Qi Qingyao and the others followed Li Qing down a small stream over little bridges to the West Wing. There were about seven or eight guest rooms there, and Li Qing generously let them choose whichever ones they wanted.
All the rooms were perfectly neat and recently cleaned.
Qi Qingyao simply chose one with an attached warm room. She had the children sleep in the warm room while she took the bed outside.
As for Si Jin and Jiang Yeqian, they took the rooms on either side of her.
The triplets had never stayed in such a luxurious room before, so they looked around excitedly for a while. Once they were sufficiently calmed down, Qi Qingyao showed them around the wing. The place was too big, so the children grew tired after touring the area a little, but they were too wired up to sleep. They stood in front of their pretty four-poster bed, looking at it up and down, touching it however they could.
“Mommy, why is this bed-stove different from ours?” Xiaobao frowned and asked solemnly.
Dabao and Erniu tilted their heads curiously too.
Qi Qingyao smiled as she explained, “This is a bed.”
“A bed?” Dabao asked, raising his head.
“I think it’s made of fragrant rosewood. A four-poster babu bed with weeping flower pillars.” Qi Qingyao touched the carvings above the bed and said, “The one outside I’m taking is called an arhat bed.”
“What’s the difference between a bed and a bed-stove?” Erniu asked obediently.
Qi Qingyao said calmly, “A bed-stove is made of earth and bricks, while a bed is made completely of wood. The main difference is… a bed is a lot more expensive. Depending on the quality of the wood and the complexity of the carvings, the price differs.”
The silly triplets, “…”
Only one thought lingered in their young brains.
Mommy said it was expensive!
In that case, they had to work hard and earn a lot of money once they grew up.
Li Qing looked at the children’s faces, dirty and muddy after all their playing, and suggested that the guests take the hot spring bath at the back of the mansion. It was the middle of winter, so they could soak in there for a bit if they did not mind!
Qi Qingyao’s eyes shone as soon as she heard that. Jiang Yeqian thought it over and silently followed behind her, determined to soak in the hot spring.
The adults led the three exhilarated toddlers to the back of the mansion. A hot spring! The children had never experienced something like that before. Once they were done with their bath, Li Qing even kindly brought them new sets of clothing! His services were impeccable, touching Qi Qingyao’s heart. She thought to herself, ‘Look how nice he’s being just because I can treat his Lord Heir. The service is almost as good as Haidilao now.’
However, if she could not remedy the Heir’s condition, the guard would probably skin them and throw them into Jiuli River to feed the fishes!
After their hot spring bath, the triplets were already nodding off. Before they climbed into their bed, though, Xiaobao forced himself to open his eyes and ask Qi Qingyao,
“Mommy, can we really stay here?” He did not seem too certain.
Qi Qingyao patted his back gently and said in a soft voice, “Mommy is a physician, and I’m here to treat Heir Pei. That’s why we can stay here as honored guests until the Heir recovers. Whatever you guys want to eat, just tell that Uncle Li Qing. He’s a really nice guy, so he’ll definitely say yes!”
Before she could even finish that sentence, the triplets had already dozed off soundly. She carried them onto their bed and tucked them in! As she filled her nose with their unique baby smell, she smiled to herself.
Qi Qingyao put a fur coat over her shoulders and walked into the courtyard of the West Wing. She sat on a wooden chair in the corridor, looking up at the moon that had risen before she knew it. The winter moonlight was especially clear and cool.
