were covered in snow; even its own teammate, Xu Ming, was caught in the flurry.
“Damn it, you treacherous goose! You did that on purpose!” Xu Ming shouted as he immediately defected, grabbing a snowball and hurling it at the goose.
“Xuenuo-jie, let’s team up and take down Xiaobai!” Qin Qingwan called out, launching a snowball at the Tianxuan Goose herself.
At first, Xu Xuenuo seemed a little hesitant. She casually tossed a snowball in the goose’s direction, her expression reserved. But when the snowball hit its target and exploded in a puff of snow, her eyes lit up with excitement.
She picked up another snowball and threw it again, more eagerly this time.
Before long, Xu Xuenuo was completely immersed in the game.
The Tianxuan Goose hopped around furiously, dodging snowballs while simultaneously using its wings to scoop up snow and hurl it at Xu Ming.
Xu Ming soon realized that the goose was only targeting him.
Then, out of nowhere, the goose made a bold move. Using its wings, it scooped up a large pile of snow and dumped it all over Xu Ming.
“Ha ha ha! Ming-gege turned into a snowman!” Qin Qingwan clapped her hands, laughing gleefully at Xu Ming’s snowy appearance.
Even Xu Xuenuo couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“Eh? Xuenuo-jie, you’re laughing!” Qin Qingwan suddenly noticed, pointing at her with excitement.
“I am not,” Xu Xuenuo denied, her cheeks flushing red.
“You are!” Qin Qingwan giggled, grabbing Xu Xuenuo’s small hand. “I saw it with my own eyes!”
“I’m not!” Xu Xuenuo’s face turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
The children’s innocent laughter and chatter echoed lightly through the small courtyard.
From the kitchen, Madam Qin and Chen Suya watched the three children playing and couldn’t help but smile warmly.
“Elder Sister Wang should smile more, just like Xuenuo,” Madam Qin said with a gentle grin as she glanced at Wang Feng. “After all, Elder Sister is so beautiful.”
Wang Feng shook her head faintly. “You jest, Sister. My life isn’t as fortunate as yours.”
Madam Qin paused briefly, realizing her comment might have touched a sore spot. She quickly changed the subject. “That goose seems to have quite a bit of intelligence.”
Madam Qin smiled softly, as if she hadn’t heard the previous comment. “All things in this world have spirits. The capital of the Wu Kingdom is a place where the nation’s fortune gathers, and the abundance of spiritual energy here can awaken some creatures to gain a measure of intelligence. It’s only natural.”
“You’re right,” Wang Feng agreed, glancing at the stove where the winter plum cake was steaming. Her eyes flickered slightly, as though lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Madam Qin turned to Chen Suyun, gently taking her hand. “Sister Chen, my second brother is arriving tomorrow. He sent a letter today saying he’ll be bringing a sect elder with him to assess the children’s innate talent. What do you think?”