Chapter 213 Family Life, A Tiger Fallen into the Plains...
Her mouth was wide open, but Zong Suyi simply ignored her, neglecting this fledgling beggar.
Tun Tun waited for a long time, but her father didn't feed her. She blinked blankly and looked at him.
Zhang Ting, a smile playing on her lips, remained an outsider, observing from the sidelines. Which is more intriguing, the bad kid or her bad father? It's truly intriguing.
Tun Tun isn't a fragile child. The last time she cried endlessly was when she was an infant. Usually, if she gets angry, she can be easily soothed. She doesn't act like a child at all.
She wiggled her little bottom and stretched out her hand to reach for her father's clothes. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, I want to eat too! Give me some." She tugged at his clothes and shook him, her big, clean eyes, as if they had been washed, looking at him with a longing for food in her pupils.
Who could bear to refuse such a sweet and adorable child?
Zong Suyi was heartless.
They refused to give her anything and continued to feed her, putting on a show of deep affection.
Tun Tun squirmed in her mother's arms, looking anxious and helpless. Almost gone, almost gone, only two left!
"Dad, your little one is your own daughter! Feed her. Mom's belly is full, it can't be filled." She slurped and swallowed, and after a few bites, her belly was bulging.
Zhang Ting was exasperated and restrained the squirming little one in her arms.
Just a little brat.
Not wanting to miss out on something good, she picked up a petal and brought it to Zong Suyi's lips.
The pig's pupils dilate in shock: No way!
She protested, "Your child is your own flesh and blood! The child hasn't even had any fruit today! Bad father, bad mother!" She paused, thought for a moment, and added, "Dad is the worst! Bad father!" She crossed her arms, turned her head to the side, and snorted heavily.
The couple couldn't help but laugh. Zong Suyi was indeed extremely mischievous. He picked up the last segment of orange and waved it around, feigning regret: "I originally wanted to give this last one to Little Pig, but Little Pig actually said that Dad is the worst, which is too heartbreaking. So Dad will eat it himself." As he spoke, he raised it high, ready to put it in his mouth.
Zhang Ting smiled but said nothing, pinching her daughter's chubby little legs and playing with them.
But Tun Tun was frantic. "No, no, you're wrong, Daddy is the best, Daddy is a good daddy!" She stretched out her hands to pull at her father's clothes, whimpering and begging.
Zong Suyi was quite pleased with himself after playing with the child, and readily compromised: "Alright then, considering that the little pig knows his mistakes and can correct them, I, as his father, will reluctantly part with him." His tone was heavy, as if he had lost a precious treasure.
Tun Tun was very happy, calling out "Good Daddy, Good Daddy" several times. She opened her mouth wide, waiting to be fed. When the orange was successfully put into her mouth, the sweet juice burst out. She happily squinted her eyes and ate with great satisfaction.
Zong Suyi raised his eyes at Zhang Ting and said, "Look how easy your daughter is to please."
Zhang Ting lowered her eyes: Hmm, easy to coax and deceive, just like someone else.
No! She suddenly realized that her excellent qualities couldn't overcome Zong Suyi's shortcomings?
For the first time, she questioned her own abilities and looked up in disbelief.
Zong Suyi frowned slightly and glared at her. She seemed lost in thought, not knowing what she was thinking.
He picked up a few large characters and examined them, extremely satisfied. Master Zhang's skill was evident from the first stroke; the mischievous child dared not cause trouble anymore, and his handwriting became smooth and neat. It even bore a resemblance to his own childhood talent.
Unfortunately, Master Zhang was extremely busy, so the task of suppressing the demon child still had to be done by him.
Honestly, kids get harder to raise as they get older. Sometimes she understands what you're saying but pretends not to hear, and sometimes she doesn't understand but just talks nonsense according to her own ideas.
When it came to choosing a tutor for Zhang Xiaozhu, there were at least five or eight tutors, but they all voluntarily came to him to resign, saying that they were not talented enough to teach him.
Zhang Xiaozhu was only a little over four years old, but his infamous reputation had spread like wildfire throughout Yingzhou Prefecture, making teachers turn pale at the mere mention of his name.
The elderly father is extremely worried and doesn't know what to do.
Disheartened, Zong Suyi nestled against his wife's neck and suddenly came up with a terrible idea, "Let Tun Tun play if she wants to. When she's old enough, let Auntie take care of her." The implication was that he was no longer going to concern himself with the child's early education.
Zhang Ting looked up at the sky speechlessly. The young one was mischievous, and the old one wasn't much better. Zong Suyi was truly too filial; how old was her teacher? Yet she still had to trouble herself to teach him as well.
That's true, but if we take a step back, "What you said makes sense. Since the teacher was able to teach us sisters, his teaching level must be far beyond that of ordinary people."
Professional matters should be handled by professionals. Those who are not experts are like blind men to the light, and we must not mislead the children.
Besides, so what if a teacher is over sixty? He's clearly in the prime of his life, striving for excellence!
There is a saying that an elder in the family is a treasure. The older a person gets, the more precious they become. And the more precious they are, the more their value should be revealed. As Zhang Shu's beloved student, she felt that the world should see her teacher's extraordinary talent.
Zong Suyi was speechless: There's always someone better, and when it comes to shamelessness, he admits defeat.
He turned his head away, feeling depressed: What sins did my aunt commit in her past life? She only took Zhang as her apprentice in this life, and now she has to work like a hardworking ox in her old age. It's so pitiful.
“When should we go to the swindler…” He compromised and changed the word, “invite Auntie over?” He was reluctant to let Auntie come, but! Auntie had never seen Little Pig and often said she missed him, so he was also fulfilling Auntie’s wish out of filial piety.
Putting everything else aside, no matter how wicked or hateful Zhang Xiaozhu is, he's still just a short, tiny little thing! He allows his great-aunt to enjoy the company of her grandson and the joys of family life.
Zhang Ting's efficiency was undeniable: "I'll write the letter right now." She spread out the letter paper, and without even needing to draft her lies, she wrote them down instantly. She absolutely had to send the little brat away; keeping him around for too long would definitely cause her to go bald in middle age—how could that be allowed?!
The little one opened his big eyes and looked around, licking his fingers, which tasted sweet.
Zong Suyi stared wide-eyed, pulled the child's hand away, and said, "Zhang Xiaozhu, you're so sloppy!" She kept a distance from her with a look of disgust, her brows furrowed as if she had encountered a problem of the century.
The little one has his own explanation: "A pig is a child, and that's what kids raised in a pigsty are like!"
Zhang Tingxin paused halfway through writing, feeling as if she were cracking open. She couldn't take it anymore, immediately throwing the little brat to the ground, not even wanting to hold him. All her hard work outside had resulted in building a pigsty?
After living for decades, a person can suddenly turn into a pig overnight.
Zong Suyi wrapped the baby's hand with a handkerchief and wiped her drool. If this wasn't the child he had finally given birth to, he would have really wanted to abandon her.
Tun Tun's eyes darted around, and suddenly she broke free of her handkerchief, baring her teeth and claws as she pounced on her father. She landed squarely on his white robe, leaving dark watermarks on his hands.
Zong Suyi took a deep breath and managed to suppress the urge to scream, "Zhang, little, pig!" His hand trembled slightly in his sleeve, and he felt that he was no longer clean.
Tun Tun, hands on hips, a tiny, white, chubby little dumpling, even sticking her bottom out in a defiant gesture towards her father, said, "Hey! Daddy's a weakling, afraid of his little one!"
Zhang Ting quickly sealed the letter he had written and handed it to a servant to mail.
She doesn't support corporal punishment, but if the target is a bad kid, she absolutely agrees with it.
To be honest, both she and Zong Suyi have very flexible moral values, making them exemplary models of immorality, yet they can't do anything about a little kid.
Time has proven that parents cannot be teachers.
To prevent the naughty child from driving her husband crazy, Zhang Ting picked up the fair-skinned little dumpling, opened the door, and threw her to the maid on duty. She rubbed her temples and said, "Take this little thing back to sleep and don't let her come out."
The naughty child was not satisfied with the verdict. "I won't leave! I want to sleep with my parents!" He struggled with all four paws and almost fell to the ground from the maid's arms.
The maid was so frightened that she almost saw the great-grandmother, and it took a lot of effort to subdue her.
Zhang Ting wasn't much better off; she felt like her heart's endurance had been further strengthened.
She immediately glared at the naughty child and warned, "If you misbehave again, I'll confiscate all your snacks and toys for this month."
Tun Tun instantly became as quiet as a chicken, pouting with a wronged expression, but ultimately dared not utter another word.
The maid took the opportunity to carry her back to the side room to sleep, coaxing her all the way.
Tun Tun lay stubbornly in the maid's arms, glaring at her mother like a fierce tiger cub. As she glared, she couldn't help but urinate. She pouted and stretched out her little hands to wipe away her tears, but she couldn't stop.
Zhang Ting felt a pang of sadness and unease. Several times she wanted to rush out and bring the child back, but she held back. With a sigh, she turned and went back inside.
There were spare clothes for Zong Suyi in the study; the original one had been abandoned on the floor. He sat casually in the armchair, his clothes not fully covering him, slightly revealing his fair chest. Zhang Ting, however, had no interest in appreciating the view and plopped down opposite him, looking gloomy.
Zong Suyi walked over in his clogs. His long, light green robe had a great drape, which made him look even taller and thinner, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. As he walked, his clothes fluttered, and snow-white glimpses of them would occasionally sway from the gaps in the robe, which was captivating.
"What's wrong? I didn't hear you talking behind me." He plopped down on her lap without any hesitation, wrapping his arms around her neck. The child was finally gone; this was clearly his spot.
"Tuntun cried." She frowned and reflected, "How old is she? What could she possibly understand? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?"
Zong Suyi froze. Was she crying? Although Tun Tun was young, she had a strong will and was always like a happy sunflower.
His shoulders slumped, and he buried himself in Zhang Ting's arms, his heart aching.
However, Zong Suyi brushed the stray hairs from her face and said softly, "We can't just let her have her way." His eyes dimmed, and he pressed his face against her neck. "The world doesn't revolve around her. Even the most noble people can fall to the bottom. Rather than letting a little pig grow up and fall hard, it's better to teach her from a young age."
He cupped Zhang Ting's face in his hands, as if speaking to her and himself, "At least we have to teach her how to survive in adversity, how to keep her mind stable, how to live a better life, and how not to be bullied... We only have this one child."
Zhang Ting hugged him and sighed deeply, "I understand."
Even if she rises to a high position in the future, she will eventually grow old. More important than wealth that rivals a country, power that makes her arrogant, and a reputation that is renowned throughout the world is the ability that no one can take away. If one day she falls from grace, she will still have the possibility of turning the tide.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
