“I think Little Potato makes a lot of sense, brother,” Miss Sun said to her brother.
The little boy, with his chubby face, nodded vigorously twice, thinking about what Huo Xiaolong had just said. His cheeks jiggled a few times as he nodded.
“I think so too. She may be a bit of a brat, but she’s right. What if our dad doesn’t care about us anymore?”
What if there's another outstanding one?
The brother and sister looked at each other, and finally Miss Sun managed to utter a sentence.
"Brother, why don't you try harder? Third Brother can already recite the Thousand Character Classic, but you can't yet."
If her brother continues like this, he will never be able to pass the imperial examinations as well as the third son. In that case, wouldn't he have to rely on the illegitimate son to survive in this family? Wouldn't her mother also be inferior to the concubine?
"Oh? Studying is so hard... I don't want to study."
“You have to study whether you want to or not. If you don’t study, your sister and your mother will be bullied at home. Don’t you want to be our support? Didn’t you say you’d protect me when we were changing clothes just now?”
"Then...then shall I give it a try?"
Miss Sun was furious at her brother's behavior. She really thought that if she were capable of studying and taking the imperial examinations, she would never need him, not even a little bit.
"Brother, if it weren't for the fact that I can't take the imperial examinations, I would never need you."
"But studying is so difficult! You're just talking without understanding the pain."
"Okay, starting tomorrow, we'll study together. You learn what I learn. We're twins, right? I'll share your suffering."
Upon hearing this, Young Master Sun smirked and said...
"Fine, let's both suffer together."
It was already late, and the banquet in the front courtyard had ended. The Prefect's wife, surrounded by maids, came to the children's room. The woman had a serious expression and didn't say a word after entering the room, staring at the two children.
"Should you say it, or should I say it for you?"
"What are you saying, Mother?"
Young Master Sun tried to get away with it, but Cheng Xiangxiang beat them both up and then complained to him.
"Sun Ziyang! Don't play dumb with me! Where did those footprints on your clothes come from?"
"I……"
The boy couldn't come up with a coherent story, so he could only lower his head and wait for his fate.
"Sun Zixi, if your brother won't tell, you will."
The woman's voice was stern, and the little girl could tell at a glance that her mother was in a very bad mood, so it was best not to provoke her.
"That's right, I got into a fight with Cheng Xiangxiang."
"Fighting with Miss Cheng!?" the prefect's wife shouted through gritted teeth.
Such a well-behaved little girl, how could she fight? My two unworthy sons fight every day, and now, under the guise of comforting her, they've called her over to bully her, haven't they?
They've completely disgraced her as the new wife of the prefect!
"hold head high"
"Sun Ziyang! You still dare to admit it?"
"So what if you admit it? It was Cheng Xiangxiang who forced us to beat her! Look, Mother, look at the way those two girls kicked my brother. You can still see the shoe prints on his clothes."
The prefect's wife saw the shoe print her daughter was pointing to and said softly, somewhat incredulously.
"Did Miss Cheng hit both of you?"
"Oh! And she said her surname isn't Cheng anymore, it's Hou."
The woman was exasperated by her daughter's incoherent speech, and said...
"It doesn't matter what her last name is! Why did Miss Cheng hit you two?"
Sun Zixi pouted, twisted her body a couple of times, and then fell silent.
"Speak!" the woman said to her son.
Young Master Sun was hesitant to admit that they had started the fight, so he spoke in a voice barely audible.
"It's just...it's just...that kid is so annoying."
Which child?
"It's that short little potato."
"You two started it, didn't you?"
The magistrate's wife knows her sons all too well. Saying that others are annoying is just an excuse for them to take action against each other!
Why aren't you saying anything?
"Yes, I started it, it has nothing to do with my brother."
"One person does the deed, one person takes the blame. At worst, she'll get a beating. Miss Sun has already given up."
"Do you two even realize that what happened today is utterly disgraceful to your mother!"
The prefect's wife took a deep breath and continued.
“If the relationships between the ladies aren’t good, your father will face more difficulties in his official career. If one day your father thinks your mother is useless, your mother will no longer be able to protect you two, do you understand?”
Although as the legitimate son and daughter, they shouldn't be too affected by their loss of favor, the people in the mansion are all opportunistic and will try to take advantage of anyone...
Why does Dad insist that Mom is useful?
"Did Mother marry Father simply because she was useful?"
The two children's innocent words touched the woman's heart. Husband and wife in harmony, living in perfect accord—isn't this what everyone longs for?
She's already done it, so why is she still so tired?
"Now I don't think Hou Xiangxiang is anything to be pitied...no wonder she doesn't play with me," Miss Sun muttered to herself.
"You..." The woman wanted to scold her daughter, but the words stuck in her throat.
"mother"
Young Master Sun stepped forward and lay down on his mother's lap, saying...
"Mother, don't worry that Father thinks you're useless. Starting tomorrow, Ziyang will study hard, and I'll take the imperial examinations too. Then you can rely on me, not Father. If you don't rely on him, you won't be afraid."
"Yes, Mother."
The little girl also stepped forward and lay down on her, whispering...
"My brother and I study together. If he doesn't make it, you still have me. One of us will definitely be successful, and no one will be able to surpass you, not even any other woman."
The prefect's wife was somewhat moved, and her throat tightened.
"You two, as long as you grow up safe and sound, that's all that matters. I'll fight for whatever you deserve."
"That must be so tiring for Mom."
"That's right! Mother, do you think there are any men in this world who are powerful enough to not marry a concubine?"
The prefect's wife frowned and thought about the problem seriously.
Anyway, Mother has never seen it.
"It's alright, Mom. I'll look for it later. If I find it, I'll tell you and broaden your horizons."
"..."
"There's no need to broaden your horizons about this."
It's enviable to see something that isn't even yours; how jealous you must be!
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