Fang Zichen was feeling down. He dug out the short-sleeved shirt he'd been wearing when he arrived and hugged it close.
His voice was low and somber:
"This was from my sophomore year in college. I went on a vacation trip with my parents and my eldest brother—we were out shopping and sightseeing, and my dad picked this out for me himself."
Zhao Ger held his hand and listened quietly.
"It's not a brand-name thing, but the fabric is great. It's the comfiest to sleep in. My eldest brother also got me a baseball cap that time—black, really cool. Too bad I wasn't wearing it the night I came here."
He talked all the way into the deep hours of the night, and Zhao Ger listened in silence.
He'd always known the Fang family was well-off—he could tell from Fang Zichen's attitude. Fang Zichen feared nothing and no one, had seen the world, recognized all sorts of things, and lived in privilege.
But the more Fang Zichen talked, the harder it was for Zhao Ger to imagine.
Just how rich were they?
One car—nearly ten million copper coins' worth. And his big brother alone owned thirteen of them.
Limited editions were even more expensive.
Even the emperor's carriage, inlaid with gold, probably cost less than a few million.
The Fang family was wealthier than the emperor!
Zhao Ger was faintly terrified.
"Didn't he ever ride them?"
"Nope!" Fang Zichen said matter-of-factly. "My eldest brother doesn't have thirteen butts. His driver usually just sticks to one car."
Zhao Ger: "..."
Then why buy them?
Wouldn't that money be better spent on meat?
And real estate...
And hotels...
He didn't dare think about it anymore. Too horrifying.
The next day, Fang Zichen slept until noon. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Guaizai lying right next to him, leaning in way too close with his little mouth puckered up—scaring Fang Zichen so badly he nearly choked.
"Father, why did you sleep so long today?"
Fang Zichen pushed his big head away: "It's all your fault." He'd gotten all emotional and had dreams about home, then couldn't fall back asleep.
Guaizai pouted his little pink lips: "Yo! How can you blame Guaizai? Father talks such nonsense!"
"I'll 'yo' your head." Fang Zichen hauled him onto the bed and started tickling him mercilessly. Guaizai wiggled his little bottom and giggled nonstop.
"Let Guaizai go! Help! Someone's bullying a kid!"
Fang Zichen gave his belly a pat and pinned him down: "Go ahead and yell—no one's coming to save you even if you scream your throat raw."
Guaizai covered his mouth with his little hands and giggled, shy as a little girl.
Fang Zichen: "..."
Where did he learn that from?
Guaizai puckered his lips again: "Father, Guaizai loves you so much—let me give you a kiss."
Fang Zichen slapped a hand over his mouth: "I don't want kisses from a little pervert."
"Yo! Guaizai isn't a little pervert—Guaizai is a handsome boy. Handsome boy wants to kiss you."
"No."
Guaizai lifted both his little feet—still tiny, though now a bit bigger than a chicken egg—and said, "Then I'll let Father kiss them."
Fang Zichen pinched his nose and said: "Oh my god, your stinky feet could knock a person out—put them down!"
Guaizai kept laughing and tussling with Fang Zichen on the bed.
Zhao Ger had already finished cooking. Hearing noise from the room, he called out for Fang Zichen to get up and eat.
After washing his face, Fang Zichen went to scoop the rice—but when he looked in the pot, he said, "Zhao Ger, you made too little rice today."
Once he scooped it out, there was barely enough for two bowls.
With three big eaters in the family, those two bowls were barely a mouthful—not even enough for his eldest son to get between his teeth.
Zhao Ger pulled out a bundle, took Gungun and Dandan by the hand, and said, "The kids aren't hungry. I'm taking them over to the factory to help out. You eat on your own."
Fang Zichen raised an eyebrow: "Then why the bundle?"
Zhao Ger kept a straight face: "Gungun and Dandan sweat a lot. I brought two changes of clothes for them to change into this afternoon."
Fang Zichen nodded, then looked at Guaizai and the twins again: "Are you really not hungry?"
All three kids shook their heads in unison.
It was already a bit late in the day. The paper mill provided meals, but they always served right at the noon hour—and it was nearly one now, so they'd probably already finished. Plus, the weather was hot, and the cooks at the mill—both men and women—were precise to a fault, making just enough for the workers and no more.
There'd be nothing to scrounge there, which was why Gungun and Dandan didn't like going. Usually, the twins clung to him the most—and the moment they saw food, they'd refuse to budge. So for them to willingly follow Zhao Ger now—there had to be something fishy going on.
Fang Zichen's gaze drifted once more to the bundle in Zhao Ger's arms, and he smiled.
"Go on, then!"
The three children happily followed Zhao Ger out the door, skipping and bouncing as they went.
Fang Zichen spent the whole morning working alone at home. There wasn't much for him to handle in the south these days — small matters were generally dealt with by the county magistrate and the deputy prefect. Only when they couldn't make a decision would they send the reports to him. Mostly, it was trouble coming from the north.
The year before last, when the magistrates from those northern counties came, Fang Zichen had them set up livestock breeding. The magistrates went back and obediently did as told, but the common folk weren't willing. The county magistrates issued orders forcing them, requiring every household to raise at least eight calves. Cattle eat a lot, and with every family raising them, there were even more mouths to feed. Naturally, there wasn't enough grass outside to go around.
So what to do?
Grow it in the fields, of course.
The common folk weren't willing, and now people had come to Hezhou to file complaints.
The prefect was a good man — surely he would stand up for them.
But Fang Zichen was the mastermind behind it all. Was there any point in bringing the complaint to him?
Now, seeing the report, Fang Zichen flipped it over and put it at the very bottom of the pile.
No use talking about it now.
Once they started making money, they'd understand. He wasn't a fool.
When he got busy, time flew by.
It was only in the evening that Zhao Ger returned with the three children.
Fang Zichen grabbed a loofah for the children to use as a bath sponge and took them to take a bath. The moment they undressed by the river, he smelled something off.
Gungun and Dandan's clothes reeked strongly of instant noodles...
He hadn't noticed earlier because the children had been running around all day, covered in sweat and smelling sour. But today, Gungun and Dandan had been at the paper mill listening to the two gatekeepers spin tall tales — they hadn't broken a sweat at all. Now the instant noodle smell was unmistakable.
Fang Zichen asked the children if they'd eaten instant noodles. All three shook their heads in unison: "No! We went to work today, we didn't eat instant noodles."
Like hell I believe you!
Back home, while Zhao Ger and Uncle Tang were still cooking in the kitchen, Fang Zichen went to check the room. To his dismay, the box of instant noodles Xiao Feng had sent back last time was already more than half gone.
Smuggling instant noodles out right under my nose — impressive!
They knew they couldn't eat them at home, so they went somewhere else to eat them.
Honestly, Zhao Ger. He called me unreliable, but he's not much better himself.
Ah, this family would fall apart without me.
Zhao Ger really did love instant noodles. His favorite was the sour and spicy flavor — he thought it was even better than meat. But Fang Zichen never let them eat too much, saying it wasn't healthy, and only let them have it once every few days.
The instant noodles sat in the room, constantly tugging at his mind. If he didn't finish them, he couldn't focus on anything else. At night, the moment he closed his eyes, all his dreams were about cooking instant noodles. And the children loved them too.
He genuinely didn't understand what was unhealthy about them. Weren't the children getting chubby?
Fang Zichen liked eating them too, however, he could control himself.
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