Chapter 77 Youth
As soon as the morning sun came in through the window, the three little ones were standing at the entrance with their schoolbags on their backs, their little chests straight.
"I promise to come back on my own! Uncle Wen Ning doesn't need to pick me up!" Lan Jingyi raised his fist to express his determination, with the strap of his schoolbag still tilted on his shoulder.
Sizhui nodded and added seriously, "We will take the main road and return home on time."
Jin Ling tucked the jade pendant into the collar of his school uniform and added awkwardly, "I'll be back after school. I won't play around."
Wei WuXian ruffled their hair, smiled and waved, "Be careful on the road, and call me if anything happens."
Lan Wangji stood aside, his eyes sweeping over the three children, and said calmly, "Don't get into trouble."
Watching them skipping away, Wei Wuxian leaned on Lan Wangji's shoulder and smiled, "They're just like three little eagles, eager to fly on their own."
However, by evening, Wen Ning had waited at the intersection for over half an hour, but he hadn't seen the child, not even a corner of his schoolbag. He was panicking, and just as he was about to call Wei Wuxian, his phone rang—it was a teacher from school.
"Are you Mr. Lan's parents? Lan Jingyi had an argument with a classmate at noon and said he wanted to go to the internet cafe after school..."
Wen Ning's heart skipped a beat. He hung up the phone and ran to the old house. His voice trembled as he entered the door. "Master Wei, Mr. Lan, the kids... the kids might be at the internet cafe!"
Everyone in the living room stood up instantly. Wei Wuxian's freshly peeled orange rolled on the floor, his fingertips trembling slightly. "Internet cafe? What are they doing there?"
Lan Wangji had already picked up his coat: "Go find it."
Jiang Cheng frowned. "I'll have the company check the surveillance footage. There are only a few internet cafes in the old city, so we'll find them quickly."
At this time, the program crew's follow-up camera was still facing the empty intersection, and the barrage of comments had already exploded:
"Oh my god! Three kids going to an internet cafe?!"
"I know Jingyi's personality, he must have gotten into trouble!"
"Why did Sizhui go with him when he was so well behaved? I'm so worried!"
"Wei Wuxian! Lan Wangji! Go find him!"
"If not, call Lan Qiren! See if they dare to be naughty!"
Ten minutes later, Lan Wangji found the three children in a corner of an internet cafe. Lan Jingyi was typing away at the keyboard, his eyes red. Sizhui's hand was shaking as he gripped the mouse. Jin Ling stared at the screen with his neck erect. On the computer screen before them was the game interface.
"Come out." Lan Wangji's voice was not loud, but it made the three children freeze instantly.
On the way home, no one spoke. Jin Ling clutched the corner of his clothes, Si Zhui lowered his head, and Lan Jingyi's eyes were red and tears were welling up in his eyes.
Upon entering the old house, Lan Qiren was already sitting in the middle of the living room, a ruler in hand, his face as gloomy as rain. Wei Wuxian looked at the three dejected little guys, and his heart sank.
"Tell me, why did you go to the Internet cafe?" Lan Qiren's voice was particularly clear in the quiet living room.
Lan Jingyi sniffed and cried out, "They were the ones who scolded Senior Wei first! They said he was using tricks to steal the project, they said... they said bad things about him!"
"They also said that Daddy's fame came from other people." Si Zhui raised his head, his usually gentle eyes now filled with stubbornness. "I won't let them say that."
Jin Ling put his swollen hands behind his back and said through gritted teeth, "They scolded my uncle and pushed Jingyi, so we agreed to play a game to decide the winner."
During lunch break, a few classmates were discussing old online news, and the topic of Wei Wuxian came up, their words filled with disdain. Lan Jingyi, enraged, immediately engaged in an argument, ultimately agreeing to go to an internet cafe after school to play a game, with the loser having to publicly apologize. Sizhui tried to mediate, but when he heard someone accusing Wei Wuxian of "improper conduct," he clenched his fists. Jin Ling was even more direct, rolling up his sleeves to help Jingyi confront the other person. The three of them immediately hit it off, completely forgoing their promise to "return home on time."
The tracking camera captured the entire scene, and the direction of the comments changed instantly:
"Oh my god! Did you go there to protect Teacher Wei?"
"Jingyi is so tough! Sizhui is furious! Jin Ling's protective attitude is just like President Jiang!"
"I'm so heartbroken! The child is right! It's just that the method is wrong!"
"Teacher Wei will definitely cry..."
Wei Wuxian's eyes were indeed red. He remembered how, as a child, he'd fought with other children to protect Jiang Cheng. His senior sister had been heartbroken and angry back then. He squatted down, wanting to touch the children's hands, but pulled back—Si Zhui's knuckles were red, obviously from gripping the mouse too hard.
“You guys…” Wei WuXian’s voice choked with sobs, tears falling like beads from a broken string. “Are you stupid…why wouldn’t you go home and tell them about the injustice you’ve suffered? Why are you running to the internet cafe? What if you run into some bad people?”
Lan Jingyi saw Wei Wuxian crying and tears fell from his eyes: "We don't want you to worry..."
"Uncle, we didn't lose!" Jin Ling raised his head, his eyes still filled with a spirit of defiance. "They promised to apologize."
Wei Wuxian's heart ached even more when he heard this, and his tears fell even harder. He raised his hand to wipe his face, but it wouldn't come clean. He knew the children were trying to protect him, but getting into trouble was getting into trouble, and the family rules couldn't be broken.
Lan Qiren stood up, his voice still serious: "Ancestral hall, punishment with a ruler."
The three little guys lowered their heads, and no one objected. Si Zhui walked to the center of the ancestral hall first, extending his hand politely. Lan Jingyi sniffed and followed suit. Jin Ling glanced at Wei Wuxian's red eyes, gritted his teeth, and put his hands behind his back. Jiang Cheng glared at him again, and then he reluctantly extended them.
The ruler landed on his palm with a crisp snap. Lan Jingyi hissed in pain at the first blow, tears welling up in his eyes, yet he held back. Sizhui swayed, his fingertips curled, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Jin Ling stiffened his neck, the back of his hand instantly turning red, but he pursed his lips tightly.
Wei Wuxian stood at the entrance to the ancestral hall, watching the ruler fall again and again, trembling with heartache. Lan Wangji held his hand, but the warmth of his palm couldn't warm his cold fingertips. Jiang Yanli turned away, quietly wiping away a tear; Jiang Cheng frowned, but didn't utter a word of plea—he knew this was the lesson the children deserved.
Soon, the palms of the three little guys' hands were swollen like steamed buns, shining red. Lan Qiren put down the ruler and said in a deep voice, "Remember, it's okay to protect others, but you can't use the wrong methods. If you get into trouble, you must admit it. If you get beaten, you must stand at attention."
"Yes." The three children answered in unison, their voices thick with nasal sounds.
Back in the living room, Wei Wuxian immediately brought the medicine box over and squatted on the floor to apply ointment to them. As soon as the ointment touched his palm, Sizhui flinched in pain. Wei Wuxian's tears fell again, and his hands were shaking.
“Does it hurt? Does it hurt a lot?” Wei WuXian asked, choking back tears as he blew on his swollen palm. “Why didn’t you tell us? We could have handled it…”
"Uncle, we're not wrong." Jin Ling gritted his teeth, tears falling on the back of his hand. "They were wrong to scold you."
Lan Jingyi sniffed: "We are men, we should solve our own problems."
Si Zhui gently touched the back of Wei Wuxian's hand and whispered, "Daddy, don't be sad, we are not hurt."
As soon as these words came out, Wei Wuxian's tears flowed like a flood. He hugged the three children tightly in his arms, his movements as gentle as if they were fragile treasures, afraid that they would break if he was not careful. "I'm sorry for making you feel wronged..."
Lan Wangji stood aside, watching the people hugging each other. His eyes fell on the children's red and swollen hands, then looked at Wei Wuxian's red eyes, a complex look flashing in his eyes. He turned to Lan Qiren and said, "Uncle, the children know they are wrong."
Lan Qiren nodded and watched Wei Wuxian carefully apply the ointment on the children's hands, and ultimately did not say anything harsh.
The audience in the barrage had already burst into tears:
"Wow, wow, when Teacher Wei cries, I cry too! I feel so sorry for these children!"
"Even though we got into trouble, it's so warm! This is what a family is like!"
"Lan Qiren was too cruel...but it seems he did nothing wrong..."
"Help me, why are there such contradictory moments?"
"I'm so heartbroken! Three little heroes!"
"I really feel sorry for my brother Wei."
As the night deepened, Wei Wuxian sat by the bed, changing the bandage on Sizhui's palm. Lan Wangji walked in, saw that he was still crying, and handed him a tissue: "I've already been punished."
“I know…” Wei Wuxian sniffed, his fingertips gently stroking Sizhui’s swollen palm, “But when I think about how they’re trying to protect me…”
Lan Wangji held her hand and whispered, "They didn't do anything wrong, just their methods were wrong. Just teach them how to deal with it correctly in the future."
Si Zhui frowned in his sleep, his little hands scratching unconsciously. Wei Wuxian quickly held his hands and coaxed him softly, "It doesn't hurt anymore, Daddy is here."
The moonlight streamed quietly outside the window, shining on the sleeping faces of the three children. Their palms were still swollen, but they slept soundly - probably knowing that no matter how big a mess they got into, there would always be someone who cared for them and taught them the difference between right and wrong.
Wei Wuxian looked at them and suddenly understood that family meant more than just protection through thick and thin, but also guidance through the ups and downs. Just like when Lan Qiren punished her by making her copy the family rules, behind that harshness lay a heavy expectation.
He sighed softly and placed a kiss on Sizhui's forehead.
Tomorrow, it’s time to teach them how to protect the people they care about in an upright manner.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
