CHAPTER 512: CHAPTER 512 : (EXTRA) THE RACE (2)

"Eh? But..."

It was no secret that Lady Song was dying to have Zhang Yueting all for herself, but Xie Jianyu was hesitant to part from his little daughter.

"Leave everything to me!" Lady Song smacked her chest full of pride while blowing air from her nostrils. "If I can handle Junjie and Mingrui for five years, I can handle Tingting for a day!"

Xie Jianyu looked at Zhang Yueting’s innocent, slumbering form.

Certainly, it was too early to whisk a three-month-old baby to the Human Realm, he thought to himself. Besides, it was just for one day. Mingyu, Qingyun, and Head Servant Zhou would be around to help out as well.

Despite his initial reluctance, Xie Jianyu finally agreed.

On the day of the race, the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince Consort left together to attend their sons’ race at the Human Realm.

The competition, held in the children’s animal forms, served a dual purpose. It fostered a healthy spirit of competition, of course, but more importantly, it aimed to create a comfortable environment for the children to embrace their animal identities.

Before Xie Jianyu left, he made sure to feed Zhang Yueting and rock her to sleep. Thus when Lady Song took over, the baby was sleeping soundly in her crib, her belly full with milk and her face brimming with contentment.

"Ahhh~"

Lady Song perched at a rocking chair next to Zhang Yueting’s crib with a broad smile gracing her features.

She watched over Zhang Yueting’s sleeping face fondly.

While Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie were practically exact replicas of Xie Jianyu by appearance, Zhang Yueting looked a lot more like her father.

This fact boosted Lady Song’s confidence even further. If she could take good care of Zhang Fengxi, she could also do a similarly good job with Zhang Yueting!

With no one standing between her and her adorable granddaughter, Lady Song resumed knitting baby gloves for her Tingting.

Barely an hour passed by before the little princess’ eyes flew open and she started bawling her eyes out.

"Oh, my."

Lady Song quickly abandoned the half-finished baby gloves and proceeded to comfort Zhang Yueting.

"Tingting... Tingting, my sweet granddaughter, don’t cry, it’s Grandma..."

Buried in her grandmother’s embrace, Zhang Yueting’s tear-streaked face crumpled further as soft sniffs escaped her tiny body.

"Is it too hot in here? Do you want to get some air outside?"

"Wuuu..."

Oh, babies.

Lady Song happily carried Zhang Yueting to the garden to soak in some morning sun. Zhang Yueting’s mood slowly improved when she got to touch the flowers and leaves adorning the Fuxi Palace’s backyard.

Unfortunately, her mood quickly turned sour and she started crying again.

"Oh, my," Lady Song bounced the baby in her arms.

"Tingting, what is it? Oh, I know. You must be bored. Grandma brought a lot of toys for you! Why don’t we play together???"

Lady Song laid Zhang Yueting inside a rattan basket and quickly retrieved several toys from inside the baby’s chamber.

There were the wooden rattles with Longjing Palace’s sigil across their surfaces.

There was also a beautiful porcelain doll she ordered from a doll artisan at Qifeng Palace.

There was also a magical crystal ball that Xie Jianshen gifted Zhang Yueting on her one-month celebration. A simple rub summoned shimmering images of fantastical creatures from the Heavenly Realm. It was a wondrous introduction to the diverse inhabitants of her celestial home.

"Wooo..."

Zhang Yueting played with each toy exactly ten minutes. And then she fell into a long daze. And then she started crying again.

"Oh, my..."

This time, the little princess’s unhappiness was a force to be reckoned with. Tears streamed down her face incessantly, her cries morphing into hoarse whimpers after two hours of non-stop crying.

No amount of coaxing or distraction could soothe her. Lady Song, at her wit’s end, found herself utterly defeated.

In a fit of exasperation, she dispatched an urgent message to Zhang Zhiyuan, demanding her husband’s immediate presence.

"What is wrong with Tingting?" She intercepted her husband before the palace master even stepped off his mount. "She won’t stop crying! What did I do wrong???"

Zhang Zhiyuan took the baby into his arms. Upon seeing another familiar face, Zhang Yueting stopped crying for a moment. And then she started throwing a fit again.

"Where is the Crown Prince?" Zhang Zhiyuan gently patted Zhang Yueting’s back as she howled against his shoulder.

"Little Xie is in the Human Realm, watching the boys partake in that school race..."

Tears welled up in Lady Song’s eyes.

"Why doesn’t Tingting like me? Does she hate me?"

"Oh, nonsense," Zhang Zhiyuan snapped. "But she never cried like this before!" Now Lady Song too started crying. "I don’t know what to do! It’s my fault she won’t stop crying!"

"Oh, shhh..."

Zhang Zhiyuan’s head started to hurt. In his left arm, his granddaughter was crying her eyes out. In his right arm, his wife too was bawling her eyes out.

They were too alike, weren’t they?

"Tingting?"

Xie Jianyu’s voice was heard coming from above. He was riding on top of Wangshu with Zhang Mingrui. Behind them were Zhang Fengxi and Xie Junjie.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I won the race!" Zhang Mingrui proudly announced to his grandparents as he held the basket of sweets in his hands.

"What happened to Tingting?"

As soon as Zhang Yueting heard her mother’s voice, she stopped crying immediately. She then extended her tiny arms in Xie Jianyu’s direction, demanding a hug.

"Wuuuu... Wuuuu..."

Xie Jianyu climbed off Wangshu, put Zhang Mingrui back on the ground, and quickly took his baby into his arms.

As if swept away by a sudden summer breeze, the storm clouds on Zhang Yueting’s face vanished. In their place bloomed a radiant smile, mirroring the brilliance of the sunshine above.

"She missed her mother, that’s all," Zhang Zhiyuan rubbed his wife’s upper arm affectionately.

"When Fengxi was small, he also clung to you day and night, don’t you remember?"

"Mm..."

Lady Song sniffled to herself. Zhang Yueting made a happy gurgling sound while rubbing her face against her mother’s neck.

"Zhang Zhiyuan, I think I want a second child," Lady Song suddenly spoke.

"..."

Upon hearing his wife’s words, Zhang Zhiyuan’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell unconscious on the spot.