Lou Yunchun asked, "Is your father strict with you?"
"Strict, not so strict." Xu Jiang stretched out a hand, stretching it in the air. "Yu Gong, he doesn't allow me to be cunning or take shortcuts. If I'm caught trying to be clever, I'll be punished twice as much. It's thanks to this kind of training that I've developed the skills that support me to this day."
Lou Yunchun held the hand and gently stroked the scars and calluses on it, with every inch of touch filled with attachment.
"He was quite accommodating when it came to ordinary matters. For example, if someone soiled their clothes, broke something, argued or fought with the Xu family, or ran away from home, he would never punish or scold them harshly."
"Fighting and quarreling, running away from home?" Lou Yunchun couldn't help but imagine a little person running away in anger with a bag on his back.
Xu Jiang said calmly, "When I was little, my brothers and sisters of the same generation in the Xu family all treated me as an outsider, a different species. They always bullied me when Master wasn't paying attention. I was pushed across a pond, thrown down a hillside, and even tricked into climbing a tree with dogs guarding it, preventing me from coming down... In short, they used every possible method to torture me."
There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone. "Don't underestimate these children. If they are not disciplined, the evil they unleash can be more direct and cruel than that of adults."
Lou Yunchun hugged her tightly.
Xu Jiang patted his arm and continued, "But they didn't dare to really kill me."
"Because of my father?"
"Yes. When Xu Si pushed me into the pond, Master saw me and threw him in there for a day. He also warned the clan leader that if he allowed his sons to bully me again, he would report me to the authorities and take back all the family property left by my grandparents."
From then on, Xu Si and others no longer dared to be cruel to her.
"Later, they no longer dared to bully me openly. At most, they isolated me, excluded me, or verbally abused me."
Xu Jiang snorted lightly and said complacently, "But I'm not a pushover either. I'm not afraid of them isolating me because they're all idiots and I don't want to be associated with them. If they scold me, I'll scold them back. They have more elders than me, so they'll be scolded by more people. They can't win over me no matter how hard they try."
Lou Yunchun felt distressed, but also thought the fierce little A Jiang was adorable, so he pecked her on the cheek and praised her, "A Jiang is really amazing."
Xu Jiang was pleased with herself for a moment, then burst out laughing and tugged at his face, "Are you treating me like Mai Mai?"
Lou Yunchun smiled and then asked, "Do you like Mai Mai?"
"I like it. Mai Mai is so cute, who wouldn't like her?"
"Yeah, she's cute. I like her." Lou Yunchun stared at her, his eyes like moss on stream stones, moist and full of life. "Little A Jiang is also very cute and brave."
But if possible, he would rather little A Jiang be like Mai Mai, being pampered and coaxed by everyone as he grew up.
Xu Jiang's face flushed inexplicably at his gaze. She swallowed, changed the subject, and asked, "You've been talking about my childhood. What about you? What were you like as a child?"
Lou Yunchun smiled gently.
Xu Jiang hit him with a hammer, "What are you laughing at?"
Lou Yunchun touched her lips and said, "I can't help but praise you."
Are you laughing at her for being timid?
Xu Jiang turned around and nudged inside, "If you don't want to talk, go to sleep."
Lou Yunchun pulled her back and said slowly, "When I was a child, I had no worries about food and clothing, and I was never bullied. I lived a very peaceful life."
"Then why did it develop..." Xu Jiang imitated him and put on a cold face, "like this?"
Lou Yunchun was amused by her, then sighed softly, "Because life is smooth, but also boring and lonely."
Xu Jiang listened quietly.
"My mother was born weak, and her health depleted after giving birth. She was unable to care for me in the first few years. My father had just entered the government and was busy with court affairs. He only had enough free time to spend with my mother, so he had no choice but to leave me in the care of the maids."
Xu Jiang has always known that Madam Lou is in poor health and has a withdrawn personality.
Although the mother and son had affection, they were not close, and Xu Jiang could see it clearly.
It was only at this moment that it became clear that the mother and son were born with a deficiency, one was weak and the other was young, and they were unable to take care of each other.
"Since I was little, I saw Shan Bo and an old woman more often than I saw my parents. Back then, apart from eating, sleeping, and doing homework, I would sit in my father's study, waiting for him to come back and check on my lessons."
She had been to Lou Jing's study before. It was quiet and spacious inside, even bigger than her bookstore. It was inevitable that a person would feel lonely sitting there, let alone a small child.
"Every time my father checked my homework, he would praise me."
"What are you praising me for?"
"Smart, sensible, and doesn't worry him."
Xu Jiang sighed. It was okay to hear such words occasionally, but hearing them every day would become a rule that would prevent children from being unruly or crossing the line.
She then asked, "Are there no other children in the house?"
Lou Yunchun nodded, "Yes, but they don't get along with me. Either they think I'm too boring, or they're afraid of me."
How could he be willing to play with them? They could not understand what he said or what he was thinking.
Besides, what he needed most at that time was not a playmate.
Xu Jiang pinched his chin with pity, "What happened next?"
Lou Yunchun held her hand and continued, "When I was old enough to go to school, my father sent me to the Imperial College and hired a Taoist priest as my teacher. From then on, I shuttled back and forth between the Imperial College and the Taoist temple, rarely returning home except on my birthday and during the solar terms. It wasn't until I passed the imperial examination and entered the government that I moved back to the Lou residence."
By then, Lou Jing had already established a firm foothold in the court, Madam Lou's condition had gradually stabilized, and his son had made some academic achievements. On the surface, everything seemed fine, but in reality, nothing was quite right.
"Then, I met you."
When she met Xu Jiang, she was also alone.
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