Feng Jin surveyed her surroundings. The scenery of Jinyuan was indeed beautiful, and the furnishings were all brand new, suggesting it had recently been renovated.
"The renovation is indeed excellent. Steward Wu has put in a lot of effort."
"As long as Madam is satisfied, if there's anything unsatisfactory, I will have it replaced immediately."
Steward Wu lowered his head, his words filled with respect, daring not to offend Feng Jin in the slightest.
"It's fine. I'm only staying for a short while, so there's no need for such trouble. The estate has many affairs. Steward Wu, you should go attend to them."
She had always disliked having someone constantly following her. She casually found an excuse to dismiss Steward Wu.
"Then I shall take my leave. Madam, please rest well."
Steward Wu bowed and retreated.
Feng Jin yawned and took a sip of tea. The tea was truly excellent, and every item in this estate was of the highest quality.
"Madam, these pastries are very good. Please try them, they taste wonderful."
Chu Qing placed a plate of pastries in front of Feng Jin. She had tasted them earlier and found them to be quite delicious.
"Madam, are they tasty?"
Feng Jin took a bite and nodded slowly. "They are not bad."
"And this one, this one is also good. Madam... this one is good too..."
Chu Qing picked out several delicious ones and arranged them in front of Feng Jin. She also poured a cup of tea and handed it to her.
Feng Jin was also somewhat hungry and tried a little of everything. Soon, her stomach was filled.
"Madam, why don't you eat some more? These are also delicious, please try them." Chu Qing picked out a few more tasty items and placed them in front of Feng Jin, urging her to eat more.
"No, I'm full. If you keep feeding me like this, I'll turn into a fat woman."
"Madam is already beautiful and naturally radiant. No matter how you change, you will still be the most beautiful."
These words were spoken from her heart, without any pretense. Madam was truly the most beautiful person she had ever seen.
The first time she saw her, she was astonished for a long time, wondering if such beauty could exist in the world.
"You should stop with these sweet words to coax me. I don't want to get fat. I need to maintain my figure."
She wasn't anxious about her figure, but being too fat was not good for her health. It would affect her heart and lungs, her metabolism, and most importantly, her appearance. In short, being too fat brought no benefits and only harm. It was best to stay as she was.
When necessary, she still had to maintain her figure, especially in the evenings. She absolutely would not eat what she shouldn't, and would eat as little as possible.
Chu Qing listened to Feng Jin's words, somewhat bewildered. She continued to stuff pastries into her mouth, not quite understanding what Feng Jin meant by maintaining her figure.
She felt that being full was the most important thing. During training in the underground palace, having enough to eat was paramount.
She had long since developed the habit of eating voraciously, making sure she was full before thinking about anything else.
"Eat slowly. Eating too quickly will harm your spleen and stomach. Especially eating too much at night will make your stomach uncomfortable."
Chu Qing chewed her food thoroughly before swallowing. Habits formed over so many years could not be changed in a day.
"Madam, I've been eating like this for over ten years. Back then, food was scarce, and we even had to fight for meals. If you were a step slower, you would go hungry..."
Listening to Chu Qing's story, Feng Jin couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Even a stranger would feel sorrow hearing about Chu Qing's experiences. It was even more so for Feng Jin, who had spent so much time with Chu Qing and now considered her family. Hearing these words made her heart ache even more.
"Those unbearable past experiences are all over now. One must look forward. You need to change those bad habits, and your future days will be beautiful. Naturally, you cannot dwell on those painful things from the past."
Feng Jin patiently guided Chu Qing. Only by letting go of the past could one look forward.
"I understand, Madam. I will no longer dwell on past events."
Madam was right. Those things were all in the past. She needed to start a new life and learn to look forward, no longer clinging to the past.
Her future days would surely be peaceful and joyous. She no longer had to worry about survival, nor did she have to scramble for even a tiny bit of food.
"Forget all those unhappy things. Go back and rest. We have to return to the capital later. Once we're back, I'll take you around."
In a short while, they would have to continue their journey back to the capital.
With the remaining time not being much, Feng Jin felt no sleepiness. She went to see her two children and played with them for a while, quietly waiting for Ling Mohan to send someone.
She wondered how Ling Mohan was doing. This state of complete uncertainty, coupled with the need to constantly guess, was truly unbearable.
Feng Jin sighed in frustration. She wished she hadn't agreed. It would have been better to return to the capital with Ling Mohan. At least she wouldn't be here, constantly worrying.
She didn't even hear Da Bao calling her. Feng Jin looked out the window with a slightly dazed expression, her thoughts already far away.
"Madam, the young master was calling you." It was only when Nanny Lin reminded her that Feng Jin's thoughts slowly returned. She turned and looked, "What is it?"
"Madam, the young master was calling you just now." Nanny Lin repeated.
Feng Jin regained her composure, her gaze shifting to the two children. She walked towards them, bent down, and looked at the two little ones. She reached out and ruffled their hair. "What is it?"
"Mama... Mama... hug... sleepy... sleepy..."
Da Bao stretched out his hands towards Feng Jin, asking for a hug, while rubbing his eyes.
"You're sleepy." Feng Jin scooped Da Bao into her arms. With her other hand, she held Er Bao, who was still full of energy. "Do you want to sleep? Mama will sing you and your brother to sleep."
Er Bao shook his head, brandishing the wooden sword Ling Mohan had made for him. "Play... no... no sleep..."
Feng Jin sometimes truly admired Er Bao's energy. Da Bao was already asleep, yet Er Bao still wanted to play for a while longer before sleeping.
Moreover, for the past few days, he had been inseparable from the small wooden sword made by Ling Mohan, unwilling to let anyone else touch it and would even snatch it back fiercely.
In contrast, Da Bao showed no interest in the wooden sword Ling Mohan had made, leaving it aside for a long time without ever reaching for it.
The temperaments of these two brothers were so diametrically opposed, it was hard to believe they were twins.
Who had told her that twins had similar personalities? How come with her, they were completely different?
Dealing with two individuals with completely different personalities every day was exhausting, and she also had to satisfy both. It was too difficult...