Chapter 381 Drawing big cakes for my mother every day

The battle of lotus seeds flying all over the sky diverted their attention. Su Xi stood in the water, smiling and squinting his eyes. He leaned against the shore and did not come up, just quietly watching the little guys fighting in the water.

Xu Wan didn't hesitate to ask him if he wanted to come up. The old man looked very happy and relaxed. She half-crouched on the shore and whispered, "Sir, you have lived in seclusion in the countryside for many years. I think you like this kind of atmosphere the most."

Su Xi had his back to her, but after hearing this, he turned around and asked, "Yes, the joy in the countryside is the purest. Madam Zong, do you want to come down and play? The water in this pond is very cool and can cool you down from the summer heat."

Xu Wan was aware of this kind of freedom, but... women were treated harshly in ancient times, especially in the capital city with strict rules. Not to mention going into the water, even if you exposed your feet, you could be accused of being immoral.

She smiled and declined, "No, as long as the children have fun, I'm still waiting to see their masterpieces."

Su Xi understood her concerns and did not force her. He only said, "It's a pity that so many lotus seeds were thrown into the water by these guys. The lotus seeds in your house are probably of the best variety. Don't you feel bad to see them thrown away like this?"

Xu Wan shook her head and smiled, "How could that be? No matter how good the lotus seeds are, they are only external possessions. Only the knowledge that you have imparted to me is a priceless treasure."

Su Xi once again marveled at her high emotional intelligence and bowed to her in admiration, "You Beijing people are really good at talking. You made me so flattered that I was stunned."

Xu Wan also laughed.

The young boys in the pond were playing and picking lotus seeds. They had originally planned to finish picking the lotus seeds at 10:00 p.m., but because they were pushed into the water, they picked them faster. But because they were too engrossed in playing, they didn't pay attention to picking the lotus seeds, and they were so slow that they didn't finish picking them until noon.

The entire pond of lotus leaves was beaten like a swarm of locusts, the scene was desolate and looked like a post-war site.

Su Xi stroked his beard and commented: "If this happened in our countryside, everyone would get beaten after the fun."

The five young boys all changed their expressions.

Hearing this, he knew that she was going to instigate Xu Wan to beat them up, and immediately started glaring at Su Xi again.

Xu Wan looked at the boys whose upper bodies were wet and whose lower bodies were covered in mud, and asked with a hiss, "Sir, do you think you should write poetry first or take a bath first?"

Su Xi said in disgust, "Go take a shower. I'm afraid the mud on their bodies will stick to the paper and we won't be able to see what's written on it."

Xu Wan giggled and said to Shunzi, "Then take them to wash first, change clothes and report to the big study. Lunch will be served later."

"Yes, ma'am."

After the mud monkeys were taken away, Xu Wan asked someone to get some clothes for Su Xi to wear. "Sir, go wash up. I'll just watch them write poems in the study. You can come back after lunch."

Su Xi nodded and said, "Okay, then Mrs. Lao will have to worry more about it."

“It should be.”

This bath was not an easy one. Xu Wan followed the little devil back to the yard, only to see that the boy went directly to the big bathroom. It was obvious that he was afraid that there was too much dirt on his body and he would dirty his small bathroom.

But even so, the servants in the courtyard were still busy coming in and out, changing the hot water again and again.

Xu Wan sat outside, waiting for the little devil to come out of the shower.

Zong Jincheng lay on the edge of the bathtub, knowing that his mother was waiting for him outside, and his face was beaming with joy: "Mom, why are you sitting so far away? I have to speak very loudly to you."

Xu Wan said with a smile: "A grown-up son avoids his mother. You are so grown up now, aren't you ashamed?"

Zong Jincheng was being rubbed of mud by Shunzi while he said cheerfully, "That's right, but it doesn't matter. I'm also very happy to have you accompany me. I am indeed your only and most beloved child. Wait for me, mother. I will definitely work hard and bring the title of No. 1 Scholar back to you."

Xu Wan also laughed out loud: "Jing knows how to say nice things. Your poetry is so bad that it will be difficult for you to pass the autumn examination."

Zong Jincheng was anxious when he heard this. He said quickly, "I have made progress. I have made great progress in the past two days. Master Pan praised me for a long time last night, saying that my wood shavings poem has been completely transformed. Wait, mother, I will write the poem about picking lotus flowers after I take a bath. Ha, it's just a short narrative poem, and I can do it easily!"

Shunzi said beside him, "Master, you're done washing. You can come up and get dressed and go to the study."

"Oh, okay." The little devil stood up quickly, dressed neatly and ran out of the house.

"Mom." He shouted with a smile, "How is it? I just took a shower. Don't I look so pretty?"

Xu Wan raised her thumbs up: "Our Cheng Cheng is the most handsome man in the world!"

"Hahahaha, of course!"

The mother and son walked out arm in arm. Zong Jincheng clung to Xu Wan like a boneless kid and refused to let go.

The boy was having a lot of fun picking lotus flowers in the pond, so he wrote his poem smoothly.

Zong Jincheng was particularly inspired to write three poems about a young man picking lotus flowers. He even said, "Let Mr. Su pick any one! Each one will be passed down through the ages!"

Xu Wan rubbed her brows, smiled awkwardly and said to herself: I'm really glad that you didn't write this sentence into your poem.

After lunch, Su Xi looked at the children's poems. It was hard to tell whether he was satisfied or not. He just said, "Okay, there is no plan for the afternoon, so you can go out and play by yourselves. If you still want to pick lotus, I remember there is a pond in the east courtyard."

When the kids heard this, their eyes lit up.

Anyway, they won't get beaten or punished for getting covered in mud, so they can just come up and wash themselves clean. The little devils made eye contact and rushed to the next pond without stopping.

The children in the big study quickly ran away.

Seeing that Su Xi was hesitant to speak, Xu Wan couldn't help but ask, "Sir, do you have anything to ask?"

Su Xi sighed and said, "I'm still thinking about how to express it tactfully like you did."

Xu Wan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. I have a good attitude and can listen to opinions. You can speak freely."

Su Xi raised her eyebrows and said bluntly, "Then I won't be polite."

Xu Wan nodded and motioned for him to continue.

Su Xi sat up straight and asked firmly, "I said before that these children were both spoiled and obedient, which was very contradictory. After I read their poems about picking lotus just now, I finally understood the crux of the problem. Madam Zong, they were spoiled to begin with, but they became obedient because of your teachings, right?"

Xu Wan didn't expect that he had only been here for two days, but he had already figured out the general situation. She exclaimed, "Mr. Su has good vision."

Su Xi's smile gradually became more loving, as if he was looking at his own daughter. He said softly, "It is rare that these children have been taught this way by Madam Zong. I guess Madam Zong has heard a lot of compliments on weekdays. But today, I want to point out some of the things that Madam Zong did not do well. Do you think you can accept it?"