Chapter 5 Three years old is the perfect age to play dumb.

Three years old, a magical age.

The watershed moment in early childhood development: some children display extraordinary talent, while others are ostentatiously displaying extraordinary stupidity.

Jin Suiqing is the latter.

She seized this age and began a delightful life of feigning ignorance.

For example, while other children were already speaking in complete sentences, she mostly said "quack quack." She quacked all day long, and unsuspecting people who entered her yard might have thought she was raising ducks.

However, "Gaga" himself doesn't find it noisy because he doesn't hear it often.

When Jin Shiyu was eight years old, he entered the National Academy. He would only see Jin Suiqing when he came home from school, which happened to be around mealtime. Jin Suiqing would focus on eating, and after eating, he would chatter for a short while before it was time for bed.

Jin Suiqing, still half asleep, tugged at the corner of Jin Shiyu's robe, grumbling, "Gah... gah gah."

Jin Shiyu understood, lit a dim lamp, sat on the bed, set up a small table, and stayed beside Jin Suiqing to draw and do her homework.

Elementary colleges teach some basic subjects, including not only essential ancient subjects such as poetry, books, rites, the Book of Changes, the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but also basic principles of legal and mechanical design and drawing.

She didn't want Kim Shi-ok to leave, just so she could see him draw.

Jin Suiqing rolled over, pretending to speak incoherently. Her legs were also inconvenient, so she had to keep up, walking unsteadily. Jin Shiyu reached out to help her, and Jin Suiqing used the momentum to fall down and sit between his legs, pretending to be confused as she watched Jin Shiyu draw.

To be fair, the illustrations of magical weapons drawn by Kim Shi-ok...

It's terrible.

Kim Si-ok drew a clever mechanical bird that could fly with wings, but it looked like a hen sitting in its roost.

Jin Suiqing: ...

Can this fly?

Jin Suiqing looked up at Jin Shiyu, whose brows were furrowed. He probably realized that he didn't have any talent for designing magical artifacts.

Kim Si-ok, who was usually quiet and reserved, was now exuding a faint sadness.

Jin Suiqing blinked: "Gaga."

Jin Shiyu ignored her, wiped off the bird's right wing, and said coldly, "It's my brother."

Okay, Jin Suiqing pouted. Considering how pitiful you are, unable to even draw a picture properly, I'll be more accurate this time. So she said, "Brother."

Jin Shiyu put down his pen and looked down at Jin Suiqing.

Jin Suiqing chuckled and called his name several more times. Taking advantage of his distraction from the drawing, he snatched the charcoal pencil and drew a mark on the drawing.

With its smooth lines and beautiful curves, Jin Suiqing nodded in satisfaction.

Jin Shiyu clicked his tongue, snatched the charcoal pencil from Jin Suiqing's hand, and bent down to erase it, only to find that Jin Suiqing's stroke, in both position and shape, was exactly in the most suitable place for the bird's wing.

He can solve the problem of not being able to draw the bird's wings symmetrically by simply drawing along this arc.

Jin Shiyu held the pen, slightly widened his eyes, and looked down at Jin Suiqing in his arms.

Jin Suiqing danced with joy, clapping his hands and pretending to snatch the charcoal pencil from his hand.

He was momentarily dazed, then his consciousness returned. He raised the charcoal pencil high, avoiding Jin Suiqing's domineering little hand.

He's probably overthinking it.

Jin Suiqing still seems to be that slow-witted and clumsy younger sister.

*

Because of Jin Suiqing's excessively slow development, the first person to be upset was not her biological father or brother, but her busy aunt in the palace.

Huangfu Ying didn't want Jin Suiqing to be too smart, but after all, she was Huangfu Shao, her sister's daughter, and it wouldn't be good if she was too stupid.

Jin Guizhong lived in the brothel every day and was never home. Jin Shiyu only cared about Jin Suiqing's daily life and didn't care about anything else. Huangfu Ying picked a teacher from Huangfu Li and sent him to the Jin family to enlighten Jin Suiqing.

Since Huangfu Li's first birthday banquet, the second person Jin Suiqing could legitimately torment has appeared.

The Dharma Master of the Dharma Instrument Sect, Chai Zixin.

He was a promising young man who had shown extraordinary talent in designing magical artifacts since his teens. He stayed in Ziwei City for ten years and was finally selected by Huangfu Li to be his teacher, which gave him a chance to advance. However, he was then handed over to the Jin family.

He became the tutor of the rumored foolish little princess.

On the first day, Chai Zixin met Jin Suiqing for the first time and greeted her with a smile: "Greetings, Little Princess."

Jin Suiqing, nestled in Jin Shiyu's arms, grumbled.

Chai Zixin assumed Jin Suiqing liked ducks, so he took out a toy mechanical duck from his huge tool bag, bent down and leaned close to Jin Suiqing, saying in a high-pitched voice, "Little Princess, look, it's quacking."

The mechanical duck emitted an even more piercing "quack quack" sound.

Jin Suiqing suppressed a laugh, pretending to be confused, and looked up at Jin Shiyu. Jin Shiyu said expressionlessly, "She is calling me."

Kim Si-ok reiterated, "She's calling for her brother."

"Haha," Chai Zixin froze on the spot, gave an awkward laugh, and handed the mechanical duck to Jin Shiyu, "A gift for the little princess."

Jin Suiqing reached for it, but Jin Shiyu pulled her away, saying, "She doesn't like it."

Jin Suiqing: ?

Who said she doesn't like it?

Jin Shiyu looked perfectly at ease, almost serious, but Jin Suiqing could see clearly that he was already annoyed by his sister who was always quacking, and adding a duck that kept quacking made it even noisier.

Jin Suiqing reluctantly withdrew his hand and gave Chai Zixin a slightly aggrieved smile.

Chai Zixin understood immediately and insisted on stuffing the mechanical duck into Jin Suiqing's hand: "Preferences can be cultivated. It's a good opportunity to test the little princess's sensitivity to gadgets so that we can teach her according to her aptitude."

Jin Suiqing paused in his play with the mechanical duck, then quickly and subtly continued his study.

Since the person was sent by Huangfu Ying, he should naturally be responsible to Huangfu Ying. Why send a magic weapon master as a teacher?

It's another blatant test.

Huangfu Ying was testing whether Jin Guizhong had been secretly cultivating Jin Suiqing during these three years.

Jin Suiqing played with the duck for a bit, then suddenly, as if angered, she screamed and slammed the duck to the ground. The mechanism immediately shattered into pieces, spilling out the tiny sulfur-burning engine inside. After a small explosion, it burned into a puddle of black mud.

Seeing this, Jin Shiyu frowned: "Mr. Chai, isn't it a bit too early for her to be exposed to toys powered by sulfur combustion engines?"

Sulfur-based gold contains energy and is quite dangerous. Common toys for children are usually driven by springs or bearings to prevent the sulfur-burning engine from being hit or squeezed, causing spontaneous combustion and explosion, which could injure young children.

Chai Zixin laughed even more awkwardly, bowed and said, "Haha, it's my fault, I forgot that the little princess is still young. I apologize to the little princess."

The two siblings stared at him intently, and Chai Zixin broke out in a cold sweat.

He didn't want to, but he had no choice.

Before packing his bags and leaving the palace, Huangfu Ying didn't say anything, but the mechanical duck was given to him by Huangfu Li.

Huangfu Li smiled and said, "Teacher Chai will bring this to my sister and say it's a gift from her."

The moment the duck landed, its unusual weight alerted Chai Zixin: "Your Highness, this duck is powered by a sulfur-burning engine. It's risky. It's not appropriate for the little princess to play with it."

“Teacher Chai is joking,” Huangfu Li said. “My sister is a child of the Jin family, born to build sulfur-burning machines. How could there be any danger? If Sister Suiqing likes it, Teacher Chai, let me know and I will get her a new toy.”

Chai Zixin accepted the mechanical duck and left. The moment he stepped out of the East Palace, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Although he had heard that the eight-year-old Huangfu Li was more cunning than the sea, and the old master in Ziwei City had also told him that the Crown Prince’s teacher should be careful, Chai Zixin did not understand at the time what kind of cunning an eight-year-old child could have.

Seeing it today, I was filled with fear.

I used to fantasize that becoming the Crown Prince's tutor would lead to a meteoric rise in rank, but now I see that leaving the palace to teach at the Jin family's residence isn't such a bad thing after all.

Within half a day, Chai Zixin gave up the idea.

When Jin Suiqing pointed at the apple for the eighteenth time and said "ga ga," Chai Zixin felt his already precarious hairline recede another three inches.

A gentle breeze blows, bringing a refreshing coolness.

Chai Zixin's temples bulged with veins, and for the nineteenth time, he forced himself to be patient and said, "Little Princess, this is an apple."

Jin Shiyu, holding a piece of apple that Hui Hong had cut, put it into Jin Suiqing's mouth. She chewed and smacked her lips, then, with overwhelming force, loudly proclaimed, "Duck!"

After saying that, Jin Suiqing blinked, looking at the firewood in front of her, which seemed about to crack.

Chai Zixin took a few deep breaths, then suddenly stood up, said "I'm going out for some fresh air," and left the room. A moment later, a low, suppressed growl came from outside.

Jin Suiqing chuckled and opened her mouth, waiting for Jin Shiyu to feed her an apple.

The expected apple didn't arrive, and Jin Suiqing turned her head in confusion, meeting Jin Shiyu's probing gaze. Jin Shiyu stared at Shen Changchu for a while before bending down to pick up the apple and feed it to Jin Suiqing: "Why did you deliberately try to anger him?"

Jin Suiqing, who was chewing an apple, paused and stared longingly at Jin Shiyu.

Kim Si-ok was much more perceptive than she had imagined.

"Giggle," Jin Suiqing said loudly without thinking, her mouth full of apple, pretending to choke and coughing violently, "Cough cough... cough cough..."

Jin Shiyu put down his fruit fork, hugged Jin Suiqing in his arms, and skillfully patted her back to help her catch her breath.

Taking advantage of his inability to see, Jin Suiqing stuck out her tongue and spat out the still-intact apple from her mouth.

*

After everyone learned through various means that Jin Suiqing might be an extremely rare idiot, the happiest person among them was Jin Suiqing's scumbag father.

Jin Guizhong acted as if he had found a treasure, and for the first time, he carried Jin Suiqing around the Jin residence. A string of servants followed behind him, fearing that Master Jin might have a moment of madness and drown Jin Suiqing in the pond.

When the father and daughter stopped by the pond, the servants held their breath.

"quack!"

Jin Guizhong waved his hand and said, "The young princess likes ducks. Go find two tomorrow and raise them in the pond."

Huihong, who was following behind, breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Jin Suiqing's face was all scrunched up and she was obviously not happy, she replied, "Reporting to Master, the young princess does not like ducks. She is calling for Young Master Shiyu."

Jin Suiqing sneered inwardly. What a scumbag father! His child is already three years old and still knows nothing.

Jin Guizhong, with a face thicker than the sky, threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Where's Jin Shiyu? Call him over."

"Reporting to Master, today is not a day off; the young master has gone to school."

The younger ones don't know, the older ones don't understand, this father is doing a really good job.

After being rebuffed twice, Jin Guizhong, feeling utterly disillusioned, carried Jin Suiqing into his courtyard. The servants behind him, perfectly in sync, stopped outside the courtyard, not stepping across the threshold.

Before Jin Suiqing could figure out what was going on, Jin Guizhong carried her into the room and casually placed her on a stool. Jin Guizhong let go of her before she could even sit properly, and Jin Suiqing flinched, grabbing the armrest tightly to barely straighten herself.

What a scumbag father. Jin Suiqing almost fainted. Even the poker-faced Jin Shiyu knew to put the person down properly before letting go.

Unaware of anything amiss, Jin Guizhong turned his head and pulled out a gilded pipa from somewhere, playing with abandon. He closed his eyes, his fingers flying across the strings, the music flowing smoothly, like a waterfall cascading from the heavens.

Regardless of her father's focused playing, Jin Suiqing's attention was drawn to the blueprints on the table. Jin Guizhong's spacious desk was covered with blueprints of various magical artifacts, all of which Jin Suiqing had never seen before.

What's the difference between a piece of gold and a rat falling into a rice jar?

While Jin Guizhong was busy ignoring her, Jin Suiqing grabbed the outermost drawing and examined it closely.

This is a design drawing of a flying machine. Judging from its shape alone, it resembles a modern winged jetpack aircraft. The perspective view is simple, with intersecting lines. There is a circular gap at the very center of the flying machine, which runs through the entire structure.

Jin Suiqing guessed that this should be the place where the sulfur combustion machine is installed.

So engrossed in the blueprints that she didn’t notice the pipa music had stopped. Jin Guizhong stepped forward and snatched the paper from her hand, but he wasn’t angry. He crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the bamboo basket. “Suiqing, don’t look at these upsetting things. Your grandfather forced me to learn magic weapons back then. Today, you come to learn music from your father.”

As if a floodgate had been opened, Jin Guizhong rambled on, waving his hand to sweep aside the blueprints and make Jin Suiqing stand on the table: "Suiqing, play music, dance, enjoy life. Even a dog wouldn't learn magic weapons!"

He held Jin Suiqing up, manipulating her limbs haphazardly like a puppet.

Through this humorous and funny scene, Jin Suiqing seemed to be able to see how the former Master Jin forced Jin Guizhong to learn magic weapons.

"It's so torturous," Jin Suiqing thought.

A note from the author:

Please add this to your favorites, sob sob.

Please add to your favorites and move around. Adding to favorites and not moving around.