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This was the first time the Wang and Xu families had gathered so completely. Upon seeing Li Xia arrive, Xu Yiyou hesitated, unsure whether to approach.

Li Xia spoke first, "Yiyou, you've grown taller since I last saw you."

"Have I? I hadn't noticed," Xu Yiyou replied, comparing her height to Li Xia's. She used to reach Li Xia's shoulder, but now she came up to her nose. She really had grown.

"Yiyou has indeed grown quite a bit this year," Madam Jiang remarked with a smile.

"Aunt, Elder Sister-in-law," Li Xia greeted Madam Jiang and the young woman standing beside her.

"Cousin," the young woman, Wu Yue'er, wife of Xu Yizheng, responded.

Wu Yue'er's attitude towards Li Xia was pleasant, and Li Xia was willing to show her some respect. However, she completely ignored Ning Ying, Xu Yirong's wife, who stood at a distance with a look of disdain.

After some conversation, Qiu Ju invited everyone to move to the room where the objects for Wang Hong's milestone ceremony were arranged. Xu Xinyue, holding Wang Hong, was instructing him on what to choose. The two uncles from the Xu family had placed some items on the table, while Wang Dong had added paintings and books.

Xu Xinyue set Wang Hong in the middle, calling out, "Hong, grab the book!"

"Grab the painting," came Wang Dong's voice.

"Grab the sword," the two Xu uncles chimed in.

As everyone encouraged Wang Hong to make his choice, he sat in the middle, smiling. Then, catching sight of Li Xia, he crawled straight towards her. He threw himself into her arms, clinging tightly and refusing to let go.

This unexpected turn amused everyone. Madam Jiang laughed, commenting on the strong bond between sister and brother.

Xu Xinyue also smiled, stepping forward to take Wang Hong. But he refused, hiding and holding onto Li Xia tightly.

"Hong, you can't choose a person for this ceremony," Li Xia said, placing him back in the center. Seeming to understand his sister's words, Wang Hong grabbed a jade ruyi scepter that Li Xia had carved, and a book—a picture book Li Xia had specially commissioned for children.

"This child is destined for good fortune in all things and will surely excel in his studies," Madam Jiang said, her face beaming with joy.

Clutching his chosen items, Wang Hong crawled back to Li Xia. She bent down to pick him up, and he handed both objects to her, hugging her tightly.

Li Xia, having not seen her little brother for a while, told Xu Xinyue she would play with him for a bit.

Xu Yiyou stayed nearby, laughing and playing with Wang Hong. Wu Yue'er wanted to join them, hoping to hold the baby. Having been married for over six months without conceiving, she was growing anxious. However, Ning Ying held her back, engaging her in conversation.

"Cousin, I'm sorry," Xu Yiyou said to Li Xia after some hesitation.

"What have you done that you need to apologize for?" Li Xia asked, taking the book away from Wang Hong to keep him from putting it in his mouth. Seeing Wang Hong's pitiful expression as he held onto her hand, Li Xia couldn't resist gently nibbling his cheek.

Wang Hong enthusiastically responded, planting several wet kisses on Li Xia's face, covering it with saliva. He was truly adorable.

"I should have tried to stop my second brother from marrying that woman," Xu Yiyou said, looking towards Ning Ying, who was still talking to Wu Yue'er. She disliked Ning Ying intensely. The woman had been putting on airs since marrying into the Xu family, making everyone sick of her. What was worse, her mother, Madam Jiang, seemed to listen to this woman, causing chaos in the household.

"You were just a young girl. You couldn't have changed their decisions," Li Xia said, clearly seeing how the attitudes of the Xu father and sons had subtly shifted, trying to gain advantages in both civil and military circles.

To curry favor with the Ning family, only Madam Jiang and Wu Yue'er from the Xu family had attended Wang Hong's one-month celebration. Now that the Ning family had fallen from grace and could no longer offer benefits, the two Xu uncles were panicking. That's why they had taken leave to attend Wang Hong's milestone ceremony today.

Li Xia saw through this, and Xu Xinyue was no fool either. When her brothers asked her to put in a good word with Li Xia so that Xu Yizheng could be transferred to the Imperial Guard, Xu Xinyue refused without hesitation.

"He's your own nephew," Xu Xinyong said, displeased with Xu Xinyue's refusal.

"Brothers, let me be clear. Li Xia is my own daughter. Anyone who dares to mistreat her is crossing me," Xu Xinyue said bluntly. She was disappointed that the Xu family had deliberately distanced themselves from her and Li Xia because of the Ning family, only to try to reconnect now that the Nings had fallen.

"Our parents are still alive. They wouldn't want to see us siblings fighting," Xu Xincheng said, appealing to emotion.

"If our parents were alive, they would be disappointed to see you currying favor like this. Have you forgotten Father's teachings?" Xu Xinyue was deeply disappointed in her brothers. Their father, Xu Youshan, had been dedicated to serving the people and dared to stand up to the powerful. But now Xu Xincheng and Xu Xinyong were trying to attach themselves to the influential.

"It's because of those teachings that our family fell apart. Our parents and sister-in-law are gone. My brother and I suffered greatly at the frontier. Even you were sold as a concubine for years," Xu Xinyong blurted out, causing Xu Xinyue to freeze.

When she recovered, she slapped him and shouted, "Get out!"

"Xinyue," Xu Xincheng said, his face dark with displeasure.

"Brother, don't bother asking her. Let's go," Xu Xinyong said, storming out.

Xu Xincheng stepped closer to Xu Xinyue. "Xinyue, you can't imagine the hardships we endured at the frontier." With that, he left.

As the door closed behind them, Xu Xinyue couldn't hold back her tears. Her brothers had suffered at the frontier, but hadn't she suffered as well?

"Mother, Hong is sleepy," Li Xia's voice came from the doorway.

Xu Xinyue quickly wiped away her tears and went out. Seeing Wang Hong asleep in Li Xia's arms, she took him and laid him on the bed inside.

"The uncles are leaving. The master is seeing them off and asks you to join," Qiu Ju came in to report.

"Just let them go," Xu Xinyue said, her tone somewhat harsh. Noticing Li Xia's confused look, she caught herself. "I'll go see them off. Xia, watch your brother," she said, leaving with Qiu Ju.

After they left, Li Xia beckoned to Xiao Shuang. "What happened?"

Xiao Shuang, who now primarily attended to Xu Xinyue, hesitated, unsure whether she should speak.

"I won't tell Mother, speak quickly," Li Xia said in a calm tone, but for some reason Xiao Shuang felt a shiver run through her body. She then spilled everything, words tumbling out like beans from a jar.

When Xu Xinyue returned, she saw Li Xia sleeping next to Wang Hong. The anger she had felt towards her brother dissipated upon seeing the peaceful sleeping faces of the two children. She would not allow anyone to bully her children, not even her own brother.

After leaving the Wang family home, Li Xia instructed Qiu Ling to investigate matters concerning the Xu family. Previously, Li Xia had simply smiled off the various actions of the Xu family, as they hadn't harmed Xu Xinyue.