TPITWOHEF

Chapter 184

In the children's play area, parents could leave their children to play freely. The local government office, which was hosting a special Jing Country gathering, had even assigned constables to verify adults' identities before they could retrieve their children.

"Half an hour for twenty coins, it's not expensive," Princess Yunwu of Chu remarked, listening to the constant laughter from the children in the sandbox. She found this idea brilliant.

Her own two children would cry when separated from her. From pregnancy until her children were three years old, she could barely leave home. On the rare occasions when she attended gatherings with other noble ladies or visited her parents at the palace, she never dared to stay long, always rushing back home.

But to her surprise, here in the sandbox were boys and girls who seemed no older than five, playing happily together. Even with their fathers nearby, the children didn't rely on them, instead communicating with their playmates on their own.

They played marbles, crawled in and out of hollowed-out tree trunks, or busied themselves building things on what looked like sandbox tables.

"Interesting. These tree trunks are novel, allowing children to be active. With many children around, they can make friends too."

Several children crawled into one side of a tree trunk, winding their way through, and emerged from another opening.

[Modern kids love these tunnels too~ They can even slide down~ But let's forget about using actual tree trunks, they're too fragile.]

Xiao Chuchu thought to herself, muttering quietly.

Xiao Yunzhou immediately coughed lightly and turned to the Minister of Works, "The tree trunks might rot and collapse easily. It would be better to use other, more durable materials."

Chen Xun, the Minister of Works, nodded quickly in agreement.

The Princess of Chu, imagining the tree trunks and hollows replaced with sturdy iron or wood, felt much more at ease. Watching the boys and girls playing joyfully and even screaming with delight, Yun Wu felt a twinge of regret.

She had left her two children at the temple today, under the care of their wet nurse. She had assumed that the Jing Country gathering would mostly involve things unsuitable for children to eat or drink, but it turned out not to be the case. After just a few steps, she had already seen so many novel play items for children.

Children would probably love it.

The princess regretted her decision; had she known, she should have brought her two children along to experience and enjoy these activities.

[The Chu Princess's favorability towards Jing Country has increased to 7%.]

Xiao Chuchu noticed the system prompt and grinned, her little tummy rumbling at the same time.

Xiao Yunzhou and Liu Chaniang immediately looked down at her with concern.

"Let's go in for a meal. Little prin... ahem," Liu Chaniang coughed lightly, covering up her near slip of the tongue, "It's getting late."

Xiao Yunzhou nodded and made a gesture of invitation towards the Princess of Chu.

The zongzi shop was located between the milk tea shop and the tofu pudding shop, with the aroma of hotpot and roast duck wafting from not far away.

Xiao Chuchu secretly glanced at Princess Yunwu and noticed that her dignified face showed no sign of being tempted by the enticing smells.

She felt anxious inwardly, [Compared to the Ji sisters, the princess is indeed harder to win over.]