Chapter 208: Special - : Da Ge and Ye Rongji

Chapter 208

Special Chapter: Da Ge and Ye Rongji

The first time Bao Bao met Rongji, he was five years old. At that time, his mother took him to visit Aunt Yingying, who had just given birth to a baby girl. The baby was tiny, wrapped in a white cloth. While the adults were busy talking, Bao Bao leaned in to look at Rongji, who had been placed on a cushion. The little baby was sound asleep, her soft, round cheeks resembling steamed buns. His mother told him that she was already a month old.

As Bao Bao sat staring at her, the baby suddenly opened her eyes. He smiled sweetly at her, but she frowned and began to cry. He asked his mother if he had done something wrong. His mother explained that the baby was hungry. Bao Bao waited patiently until she finished nursing, then went back to peek at her beside Aunt Yingying. This time, the baby was in a good mood, smiling brightly. Bao Bao leaned closer.

"Ji Ji, it’s Brother Bao Bao here."

Ye Rongji smiled back at him with her bright eyes, showing her gums. Bao Bao found her utterly adorable and reached out to hold her tiny hand. Ye Rongji gripped his finger tightly, and Bao Bao laughed with joy, feeling confident that she must like him. He crouched down beside her for a while until he grew tired and finally said to the little baby,

"Ji Ji, let go of Brother’s finger."

Ye Rongji wriggled a bit, but she didn’t release her grip. Seeing this, Nie Ying smiled fondly.

"It seems like she wants Da Ge to stay and play with her. Bao Bao, can you help Aunt Yingying take care of the baby?"

Hearing the beautiful Aunt Yingying ask him, Bao Bao turned to his mother with a serious expression.

"Mother, can Bao Bao stay and help Aunt Yingying?"

Nie Shuang laughed at her son. Before he even grew up, he seemed already so smitten with a girl that he didn’t even want to return home.

"Are you sure you’ll be able to help? Won’t you just end up causing trouble for Aunt Yingying?"

"No, Bao Bao can help Aunt Yingying. Bao Bao is the eldest brother."

"But what about your siblings at home? Who will help me take care of them?"

Bao Bao glanced back and forth between his mother and Aunt Yingying, looking conflicted, as if torn between the two choices. Seeing this, Nie Ying burst into laughter and said,

"Bao Bao, go home and help your mother. I’ll be fine. You have five younger siblings, so your mother needs your help more."

Hearing that, Bao Bao turned to Aunt Yingying and promised,

"If you ever need help, just send someone to tell me, and Bao Bao will come right away."

At home, Bao Bao had plenty of younger siblings to keep him busy. Besides his five biological siblings, he also had two twin cousins, the daughters of Uncle Song Ren and Princess An Le. On top of that, Princess An Le was expecting another child.

Although he had promised to help Aunt Yingying, Bao Bao was quite busy himself. Every day, he would train martial arts with his grandfather at dawn, return to his quarters to bathe and eat, then head to the palace for his studies. Yet, there were times when Bao Bao missed Sister Ye Rongji so much that he would sneak off to visit her during his lunch break. The royal palace, however, was vast, and even though he ran as fast as he could, he often didn’t make it back in time for afternoon classes, resulting in several punishments from his teacher. When his mother asked about it, he was too afraid to tell her the truth, worried that she wouldn’t let him visit Ye Rongji again.

Ye Rongji grew very attached to him. Every time she saw him, she would beam with joy, her big, bright eyes sparkling. Bao Bao never got tired of watching her and thought she was the most adorable, even more so than his younger siblings at the Yong An Hou Manor. When it was time for him to leave, she would often cry loudly, and sometimes he just couldn’t bring himself to go, ending up staying longer than he intended.

But there were no secrets in the world. Eventually, his mother found out, and Bao Bao was spanked.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

His mother asked.

"Because Bao Bao snuck off to see Sister Rongji?"

Bao Bao replied, looking downcast.

"Visiting your sister isn’t a mistake. I spanked you because you’re neglecting your responsibilities. I don’t mind you visiting her, but you can’t ignore your studies. Your teacher says you’re consistently late for afternoon classes. That’s irresponsible."

Relieved, Bao Bao’s round face brightened with a smile.

"Then next time, Bao Bao will run even faster."

Nie Shuang chuckled and shook her head.

"You don’t need to visit her every day. The royal palace is dangerous, and you shouldn’t leave Gan Lu Palace too often. I’ll take you to visit Aunt Yingying frequently instead."

Hearing this, Bao Bao didn’t dare argue, knowing his mother always kept her promises. However, after several days of not visiting Ye Rongji, when his mother finally took him back to see her, Ye Rongji’s face lit up the moment she saw her favorite big brother.

"Look, Bao Bao. She’s so happy to see you,"

Aunt Yingying said, holding Ye Rongji, who smiled widely and excitedly raised her arms.

Bao Bao gently stroked her cheek and smiled tenderly.

"Ji Ji, were you waiting for your big brother? Da Ge missed you too."

Ye Rongji cooed and smiled at him as if asking where he had been. Da Ge bent down, hugging her softly and kissing her cheek gently. The baby was so soft and delicate that Bao Bao’s heart melted. In fact, his other siblings were cute too, and he loved them, but he couldn’t explain why Ye Rongji felt extra special to him.

Bao Bao began accompanying his mother to visit little Ye Rongji more often. While Ye Tianpeng grew close to the boys from the General’s manor, Bao Bao often separated himself to play with Ye Rongji. The little girl became deeply attached to him, and once she could walk and talk, she would always call out for him and follow him around. Their bond made the adults smile with fondness. They were as close as true siblings.

"Da Ge, Ji Ji wants to be able to climb trees like Sister Ziwei, but I’m too little. They all say you’re amazing at lightness skill. Please take me up the tree,"

Ye Rongji said to him when she was four years old. Bao Bao, who was nine at the time and already taller than other boys his age, couldn’t resist her admiring request.

"Alright, Ji Ji. Hold onto me tightly, and I’ll take you up."

Bao Bao slid his arms under her little body, holding her securely. As the wind rushed past her face and body, Ye Rongji found herself on a tree branch when she opened her eyes again. Bao Bao gently placed her on the branch, making sure she hugged the tree trunk for safety.

Wuqian walked around looking for his beloved daughter. He had just returned to the residence, and Nie Ying told him that Bao Bao had taken Ye Rongji out to play in the garden. As a doting father, he would always hug and shower his daughter with affection as soon as he returned home. However, at times, Wuqian couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous, as it seemed like Ye Rongji was more attached to Bao Bao than to him, her own father.

He stopped in the middle of the garden, looking around but unable to spot the two children. Taizi’s brows furrowed in concern. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice from above.

"It’s so high up here. Aren’t the birds scared they’ll fall when they sleep up here?"

"The birds have wings, so they’re not afraid. And with my lightness skill, I’m not scared either. I could sleep in a tree all night if I wanted."

The cheeky, boastful voice of his mischievous nephew followed, making Wuqian’s brow twitch.

"Da Ge is the best. Ji Ji has never seen anyone as skilled as Da Ge."

Then, the two of them giggled. Wuqian looked up at the tree and saw his nephew holding his little daughter by her waist, both sitting with their legs dangling off a branch. The tree wasn’t very tall, and its branches weren’t strong enough to support an adult. Wuqian quickly called up to them.

"Bao Bao! What are you doing up there with your little sister?"

The two children, lost in their playful conversation, were startled by Taizi’s voice. Ye Rongji leaned over to look down at her father, but she lost her balance and began to fall. Bao Bao immediately tried to grab her, but couldn’t hold on, so he jumped down to catch her. However, Wuqian was already prepared and caught her safely in his arms.

Bao Bao stood to the side, looking up at Ye Rongji in Taizi’s embrace, his face filled with guilt. Realizing that he had put her in danger, he walked over, knelt before Taizi.

"Uncle Taizi, Bao Bao was wrong."

Ye Rongji, still shaken but not crying, trembled slightly in her father’s arms, afraid that Bao Bao would be scolded. Wuqian’s face remained stern as he looked at the boy kneeling before him in remorse and gave him a lecture.

"Bao Bao, I know you’re skilled in lightness skill, but you’re still too young to take Ji Ji up there where it’s dangerous. What would you do if she had fallen and gotten hurt?"

Bao Bao lowered his head.

"Uncle Taizi, please punish me."

"Father, Brother Bao Bao did nothing wrong. Ji Ji asked him to take me up there. Please don’t punish him,"

The girl quickly pleaded, her big round eyes welling up with tears, looking pitiful. Wuqian stroked his daughter’s head and held her close to his chest. Of course, he didn’t intend to punish someone else’s child, but he would have to speak to Nie Shuang, Bao Bao’s mother, to make sure he was properly taught a lesson.

"Ji Ji, you must promise me that you won’t do anything dangerous like this again. You’re your father’s heart and soul, and I would be heartbroken if anything happened to you."

Ye Rongji quickly promised, but Bao Bao still didn’t rise from his kneeling position. Nie Shuang saw that Taizi had come out looking for his daughter but hadn’t been back yet, so she came closer. Upon seeing her son kneeling, she understood that he had caused trouble. After hearing Wuqian explain the situation, she not only didn’t plead on his behalf but intended to punish him more severely.

"Bao Bao, you’ve been too mischievous this time. When we return home, you will kneel in reflection for three days. Aside from going to your studies, you’ll be confined to the house for three months. When your siblings go out with your father and me, you’ll stay home alone. You won’t even be allowed to visit Aunt Yingying. Do you understand?"

Bao Bao nodded in agreement, but it was Ye Rongji who burst into tears.

"That means Brother Bao Bao won’t be able to see Ji Ji. Waaa. Auntie, you’re so mean for not letting Brother Bao Bao visit Ji Ji."

Wuqian felt sorry for his daughter, but he couldn’t interfere with how others disciplined their children. He gently comforted her instead.

"Don’t cry, Ji Ji. If you miss your Da Ge, I’ll take you to visit him at the Hou Manor. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, the little girl wiped her tears, and a smile started to appear on her round face.

"Ji Ji loves Father the most."

Wuqian felt overjoyed, as if he could float. Bao Bao, however, looked sadly at Ye Rongji before following his mother away.

Everyone knew how close Taizi’s family and General Song’s family were. Both had married daughters from the Nie family. Not only were Nie Shuang and Nie Ying famous for their beauty, but it was said that they possessed enormous wealth. The tea trading business alone was vast beyond estimation, not to mention the rice trading business managed by their father, Nie Ran. It seemed as though most of the region’s wealth lay with the Nie family. Both women had also borne many children for their husbands—Nie Shuang had given birth to six twins, while Nie Ying had two sons and two daughters. All the children were very close to one another.

Time passed quickly. Before long, the triplets had turned fifteen. Song Wuqin had become skilled in military strategy and was exceptional in martial arts. He left to join the army at the border, much to Taizi’s relief. Although he acknowledged that Song Wuqin was a fine young man, any father would naturally be protective of his daughter. Even though Ye Rongji was still young, she already showed signs of inheriting her mother’s beauty. He wasn’t ready for his daughter to grow up thinking about just one young man. When Song Wuqin was about to leave, Ye Rongji cried uncontrollably, causing her father great distress. Song Wuqin himself dismounted from his horse countless times to console her. In the end, Taizi had to order him to ride off without looking back.

That time, Ye Rongji was so upset with her father that she refused to speak to him for three days. Taizi believed that, as time passed, Ye Rongji would gradually forget about Song Wuqin. She was only ten years old, and it would be several years before Song Wuqin returned. In the meantime, he might catch the eye of another woman.Time passed, and Ye Rongji grew up. By the time Wuqin returned, four years had already gone by.