Chapter 351
Several children had been playing until they were exhausted, their faces flushed red from the sun and their clothes soaked through. Black Whirlwind was curled up in the eldest prince’s arms, tongue lolling nonstop. The dog had grown large, with thick fur and strong limbs—ferocious just to look at.
Earlier, as soon as he entered the yard and heard Guaizai’s voice, he had charged out, scaring the children half to death. Even after Guaizai assured them the dog didn’t bite, they still found him a bit terrifying. But after playing with Black Whirlwind for a while, they accepted him as a brother. They even told Guaizai to bring Black Whirlwind to class with him the next day. "We share good fortune and hardship alike," they said. "Learning helps people understand reason, gain knowledge, broaden their horizons, and cultivate character. How could we leave our brother out of such a wonderful thing? We’re not selfish people."
Guaizai agreed.
Zhao Ger felt like laughing when he heard this but didn’t take it seriously. He called them over to eat some ice cream—a sweet, cool, smooth, and refreshing treat. The children must have been truly thirsty and hungry, because they didn’t stand on ceremony and quickly ate half a basin of it. Having left the palace, they’d let loose and acted nothing like princes. Still, they were polite enough to thank him when full: "Thank you, Uncle Zhao."
As soon as they finished eating, they dashed to the back courtyard with Guaizai. Zhao Ger didn’t even need to guess what they were going to do. The sun was nearly setting, and the heat had eased, so he let them be, only asking Uncle Tang to keep a close watch.
Several floaties floated in the pool. Since the children swam every day, they hadn’t put them away. Zhao Ger and Xiao Feng’s floaties were plain, but Guaizai’s little yellow chick floatie was the most eye-catching—large and lifelike, floating on the water like a small castle. The children couldn’t hide their amazement and envy, bursting into excited shouts of "Wow!"
They eagerly asked Guaizai what it was and where to buy one—they wanted one too. By now, Guaizai had already stripped down, hugging the little yellow chick by the neck, and said happily, "Not bought! It’s a gift from Father to Guaizai, yo~"
The little ones were disappointed again.
Everything Fang Zichen made was one-of-a-kind and couldn't be bought in any shop. Earlier, they had sent people to look for the drawing brushes and building blocks, but even after searching all over the capital, they couldn’t find them.
Guaizai patted the little yellow chick and introduced it: "You can sit on this."
"Won’t it sink?" the second prince asked in confusion.
"No, watch Guaizai." Guaizai climbed onto the yellow chick, stood up, and jumped around. The chick didn’t sink at all.
The boys watched in wonder and copied Guaizai, shouting "Wow! Wow!"
They wondered how Guaizai's father could make something like this.
They really liked it too.
Guaizai wasn’t stingy and knew how to share. The fourth prince was the youngest and afraid of water, so Guaizai let him sit on the little yellow chick.
The remaining two floaties were shared among the rest. The eldest prince couldn’t ride the bicycle and couldn’t get in the water at the moment, so he watched from the side, his eyes practically blazing with frustration.
That evening, Fang Zichen returned from duty. After dinner, the little ones finally left reluctantly.
Zhao Ger was happy to see Guaizai getting along so well with them. Among the group — several princes and two study companions — each child came from the most noble and prestigious family background. Guaizai had the lowest family standing, yet none of them looked down on him. Seeing Guaizai so carefree and happy at noon made Zhao Ger’s heart glad. After dinner, Fang Zichen, as usual, brought water to massage Zhao Ger’s feet. Guaizai ran in and hugged Fang Zichen’s neck, clinging to his back. Fang Zichen patted his hand and said, "Let go! You’re choking your old man."
Guaizai buried his face in Fang Zichen’s neck and giggled, then crouched beside Fang Zichen to help wash Zhao Ger’s feet. He had no skill with his hands and was afraid that pressing too hard would hurt Zhao Ger, so his touch was more like tickling. But seeing how dutiful he was, Zhao Ger didn’t stop him—his heart felt warm.
These were the two most important people in his life: one who loved him, one who respected him. It felt as if something had struck his heart hard. Suddenly, Zhao Ger thought that this was fine. He didn’t seek great wealth or high status. Having a husband who doted on him and a child who was healthy and happy—that was enough.
Zhao Ger had originally thought the princes would visit just once, given their heavy academic workload. But the next day at noon, Guaizai brought them back again. The little fellows ate first as usual, then rode the bicycle and swam. After a few days of this, Guaizai dug out his old little hoe for digging earthworms and led his friends to dig in the back courtyard to feed the chickens.
That evening, when Fang Zichen returned and saw the once neat back courtyard now full of holes and bumps, he froze.
Zhao Ger had spent the noon making them a cake, which delighted the boys so much they jumped and cheered. Later, Shi Nianqi had come with her child, and the two of them had stayed in the room chatting. Zhao Ger had no idea what Guaizai had been up to. Now that he saw the damage, he turned without a word and headed straight for the kitchen.
He knew that Guaizai’s butt was practically "immune," that ordinary little wooden sticks no longer hurt him. This time, he picked up a thick one.
Even Fang Zichen was startled. He pulled Guaizai behind him and blocked Zhao Ger. "Zhao Ger, calm down! Don’t hit the child over every little thing. We must believe in education through love."
He crouched down to Guaizai’s eye level. "Son, tell Father: why did you dig up the back courtyard today?"
Guaizai fiddled with his fingers and said in a small voice, "Guaizai wanted to dig for worms to feed the chickens. Guaizai wasn’t home, so the chickens got hungry and thin. Guaizai’s heart hurt."
The two little chicks bought earlier hadn’t grown much. Uncle Tang had never raised chickens and didn’t know how to care for them, so he had Aunt Jiang handle it. She was a true villager from a poor, barren land—poor her whole life, often unable to even fill her belly. Though she could now use the kitchen rice as she pleased, she couldn’t bear to feed pure white rice to chickens. She didn’t know where to buy rice bran either, so she usually just fed them vegetable leaves.
Fang Zichen stood up abruptly, his face expressionless, and said to Zhao Ger in a harsh voice, "Go ahead and hit him. Sparing the rod spoils the child. No beating, no discipline."
Zhao Ger: "......"
This man really has a way with words.
Guaizai had spent the whole afternoon digging with his friends and only found two worms. Now, he had been spanked and was standing at the door as punishment. He was so upset that his little mouth pouted, his big head hung low, and he tugged pitifully at his clothes.
Fang Zichen couldn’t stand seeing him like that. Knowing Guaizai wanted to dig for worms, he gave him some advice.
The capital had brick roads and paved ground everywhere, which was different from the countryside. Even the soil in the back courtyard was compacted from constant trampling. That kind of ground didn’t have many earthworms.
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