Chapter 92◇
◎Such a military strategy◎
He seemed like a sparrow that had been floundering in the mud, like a gourd with its beak sawed off, silent and stubbornly holding back tears, refusing to let a single drop fall.
Fang Yuan was terrified when she saw him like this and kept asking what had happened.
Huang Que only uttered one sentence, fought once, and then never spoke again, refusing to answer anyone who asked. So the matter eventually reached Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran.
Upon hearing their questions, the little sparrow trembled slightly and stubbornly replied, "I didn't win."
Feng Ran grinned widely, looking quite malicious, and leaned closer, asking with great interest, "How many of you are going to beat you up?"
Huang Que felt even more ashamed. He was no longer a child, yet he was fighting like a little kid. He said weakly, "Five."
"What? Five kids ganged up on you? That's outrageous! I'll get justice for you!" Upon hearing that Huang Que had been attacked by five kids, Fang Yuan, fiercely protective of his own, jumped up, his beard bristling and eyes wide. If those kids were right in front of him, he would surely have given them a good beating with a ruler.
"What justice are you talking about!" Feng Ran suddenly shouted, startling Fang Yuan and Huang Que.
Huang Que closed his eyes. It was over. He knew that children who fought never had a good ending. But when asked to beg for mercy, he couldn't bring himself to say it. He stubbornly stuck out his neck.
Ignoring everyone's reactions, Feng Ran slapped the young Huang Que on the shoulder with her iron palm and said with a pained expression, "Little Que'er, you're not good enough. You can't even beat five little kids. You've embarrassed me too much."
Feng Ran taught Huang Que the skills of breaking bricks with her palm and stepping on her waist. Huang Que learned diligently, regardless of whether Feng Ran could actually do what she said. Unexpectedly, the effect was quite good. If she was hit unexpectedly, her little feet and legs could directly knock an adult away.
Logically speaking, it should be easy for five children to win, so Feng Ran was very puzzled. How could she lose a fight?
Huang Que didn't know if Feng Ran would blame him for fighting, but he answered every question Feng Ran asked, "There were too many of them, and I couldn't control my strength."
Feng Ran understood. Anyone who had ever fought knew that in a one-on-one fight, one could control the force used, but when there were many people, the strength of the attack was unpredictable. So, the child she was raising was bullied by a group of kids because she couldn't bring herself to use force? Feng Ran was not entirely convinced.
Seeing that the topic was getting further and further off track, Duan Jingchuan had no choice but to speak up and bring the topic back on track: "What is the matter?"
The yellow sparrow tried to shut up again, its neck craned back almost as high as a giraffe's, but there's always someone better, and Feng Ran had the yellow sparrow's weakness in the matter.
"If you dare not answer my husband, I'll strip you naked and throw you in front of those children to spank you." When she said this, Feng Ran didn't soften her words at all because Huang Que was a child; it was clear who was closer to her and who was more important to her.
The sparrow was startled and stared in disbelief at Feng Ran's threatening gaze. Finally, as if resigned to its fate, it slumped its shoulders in dejection.
Tears streamed down her face, but she kept her head down, not wanting anyone to see. She sobbed, "They say I'm my sister's burden, that my brother-in-law will eventually despise my sister because of me, and that my sister is good for nothing except her pretty face."
There were many other unpleasant things said, which Huang Que didn't want to repeat. Those people were too malicious, and their words were extremely offensive. He couldn't help but argue with them. But the country children were naturally not as quick-witted as him, and they started hitting each other at the slightest provocation.
Well, what was supposed to be a one-on-one verbal battle turned into a regional war with one against many. He lost with dignity and came back looking like a mud monkey.
He wasn't afraid of being beaten or scolded by the children; he was afraid that their words might come true. He was indeed a burden, but he didn't want to be abandoned or drag his sister down with him.
Feng Ran wasn't upset at all upon hearing this; instead, she giggled, "Little Sparrow, what that child said is basically the truth. We two, one big and one small, are both burdens, and it's all thanks to my husband's kindness in not minding us. Besides, they approve of my beauty; they have such good taste! And besides, I have many other advantages, like I can lie down and..."
Before she could finish speaking, Feng Ran was silenced by Duan Jingchuan. If she continued, it would become inappropriate, and Duan Jingchuan had his pride.
Duan Jingchuan didn't have such a good temper with those brats who spoke ill of Madam behind her back. He lightly parted his thin lips to Huang Que and said, "What are you all standing there for? Let's go."
"Where to?" Huang Que's eyes showed great confusion.
His usually gentle face now held a hint of coldness. "When a child makes a mistake, it is the parents' fault. If you raise a child but do not teach him, what will you want?" How dare he spread rumors that he would abandon his wife? If we don't get back at him, wouldn't that mean he's afraid or has given up?
The others looked puzzled. How could a fight between children be attributed to the father's fault for not teaching his son properly? Even Fang Yuan, who always doted on Huang Que, didn't think about going to find the child's parents. At most, he would arrange for two more people to accompany Huang Que when he went out to play in the future, in order to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Feng Ran was also confused. "Husband, shouldn't we try to win if we lose? Are you going to challenge these children's parents to a duel?"
Duan Jingchuan's anger was building up, but Feng Ran's sudden and decisive move caused it to vanish instantly.
Why would the lady think of a one-on-one duel?
Duan Jingchuan explained with a wry smile, "Since the children can say such things, it must be because of their parents' teachings that they can say such nonsensical things. If that's the case, I must teach them a lesson."
Feng Ran narrowed her eyes, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Why use your husband's hand to discipline a child? Watch me."
He turned around and started berating Huang Que, "Little Que, it's because you don't study hard that you can't win fights."
Huang Que is still feeling a bit naive. His sister and brother-in-law don't seem to care about him and are even planning to help him get justice. If they really do get justice, he feels a little embarrassed. It feels good to be valued. He can understand asking his parents for help. What does losing a fight have to do with studying?
Feng Ran just kept talking non-stop, completely silencing everyone else.
“My husband’s military strategy book says that they can make something out of nothing by talking nonsense. If they can make something out of nothing, why can’t you? Next time you encounter this kind of thing, don’t explain. If he says you are a burden, just say that you are a child your parents picked up from a cesspool. If he says you will be abandoned, just say that your parents are going to sell you to buy a new child.”
Fang Yuan's worldview seemed to have been shattered, and his voice trembled as he said, "This isn't right."
Duan Jingchuan's lips twitched, his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he said in a low voice, "This plan is brilliant. It seems that you have a talent for military strategy."
Fang Yuan really wanted to tell his wife to shut up. Even if his wife said that sugar is salty, he would still nod in agreement.
After a period of time, Huang Que's values were no longer what they used to be, and he readily accepted these words, even nodding in approval: "I was wrong back then, I was only thinking about explaining, but once they couldn't win an argument, they would resort to violence. How can I break this cycle?"
Faced with Huang Que's humble request for advice, Feng Ran said with great interest: "Sure, sure. What's that saying again? 'What is united for a long time will eventually divide, and what is divided for a long time will eventually unite.' The kids will eventually go home, right? Once they've separated, we'll block their door and beat them up. If you still can't beat them one-on-one, I won't acknowledge you as my useless little brother."
Fang Yuan covered her face, "Princess Consort, this is contrary to the conduct of a gentleman."
“He’s just a child, not a gentleman,” Feng Ran argued vehemently.
Anyway, according to Feng Ran's theory, it doesn't matter if you lose once, you just need to find a way to win it back.
Fang Yuan agrees with the idea, but disagrees with the method.
Even Duan Jingchuan, who blindly praised her, never expected his wife to have such a peculiar thought process—going to someone's doorstep and...ambushing them with a club.
I never knew that luring the enemy deep into our territory and using feints to attack from the east while striking from the west could be used in children's fights. I've really learned something new.
In a word, absolutely brilliant.
In the end, Huang Que didn't launch a sneak attack at the door, and Duan Jingchuan didn't go to the door because of the quarrel between the children, because Feng Ran suddenly became interested in military strategy.
She believed that everything in the world could be solved using military strategy, and if it couldn't be solved, it must be because she hadn't studied military strategy properly. So she dragged Huang Que along to find Duan Jingchuan to teach them military strategy.
Why not ask Fang Yuan? Because Fang Yuan boasts of his vast knowledge, but he knows nothing about military strategy or tactics.
But Fang Yuan has been very busy lately, busy correcting Huang Que's values.
He had long heard that Feng Ran acted differently from ordinary people, and he thought he had fully experienced it, but reality gave him a harsh and heartbreaking lesson.
"Use the lure of profit, and when fighting, just use copper coins to hit him. If you can't beat him, throw copper coins and kill him."
"Take what's flying around! We can't just give away those coins for nothing, that would be such a waste. While they're grabbing the money, we can sneak up on them, knock them unconscious, and all the money is ours. We might even get a little more. I'm such a clever little devil."
"Prepare for the real, for the unforeseen circumstances"—this simple and clear saying is a reminder to always have copper coins ready for any eventuality. The art of war is indeed true.
"Avoid the strong, for no one can guarantee they are the strongest in the world. When you encounter someone who can fight, of course you should run away as fast as possible, go home and prepare more money, and call up a thousand troops to crush him."
"If you scratch him in anger, that's great! They say anger hurts the liver and anger hurts the heart. Take advantage of his anger and kill him! You can even get ten strips of meat to stir-fry at home after scratching him a couple of times. What a bargain!"
The God of Wealth concludes, "Therefore, having money makes you a king."
It makes no sense, but it's right.
Every word he uttered was both reasonable and utterly illogical; only heaven knows what Duan Jingchuan, a teacher, was feeling at that moment.
Fang Yuan still wanted to salvage the situation, saying, "The art of war is not as simple as child's play. Why don't you listen to my insights?"
Huang Que asked in confusion, "Does the master also want to learn military strategy?"
A sharp stab to the heart; even if he didn't know military strategy, he understood this simple truth! Fang Yuan patted his heart.
Feng Ran asked, puzzled, "Do you know as much as my husband?"
He felt a stab to the back of his heart. He had entrusted Huang Que to Duan Jingchuan's instruction precisely because he didn't understand it! But what happened? Fang Yuan nearly fainted.
Duan Jingchuan asserted, "I know more, and what Madam says is all correct."
Fang Yuan was heartbroken and watched helplessly as Huang Que looked at Feng Ran with an expression of adoration that he had never seen before!
He still clung to a sliver of hope, thinking that Huang Que had only believed Feng Ran's thoughts and words to please her. However, he soon realized he was wrong.
The day after the oriole, who wore no accessories, was carrying a bag full of copper coins, which jingled as it walked.
Fang Yuan was furious and wanted to calm down.
Left with no other choice, he had to seek help, thinking that the young master would never allow his wife to act so recklessly. In fact, when he taught Huang Que historical classics, he even incorporated his understanding of military strategy.
Unfortunately, Duan Jingchuan did not stand by his side, but instead colluded with the other two. Faced with the sophistry of three people with low IQs, Fang Yuan felt that he had never been so tired in his life.
A note from the author:
I really want to spoil it, but I have to hold back.
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