Chapter 73: The Three Rascals

Chapter 73

The Three Rascals

The sound of chattering and commotion from a distance caused the Hou to spring to his feet. He saw Xiao San leading the way, followed by several maids. First came Xiao Tong, holding Bao Bao in her arms. A smile of delight spread across the Hou’s aged face. Bao Bao was so adorable, looking just like a young Qilin. Without realizing it, he stepped forward to meet his grandson, forgetting to grab his cane in his excitement. Behind Xiao Tong, another wet nurse followed, carrying Bei Bei. The sight of the young boy with his little topknot and chubby, round face, so handsome and cute, made the old man grin widely. He muttered quietly to himself,

“Twin boys...How lucky. They’re so adorable.”

Before the Hou could finish his thought, another wet nurse entered, carrying an equally plump and beautiful baby girl. The Hou was left utterly speechless, his mouth agape, unable to find any words.

Nie Shuang, observing the old man’s reaction, couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. She had been just as surprised when she first learned she had given birth to triplets. Clearly, the old man hadn’t expected it either, and he stood there frozen like a wooden figure. It wasn’t until the three little ones started chattering noisily to greet their mother that the Hou snapped back to reality.

“Th...They...they’re triplets?”

The Hou’s expression was full of disbelief. His daughter-in-law had given birth to triplets—he was at a loss for words. Had she received a blessing from a fertility goddess? In all his years, he had never seen a daughter-in-law give birth with such prowess. His feelings toward Nie Shuang were now tinged with respect. Nie Shuang suppressed a smile and responded,

“Yes. Bao Bao, Bei Bei, Hua Hua, greet your grandfather.”

Hearing the word grandfather, the Hou was nearly brought to tears. His daughter-in-law wasn’t as heartless as he had thought. At least she allowed the children to call him grandfather. He reached out and gently touched each child’s cheek, overwhelmed with emotion. The little ones stared at the unfamiliar man with wide eyes, as they had never seen anyone stare at them and look like they were going to cry before. The old man, usually stern-faced, now looked almost comically out of place as he gazed at his grandchildren with such deep affection. Bao Bao raised his hand to bat his grandfather’s hand, which was affectionately touching his chubby cheek, away. The Hou couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Not bad...not bad...Strong and full of energy even at this young age. When you grow up, I’ll personally teach you martial arts!”

Nie Shuang frowned slightly. Had the Hou forgotten that she had no intention of returning to the Hou Manor? However, seeing the old man’s joy, she let it slide.

When the Hou turned to Bei Bei, the boy stared back at him with a curious yet cautious expression. He was a handsome child, and when the Hou reached out to touch his head, Bei Bei turned away, a sign of arrogance even at such a young age. The old man laughed in delight.

“He’s just like Qilin when he was little. Never let anyone touch him easily.”

Despite Bei Bei’s aloofness, the Hou patted his head affectionately. The boy’s sharp intelligence and handsome features made him confident that Bei Bei would grow up to be a renowned young master in the capital.

Finally, when the Hou’s gaze fell on Xiao Hua Hua, his heart melted completely. With her double pigtails for little girls, rosy cheeks, and delicate features, she looked so adorable. Her large, clear eyes sparkled as she gazed at him with a content expression. When the Hou reached out to caress her cheek, Xiao Hua Hua’s tiny hand wrapped around his finger, gripping it tightly. The warm, soft touch of her little hand made the Hou so overwhelmed with emotion that he nearly cried. He and Xu Shi had never had a daughter, so the sight of this adorable granddaughter was like a dream come true. Surrounded by these three precious little ones, he felt as if he were living in a beautiful dream he never wanted to wake from.

Xiao Hua Hua, always a cheerful baby, grabbed the Hou’s finger and smiled at him, completely charming him. The old man was captivated by her smile, grinning foolishly at the little girl. He spoke to his granddaughter in a high-pitched voice, which caused Nie Shuang and the surrounding maids to shiver slightly.

Was this really the same Hou, the former legendary General known for his ruthlessness...?

"My Xiao Hua Hua, why are you holding grandpa’s finger? Do you want to play with grandpa?"

Nie Shuang decided to invite the Hou into the children’s playroom so the triplets could move around and play freely. It wasn’t often they would get to spend time with their grandfather, so she moved to the room next door to continue her work.

The Hou seemed to forget everything else as he sat with his grandchildren. Bao Bao glanced briefly at him, then lost interest and returned to playing with his toys. Bei Bei crawled over to play with Bao Bao, and the two of them, for once, didn’t fight, each content with their own toy. They occasionally showed off their toys to each other before resuming play. Meanwhile, Xiao Hua Hua, wanting to join her brothers, tried to wiggle out of her grandfather’s lap, but he held her close, gently stroking her head. She waved her arms and legs, trying to get down, but the Hou, inexperienced with children, didn’t understand what she wanted. When she seemed on the verge of tears, he reached toward the pile of toys, offering her one to calm her.

Bao Bao immediately shot a sharp look at his grandfather. That pile of toys was reserved for him and his siblings—who was this man to touch their treasures? Bao Bao quickly crawled over to his grandfather’s side. Bei Bei, however, glanced at his brother indifferently and continued playing.

The Hou, busy trying to soothe his granddaughter, held her with one arm while picking up a toy with the other to distract her from crying. Suddenly, he heard a loud, assertive sound from next to him.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah! Gaa, gaa, gaa!"

It was Bao Bao, pressing his little hands against his grandfather’s knee, clearly agitated. He had come to reclaim his toy, but the Hou misunderstood, thinking his grandson wanted to play with him. So, he put the toy on the ground and picked Bao Bao up with his other arm.

Mm...this grandson was quite heavy, solid as a rock...

Bao Bao, not wanting to be held, immediately waved his arms and started making noise. His little cries soon combined with Xiao Hua Hua’s, creating a chaotic symphony. The wet nurses, seeing the Hou enjoying himself with the grandchildren without asking for any help, didn’t dare interrupt.

"Bao Bao must have seen grandpa holding his sister and wanted to join in,"

The Hou said, looking at his frowning grandson, whose expression was sullen like an adult. The sight reminded him even more of his son. If Bao Bao wasn’t just a little kid, the Hou might have thought that Qilin’s spirit was inhabiting this tiny body.

Bao Bao looked at his crying sister and thought about the toy that the old man had taken. He suddenly felt like they were being wronged. His small, chubby hand grabbed the old man’s beard tightly.

“Ow!”

The Hou cried out as his grandson yanked on his beard. Bao Bao wasn’t weak at all. When the Hou looked down, he saw Bao Bao grinning in delight, so he smiled back at his grandson.

“Bao Bao, do you like grandpa’s beard?”

Bao Bao grinned widely, showing his gum, and tugged on his grandpa’s beard again. Hearing his grandfather yelp again made Bao Bao laugh joyfully as he happily continued pulling on his grandfather’s beard.

The Hou quickly called the wet nurse to take Xiao Hua Hua while he bent down to talk to his eldest grandson.

“Bao Bao, grandpa wants to play with you, but could you stop pulling grandpa’s beard?”

The Hou was sweating a little. If this little rascal kept pulling, he would end up without a single hair left on his beard. But Bao Bao only laughed and didn’t let go. The Hou wasn’t sure if the boy understood him, but that innocent smile was just too adorable. He hesitated to pull the boy’s hand away, fearing he would start crying, so he gently pleaded with patience,

“Bao Bao, my dear grandson, please let go of grandpa’s beard.”

After trying for a while with no success, the Hou finally took off the valuable jade tassle hanging from his waist.

“Bao Bao, this is fine Wang Di green jade. Grandpa will give it to you.”

Bao Bao smiled widely, immediately letting go of the beard. He took the shiny, dark green jade into his hands. Satisfied with his new treasure, he crawled down from the elder’s lap and went back to play with Bei Bei, carefully placing the precious jade beside him, afraid someone might take it.The old man wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched Bao Bao’s little bottom waddle away. This habit of taking something and leaving...where could he have gotten that from...?