Chapter 75: Loving Fathers Often Spoil Their Children
Amid a series of coughing sounds, a small spark finally grew brighter, then ignited the surrounding firewood, and flames leaped up.
Xingxing hurriedly added the firewood one by one, but her eyes turned to her brother. She saw him coming over with the cut vegetables and putting them down. He then went over to bring a small stool and placed it in front of the stove. Finally, he held a large spatula.
The food is mushy.
The two children sat facing each other, staring at the dish on the table in front of them, in silence.
Qiuqiu: “…”
It tried to scan the dish whose ingredients could no longer be seen.
Finally, the corners of the non-existent mouth twitched wildly, and he said to the two children who were holding their chopsticks and dared not move: "Kids, it's not poisonous, but it will give you diarrhea if you eat it, don't eat it."
The two little guys' bodies couldn't withstand the damage of this dish. They were rescued with great difficulty, but were sent away again because of a dish.
Xingxing subconsciously blocked her brother's action of "testing the poison".
Then, following Qiuqiu's instructions, he pushed the dish away under his brother's distressed and reluctant gaze.
The next second, my stomach growled.
There was no choice. The two young chefs who had been busy in the kitchen all day finally sat face to face and ate the sour and sweet tomatoes obediently.
Qiuqiu feels that this cannot go on.
It is extremely difficult for two children who cannot take care of themselves to survive in this chaotic world.
Then there are only two paths before them.
One way is to buy a few servants, or at least a cook, so that they can take care of their daily meals.
The second way is to go to the Anqing Marquis Mansion and reveal your identity.
But both options have their pros and cons. After careful consideration, if the star has special powers, the first option is actually safer.
After Qiuqiu told Xingxing the two proposals he had deduced, he waited for the child to make his own decision.
This time, Xingxing did not give a direct answer, nor did she reject the second proposal without hesitation.
Children's cognition is narrow, and Xingxing is even more unfamiliar with this era. He initially said that he would not go back to the Anqing Marquis Mansion because he thought that he and his brother could live well, just like himself and Uncle Hu in the doomsday, but he ignored the fact that this was ancient times.
The difference in times meant that his original cognition would be gradually overturned.
The fact that he has used supernatural powers and space again and again since he came to this world shows the huge difficulty of survival between ancient and modern times.
He reached out and held his brother's hand, and whispered to himself, "I choose the first one."
Even though he realized the difference in this world, Xingxing still chose not to return to Anqing Hou Mansion.
It’s not that Xingxing doesn’t want to, he just wants to be with his brother more than enjoying everyone’s love after returning home.
The main reason why Xingxing refused was that he was not sure what identity his brother should have when staying by his side after returning to Anqing Marquis' Mansion.
Judging from the results calculated by Qiuqiu every night, it is definitely not an equal relationship.
He might even no longer be able to call him brother, and instead his brother would need to kneel down and bow to him.
Xingxing knelt with her brother.
When he first came into this world, his knees were knelt in the freezing cold soil, kneeling in front of every person who passed by. He could only look up at them forever. Even the moment they made eye contact, the other party would spit in disgust and curse him for bad luck.
My brother may have knelt down to everyone in Kyoto.
But Xingxing didn't want to be one of them.
So he was only confused for a moment about the current situation, and then, with a dirty little face, he took his brother out to buy a servant.
Uncle was right, money could solve a lot of problems, so the things that filled his space the most were all kinds of gold, silver, jewelry, and jade.
All those things that had depreciated wildly at the end of the world were looted by my uncle and stuffed into the space of the stars.
Now, that's when those things come in handy.
Walking down the street, Xingxing looked at the steaming buns that had just come out of the oven, sniffed the aroma of meat coming from that side, swallowed his saliva, and when he was about to move forward, he suddenly stopped.
Then, under his brother's puzzled gaze, he lowered his head and stuffed a handful of silver into his brother's pocket.
The next second, the child raised his increasingly fair face and said obediently: "Brother, buy me some buns~"
My brother is asked to buy it, but Xingxing won’t buy it.
He was raised by his brother.
Xiaowu was stunned for two seconds. Before he could recover from the shock of becoming suddenly rich, his body had already picked up his younger brother before his brain could.
Then she held him in one hand and strode towards the bun shop.
Looking at the posture, if you didn’t know better, you would think that this 7-year-old kid was going to mess up the bun shop.
As a result, the child opened his mouth and said, "Grandpa, I want two buns, please hurry up, thank you!"
Xingxing hugged her brother's neck and looked expectantly at the steaming buns, which looked fragrant and soft. She followed her brother's mimicking bird and said, "Grandpa, buns, thank you~"
Who can endure this?
Immediately, two buns were wrapped in oil paper and handed to Xiaowu. The shop owner also reminded him with a smile: "Boy, these buns are fresh out of the oven and are very hot. Children are delicate and sensitive. You have to blow them before feeding them to your brother."
As soon as he finished speaking, a big tooth appeared on the bun.
Xiaowu was so scalded that a mouthful of dough kept rolling around in his mouth. He also blew on the steaming bun filling again and again before feeding it to his younger brother.
No one will complain about dirtiness.
Xingxing also exhaled, then opened his mouth hard and took what he thought was a big bite.
Soon after, both kids started to move the skin and stuffing back and forth in their mouths. It was so hot that they kept inhaling and were reluctant to spit it out.
Qiuqiu: “…”
Quietly create some data for yourself that tastes like braised pork buns.
While eating the buns, they returned to find the human trafficker who had sold their house to them before, and bought two people from him with money he knew the place well.
Xingxing handed their indentures to his brother, and then the two brothers took the two trembling and frail people home.
There were two men. One of them introduced himself by saying that he could cook, clean and do laundry. It was said that he used to be a servant in a wealthy family. Later, the family committed a crime and the man disappeared. He was not able to get his indenture back, but continued to be picked and chosen like a commodity.
The other one looked to be nearly forty years old and was very thin, but he used to be a scholar. Unfortunately, his family fell into poverty. Although he could read and write, he could not save his family from disaster. In the end, he had to sell himself for food while on the road of exile.
Xingxing picked them out from a crowd, gave them silver and took away their indentures without saying anything.
When they were brought home, the two men, who had thought they would meet the master or mistress of the host family, were stunned when they saw the empty courtyard.
Xiao Wu hid his brother behind him, and then he imitated the attitude of the nobles he had seen in the past, raised his chin slightly and said in a cold voice: "We are here to study in Kyoto, and the elders at home are not easy to show up, so from now on your masters are me and my brother. From now on, you should work honestly and don't take advantage of our youth and ignorance, otherwise..."
Behind him, Xingxing listened to her brother's heartbeat that was beating like a drum, and her eyes curved slightly.
Xiaowu was really panicked and nervous, but he actually learned it very well.
He captured the arrogant and pretentious attitude of the wealthy and powerful very well, probably because he had seen it too many times before, just like Li Jinyuan who exchanged half a wheat cake for a small stone without saying a word.
He doesn't need to act too ferocious, he just needs to demonstrate just right, and these people who are forced to do nothing will add more background on their own, scare themselves, and then have even deeper awe in their hearts.
Perhaps after spending more time together in the future, all the current attitudes will change, but now Xingxing did not use his supernatural powers to solve all possible troubles, but let his brother stand in front of him nervously but firmly.
Of the two people who were bought, one was responsible for cooking and washing clothes for the two children, and the other was responsible for cleaning and housekeeping, serving as both a doorman and a housekeeper.
Of course, the two kids would also give them appropriate monthly wages and would not ignore anything just because they had the indenture contract.
When his brother asked the two to go down, Xingxing planted a simple seed in their hearts.
It was just a suggestion for them not to hurt himself and his brother, not even an order.
After solving the trivial matters of life, the most important thing is to go to school.
Xingxing and his brother were going to the same school and have the same teacher. The school was not far away, just about an incense stick's walk from their home.
This was also one of the conditions that Qiuqiu asked Xingxing to put forward to Renyazi when buying the house.
If the two servants had not been bought, the two brothers would naturally have to find a solution themselves.
But now that they have servants, especially the scholar named Zhong Yan, the two little ones don't have to worry about such things.
Zhong Yan himself was a scholar, so naturally he was able to successfully send the two young masters to school after negotiations.
Not only that, he also carefully prepared pens, ink, paper, and inkstones and other things needed for school for Xingxing and Xiaowu. And because the Chinese New Year was approaching, the school had to be closed, so they had to start school after the beginning of the year. Before that, Zhong Yan would take time out every day to enlighten the two children.
Therefore, Zhong Yan received more monthly salary than what was agreed at the beginning.
In fact, during this period of contact, Zhong Yan also vaguely guessed that the arrogance of the two little guys in the beginning was probably a result of cowardice, and that they were definitely not children taught by family elders.
After all, these two kids didn't even know how to hold a pen.
Xingxing could be explained by the fact that he was too young to read and write, but Xiaowu was already seven years old and had long passed the stage of early childhood enlightenment in a large family, yet he could not read a single word. Zhongyan had already had many speculations in his mind regarding all these contradictions and omissions.
However, these speculations did not make him worry. Instead, when he found that the two children were learning very seriously and quickly, he taught them more attentively.
He didn't want to delve into the identities of the two children, who they were in the past, or why they had the capital to gain a foothold here.
He only coveted this moment of peace and was worried about the decline of the country, so he paid more attention to the personalities and learning progress of his two children.
Later, he found that Xiaowu was serious about learning but had difficulty, and was always absent-minded, and was more interested in martial arts than studying. Xingxing was a quick learner but was helpless because he was young and weak...
Logically speaking, both are good candidates.
But the reality is, both seedlings are growing a little crooked.
So when Zhong Yan was teaching, he began to try to teach according to the individual's needs.
Xiaowu liked martial arts and always said he wanted to be a general, so I told him history and military books, read him battlefield poems, and told him short stories about some well-known battles of the dynasty. I even asked him to learn calligraphy and had him copy military books.
As for Xingxing, Zhong Yan initially wanted to teach her slowly, but the longer they spent together, the more he softened his heart and became reluctant to let her go.
It's very strange. The child is obviously very serious in class, but when Zhong Yan sees his small and thin body sitting there upright, he can't help but feel distressed.
And they spontaneously found countless "excuses" for the children.
The child is still young.
I only drank half a bowl of porridge in the morning.
I've been sitting for ten minutes, it's time to take a break.
There’s no need to read aloud in such a cold weather. What if your throat hurts?
The New Year is coming soon, and children should have fun...
His bottom line was constantly lowered, so that he became increasingly strict with Xiaowu, but repeatedly indulged Xingxing. He even spent his own money to buy tuition and gifts when Xingxing was about to go to school after the New Year, and repeatedly asked the old teacher who was going to teach him not to be too harsh on Xingxing in class. His words implied that the child was smart but weak, and he hoped that the old teacher could teach him well but not be too strict.
These words made the old teacher so angry that he almost kicked the "parent" out with a broom.
So when Xingxing was led by her brother into the school with a small cloth bag on her shoulder, the first time she saw the old teacher, the old man raised his beard and sneered at her.
Xingxing looked back in confusion, not understanding what he meant by "A loving father often has a spoiled son."
I don’t have a father…
Xingxing blinked, not understanding, and obediently followed her brother and found a seat to sit down.
The old teacher was very dissatisfied with Xingxing, but after one class, the dissatisfaction that Zhong Yan had originally aroused in him disappeared quietly.
How should I put it, the child...the child is still quite young, right?
Such a small one, sitting there upright and well-behaved, holding a pen longer than his arm in his little hand, his fair and clean face looking at you obediently like a little sunflower, for the whole class, for such a long time, he didn't cry or make a fuss, listened to the class seriously, and even gave you a soft smile when his eyes met yours...
Who can stand this?!
Zhong Yan couldn't stand it, and neither could Lao Fuzi. In the second class, he was already pretending to suppress the corners of his lips, trying not to look into the children's bright eyes, for fear that he would not be able to hold back and would pinch their faces or touch their heads when they passed by.
However, when he started studying, he could no longer hold back.
After lifting up his robe and getting on the carriage brought by the servants, he took advantage of the fact that no one saw him, and the corners of his mouth curled up wildly. He happily recalled his new cute student in the carriage.
When they got home, the lady with a dignified and gentle appearance saw his smiling face and couldn't help but teasing him, "Master, you looked like someone owed you eight hundred strings of cash this morning. I thought you would be mad at those students again, but you came back looking happy as if your mouth was stuffed with honey. Why don't you tell me what happened that made you so happy?"
As his bedmate, the woman knew too well how much this old stubborn man loved to get angry. When he had not yet retired from the court, he was notoriously serious and the vertical wrinkles between his eyebrows became deeper every year.
Could it be that the sun is rising from the west today?
His abnormal behavior made his old wife tease him a few times. If it were a normal day, Liu Peili would have stopped smiling or frowned again to worry about the court, the country or his students.
But today, the corners of his mouth just wouldn't lower.
Even under his wife's curious gaze, he couldn't help but pull her to share: "Do you still remember the scholar who came to our house with a gift of money two days ago?"
The woman nodded and said, "Of course I remember."
Not only did he remember it, he also knew that after the scholar left, this man was so angry that he pulled out several strands of his beard in his yard, and he cursed the boy as a "bastard" in his words and said that he would teach that spoiled boy a lesson today.
Thinking of this, the woman speculated: "Could it be that you really bullied the scholar's child?"
When I asked, my eyebrows were already furrowed. I heard that the child was only 3 years old...
"How is that possible?!" A fierce rebuttal successfully interrupted her thoughts.
When she looked back in astonishment, she found that the old man was retorting to her angrily with a stern face: "How could I, Liu Peili, be a person who bullies the young? That kid...that kid..."
Suddenly stuttered.
The woman looked at her husband's gradually red face, and some guesses arose in her mind. She suppressed her laughter and asked: "How is the child?"
Liu Peili: “…”
After being so shy and hesitant, he finally answered with a grunt: "That child is quite well-behaved."
"puff!"
"You! What's so funny about this?!" The old man was annoyed and angry at his wife's laughter, but he couldn't help but pull her to continue sharing: "Do you know that the child is really small? White and clean, like a little man made of dough, cute and well-behaved..."
The teachers here are praising it like crazy.
On the other side, Xingxing and her brother were walking hand in hand on the street, whispering to each other about their experiences in school that day among the passing crowd.
Even though they were in the same school, in the same class, and even taught by the same teacher, the two children never repeated the same topics.
Even the ancient paintings hanging on the wall could be discussed in detail by them.
Of course, it's Xiaowu talking and Xingxing listening, so the atmosphere is never dull.
Qiuqiu would occasionally interrupt, and although Xiaowu couldn't hear Qiuqiu's voice, Qiuqiu never got tired of it. After all, the three little ones were just one family, and no one could be left out.
But when they were passing through an extremely busy street, Qiuqiu suddenly became quiet for a moment, and then hurriedly urged Xingxing: "Boy! Take your brother and hide! Quickly!!"
Xingxing was stunned for a second, then decisively dragged her brother and hid behind a small stall. In the surprised gaze of the stall owner, without waiting for him to ask or scold her, she used her supernatural powers first.
The next second, the crisp sound of horse hooves was heard beside him.
Qiuqiu used the light curtain to synchronize the street scenes that Xingxing could not see to him.
It was an extremely luxurious carriage with its curtains half lifted. A little boy was sitting inside it, with pride not concealed on his face. He seemed to be enjoying the envious looks of passers-by.
"Xingxing, he is the protagonist of this world, Li Jinyuan."
Qiuqiu spoke in a gloomy tone, not excited at all about meeting the protagonist.
Because it also saw something else.
The stars can't see, but they can hear.
"System, can I really not be the emperor?" Li Jinyuan asked unwillingly, "If a good-for-nothing idiot like that can sit on the supreme throne, why can't I? Is there no way to break the shackles of the protagonist's golden finger?!"
"Host, Wei Jinxing's life was limited to the throne. As the successor who reclaimed his golden finger, you will never be able to surpass his achievements. I hope you know this."
A swear word instantly hit my ears.
Xingxing tilted her head and met her brother's puzzled gaze.
Xiaowu didn't know why his younger brother suddenly hid, but he hid here with his younger brother without saying a word.
The carriage gradually moved away, but the conversation continued.
"Damn, why isn't the owner of the golden finger in this world the beggar emperor? How can a sickly person who has never ascended to the throne have the golden finger of a koi fish? He has not made the most of this golden finger. He is simply a waste!"
[Host, I remind you again, please respect the protagonist, otherwise half of the mission points will be deducted.]
“…”
The complaints were reluctantly silenced by the cold mechanical warning sound.
Xingxing finally stood up from behind the vendor's stall, holding her brother's hand.
"Xingxing, who did you see just now? Was it him?" Xiaowu already had some guesses in his mind and unconsciously held his brother's fingers tightly.
Xingxing pursed her lips and nodded slightly in the silence of Qiuqiu and her brother's repression.
"...Let's go back." Xiaowu no longer let his brother walk. He reached out and picked him up, then hurried back towards home.
He desperately wanted to return to the safety of his two brothers as soon as possible.
He is no longer the reckless and silly boy who was determined to find the little stone for his younger brother.
After the Chinese New Year, he was already eight years old. After Xingxing's explanation, he suppressed the idea of taking Xingxing to recognize his relatives and began to be alert and pay attention to the movements of Anqing Hou Mansion and Li Jinyuan.
And it just so happened that according to rumors in the market, this young master who had just been found by the Anqing Marquis Mansion had been the topic of conversation among the people from before the New Year to after the New Year.
So Xiaowu knew how favored the child with the star identity was after returning to the Anqing Marquis Mansion. He knew that he was summoned into the palace by the emperor and successfully won the emperor's favor. He was given the surname "Li" and there were always rewards flowing from the palace to the Anqing Marquis Mansion. A few days ago, the child was allowed to study and learn to read in the palace with the princes with the status of a royal heir.
It can be said that in just a few months, all the honors and favors in the world were bestowed upon him.
At first, Xiaowu hated the other party for taking away everything from his younger brother.
But then, when the child was given the royal name, Xiaowu suddenly stopped being jealous, and even felt an inexplicable panic and uneasiness in his heart.
Because he couldn't help wondering what it would be like if the child got everything he had now from the stars.
But after that, Xiaowu's inner uneasiness drove him to stop thinking too much, and he even began to fear those imagined scenes.
Once Li Jinyuan was replaced by a star, all the envied honors and favors suddenly became weird and terrifying, like a weird patched corpse, which still looked like a beautiful and standard human being, but seemed to have been rotten and full of maggots inside.
Xiaowu couldn't describe his feelings, but he trusted his intuition and instinct.
He carried his brother home, and the first thing he said after catching his breath was: "Xingxing, let's get out of here!"
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