With his face cupped, the little one couldn’t turn his head to look at the door.
The child rolling his eyes outside the door had already been grabbed by the collar and taken aside. They didn’t argue at the doorway, but instead, silently moved to the side.
The little one pricked up his ears but didn’t hear any noise.
“Little Seven, tell me again about your practical lesson.”
The child holding the little one’s face continued coaxing him to speak: “I already told you about mine.”
“Okay, I’ll tell it again. I went to sell vegetables, ones I dug up myself. The master didn’t help me dig them.”
The little one began talking about his practical lesson again, while outside, the child surrounded by others gradually realized that this group, who seemed to have been tamed like buns, were still fierce little troublemakers at heart.
“Why do I feel like you’ve always had a problem with Little Seven?”
Jiujiu pressed down on the child’s shoulder and spoke up.
The child had indeed disliked the little one named Little Seven for a long time.
But now, surrounded by this group, he knew he couldn’t admit it. He kept his mouth shut, looking for a chance to escape.
But he was completely cornered, with no opportunity to flee.
“Let me tell you, if I see you rolling your eyes at Little Seven again, or hear you saying anything bad about him, I’ll sew your mouth shut.”
Guan Shan Academy didn’t advocate fighting, so the child hadn’t been beaten, but he was thoroughly intimidated.
“There are plenty of others who don’t like Little Seven. Are you going to go after all of them?”
“If they dare act out in front of us, or if we hear anything, we’ll deal with each one. Now get lost, we’re going to play with Little Seven.”
After handling the child, the group headed back to class together.
At lunchtime, the master finally found an opportunity to call Little Seven over.
The master had a private room, with a sign reading “Office” on the door.
The little one sat on a chair in the office, with a red fruit in his hand that the master had given him.
As he ate the fruit, he listened to the master speak to him.
“Little Seven, what reward do you want for your practical lesson?”
When the master asked this, the little one looked confused. He didn’t know he could choose his own reward.
“The rewards you can receive can be either for the benefit of the people or for military use.”
Seeing his puzzled face, the master smiled and patiently explained: “For example, some rewards can help increase the people’s income, while others can benefit the army.”
Last time, the little one had chosen seeds and a farming technique, but this time, without hesitation, he chose the second option.
“I want something that benefits the army,” the little one answered.
The master nodded and continued, “Weapons, medical experience, or some basic medical supplies, which one?”
The little one puffed out his cheeks and chose weapons.
He had been to the border city and seen his eldest aunt’s army.
His eldest aunt had mentioned that the weapons of their Qi dynasty were outdated. If they didn’t develop new ones, even the best soldiers wouldn’t be able to fight perfectly.
Remembering his eldest aunt’s words, the little one became even more determined to choose weapons as his reward.
After seeing his choice, the master acknowledged with a sound.
“Wait here.”
The master got up, rummaged through the cabinet in his office, and finally pulled out a blueprint.
“Your Qi dynasty is far behind. You’ve survived until now purely through manpower.”
“This blueprint, if crafted by artisans and used by your army, can increase your dynasty’s chances of victory.”
The master handed him a blueprint, while the rest were put away.
The little one looked at the master’s cabinet and suddenly understood—
All of those were rewards.
“Weapons that are too powerful may not bring you safety. In fact, they could bring even greater disaster.”
The little one didn’t fully understand these words.
But he did grasp that the master had even more powerful weapon designs.
After giving him the blueprint, the master didn’t continue chatting with the little one.
He had other matters to attend to, and the little one hadn’t even finished his lunch.
“Go back now. Be careful when you send out this blueprint.”
“Got it! Thank you, Master!”
The little one held the blueprint and bowed to the master.
He knew that their Qi dynasty was too weak, and the things the master had given them were desperately needed.
After bowing, the little one tightly gripped the blueprint and walked away.
He didn’t even bother with lunch before rushing to write and send a letter.
He didn’t send the weapon blueprint directly to his uncle, as his uncle wasn’t in charge of that.
The department responsible for military weapons was separate.
While playing with his fourth brother, the little one had learned that his fourth brother was in charge of this.
His fourth brother greatly admired their aunt and loved his job in the department, saying it was a way to help her.
Sending the blueprint to his fourth brother would allow him to craft the weapons and give them to their aunt.
The little one also wrote a letter to go along with the blueprint.
By the time Ah Wu came over, he still hadn’t eaten.
Ah Wu had brought him food.
“Finished writing? Eat something first, then take a nap.”
“No time for naps.”
The little one had taken too long earlier, and now there was only time to eat.
He shoveled food into his mouth, and while eating, told Ah Wu about his new reward.
“Ah Wu, the masters have so many amazing things.”
The little one asked, “Why don’t they use them if they have so many powerful things?”
“They probably don’t want to,” Ah Wu replied.
The little one, his mouth still covered in rice, puzzled: “But the master said in class that if someone has many treasures, it will invite jealousy and competition from others.”
“Guan Shan Academy has so many treasures, but no one tries to take them.”
In fact, before the little one started attending Guan Shan Academy, he didn’t know there would be so many incredible rewards there.
These rewards, the little one thought, were much more valuable than the treasures in his father’s private vault.
“Guan Shan Academy has the ability to protect itself.”
Ah Wu extended his hand and wiped the rice from the little one’s mouth, “You don’t need to worry. If real danger ever comes, the big boss will handle it.”
They were there to study, and only needed to focus on being good students.
After the meal, the preparatory bell for class had already started to ring.
The little one didn’t have time for a nap, so he quickly washed his face and went to class.
During the first period, before it was even halfway through, his little head began to nod off.
The child sitting next to him noticed but quietly placed a book in front of him, trying to block the master’s view.
But the master wasn’t blind.
The little one was sitting in the front row, and his head was nodding like a chick pecking at rice—impossible to ignore.
After a few more nods, the master cleared his throat and called out, “Little Seven, can you tell us which answer to choose for this question in the workbook?”
Caught off guard, the little one was at a loss: “…”
He looked down at the workbook, having no idea which question they were on.
“Little Seven, choose the third one, the third one.”
“Dundun, no talking.”
The master called out Dundun, who had been trying to sneak the answer to the little one.
After being called out, Dundun closed his mouth.
But other kids, undeterred, continued to cover their mouths with their hands and tell the little one the answer.
The little one heard the answer, but he knew the master had also heard.
Standing up, his little face flushed red as he lowered his head, “Master, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
The master, of course, knew he hadn’t been paying attention.
But having him stand up for a moment clearly woke the little guy up.
“Sit down and pay attention.”
The master didn’t punish him, just had him sit down and continue the lesson.
That afternoon, the little one pushed through the lessons with sheer willpower.
When the dismissal bell rang, the little one flopped onto the desk and fell asleep.
Dundun, seeing him asleep, even draped a jacket over him.
“Carry him back to bed. Sleeping at a desk isn’t comfortable,” Jiujiu said, noticing what Dundun had done.
Dundun looked at the little one, unsure of how to carry him.
As they were gathered around the little one, Ah Wu walked in from the door.
“Go eat. I’ll take him back,” Ah Wu told the kids, then picked up the little one and carried him away.
Jiujiu frowned as he watched Ah Wu carry the little one off.
He had heard many bad things about Ah Wu, and Ah Wu was very close to the little one.
Just as he was frowning, Dundun patted his shoulder and asked, “Want to eat together?”
“Let’s go.”
The children left the classroom while the little one went to catch up on his nap.
When he woke up from his nap, rubbing his eyes, he saw a small pot on the table, surrounded by an abundance of vegetables and meat.
Zhai Bai was also in the room.
Sitting on a chair, he had apparently been watching the little one for quite a while. “You’re awake? Come eat hotpot.”
Still a bit groggy from sleep, the little one stretched out his hands for a hug as soon as he saw someone.
Zhai Bai smiled and was about to hug him, but Ah Wu stepped in first, lifting the cub off the bed and helping him wash his face.
Zhai Bai glanced at Ah Wu, and the smile faded from his face.
The little one, fully rested, was now in high spirits.
“Little Bai, did you bring the hotpot?”
“Yeah, I heard you hadn’t eaten, so I brought it to eat with you.”
“Mm, let’s eat together.”
The little one loved hotpot. He sat by the table, waiting for Zhai Bai to cook the ingredients in the pot.
The steaming hotpot looked delicious.
Holding a small bowl filled with cooked meat and vegetables, the little one ate while chatting with Zhai Bai.
“Little Bai, have you seen Big Bai?”
When the little one went home for vacation, he ran into Big Bai on the road, knocked him out, and brought him back. He wondered if Little Bai had seen him.
“I saw him.”
Mentioning Big Bai, Zhai Bai seemed curious. “Little Seven, he looks exactly like me. How did you tell it wasn’t me?”
“I recognized him right away.”
The little one proudly said, “It’s easy to tell.”
“Mm, Little Seven is pretty smart.”
Zhai Bai smiled again, clearly pleased that the little one could tell the difference.
“I sent him, sent Big Bai, away.”
Zhai Bai followed the little one’s lead in calling him Big Bai.
While eating the hotpot meat, he casually remarked, “He’s my twin brother, but his personality is more likable than mine. Everyone prefers him.”
“No matter what he does, everyone loves him.”
As Zhai Bai talked, he didn’t seem to mind, but the little one frowned.
“Little Bai is great too.”
The little one was confused, “Why wouldn’t people like Little Bai?”
He had met Big Bai, and compared to him, Little Bai was clearly the more likable one.
Zhai Bai forced a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Little Seven, do you really think, between me and Big Bai, that I’m the more likable one?”
The little one nodded firmly.
Zhai Bai swallowed his mouthful of meat, then this time, he genuinely laughed out loud. “Silly cub, you can’t even judge people right. I’m not the one people like.”
The little one was upset when he was called a “silly cub” and clamped his mouth shut, even refusing to eat the meat.
Ah Wu noticed this and shot a threatening glance at Zhai Bai.
Although Ah Wu didn’t care about their conversation, he was always paying attention to the little one’s emotions.
Under Ah Wu’s death stare, Zhai Bai sighed. He picked up some meat for the little one and compromised, saying, “Alright, alright, I was wrong. the little one isn’t a silly cub, and I’m very much loved too.”
As he said the last part, Zhai Bai’s eyelid twitched.
He didn’t really want to say such shameless things, fearing it might bring bad luck. But it was exactly the kind of thing that would make the little one happy.
Risking divine retribution, Zhai Bai showered himself with compliments, and the little one joyfully wiggled his little feet.
“Yes, Little Bai is the best Little Bai.”
Though Little Bai and Big Bai looked identical, they were different people. Little Bai was the one and only Little Bai in this world, just like the little one was a unique cub.
Zhai Bai’s hot pot was delicious, but in the end, the little one remarked, “Noodles would taste great in this too. Next time, let’s bring Big Boss along!”
If they brought Big Boss, he could cook the noodles.
Zhai Bai had heard about the little one’s love for noodles and asked curiously, “What kind of noodles does Big Boss make for you? Did he put some kind of magic in them? You love them so much?”
“They’re really yummy noodles! They have so many flavors! Some are spicy, some are sour, and others are fragrant.”
The little one got excited talking about the noodles.
Ah Wu, nearby, added, “The noodles the Chief Examiner makes aren’t sold anywhere. I’ve never seen such noodles before—they’re slightly curved…”
As Ah Wu described them, he furrowed his brow.
Every time the little one wanted to eat those noodles, it was a rare treat. The Chief Examiner didn’t like making them for him, and since they couldn’t be bought elsewhere, the little one could only keep longing for them.
After listening to Ah Wu’s description, Zhai Bai shook his head. He hadn’t seen such noodles either.
Fortunately, the little one was well-behaved. Even though he craved the noodles, he wouldn’t throw a tantrum if he couldn’t have them.
When he got up to help clear the table, Ah Wu picked him up and set him aside, not letting him clean up.
“You go read a book. Zhai Bai can do it.”
Zhai Bai was speechless. “I brought the hot pot. Qin Wu, you should be the one cleaning up.”
Ah Wu didn’t move.
Without bothering to clean up, he said to Zhai Bai, “If you don’t want to clean up, then don’t bring the hot pot next time.”
Zhai Bai: “?”
Zhai Bai blinked in surprise. He understood what was happening.
Qin Wu was doing this on purpose, deliberately making things difficult for him so he wouldn’t come around next time.
He had long noticed that when it came to the little one, Qin Wu was particularly petty.
“Fine, fine, I’ll clean it up. Next time, I’ll take Little Seven out to eat instead.”
After cleaning up the table, Zhai Bai took the hot pot with him and left.
Zhai Bai’s room wasn’t far from the little one’s. After he left, the little one and Ah Wu fetched some clothes and went to take a bath together.
As usual, Ah Wu washed quickly. After finishing, he began hand-washing the little one’s clothes.
The little one laid in the bathtub, leaning on the edge and watching Ah Wu wash his clothes.
“Ah Wu, do you think Daddy and Mommy are thinking about me right now?”
“Yes,” Ah Wu continued washing clothes without lifting his head, but he didn’t miss a beat in responding. “They must be thinking of you.”
“I miss them too.”
The little one, nestled in the steaming bathtub, rested his chin in his hands, thinking of his father and mother in the palace.
Meanwhile, the palace wasn’t exactly peaceful either.
After receiving the little one’s letter, Emperor Ling sent people to root out bandits.
But during the campaign, they found a blind Taoist in the bandits’ hideout. The Taoist claimed they weren’t robbing but fighting evil for the people.
The blind Taoist also claimed he foresaw encountering an evil entity, which, if not eradicated, would lead to the downfall of the Qi Dynasty. That’s why he persuaded the others to block the road.
Listening to the Taoist’s testimony, Emperor Ling felt he was spouting nonsense.
He ordered the execution of the bandits and the Taoist. But though he only had the nonsense-spewing Taoist executed, rumors began spreading that he was slaughtering Taoists en masse.
The rumors grew wild, and several officials had already submitted petitions about it.
Emperor Ling was infuriated.
Whenever he got angry now, he felt physically unwell.
The only thing that brightened his mood was a new invention from the Ministry of Works, which would be useful to the military.
Coincidentally, he hadn’t figured out how to appease Mu Rongxue after the recent incident, so the Fourth Prince suggested gifting this new invention to her.
Mu Rongxue would surely like it.
Emperor Ling accepted the suggestion and even praised the Fourth Prince for it.
The Fourth Prince didn’t want to take credit, but the little one had mentioned in his letter that Guan Shan Residence’s rule was to never mention its name outside.
The blueprints, too, couldn’t be attributed to Guan Shan Residence.
The Fourth Prince couldn’t understand why Guan Shan Residence wanted no recognition, but he had no one to ask.
He wrote a letter to the little one, reporting that the weapons would be delivered to the military.
The princes and princesses often wrote letters to the little one, and they’d include his little uncle’s name too.
They still remembered the little one’s advice: Mu Rongxu shouldn’t get married.
Late into the quiet night, the little one soaked in the bath, feeling relaxed and ready for bed.
Meanwhile, in the palace, Emperor Ling sat in his chambers, massaging his temples. For some reason, when he thought about the people in the palace, all he felt was irritation.
The scheming in the palace, the weighing of interests, and the sincerity mixed with personal gains…
He felt utterly exhausted by it all.
“Lu Guang, how long has the little one been gone?”
“Your Majesty, it’s been almost half a week.”
Lu Guang stepped forward, and after responding, he offered a cup of calming tea. “Your Majesty, the Empress heard that you’ve been having trouble sleeping lately and specifically sent this tea for you.”
Emperor Ling made a sound of acknowledgment, took a few sips, and laid back down.
Time passed, bit by bit.
In the academy, the little ones’ lessons were getting more and more diverse.
His favorite was the sports meet at Guan Shan Academy.
The chief examiner said that without a strong body, growing up was uncertain.
So, they needed to become healthy little ones!
There were small rewards for the sports meet. While the prizes weren’t grand, for these kids, any reward was already amazing.
The little ones were excited, feeling that as long as they tried their best, that was enough.
They had no idea that their class, Class Two, was already in a heated rivalry with the class next door.
Before the sports meet even started, Class Two and the neighboring class had exchanged harsh words.
“Whoever loses is the grandson!”
“Who’s afraid of who? If you lose, you’ll have to respectfully call our Little Seven ‘Dad’ when you see him!”
“Just wait, losers! You better hope that little weakling of yours doesn’t drag you down!”
“Haha, what a bunch of kids. I wonder if Little Seven will even want you as his sons.”
The little ones from Class Two hadn’t mentioned any of this to the little one himself.
Oblivious, the little one wore the uniform given by the teacher, with his chubby little arms exposed, practicing outside. When he noticed the kids from the neighboring class training extra hard, some of them were even glaring at him.
The little one: “…”
The little one was confused by these hostile looks.
