Lin Shuo glanced at Yun Jiao and whispered, "The Duke said that men shouldn’t grow up in the secluded parts of the inner courtyard under the hands of women. This place has strong yang energy, and the atmosphere is good."

Yun Jiao snorted, but said nothing. The Duke’s words were a bit extreme, but not without reason.

Lin Shuo said, "Doctor Gu, don’t worry."

"Most of the time, they stay in the Duke’s courtyard, study there, and practice martial arts in the small training ground in the morning. When the soldiers are resting, the Duke sometimes takes them to tour the camp, and those soldiers quite like the children."

"It’s better than just facing servants at home."

"The Duke said, in a few years, when Ruru returns, the two boys can train with the soldiers."

Yun Jiao said no more, hiding in the corner and watching for a long time.

Until Lady Wu’s brother Dao Xiong called out, "Alright, we’ll end the practice here today."

Ruru and Qi Er stopped sparring.

You Er seemed exhausted and suddenly fell off the plum blossom stakes.

The stakes were over two meters high, and Yun Jiao instinctively cried out in alarm.

Then she saw the falling little figure do a flip in mid-air and land steadily on the ground.

He didn’t pause at all before he started running towards the corner, shouting, "Mom——"

The sound of his mother’s voice was something he wouldn’t mistake even in a dream.

Ruru and Qi Er were momentarily stunned, watching You Er run over, they too followed and started sprinting.

The three little cannonballs knocked Yun Jiao backward repeatedly.

Lin Shuo watched nervously from the side, reaching out to support Yun Jiao, afraid she would fall. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The three little rascals, who had just been so valiant and impressive, were now clinging to Yun Jiao, crying their eyes out.

Truly, as the saying goes, when kids see their mom, they cry for no reason.

Yun Jiao hadn’t meant to cry, but seeing the children sobbing so heartbreakingly, she couldn’t help but cry too.

Lin Shuo stood by, smiling helplessly.

Yang Ying silently handed Yun Jiao a handkerchief.

Yun Jiao wiped the children’s tears, then pinched their cheeks, "You’re all so grown-up, and still cry when you see your mom, aren’t you ashamed?"

Qi Er lowered his head in embarrassment.

Ruru said confidently, "I miss sister-in-law!"

You Er tilted his head to look at Yun Jiao, "But Mom cried too."

Yun Jiao tapped his nose helplessly, "You’re the clever one!"

Lin Shuo laughed from the side, "You all go take a bath, so you can have breakfast afterward."

The three little ones formed a line from tallest to shortest and walked ahead.

Yun Jiao followed behind the children. Suddenly, You Er turned back, "Mom, you promised me a reward last time and never gave it."

Yun Jiao replied, "I said to wait a bit."

She looked up at the sky, "Wait until the first snowfall."

You Er emphasized, "Mom, you better not forget again."

Yun Jiao ruffled his hair, "I won’t forget."

The Duke’s residence was a separate courtyard, larger than Lin Shuo’s.

The Duke had just finished practicing martial arts as well, took a bath, and was sitting at the table waiting for the children.

Seeing Yun Jiao enter, the Duke stood up and asked with a smile, "What, did you miss the little troublemakers?"

Yun Jiao smiled and saluted the Duke, "Greetings, Father."

The Duke raised his hand, "No need for formalities among family."

At that moment, two soldiers came out carrying two buckets of water.

You Er glanced at Yun Jiao, "Mom, we’re going to take a bath. Can you give us some privacy?"