Cowardly Stepmother Dressed As the Hero

The elderly doctor was sitting at the table, chatting with the King of Bei'an and the Princess of Bei'an. The three young princes of the palace sent back the servants who were next to them, huddled head to head by the window and looked into the house.

Qi Ran jumped on the spot, not reaching the edge of the window.

He scratched his head and looked at the feet of his twin brother, and suddenly realized that he moved a low stool to the side room.

When he finally "caught up with the team", Qi Rui and Qi An also discussed the approximate result.

"What are you talking about?" The third prince of the palace, who had lost weight, was so anxious: "Big brother and second brother, what are you talking about?"

He looked into the room: "What's wrong with my mother? Is she sick? Why doesn't my father let us in?"

Qi Rui turned to look at him, stretched out his hand to support him: "Stand up.

"The doctor is seeing my mother. Of course my father doesn't want us to go in and cause trouble."

"I see, my father is purely to guard against Qi Ran." Qi An on the far right said coolly, "If we didn't have him, how could it be possible for the two of us to go in?"

Qi Ran glared at him fiercely, only hating that it was Qi Rui, not him, that he was next to.

Qi Rui turned around, gave Qi An a warning with his eyes, and then said to Qi Ran, "Okay, don't worry, my mother is fine."

Qi Ran's attention was diverted back, and he asked again, "Brother, what's wrong with my mother?"

Qi Rui paused and said, "Mother is pregnant."

Afraid that he could not understand the word, he added: "Well... that is, we may have a younger brother."

"Brother, hee hee hee!" Qi Ran suddenly bared his teeth and laughed, "I want a younger brother! With a younger brother, I am not the shortest, hehe!"

Qi An looked at him with disgust.

He thought for a while and asked, "How do you know it's a younger brother? What if my mother gave birth to a younger sister?"

"Sister?" Qi Ran blinked and asked seriously, "What is my sister?"

Qi An rudely rolled his eyes.

The three children in the palace are all boys. They usually go out to make friends with their peers, and all the men they meet are men from different families. It is true that they rarely have the opportunity to meet girls.

Qi Ran has always had a hard time thinking about things that he is not interested in. Qi An suddenly mentioned this word, but he couldn't react immediately.

Hearing his question, Qi Rui pursed his lips, and suddenly said, "Do you remember that we met Mrs Zhang in Changling before?"

The twins looked at him.

Qi Rui continued: "Don't she have a child younger than the two of you with her?

"That's 'sister'."

The expression on Qi Ran's face changed from surprise to dissatisfaction.

He pouted and confirmed, "Is that the guy in red with a lot of pigtails on his head?"

"Yes!" Qi An took over his words, "The one who is still relying on his mother and has never been able to get down!"

"I don't like her!" Qi Ran made a final decision and came to a conclusion!

Qi Rui glanced at him with a half-smiling smile: "'Sister' is not exactly the same as her."

He turned his head and looked at Cao Mi who was leaning on the head of the bed, and said, "That little girl was born by Zhang's, but the 'sister' was born by her mother and will live in the palace."

Qi An put her hands under her chin: "I remember my mother liked that little girl very much.

"If a younger sister is born, will my mother ignore us?"

Qi Rui didn't answer his question, only whispered, "You guys say, will my sister look a lot like my mother?"

The twins, who were silently sulking, suddenly came to their senses, and Qi Qi turned his attention to Qi Rui again.

Qi Rui then analyzed: "Look, I look a lot like my father. You... um... some places are like my father, and some are like my mother."

He held his face and said seriously: "If it's a younger sister, it's impossible to still look like a father, so it should be like a mother."

"Mother's like that..." Qi Ran repeated his words shyly.

While the three were talking, the doctor in the room had already explained all the matters to be paid attention to.

He packed up his things, got up and saluted Qi You and Cao Mi, ready to leave.

Qi You personally sent people to the door, turned around and waved to the three people who were next to each other.

The three young masters of the palace shuddered subconsciously, and then followed him into the house knowingly.

The three did not deliberately hide it. Cao Mi was sitting on the bed and had already discovered their "peeping" behavior.

Seeing the three approaching, she asked with a smile, "What are you mumbling about outside the window?"

Qi Ran flew towards her habitually, but was stopped by Qi You halfway through.

He left the three of them three steps away from the bed and said, "Mother can't help you now, just stand here and talk."

Saying that, he himself took a big step, walked directly to the edge of the bed and sat down, occupying "the most favorable terrain".

The three of Qi Rui were used to his practice during this period of time, and they didn't dare to disobey at all when they heard the words, and they all stood there obediently.

Qi Ran stretched her neck and asked Cao Mi, "Mother, are you pregnant?"

Cao Mi glanced at Qi You, nodded and admitted, "Well... yes."

Speaking of this matter, Princess Bei'an herself was helpless.

There was a flaw in his strict defense before, which allowed Qi You to succeed.

The most taboo thing about this kind of thing is that it has a beginning, one has two, and two has three, four, five, six, seven...

He didn't "win the bid" several times before, which made Cao Mi feel a little bit of a fluke. After Qi You came back this time, in this rare and peaceful leisure time, the two completely forgot their worries.

It's not right to say that, the King of Bei'an, who just sow seeds, has never had any concerns.

Although the princess occasionally flashed a few related thoughts, but she turned her head and was fascinated by the beauty of the prince, and she lost her mind.

Cao Mi was not prepared for this unexpected happy event.

But the boat is done, the little life in her belly has been nearly two months old.

She hadn't sorted out the thoughts in her heart at this time, and her mind was in a mess.

Just finished dealing with the doctor, and now she has met the caring eyes of the three children, she can only take a deep breath and continue to cheer herself up.

On the other side, Qi You has already begun to tell the three of them: "...the mother can't be too tired or bumped after the mother. So you, especially you, Qi Ran, don't jump on her at will, or stay in her arms. inside……"

The more Qi Ran listened, the flatter his mouth became.

Taking advantage of the moment when Qi You paused to breathe, he interjected and asked, "Well... is my mother so weak because she is pregnant with a little sister?

"If it were the little brother, it wouldn't be like this?"

Qi You didn't understand how his logic was deduced at all, and only explained: "Of course not.

"Pregnancy is a hard thing to do, and it has nothing to do with younger brothers or sisters."

"So it is." Qi Ran nodded.

After understanding the relationship, he began to make a bold request to Cao Mi: "Mother, then I still want a younger sister, not a younger brother."

Cao Mi smiled helplessly, and patted Qi You, who was nodding lightly beside him.

She looked at Qi Ran amusingly and asked, "Why?"

"Because the eldest brother said that the younger sister will be as good-looking as her mother." Qi Ran replied seriously.

Cao Miben was ready to get a nonsensical answer, but he didn't want to change Qi Ran's response from the past.

Hearing this sentence, Princess Bei'an, who was not prepared to be praised, was directly shy.

She covered her face with her hands, and was so happy at the flattery that she couldn't stop laughing.

Qi Ran didn't know why his words had such an effect, so he asked dumbly, "Ah... Brother, is it wrong?"

"That's right! Cough, that's right!" Cao Mi said quickly.

She suppressed the joy in her heart, and after regaining her sanity, she still said: "Well...but mother wants to tell you the truth, there is no way to decide this kind of thing."

Touching his still flat belly, Cao Mi said, "Unless he really comes, we don't know if he is the younger brother or younger sister."

Qi Ran was stunned for a moment, turned his head blankly, and exchanged a few glances with Qi Rui and Qi An.

"But..." Cao Mi said again: "Whether he is a younger brother or a younger sister, Qi Ran is going to be a big brother."

She asked warmly: "He is much younger than you. When the time comes, the three of you can help take care of him together, okay?"

As sensible as Qi Rui and Qi An, he naturally nodded in response, and the third son of the palace, who was suddenly promoted to "older brother", also nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice.

The family of five chatted for a while, and Qi You sent the three children out on the grounds that Cao Mi needed more rest.

Then, he returned to Cao Mi, helped her lie down, and said softly, "Sleep for a while? I'll go to the front to help you see if the medicine is ready."

But Cao Mi suddenly grabbed his hand.

Qi You was stunned, and then asked, "What's wrong?"

Everyone else had already left, and only Qi You and Cao Mi were left in the house.

The corners of Cao Mi's eyes instantly became wet.

She said, "I, I'm a little scared."

Cao Mi, who had never even been married in his last life, did not know how other women felt when they found out that he was pregnant.

But she knows that she can calm down and talk to the doctor, and she can cheer up to deal with the strange problems of the three children, but in front of Qi You, she just wants to tell her panic and grievances.

But after the words were spoken, she regretted a little - she suddenly remembered her identity in this time and space, she was already the mother of three children, and it was inappropriate to say such words.

So she lowered her head and let go of Qi You's hand.

But before he pulled his hand back, Qi You spread out his fingers and grabbed her again.

In the face of thousands of troops, the King of Bei'an turned himself in softly in front of her: "To tell you the truth, I'm also a little nervous."

Cao Mi looked at him in surprise.

The two stared at each other quietly for a while, and Cao Mi burst into a smile.

She couldn't explain her feelings, but she could see the tension and anticipation in Qi You's eyes, as well as the figure that occupied the biggest position.

King Bei'an's eyes were firm and his palms were warm, so the princess seemed to have a little more courage.

She grabbed Qi You's neck and pulled him down, whispering in his ear, "You know what? After I heard that a woman is pregnant, her temper will become very bad.

"During this time, you have to tolerate me unconditionally, no matter what I do, you are not allowed to lose your temper at me, you know!

"It's been a while, you have to endure it."

"Well..." Qi You asked with a smile, "Like what?"

"Well..." Cao Mi thought for a while, then suddenly rambled: "I don't particularly like your dark blue dress, you seem to be several years old every time you wear it, you are not allowed to wear it again!

"Why do the bookcases in the study have to be inlaid with gold, it's very tacky, you know?

"And...you really don't have other women? As far as I know, many men give...concubines when their wives are pregnant!

"Qi You, don't do this kind of thing, or I won't let you go!"

"That's all?" Qi You raised his eyebrows.

"Of course not, but I haven't thought of the others yet." Cao Mi responded confidently.

"Well, I see." Qi You replied, "Then I think this deadline is too short."

"Ah?" Cao Mi didn't respond.

Qi You raised his head slightly and put a kiss on her forehead: "Why limit it to this period of your pregnancy?

"If that's all you want, I can keep it for a long time...for a long time...

"If you don't like the clothes, throw them away, the bookcase can be replaced, there are no other women...

"The period of this request may be extended indefinitely, as long as..."

His lips fell on Cao Mi's lips with the last word, and the two exchanged a shallow kiss.

The seeds sown in a certain piece of spring finally smell the sweet fragrance on this autumn day.

——

The days after putting on the baby did not seem to be much different. The princess' life was a little more leisurely than before.

But the four men in the palace were different.

In their understanding, it seemed that there was a great treasure in the house, and the sound of walking a little bit louder could cause the ground to shake.

Before the snow fell, a few craftsmen worked hard for a few days to install glass windows in all the rooms in the inner courtyard of the Jurong Prince's Mansion.

Cao Mi leaned on the couch, basking in the winter sun, and exhaled a deep breath of comfort.

Qi Ran was still standing by the window studying, when she heard her voice, she turned her head and asked, "Mother, are you going to sleep again?"

Cao Mi, who had become a little sleepy recently, shook his head.

Qi An shouted in front of Qi Zhan: "Don't knock on the glass again. The craftsman said that this thing is as fragile as ceramics. If you take a few more shots, it will probably be broken."

Hearing this, Qi Ran nodded and came back from the window angrily.

Cao Mi smiled and asked, "You went to the outer city again this morning?"

"Yeah." Qi Ran nodded and explained very proactively, "I went with my father."

Cao Mi looked out the window and murmured, "The snow has not yet fallen this year... It looks like it may be later than last year."

Jurong is located in the north. According to the climate of previous years, it should have snowed long ago.

However, after Xueluo was delayed by more than a month last year, this year's snow season seems to be missing.

Qi Rui looked away from the book and said to Cao Mi, "Mother, you don't need to worry about this.

"My father already knew about these things, and he has made preparations recently."

"Really?" Cao Mi was a little surprised: "If he didn't, I would continue to manage the internal affairs of the city. Did I take it over by myself?"

Qi Rui nodded, confirming her guess.

"Well, then I don't need to worry about it." Cao Mi stretched his waist: "But I'm very free now, and I don't know what to do."

Qi Rui looked around the room and asked, "Does mother read?"

Cao Mi shook his head, fiddling with a green teacup at hand.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised her head and said to Dong Li who was not far away: "Dong Li, why don't you go to the textile workshop and get me a basket of cotton threads.

"It's been fine recently, and I can just hook the cotton thread."

Before Danba exchanged cotton with her for wool textile technology, that batch of cotton has been successfully planted.

Today, they can be seen in Rongguang Villa and Jurong City.

Cao Mi still remembers the scene when the first batch of cotton was planted.

The people in Rongguang Villa had not seen the white hairballs that grew directly from the top of the plants, and they sent someone to report to Cao Mi after the cotton had a bud.

Cao Mi had to write a long letter to explain to Xiling.

After Rongguang Villa was planted, cotton seeds were also sent to Jurong for planting at the beginning of this year.

With the previous experience of spinning wool, the textile workshop is no stranger to the cotton picked from the ground.

The cotton on the branches is clean and fluffy, and it is much simpler to handle than wool, except for the step of removing cottonseeds.

But in the textile workshop, the original needle and comb just had this function.

Even so, Cao Mi still took precautions. Before the cotton was received, he asked a craftsman to make a few cottonseed removing machines.

Today, the production rate of cotton-padded clothes in the workshop is faster than that of Shengchao sweaters. The thermal insulation effect of the two is not much different, but because the quantity of cotton is less than that of wool, the price of cotton-padded clothes in the city is still much more expensive than that of wool.

When Dong Li heard the order, he was a little confused: "Princess, weaving yarn is troublesome, you are now..."

Before she could finish speaking, Cao Mi waved his hand: "It's okay, I'm measured."

Seeing that she insisted, Dong Li didn't say anything anymore, turned around and went down to make arrangements.

Cao Mi still stayed on the couch, chatting with the twins while waiting for Dong Li to return.

After a few quarters of an hour, someone finally returned to the house with a basket of cotton threads.

But Cao Mi looked intently, and the person who came was not Dongli, who had just left, but the King of Bei'an, who was supposed to handle affairs in the outer city.

Cao Mi was taken aback and asked, "Why did you come back?"

Qi You casually put the undressed robe on the shelf aside, and replied, "It's nothing, I'll come back and have a look."

The twins who had come to be next to Cao Mi, saw him coming, they had already rushed to the side and sat upright.

Qi You sat down beside Cao Mi, holding a ball of cotton thread and asked, "Is this what you want?"

"Hmm..." Cao Mi nodded.

She stretched out her hand to avoid what was in Qi You's arms and said, "You can't do this either.

"No one can do this, and no one can do that. I'm almost suffocated to death."

Qi You smiled and said, "I didn't tell you that I won't give it to you, why did I lose my temper?"

"I didn't." Cao Mi rolled his eyes secretly.

Qi You didn't care, he touched her belly and asked, "How are you feeling today?"

It has been more than a month since she was diagnosed as pregnant that day.

Unlucky Cao Mi is a little petite. It has been nearly four months, and it is not obvious from the appearance. In addition, it was already winter, and the weather was cold, so I wore more clothes, and I couldn't see what was coming.

Qi You asks this sentence almost every day, and Cao Mi also responds: "It's alright...it's nothing strange."

She didn't have too many negative reactions, and the frequency of morning sickness was not high. Cao Mi always felt that this one she was carrying was a good baby.

Qi You smiled, and Wen Sheng told her what happened in the outer city today.

Before, because Cao Mi was pregnant, he went back to the space and read the only information about the pregnancy. He knew that the fetus could hear the outside world in about four months.

She came out of the space that night, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep, she pushed Qi You, who was sleeping soundly next to her, to wake up, and the two chatted until the east turned white.

Cao Mi finally felt sleepy and fell asleep beautifully, while the King of Bei'an squinted for another hour before rushing to the outer city.

After sobering up, Cao Mi was a little guilty at first, but he didn't expect Qi You to not care, instead he took her words to heart, and would talk to her when he had something to do.

In this way, the originally taciturn King of Bei'an became a talker during this period of time.

While listening to him, Cao Mi picked the cotton thread balls, thinking about what he wanted to weave in his mind.

The days of rejecting Rong City passed away when the princess was heartless, and the prince and the three young sons were holding treasures.

Half a month later, the belated winter snow finally fell again in the sky of Jurong.

Cao Miwo was in Qi You's arms and said, "It's been two years in a row that something strange has happened, and I always have a bad premonition."

Qi You checked the quilt covering the two of them and said, "Well... I know your concerns."

He glanced at the thin falling snow outside the window and said, "Don't worry, I have already sent letters to Bei'an and Lizhou to remind them to get ready."

"Well." Cao Mi was very relieved about Qi You, and didn't even ask what "preparation" was.

Snuggling for a while, Qi You suddenly said, "After the snow melts, I'm going back to Changling."

"What's wrong?" Cao Mi turned to look at him.

Since she was pregnant, apart from handling business affairs, Qi You could be said to have stayed with her, but Cao Mi couldn't react when he suddenly said he wanted to leave.

"Well, it shouldn't be long, I'll be back soon." Qi You rubbed her face and replied, "I received news from Qi Er from Huaitong, the kind you said before. Gun-powder' has been developed.

"I have to go and see."

"Fire-powder?!" Cao Mi's eyes widened.

Her right eyelid jumped suddenly.

In the face of the coming natural disaster, the first new thing they got was something with powerful destructive power, which made Cao Mi inexplicably a little uneasy.

Seeing her like this, Qi You asked, "What's wrong?"

He thought for a while: "I read what Qi Er's letter said and realized that I had underestimated the power of this thing before.

"But now that the snow has fallen, they don't dare to test it rashly, for fear of causing an avalanche, so they agreed with me to go over after the snow melts."

As he said that, he touched Cao Mi: "I wanted to take you there with me, but they said that the sound was very loud when it was detonated, and I was afraid of scaring you, so I should go there myself.

"Oh, no. I'm going to bring Qi Rui and Qi An there too."

Cao Mi's attention was diverted and he asked, "Why, you finally 'give up'?"

Qi You shook his head: "During this period of time, I also saw it, but I really have no intention of doing this.

"Since he doesn't want to, I don't want to continue to force it."

"That's right!" Cao Mi hurriedly corrected his youngest son's name: "Three hundred and sixty lines, it's not necessary to be a leader to become a champion."

She put her hand on her stomach: "Just like this, hey, now I just think he's better and grows up safely."

Qi You stretched out his hand to shake hands with her, and said warmly, "Yes, yes."

In the winter of the nineteenth year of Minghong, the undercurrent had just surfaced. There was thin ice on the lake, and everything seemed quiet.