Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality

However, Zhou Ruoxi had no grand ambitions for her son.

In Zhou Ruoxi’s eyes, it was enough for her son to grow up healthy, get married, have children of his own, and live a happy life.

Soon, Xiao Mo was ten months old.

Not only could Xiao Mo stand steadily on his own, but he could also take a few steps, though he tended to tumble to the ground easily.

At first, every time Xiao Mo fell, Zhou Ruoxi would grow incredibly tense.

But Zhou Ruoxi knew that every child stumbles and falls.

Fall more when you’re young, and you’ll fall less when you’re older.

In the end, Zhou Ruoxi forced herself to be “cruel” and simply stayed close by, letting him walk slowly on his own.

In truth, Zhou Ruoxi didn’t want her son to learn to walk so quickly.

Because in the Qin Kingdom, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing for a child to walk early.

So, she would usually hold Xiao Mo in her arms, not letting him walk on the ground constantly.

Xiao Mo could also sense that his mother didn’t seem to want him to learn to walk so quickly, though he didn’t know why.

In the nearly one year since his birth, Xiao Mo noticed that his biological father, who had visited on the day he was born, had never returned.

It wasn’t just a matter of him being busy with official duties; even when Xiao Mo heard Sister Cuicui say, “The Master has returned to the mansion,” the man never once set foot in their courtyard.

Not that Xiao Mo really cared.

’After all, in the eyes of that so-called father of mine, I’m just the son of a concubine.’

’My mother and I probably served only one purpose: to add one more to the number of heirs in the Xiao Mansion.’

The one silver lining was that, because of his birth, his mother’s monthly allowance had doubled, and their daily meals were a significant improvement from before.

However, Zhou Ruoxi spent all that money on Xiao Mo.

Zhou Ruoxi would have Cuicui go out to buy fine fabrics, then personally handcraft one outfit after another and one tiny pair of shoes after another for her son.

In contrast, Zhou Ruoxi herself never got a single new piece of clothing or bought a single new piece of jewelry.

It was as if this woman was destined to be forever simple and elegant.

Even her maid, Cuicui, sometimes couldn’t bear it. “Madam,” she pleaded, “you really should buy some new clothes and jewelry for yourself. You’ve been wearing the same things for so long.”

But Zhou Ruoxi just smiled. “What would I do with new clothes and jewelry? The Master never comes here anyway, so who would I be dressing up for? It’s much more worthwhile to make sure my Mo’er is well-dressed and well-fed.”

“…” Hearing her mistress’s reply, Cuicui said no more.

She knew how stubborn her mistress could be.

No matter what she said, her mistress wouldn’t listen.

But many times, when Cuicui watched her mistress lulling the young master to sleep, she couldn’t help but feel it was all so unfair to her.

Her mistress was not only beautiful but also a well-bred lady with a wonderful personality. Yet, because she was from a conquered city in an enemy nation, she had been given to the Master as a mere concubine.

’Otherwise, she would have at least married into a family of equal standing and become a proper wife…’

’Stranded in a foreign land, given away like a gift by her own parents.’

’Perhaps, in her mistress’s heart, the young master is her only pillar of support.’

…

Before they knew it, winter had arrived.

Xiao Mo’s first birthday was only a month away.

Afraid her son would get cold, Zhou Ruoxi put a little tiger-hat on him and bundled him in so many layers of clothing that Xiao Mo felt like a ball.

「Another half-month passed.」

Before, Xiao Mo had wanted to speak but couldn’t tame his infant body, managing only to make gurgling and cooing sounds.

But now, Xiao Mo felt as if something had just clicked; he seemed to be gradually gaining control over language.

’The feeling was incredibly strange—it was like I could clearly sense myself taming my own mouth.’

Furthermore, as the weather grew colder, Xiao Mo noticed his mother seemed increasingly concerned about the weather, and she looked rather tense.

And then, the very thing Zhou Ruoxi had been dreading finally happened.

In the middle of the first month, with less than ten days until Xiao Mo’s first birthday, a heavy snow fell upon the Imperial City of the Qin Kingdom.

Snowflakes drifted down, blanketing the entire world in white.

The silvery, snow-covered world was beautiful, but Zhou Ruoxi was in no mood to appreciate it.

For the first time in her life, Zhou Ruoxi found herself hating the snow.

This was because of a custom in the Qin Kingdom.

After a child learned to walk, they had to undergo a trial during the first heavy snow of the year. The mother would stand ten zhang away, and the child had to walk toward her until they either reached her or could walk no further.

According to the customs of the Qin Kingdom, only through this baptism of biting cold and heavy snow could a child grow up to be tall and strong-willed.

On this day, maids from Madam Xiao’s household came to Zhou Ruoxi’s courtyard to oversee Xiao Mo’s completion of this custom.

Naturally, Zhou Ruoxi’s heart ached at the thought.

’Most children only start walking when they’re a little over a year old.’

’But my son started walking early; he isn’t even one year old yet.’

’But this is the way of the entire Qin Kingdom, and Mo’er is the son of the General of the North. How could I possibly refuse?’

In the end, Cuicui picked up Xiao Mo and placed him in the snow, ten zhang away from his mother.

Standing in the snow, Xiao Mo looked left and right.

To the others watching, the eyes of this baby, not yet even a year old, were filled with confusion.

Forcing down her worry, Zhou Ruoxi smiled at her son. She clapped her hands, her breath misting in the cold air, and called out softly, “Mo’er, don’t be afraid. Come to Mama, Mo’er.”

Xiao Mo looked at his mother, blinked his large eyes, and then began to move, his short little legs waddling step by step toward her.

He waddled a few steps before tripping on a hidden stone, falling with a THUMP and disappearing into a pile of snow.

Horrified, Zhou Ruoxi shot to her feet, about to run to her son.

“Fifth Madam, please do not break the rules,” two of the maids said coldly, grabbing Zhou Ruoxi to stop her.

Zhou Ruoxi bit her lip, her eyes fixed on her son.

Soon, Xiao Mo pushed himself up from the snow. He shook his chubby head and body, spread his arms wide again, and continued to waddle toward his mother.

But it wasn’t long before Xiao Mo fell again.

And again, he pushed himself up and continued onward.

The resilience shown by this child, not yet even a year old, was beyond everyone’s expectations.

He fell and got up, time after time. The snow came up to his waist, and his little hands and cheeks were frozen bright red.

Yet he did not give up.

He didn’t even cry out once.

Under normal circumstances, most children would have already sat down in the snow and started wailing.

“Mo’er, just a few more steps! Mama’s right here, Mo’er. Don’t rush, take your time.”

Seeing her son shivering violently from the cold, Zhou Ruoxi’s eyes were already rimmed with red.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Finally.

Xiao Mo reached his mother and collapsed into her arms.

“Mo’er, you’re amazing! You did so well, Mo’er.”

Zhou Ruoxi quickly brushed the snow from his clothes, then clasped his small hands tightly in her own, blowing warm breath on them over and over.

“Muh…mah.”

Just as Zhou Ruoxi was about to carry him inside, Xiao Mo called out in his tender voice.

Zhou Ruoxi froze, staring blankly at her son. “Mo’er, what… what did you call me?”

“Ma…ma…” Xiao Mo called out again, his pronunciation much more accurate this time.

“Mo’er…” Zhou Ruoxi’s eyes shimmered. “Mo’er, can you say it again?”

“Mama…”

“Mama…”

“Mama…”

Xiao Mo happily called out three times in a row.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Zhou Ruoxi pulled her son into a tight embrace, tears streaming from her eyes as she answered him emphatically each time.

“My good boy, Mama’s here… I’m here…”