The two little ones were a distance apart, so they had to raise their voices to hear each other.
Ling Fu, upon learning that his little brother was also stuck, wriggled his chubby body, trying to back out and check on him.
But his efforts were futile.
On the other side, Ling Rui also wriggled his small body, trying to crawl forward out of the hole.
Before following Sixth Brother, he had drunk a full glass of goat milk.
Sixth Brother said he was too short and needed to eat more and drink more milk to grow taller.
Goat milk with honey was sweet and tasty.
But now, Ling Rui was so stuck he almost threw up the milk.
“Sixth Brother.”
Kicking his short legs, Ling Rui stopped and said, “Wait a while.”
Once his belly went down, he’d be able to crawl out.
The place where they were crawling was secluded, in the back courtyard of the school, where people rarely went. Though they were still young, they knew getting stuck in a dog hole was embarrassing.
Both little ones, worried about their dignity, kept their mouths shut, unwilling to call for help.
During this, a big yellow dog walked up to Ling Rui.
Ling Rui looked at the yellow dog. He grabbed some grass with his small hand and casually spoke to the dog, “I, I’m just lying here to enjoy the view for a while.”
The yellow dog: “…”
The yellow dog stared at his hole for a long time.
Finally, seeing that the human cub inside wasn’t going to give up his hole, the yellow dog barked unhappily and walked away.
Time passed bit by bit.
Ling Rui, stuck in the hole, even took a nap.
When the afternoon class started and Jiang Yan, Chen Zhou, and Ling Fu’s study companions couldn’t find them, they hurried to the teacher.
The teacher was startled to hear the two children were missing.
He personally led a search.
As they passed behind the grass where the two children were hiding, the embarrassed children stayed silent through the first two rounds of searching but finally made a noise on the third pass.
Ling Fu could hold out, and he hadn’t planned to make a sound.
But Ling Rui couldn’t stand it anymore.
Not only was his little face red, but his eyes were also teary: “Jiang Jiang.”
He called out to Jiang Yan as he passed by.
Jiang Yan, hearing the voice, looked around but didn’t see the little prince.
In broad daylight, he almost thought he had encountered a ghost.
Then Ling Rui called again, “I, I’m here.”
Jiang Yan followed the sound, pushed aside the grass, and saw the little child stuck in the hole.
The chubby little one only had his fat bottom and two short legs on this side of the hole. His legs were kicking, showing his urgency.
“Pull me out.”
Ling Rui was almost in tears: “I need to pee pee.”
Jiang Yan: “!”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan rolled up his sleeves and rushed to pull the child out.
The teacher and his team not only found Ling Rui but also the stubbornly silent Ling Fu.
The two children looked very much like failed escapees.
The teacher stroked his beard and had the two children pulled out separately.
As Ling Rui was being pulled out, he cooperatively sucked in his little belly.
“Alright, Little Seven, you’re out.”
Jiang Yan didn’t call him Little Prince in the classroom. After pulling him out, he quickly took the little child to pee.
When the two children returned to the classroom, as expected, they were punished.
The teacher didn’t physically punish them, but he did assign double homework.
Upon hearing the teacher’s words, Ling Rui straightened his small body and resolutely offered his palm to the teacher: “Teacher, it’s better to hit me.”
He preferred a beating over homework.
The teacher: “…”
The teacher pushed his little hand back and coldly said: “Little Seven, do you want to add even more homework?”
Hearing this, Ling Rui quickly retracted his hand.
After failing to bargain with the teacher, the little cub drooped like a frost-bitten eggplant. This little eggplant didn’t recover even after school ended.
Seeing his dejected face, the teacher called him back: “Little Seven, school allows a day off every five days. After tomorrow’s class, you can rest.”
These words instantly cheered up the little cub.
He raised his small face, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the teacher: “The day after tomorrow, no class?”
“Yes, the day after tomorrow there is no class.”
Seeing his joy, the teacher ruffled his hair: “Little Seven, I’ve heard you are very talented. If you put your mind to studying, in time, you will surely become a knowledgeable and scholarly person.”
The teacher’s words echoed what the palace’s tutor had once said.
The little cub nodded.
During their days at school, Ling Rui and Ling Fu often saw parents picking up their children at the gate.
Ling Rui looked at the parents picking up their children and poked Ling Fu’s arm: “Sixth Brother, they all have someone to pick them up.”
Ling Fu: “…”
Ling Fu, drinking his jujube flower tea, followed Ling Rui’s gaze.
Seeing the parents picking up their children, he replied: “We have someone too.”
He pointed to the guard who came to pick them up.
Ling Rui looked at the parents chatting and laughing with their children, feeling a bit envious.
Ling Fu, however, felt no envy.
He hadn’t interacted much with Emperor Ling and saw him as more dignified than loving.
Having Emperor Ling pick him up would make him uncomfortable.
And since Consort Ru wasn’t in the palace, he didn’t want any adults picking him up.
“Little Seven, there’s a stand selling mung bean cakes at the corner. Do you want some?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, Sixth Brother will buy them for you.”
Ling Fu was very satisfied with the guard picking him up. The guard wouldn’t interfere with his decisions, and whatever he wanted to buy, the guard wouldn’t stop him.
Of course, the guard wouldn’t pay for him either.
But it was fine because Ling Fu had pocket money, all of which he spent on snacks after school.
Ling Rui, having given most of his pocket money to Emperor Ling, lived a bit frugally.
Usually, Sixth Brother treated him to snacks on the way home.
“Sixth Brother, you’re the best.”
Ling Rui, eating the mung bean cakes bought by Sixth Brother, snuggled close to him.
Ling Fu also felt he was a good brother. He closed his eyes contentedly and snuggled back: “You’re my only little brother. Of course, I’ll treat you well.”
The brothers leaned close, eating the fragrant mung bean cakes, smiling happily.
When they returned to the palace.
Ling Rui went to change clothes. His clothes, after a day at school, were always dirty.
Though he looked obedient, after class, he would either be fiddling with ink or playing with mud and watching ants outside.
In short, he had to change into a new set of clothes every day when he came back.
While he was changing, Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou were reporting the day’s activities to Noble Consort Yi.
Even if they didn’t report, the guards would.
When she learned that the two cubs had gotten stuck in a dog hole, Noble Consort Yi’s mouth twitched.
“Alright, I know. You both can go rest now.”
Noble Consort Yi dismissed them and went to check on the little one changing clothes in the back.
The little one had many clothes, but they weren’t discarded after just one wear. Since he went through clothes so quickly, many of them were reused.
Some of the reusable clothes were made of soft materials and were more comfortable to wear.
The little one was changing into a slightly worn outfit. When he saw Noble Consort Yi, he smiled at her with his eyes curved.
“Mother, after school tomorrow, we have a break.”
Ling Rui shared this good news with Noble Consort Yi.
Seeing he had finished changing, Noble Consort Yi took him to the outer room.
“Little Seven, were you good at school today?”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui stammered, “A little bit good.”
He was very good during class.
But not so much after class.
Noble Consort Yi pinched his chubby cheek, seeing his guilty look, and didn’t want to scold him.
When it was time for dinner, Ling Rui looked at Noble Consort Yi and asked, “Mother, where is Father?”
“Father isn’t coming.”
Noble Consort Yi served him some food, her tone normal, “He can’t come every day.”
Nowadays, Emperor Ling already visited the palace frequently.
He visited Noble Consort Yi’s residence more often than any other consort’s, even the Empress’s.
Hearing this, Ling Rui blinked and seemed a bit happy.
Noble Consort Yi noticed his mood and asked, “Little Seven, why are you happy that Father isn’t coming?”
At first, Ling Rui didn’t want to show his happiness too obviously.
But when asked by Noble Consort Yi, he couldn’t help but giggle, “Happy!”
Noble Consort Yi: “…”
Just as Noble Consort Yi was about to ask why, Emperor Ling walked in from the doorway, frowning, and asked before Noble Consort Yi could, “Why are you happy that Father isn’t coming? Tell me.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui slowly turned his face. Upon seeing his father, his smile disappeared instantly.
The father and son stared at each other.
Emperor Ling walked over and stopped in front of the little cub.
The little cub, being stared at by his father, hiccuped out of fear.
Seeing this, Noble Consort Yi glared at Emperor Ling, “Why are you scaring him?”
The little one hadn’t even finished his meal, and now he was scared—how could he eat?
Emperor Ling, scolded by Noble Consort Yi, returned to sit beside her.
Ling Rui pouted, “When Father doesn’t come, I can sleep with Mother.”
He revealed his dissatisfaction, and his small voice was a bit aggrieved, “When Father comes, Little Seven has to sleep alone.”
This reason left Emperor Ling speechless.
What was initially Emperor Ling trying to find fault with the little cub had now turned into the little cub finding fault with him.
Ling Rui looked at his father, then at Noble Consort Yi.
“Father is so big, Mother sleeps with Father.”
“Zaizai is so small, Mother doesn’t sleep with Zaizai.”
The little cub looked at the big father with dissatisfaction, genuinely not understanding why such a big father needed Mother to sleep with him.
Emperor Ling awkwardly cleared his throat and forcibly changed the topic, “Ahem, Little Seven, I heard you got stuck in a dog hole at school today?”
Ling Rui: “???”
Ling Rui’s eyes widened. He had told Jiang Yan, Chen Zhou, and the accompanying guards not to tell Father about it when he came back.
So how did Father know?!
The little cub’s shocked expression made Emperor Ling rub his temples.
It seemed he had misspoken again.
Noble Consort Yi watched the father and son, then served two bowls of soup, handing one to each of them.
“Alright, eat more and talk less.”
After serving the soup, Noble Consort Yi changed the subject to the day off.
The little cub was immediately interested in this topic.
He held his spoon and said, “I want to go out and play.”
He wanted to quickly find his fellow zaizai gang friends!
Emperor Ling, knowing the little cub couldn’t stay put in the palace, didn’t force him to stay, “You can go out, but don’t be too naughty.”
“Come back before dark… no, come back before it gets dark.”
Remembering how the cub had been playing wildly recently, Emperor Ling set the rule early.
The little cub nodded absent-mindedly, “Mm-hmm,” but Noble Consort Yi knew from his tone that he wasn’t taking it seriously.
That night, the little cub was still calm during dinner.
But once he started doing the double homework assigned by the teacher, his mood changed.
Seeing the little cub was about to do his homework, Emperor Ling prepared to leave with a stern face.
But before he could, Noble Consort Yi pressed him back down by his shoulder.
“Your Majesty, we agreed that you would supervise Little Seven’s homework.”
Emperor Ling: “…”
Emperor Ling tried to negotiate.
They had made this agreement in bed one night when he was too distracted to think clearly, so he had casually agreed to supervise Little Seven’s homework.
Now he wanted to renegotiate.
Noble Consort Yi raised an eyebrow, indicating there was no room for negotiation.
Thus, Emperor Ling was forced to stay up most of the night helping the little one with his homework.
The little one rubbed his eyes, crying out of exhaustion.
Seeing him crying pitifully, Emperor Ling wanted to let him sleep, but the little one refused: “No, I have to recite the text.”
The little one stubbornly recited all the double homework assigned by the teacher while crying.
After he finished, both father and son fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning.
When Ling Rui woke up, he felt a bit sore. Seeing his father preparing an egg to apply to his eyes, he sniffled, “Father, apply it last night.”
If the egg had been applied last night, his eyes wouldn’t hurt today.
Emperor Ling paused while applying the egg: “Father fell asleep.”
He was truly exhausted last night.
After applying the egg for a while, Ling Rui went to have breakfast and then to school.
Although his eyes were a bit uncomfortable, he was excited thinking about the break after school.
In the afternoon at school, Ling Rui had already packed his small bundle.
In his small bundle, he had books, an ink block, and paper.
He intended to give these to Shui Shui.
There weren’t many children in the village who could read; sometimes, there wasn’t even one in the entire village.
The cost of education was high, with expenses for paper, ink, pens, and brushes, as well as fees for teachers and schools, adding up over the years to a significant amount.
Ling Rui liked Shui Shui very much and wanted to give these to him.
If Shui Shui used them, he wouldn’t need to go to school anymore.
The little one had a simple thought and dared to act on it.
During the last two classes, the teacher, seeing the children were distracted, didn’t teach but let them practice writing on their own.
Ling Rui borrowed an ink block from a nearby child. While others wrote with brushes, he used the ink block directly on the rice paper.
He was writing Ah Wu’s name.
After writing for two classes, Ling Rui collected the papers on his desk, satisfied and ready to send them to Ah Wu.
When school was dismissed, the bell rang.
As soon as the bell rang, Ling Rui and Ling Fu grabbed their bundles and, along with their companions, ran excitedly to the gate.
“Not going home, not going home.”
Ling Rui told the coachman, “It’s not dark yet, we can go play.”
He had the coachman drive the carriage to the village entrance.
He could visit the Li residence anytime now, but it wasn’t convenient to go to the village often.
Having not seen the village children for several days, both Ling Rui and Ling Fu missed them.
Meanwhile, in the village, led by Zhuzi, the children were discussing Ling Rui with serious expressions.
“Little Six and Little Seven haven’t been seen for several days, they might be stuck somewhere.”
“We need to rescue them.”
The leader of their zaizai gang was protected by all the children!
Zhuzi and the others decided to rescue the cubs, but they didn’t know where Little Six and Little Seven were.
Not only did they not know where Little Six and Little Seven lived, they didn’t know where the young master of the Li family was either.
“Brother Zhuzi, we can go look in the city.”
A child suggested, “They must be living in the city.”
“You’re right.”
Zhuzi dusted off his clothes and looked toward the city, “Let’s go check out the city.”
“Okay, I’ll tell my mother.”
After telling their families they were going out to play, the village children set off toward the city together.
They took a shortcut and just missed the two cubs in the carriage.
When the two cubs arrived at the village entrance, they shouted for Zhuzi, Gou Dan, and others.
But after calling for a long time, none of the children came out.
“Sixth Brother, they’re not here.”
Unable to call out the children, Ling Rui said to Ling Fu, “Let’s go find Shui Shui.”
“Okay.”
The two cubs changed their route and went to find Shui Shui.
This time, they successfully met Shui Shui.
Shui Shui seemed slower to react than before upon seeing them.
“Shui Shui, is your mother not here again?”
Ling Rui and Ling Fu had been to Shui Shui’s house before but had never seen Shui Shui’s mother there.
“Not here.”
Hearing Ling Rui’s question, Shui Shui slowly replied, “I’m hungry.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui, hearing he was hungry, instinctively looked at Ling Fu.
Ling Fu rummaged through his pockets and found half a bag of snacks.
Shui Shui took the snacks and started eating them voraciously.
Seeing him eat so quickly, Ling Rui felt something was wrong: “Shui Shui, how many days has it been since you last ate?”
Shui Shui shook his head, not knowing how many days it had been.
Seeing him shake his head, Ling Rui frowned.
“Let me feel your tummy.”
When Ling Rui was hungry, Noble Consort Yi would always feel his tummy.
If his tummy was flat, he needed to eat.
“Your tummy is so flat.”
Ling Rui felt Shui Shui’s tummy and his bones: “Have you not eaten for a long time?”
This time, Shui Shui nodded.
Ling Rui looked around the room but found no food.
He returned to Shui Shui and, after hesitating, asked, “Shui Shui, is your mother coming back today?”
Shui Shui shook his head.
Ling Rui and Ling Fu exchanged glances, understanding each other.
Not knowing if Shui Shui’s mother would return today, leaving him alone would mean he’d continue to go hungry.
“Little Seven, we can find someone to take care of Shui Shui for now, and return him when his mother comes back.” Ling Fu suggested.
After he offered his suggestion, little Ling Rui thought for a moment and found a place for Shui Shui.
“Give Third Brother.”
Although Ling Rui no longer checked on Third Brother at night to see if he was sleeping, he still visited him whenever he had the chance.
He was worried that Third Brother, being ill, would feel worse if his spirits were low, so whenever he visited, he brought gifts.
The day before yesterday, he brought Third Brother flowers he had picked outside.
The day before that, he gave him a croaking frog, thinking its croak sounded pleasant.
Yesterday, he brought half a leftover cake, which he had enjoyed eating.
Today, little Ling Rui took Shui Shui back and then brought him to Third Brother’s room.
When he delivered Shui Shui, Third Brother was not in his room.
He told Shui Shui to sit obediently, grinned, and then left, planning to give Third Brother a big surprise!
