"Stop making troubles, you little thing." Taping on her little button like nose, Wei Jingchen made the comment.
It seemed, he had entered the room at some point and had come by their side when both Mother and daughter duo were busy and engrossed in their world.
Seeing her father appearing in front of her out of nowhere, Wei Ning's lips twitched and she rolled her eyes. "Here comes a mother stealing thief, again."
True to her thoughts, Wei Jingchen really reached out to embrace his wife and pressed his lips against her. But not long after, Madam Wei elbowed him and told him to behave and that their daughter was still there.
"She is still a child, she doesn't understand anything." Wei Jingchen shamelessly said and tried to steal another kiss from his legally wedded wife who had been keeping him on a arms length whenever they were with their daughter as if he was not her leagal husband but some wild man.
Wei Ning, who had long accustomed to her father's shamelessness, turning her head to the other side, she pretended to play by herself, giving him a chance to become champion for once.
After an hour, the family of three left the main courtyard and came to the ancestral hall of the Duke Dinghai's mansion.
Housekeeper Li, Li Bai, who was also the head maid by Madam Wei's side was looking after the last bit of preparation for the ceremony.
"Li Bai, have all the preparation completed?" Madam Wei asked as she entered the ancestral hall with their daughter in her arms and her husband by her side.
"Madam."
"Master."
"Young miss."
Greetings from the servants resonated in the ancestral hall. Since there was an offering to be made, all the windows and doors in the ancestral hall had been opened to let the sunlight brighten the always dim lighted room.
"Hmm." Madam Wei and Wei Jingchen nodded at their greetings and Madam Wei again turned to Li Bai for her answers from her last question.
Li Bai bowed slightly in courtesy and spoke in a low but precise voice, enough for Madam Wei to hear: "Madam, almost all preparations for young miss' 100th day ceremony had been made. Only the ceremonial food from the main kitchen had to be brought, if you give your permit."
Hearing her answer, Madam Wei revealed a gentle smile: "Sure. Let the servants bring the offering food. Let's start the prayers. Our Xiao Ning is still a baby after all, If we make it longer, she might fall asleep out of exhaustion."
It was not wrong.
Li Bai immediately waved her hands and ordered the servants to comply with madam's words.
Within few minutes, delicious aroma of food wafted over to baby Ning's nostril, making her little mouth salivate over the tasty aroma of the delicious looking dishes.
More than a dozen types of sweet dishes, a dozen types of fruits from sweet to sour, many types of cakes; red bean cake, rice cake, plum cake osmanthus honey cake and so many types of tea and so many more.
Looking at the rich offerings, Wei Ning couldn't help but exclaim: "Wow!!!! So many delicious food!!!" But soon her lips turned down and she made a pout and sighed to herself: "So what if it's delicious? It's not for me anyway." After saying this, she again turned her little head away from the food and snuggled her face in her mother's bossom trying to find some comfort in it. "Let me have my food, if I can't have that."
Almost half of the ancestral hall was filled with ceremonial food and other necessity such as; fabric, wood, wine and all.
Wei couple kneeled on the futon in front of the Wei family's ancestors' memorial plaque and lit the incense.
A monk from the famous peace temple was called to make the ceremony more spiritual who came with his few disciples. Mantra chanting was resonating in the two story ancestral hall, making it more divine and goosbumping.
After prayers and food offerings, Wei Jingchen bed farewell to the monks with a generous amount of gifts. Wei Jingchen also let the servants sent out more donations to the temples and orphanage in the name of his only daughter, Wei Ning.
Hearing his father firing the orders, Wei Ning felt her heart move: "Yes. No matter how stingy father is when it come to share mother with me, he still loves me in his heart." It was until she heard his next words: "Give them more. Don't let them think that Duke Dinghai's mansion is not up to par. Last time when Marquis Ping became grandfather, he had donated 50 tons of silvers, if Duke Dinghai's mansion doesn't donate more than that, my old man will surely beat me up for soiling his reputation."
Wei Ning: "......." "He never loved me. He only cares about the Duke Dinghai's mansion and not me. Wuhu." The grinning face a moment ago turned into a pout and her sparkling eyes under the sunlight, glistened with tears. Her eyes turning red and the fluttering of her lashes increased in an instant..... and... another session of crying. It was a long one. So long that Wei Jingchen had to spend his night alone.... it was Wei Ning's revenge from her father. Hmph.
Days passed, seasons changed, soon it was another spring and Wei Ning had already turned three by then.
The whole north had suffered a great casualty from the sneaked attack from northern barbarians. It was reported that the King You from Youzhou, Song Wanlei had colluded with the enemies and had sold the military secrets to them in exchange of wealth and fame but somehow a General in the You army got the whiff of their conspiracy and risked his life and beheaded the You King. The general, Lei Ting, even found the evidence inside King You's mansion and had already sent it to the Imperial court but since the secrets had already been passed to the enemy camp, he couldn't save the three cities around the You Pass.
When the evidence reached the capital city, the whole capital city was in chaos.
Be it scholarly families or military households, everyone had the same thought: "The disaster is coming."