The next day, as dawn broke, An Rong drove his carriage with An Ji to Luming Academy.
"Sir, may I trouble you for a moment? I have something I'd like to discuss with you." After An Rong dropped An Ji off at the classroom, she went to find the sergeant.
The person in charge had an impression of An Rong, firstly because of his outstanding appearance, which made him unforgettable, and secondly because he was An Ji's father. An Ji's performance at the academy was remarkable, and his academic achievements were among the best in the class. The scholar had praised him more than once.
"Don't mention it. If it's for the children's sake, I'd be happy to help." The person in charge was a few years older than An Rong, but his attitude was very kind.
An academy's reputation is built on its students' academic achievements. Good students who pass the imperial examinations, such as becoming scholars or even provincial graduates, serve as the best form of publicity for the academy.
An Rong recounted in detail what An Ji had mentioned the day before to the person in charge, adding some of his own thoughts in the process.
The person in charge looked worried. He hadn't expected that Anji would have such a meticulous mind at such a young age, and that he could notice such a subtle aspect. It seemed that this child was indeed not to be underestimated.
“Anji is very observant. His doubts are a matter that deserves attention. Don’t worry, I will find other students to understand the situation better.” As the person in charge, he will definitely pay extra attention to this behavior that disrupts the learning atmosphere of the academy.
We cannot allow a few people who don't study to disrupt the strong learning atmosphere of Luming Academy and damage its reputation.
An Rong could tell that the person in charge really cared about this issue, but he probably hadn't figured out how to solve it yet.
"Sir, I'd like to offer a few suggestions on how to resolve this issue," An Rong said bluntly.
The person in charge was delighted; it was perfect that someone was readily available to offer suggestions, saving him the trouble of racking his brains.
An Rong relayed Dou Dou's suggestions to the steward one by one. The steward admired An Rong more and more as he listened. Like father, like son; no wonder An Ji was so good at studying.
“Mr. An, I understand your suggestion. I must admire your wisdom. I will do as you suggested.” The person in charge was full of admiration.
An Rong hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. The person in charge didn't cover up the problem but actively adopted her suggestions, a reaction that Yuan Doudou had anticipated.
As the person in charge, he naturally wanted Luming Academy to get better and better, and he would humbly accept any good suggestions for the academy.
An Rong returned home and told Dou Dou about what happened at the academy, hoping that the matter could be resolved smoothly.
"Alright, we've done what we could. As for the rest, things that can't be changed or controlled are beyond our control, so there's no need to be too fixated on them."
Yuan Doudou advocates doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate. She believes that worldly affairs are chaotic and that one can only be clear about one or two things, so why bother oneself with trivial matters?
An Rong couldn't help but give Yuan Doudou a thumbs up.
"Alright, you've had a long day. I'll cook dinner, you go and rest." Ever since An Rong came back, Yuan Doudou's cooking skills have been getting rusty. If she doesn't cook something soon, she'll forget how to make even the most basic porridge and noodles.
"I'm not tired, I'll do it," An Rong said, pulling her hand to stop her.
“You’ve already gone through so much hardship giving birth. You won’t have to do these things anymore. I’m happy to do them for you and for our child,” An Rong said affectionately.
Yuan Doudou blushed. Honestly, even after a year, she still felt embarrassed looking at that face and hearing such tender words.
This wasn't originally hers; she stole someone else's husband like a mistress.
No matter how much she denies it, she can't change her heart. Following her heart's choice, she desperately wants to be close to An Rong.
If it weren't for that, they wouldn't have had Tangtang.
"I'm not that delicate, and you can't raise me into a useless person," Yuan Doudou said, blushing.
An Rong disagreed. He was willing to let his wife do nothing, but Yuan Doudou couldn't stay idle. She always had to take care of things at the shop and could keep the accounts even more accurate than he could. He felt that his wife was too capable, and sometimes he felt that he was not good enough for Doudou.
"DouDou, you may not know this, but sometimes even when you are standing right in front of me, I feel like there are thousands of miles between us, and we are far apart. You are such a warm person, but you are so unreal."
He suddenly became like an insecure child, pulling Dou Dou into his arms and holding her tightly, as if he wanted to melt her into his own body.
Yuan Doudou was being choked and could hardly breathe. She hadn’t expected An Rong to be so afraid of losing her. A mix of emotions welled up inside her, and the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, unable to come out for a long time.
An Rong was trembling with fear, but he was enjoying the moment, the real embrace, and truly feeling Dou Dou's presence.
He couldn't bear to let go.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here, I've always been here." Yuan Doudou turned around and hugged An Rong tightly to suppress her inner unease.
She came here not by her own choice, and when she leaves is naturally not up to her to decide either. No matter how grand the vows were, they couldn't withstand a twist of fate.
No one can predict the future, so it's most important to fill our stomachs first.
"Anrong, I'm hungry," she whispered.
An Rong reluctantly let go of Dou Dou, rubbed her eyes, and said, "Okay, you go watch Tang Tang, I'll go cook."
Yuan Doudou stood there, watching An Rong's departing figure, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. What should she do? If he really left, she would miss An Rong terribly.
After dinner, Yuan Doudou sat on the edge of the bed with Tangtang in her arms, swaying back and forth while singing a lullaby.
"If she's not sleepy, let her lie down and play for a while." An Rong couldn't bear to tease Dou too much. Children will fall asleep on their own when they're tired; there's no need to hold them all the time, which only makes the adults tired too.
“If I don’t hold her, she’ll whine and whimper, like she’s being affectionate, and I won’t be able to concentrate on anything else. It’s better to hold her and lull her to sleep.” Yuan Doudou doesn’t mind the effort; on the contrary, she finds it very rewarding to lull her baby to sleep.
Tangtang looked at Doudou with a smile, making babbling sounds, and would even stick her fist out to her mouth and lick it with her tongue.
"It's true that children are spoiled by their mothers after only three days. She knows you'll feel sorry for her, so if you don't hold her, she'll deliberately make a fuss and not sleep properly." An Rong walked over and looked at Tangtang, noticing her big, dark eyes, which were even blacker and brighter than ripe grapes.
Yuan Doudou doesn't care about spoiling or not spoiling; the child is her own, and she can spoil her as she pleases, no one can stop her.
“You don’t understand, this is the joy of raising children. If you don’t care about anything and let the child cry and fall asleep on their own, that’s what makes the child feel insecure.” She had never raised a child, but she had seen it on TV, and it was indeed mentioned that when a child cries, you should respond promptly so that the child can feel the warmth of family, which is helpful for their mental development.
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