Chapter 194
After Meng-shi left, Xiao Feng hugged the rabbit doll, silent and lost in thought, until Zhao Ger arrived. Then he threw himself into Zhao Ger's arms.
Zhao Ger sighed softly, gently patting his back: "Is it because you can't bear to part with your mother?"
"N... no." Xiao Feng's voice choked with sobs: "When... when she had... my brother, I... I held my brother... brother cried... I... I couldn't... couldn't soothe him... she... she scolded me... that... that time... I... I knew... I had... no mother anymore."
He knew it clearly, yet he still held onto a fantasy.
This fantasy never came true. In the medical hall, during his anxious waiting, this fantasy was completely shattered.
But when he saw Meng-shi press her fingerprint onto the document through the door crack without a moment's hesitation, his heart still couldn't help but clench.
It wasn't as agonizing as he had imagined, just like being nibbled by ants, not to the point of unbearable pain.
He had expected it long ago. The moment he saw Liu Gouzi being forced to press his fingerprint, he even felt a faint sense of relief. The string of nerves that had been tightly stretched instantly relaxed.
But it also meant that from now on, he truly had no home.
"Uncle... Uncle Zhao." Xiao Feng's eyes were rimmed with red. He hunched his shoulders like someone waiting for punishment after making a mistake. He bit his lip until it nearly bled before finally mustering the courage again. He reached out to grasp Zhao Ger's hand, pleading: "In... in the future... c... can you... n... not a... abandon me? I... I can w... work."
He could work, wash clothes, chop firewood, do any kind of work, and would never be lazy. Shedding tears, he repeated himself, just wanting Zhao Ger to keep him for his usefulness, not to abandon him.
Zhao Ger slowly exhaled: "I won't. From now on, Uncle Zhao will take you wherever he goes." He tried to offer Xiao Feng a place to belong, just as Fang Zichen had once comforted him: "Tomorrow, I'll have your Uncle Fang go and register your household registration under his name, okay? Then we will be a family from now on. Do you want that?"
Xiao Feng was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "Mhm! Yes... yes."
The next day, when Fang Zichen went to work, he actually saw Old Master Wu at the restaurant.
Fang Zichen blinked: "Old man, what are you doing here?"
Old Master Wu took a sip of tea. Before he could even speak, he heard Fang Zichen continue: "It's been less than two months since you went back, and you're here again? With your old arms and legs, such a long, bumpy journey, aren't you afraid of shaking the life right out of you on such a bumpy trip, turning cold on the roadside?
Old Master Wu: "..."
Was it my idea to come?
He had sent a box of books to Fang Zichen. Some had his own analysis and annotations written on them, but some did not. Worried Fang Zichen might encounter problems, he had also instructed Yang Mingyi to tell Fang Zichen his address. If there was anything he didn't understand, he could write to him. But over a month had passed since the books were delivered, and Fang Zichen hadn't sent him a single letter. Unable to contain himself, fearing Yang Mingyi might have forgotten, he came to find Fang Zichen himself.
He was already familiar with how sharp Fang Zichen's tongue could be. This time, he managed to just barely hold his temper in check.
"Have you finished reading all the books I asked Yi Ger to bring you last time?"
This old man really seems like he can’t handle a shock—looks a bit like a mischievous old urchin. If I tell him the full truth, he might not even believe me. What if he tests me on it later?
Fang Zichen answered vaguely: "I've only read a small part."
"How much?" Old Master Wu asked.
Fang Zichen thought for a moment and said: "Eight or nine books."
If anyone else had thoroughly read, digested, and understood that many books in just half a month, Old Master Wu would have praised them as diligent and studious. But with Fang Zichen, it was different. Old Master Wu had asked Shopkeeper Yang about him the night before, and learned that he treated studying more like a game. He always looked sleepy while reading and only seemed to perk up when it was time to eat or when he was chatting with the other restaurant workers.
Even so, apart from his sharp tongue, Fang Zichen clearly possessed a quick wit and natural intelligence. If only he applied himself to his studies, his future could be boundless. Old Master Wu was worried that without proper guidance at his age, Fang Zichen might waste his potential.
On top of that, Fang Zichen had once saved his life, and Old Master Wu genuinely admired the boy's talent. After several sleepless nights, he finally decided to make the journey to see him.
"You say you've read them. Have you encountered anything you don't understand? If..."
"Fang boy," The fat cook called him from the backyard: "Come quickly, I have something good for you."
Almost as soon as the words fell, Old Master Wu saw a black shadow flash before his eyes, followed by Fang Zichen's voice ringing out in the backyard: "Your Lao Fang has arrived~"
Seeing Old Master Wu breathing short and fast, Yang Mingyi quickly poured him a cup of tea.
They were right by the front counter, with customers passing by constantly. This was no place for Old Master Wu to start shouting or scolding, so he could only swallow his temper along with two big gulps of tea.
But then Fang Zichen came back—a pastry stuffed in his mouth and one clutched in each hand, his manners completely forgotten. At the sight, Old Master Wu’s irritation flared right back up.
Look at this, does it have even half the bearing of a scholar?
Utterly disgraceful to refinement.
These soft date cakes were from a customer's order, a full plate meant to be served. Taking them counted as "snitching from the kitchen." If too many went missing and the customer noticed, it would be a problem. Fang Zichen offered one to Yang Mingyi. When Old Master Wu saw his own well-behaved, proper grandson actually accept it without a word, he felt sure that Fang Zichen was leading his grandson astray.
Seeing Old Master Wu glare at him, Fang Zichen frowned: "Old man, if you keep glaring at me, I won't give you any!"
This pastry isn't cheap. Only when wealthy bosses visit do they occasionally order a plate. Even I don't get to enjoy it very often.
"This old man won't eat." Old Master Wu took a deep breath. Seeing him focused only on eating, he said earnestly: "Child, when you're young, you must strive hard. Don't just enjoy life and delicious food, otherwise..."
Fang Zichen chewed the soft, sticky date cake: "I know." He interrupted Old Master Wu: "If a person only knows how to enjoy life, delicious food, and love when they are young, then when you get old, you will find that you basically have no regrets in this life."
Old Master Wu: "..."
Shouldn't have come. Really, truly shouldn't have come.
.
At noon, Zhao Ger brought the two children to find Fang Zichen. Being considered 'one of their own' now, Shopkeeper Yang directly took them to the third floor, where Fang Zichen and Old Master Wu were in the middle of a chess game.
The atmosphere in the room seemed somewhat heavy. Although a charcoal basin was placed inside in the middle of winter, it wasn't particularly warm, yet Old Master Wu had sweat beading on his forehead.
Zhao Ger didn't dare interrupt. The Zuixiao Restaurant looked magnificent on the outside, and the interior was no less impressive. Xiao Feng had been very timid since entering, keeping his head down watching his steps, not daring to look around, and certainly wouldn't make noise. Only Guaizai, upon seeing Yang Mingyi, threw himself at him, saying he hadn't seen him for a long time and missed him, kissed him, and then ran to the chessboard side: "Ah, old grandpa, you are here too! Guaizai hasn't seen you for so long~ Why didn't you come to Guaizai's house?"
Old Master Wu patted his head, secretly relieved: "Grandpa was busy, didn't have time. When Grandpa has time, he'll go see you." He looked at Fang Zichen: "Your fulang is here. Is there something?"
"En!" Fang Zichen pointed at Xiao Feng and said: "Need to go to the yamen to register the child's household."
Old Master Wu glanced at Xiao Feng a couple of times but didn't ask further. Shopkeeper Yang had heard a few things about Xiao Feng from Fang Zichen. When Old Master Wu inquired about Fang Zichen's situation, Shopkeeper Yang naturally told him everything in detail. He was, after all, a pitiful child. Old Master Wu waved his hand, letting them go.
It was cold outside, so they didn't take the two children.
After leaving Zuixiao Restaurant, Zhao Ger felt slightly puzzled: "Just now, when Old Master Wu heard we had business to attend to, he seemed to sigh in relief. Did something happen?"
Fang Zichen pursed his lips: "What could happen? The old man found out I could play chess and said he had studied the art of chess for a long time and wanted to test his skills against me. As a result, we played three games. I let him have the advantage in every game, but he still lost every single one. He couldn't win and was too embarrassed to admit it. Just now, that game was halfway through, and seeing he was about to lose yet again, when he noticed I had other business to attend to, of course he felt relieved." He grew more indignant as he spoke: "This old man isn't very skilled. He says a few things and then gets all huffy and puffy, saying I don't know how to respect my elders and care for the young."
A faint smile, one others wouldn't notice, touched Zhao Ger's eyes. "No wonder his face looked a bit off earlier. He is a distinguished Juren, a respected scholar. You certainly have the audacity to provoke him like that."
Fang Zichen planted his hands on his hips. "If the dog's courage isn't big, the boss starves to death."
[狗胆不大，饿死老大(gǒu dǎn bú dà, è sǐ lǎo dà): lit. If the dog's courage isn't big, the boss starves to death; fig. If you're not bold/audacious enough, you'll miss out on opportunities and suffer for it]
Zhao Ger laughed.
Yang Mingyi was so curious about Guaizai's new haircut that he kept touching it. Guaizai's hair was soft, touching it felt like petting a cat. Listening to him chatter away, Yang Mingyi couldn't help but find it amusing. He was usually steady and composed, quite mature for his young age. But now, seeing him laugh with such simple, childlike delight again, Old Master Wu felt a complex emotion.
Guaizai also introduced Xiao Feng to Yang Mingyi. Since the other was a ger and about the same age, Yang Mingyi got along quite well with him.
Xiao Feng wasn't afraid of him either. Although introverted, he still longed for friends. The two gers chattered on about who knows what. Guaizai looked at one, then the other, unable to get a word in. Besides, he couldn't sit still for long. He wriggled out of Yang Mingyi's lap, went over to the table by himself, lay his chin on it, and opened a book to read.
Most ordinary children lacked that kind of patience. If they couldn't understand what they were reading, they'd usually just flip through the pages noisily, find nothing interesting, and toss the book away. But Old Master Wu noticed that Guaizai would look at a page for quite a while before turning a page, as if he actually recognized the characters.
The fact that Fang Zichen spoiled his child was obvious to him. It wasn't strange that Guaizai recognized a couple of characters. But now, watching him, it clearly wasn't the case of just recognizing a couple of characters.
"Guaizai," Old Master Wu set down his teacup, leaned closer, and tentatively asked: "Can you understand this book?"
"So-so." Guaizai said: "There are six characters Guaizai doesn't recognize. Ai, so hard!"
This was one of Yang Mingyi's miscellaneous books, "Hundred Provinces Knowledge," mostly described the local customs and strange tales from various regions. The writing wasn't too dry, and the language was fairly straightforward—not as dense and formal as the texts for the imperial exams.
Old Master Wu felt his breath catch. Last time they met, he hadn't interacted much with Guaizai, only feeling the child looked cute but, once he opened his mouth, made one want to hit him. He didn't realize he was also so exceptional: "Only six characters you don't recognize?"
"En." Guaizai flipped through the book, seeming to find it quite interesting.
"Which six characters are they?" Old Master Wu pressed.
Even though he had been interrupted, Guaizai didn't seem bothered. Having stayed with Zhao Ger for a long time, his patience was generally better than other children's. Plus, the other party was an elder. Fang Zichen had repeatedly admonished him to respect the old and cherish the young. When facing the elderly, he was even more patient.
Old Master Wu watched as the boy pointed to six characters. They were quite complex and obscure—not the sort that even a Tongsheng would likely know, let alone a child like Guaizai.
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