Ah Wu stood by, completely indifferent to Zhang San’s fate.
Inside, the little one was persistent, and after calling for a while, Zhang San’s eyelids finally twitched.
Just as Zhang San was about to open his eyes, the little one leaned his soft little face closer, grinning and waiting for him to look.
A few seconds later…
The two children waiting outside heard Zhang San’s blood-curdling scream from inside.
Ah Wu: “…”
With sharp hearing, Ah Wu could even make out the sound of Zhang San hitting the bed.
After all that noise, the little one seemed startled too and let out a couple of cries.
While Zhang San was screaming, Ah Wu remained perfectly still.
The little one just opened his mouth to cry when Ah Wu immediately stepped inside.
“Zai Zai, what’s wrong?”
“Uncle said… Uncle said I’m a ghost.”
Ah Wu choked for a moment, then took a few steps forward and picked up the little one.
Zhang San, still shaken on the bed, looked like he’d seen a ghost. It took him quite a while to calm down as he stared at the several children who had suddenly appeared in the room.
“What is this? In the middle of the night, are you all trying to send me off?!”
He had just barely avoided being scared to death!
“Uncle, one of the children is missing. Master Sui said it’s your responsibility,” the little one rubbed his eyes, speaking to Zhang San with a hint of grievance.
He didn’t want to wake Zhang San up in the middle of the night—it was very impolite.
But if he didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to find Zhai Bai.
When Zhang San heard that Sui An had sent them, he gritted his teeth and mentally noted to get back at him later. Now fully awake from the fright, there was no way he’d fall back asleep.
“Tell me, which kid is missing?”
“Little Bai.”
The little one quickly added Zhai Bai’s full name: “Zhai Bai!”
“Him? His family came to take him away.”
“Did he leave?”
“He left. They said he would come back.”
Sui An rubbed his temples as he spoke, “I asked him before he left. It was his own decision.”
As long as Zhai Bai stayed within Guan Shan Residence, he’d be safe no matter who came for him. But Zhai Bai chose to leave Guan Shan Residence, and once outside, personal matters had to be handled personally.
“Little Bai hasn’t come back yet.”
The little one grew worried. “His family is bad. If Little Bai doesn’t return after seeing them, it could be dangerous.”
“Uncle, can you help us find Little Bai?”
The little one leaned closer, pleading with Zhang San to search for him.
Zhang San, still reeling from the scare, was now asked to help find a child, which left him quite frustrated.
“Come on, Uncle Zhang, just look for him and see if Zhai Bai has died somewhere,” Teng Liang chimed in.
After Teng Liang spoke, the little one gave him a glance and corrected him, “Don’t speak like that. It’s unlucky.”
Teng Liang replied, “Mm. Got it.”
The group of children lingered in the room, not leaving. Zhang San sat up in bed, looking at them, growing more annoyed by the second.
He finally got up, changed clothes, put on shoes, and led the three children to search for the missing one.
As they walked, the little one’s small hands were held on either side by the other two kids. Zhang San glanced at them, understanding the situation perfectly.
If it weren’t for the little one in the middle, the other two would never have come out in the middle of the night to search for someone.
This soft and cuddly little kid had certainly changed the dynamic among the children they’d taken in this time at Guan Shan Residence.
Thanks to Zhang San leading the search, they actually managed to find the missing child. They found him just outside Guan Shan Residence.
When they found him, he was unconscious.
Zhang San brought him back and treated him, confirming it was nothing serious.
“He’ll be fine once he wakes up.”
After sending Zhai Bai back to his room, Zhang San remarked, “Even if you hadn’t searched for him during the night, the patrols would have spotted him by morning.”
Despite what Zhang San said, the little one still felt it was best to have found Zhai Bai sooner rather than later.
Sleeping outside in the cold could make him sick.
“Uncle, goodbye!”
Now that Zhai Bai had been found, the little one waved his little hand, bidding farewell to Zhang San.
Yawning, Zhang San made his way back, deciding he would skip work the next day.
“Now that he’s back, let’s go to sleep.”
Satisfied that Zhai Bai was safe, the little one climbed back into bed, tucked himself in, and prepared to sleep.
Since they had gone to bed late, they woke up a little late the next day.
When they woke up, Zhai Bai had just regained consciousness.
Seeing him open his eyes, the little one happily walked over and greeted him, “Little Bai, good morning!”
Zhai Bai, still a bit dazed, asked, “This… is…?”
“This is the bedroom. Little Bai, you’re back!”
The little one leaned on the edge of Zhai Bai’s bed, talking to him.
Meanwhile, Teng Liang, who was getting dressed, looked at the little one and then at Zhai Bai. He recalled how obedient the little one had been, holding his hand the day before. Turning back to Zhai Bai, Teng Liang said sincerely, “You should go missing more often—it’s actually kind of nice.”
Zhai Bai: “…”
His mind working quickly, Zhai Bai’s eyes met the little one’s, and he asked, “Was it you who found me?”
The little one nodded, then shook his head.
“I asked Master Sui, and he told me to find Uncle Zhang. Uncle Zhang found you.”
“Uncle Zhang San carried you—the little one is too small to carry you.”
Hearing the little one’s explanation, Zhai Bai was speechless for a long moment.
His voice was a bit hoarse, as had been clear when he first spoke. “You didn’t need to… I could have come back myself. You didn’t have to look for me.”
Before Zhai Bai could finish, the little one handed him a cup of water. “Here.”
Zhai Bai: “…”
Zhai Bai mechanically drank the water.
Seeing him finish the cup, the little one poured him another.
The little one gave him two cups in a row, and Zhai Bai drank both.
When the little one was about to pour a third cup, Ah Wu called him back: “Zai Zai, come over here. You haven’t finished getting dressed.”
“Coming!”
The little one ran back and obediently let Ah Wu finish dressing him.
Once they were all dressed, it was time for school.
Zhai Bai considered getting out of bed, but the little one quickly told him, “Rest a little more. You don’t have to go today. Master Sui won’t mark you absent.”
Hearing this, Zhai Bai nodded slightly.
The little one was in a different class from them, so after tidying up, he didn’t go with them. Instead, he took off on his own, running with his little legs, hugging his backpack.
As soon as he ran off, the room fell silent.
None of the three remaining boys spoke; none of them wanted to talk to each other.
Although Zhai Bai had nodded at the little one earlier, after he left, Zhai Bai still got up and went to his own class.
On the other side, the little one returned to his class, sat at his desk, and opened his textbook. Before the teacher arrived, he wanted to review his lessons.
Once he opened his book, the other children in the class followed suit and opened theirs.
When the teacher entered, he was greeted by the sight of a group of children quietly studying. A smile appeared on his face, and his mood brightened early in the morning.
“You all spend every day in class. Don’t you find it boring?” the teacher asked the children from the podium.
The little one didn’t find it boring. Between studying and going out to look for people, his days were pretty full.
He didn’t think it was boring, but some of the other kids did.
The teacher looked at them and said, “In a few days, we’ll have a small test, and then you’ll be able to go outside for practical lessons.”
The moment they heard they’d be going outside for class, the children’s spirits lifted.
Not only would they be going outside for lessons, but the curriculum would also be changing soon, with new subjects they hadn’t studied before. These changes at the school felt novel to the children.
The little one liked these changes.
Before the test, the little one eagerly asked the teacher, “Is there a reward?”
“Yes.”
The teacher said, “The top three in the test will get rewards. This time, the reward is an upgraded dormitory. After you earn the reward during the practical lesson… I’ll tell you what the prize is.”
The little one had been waiting for this reward for a long time.
Although he was studying hard, he definitely wasn’t the most talented child in the group. The other kids were all very smart.
The little one tied a red headband around his forehead.
If he couldn’t be the most talented, he’d be the most hardworking!
That evening, back in the room, Ah Wu wasn’t there again. The little one noticed Zhai Bai had returned and asked with concern, “Little Bai, are you feeling better? Did you rest well today?”
“I’m fine now,” Zhai Bai replied, noticing the notebook in the little one’s hand. “Give me your notebook; I’ll help you with your questions.”
The little one hurried over. “This one and this one—I don’t understand either of them.”
Even though Ah Wu wasn’t there, the little one still had someone to explain the problems to him.
He studied hard for several days, but when the test drew near, Ah Wu, worried that the little one was too tense and it might affect his performance, took him by the hand and treated him to a meal outside.
“Zai Zai, are you excited for the practical lesson?” Ah Wu asked as they sat by the window, occasionally feeding him food.
The little one nodded. “Yes, there’s a reward for the practical lesson too.”
Ah Wu made a sound of acknowledgment and continued, “The practical lessons might be held separately. We won’t be together for them.”
The little one exclaimed, “Huh?”
He thought for a moment and said, “We’re not in the same class, so we don’t have lessons together either.”
He saw Ah Wu every day, so he already felt quite happy!
As for whether they could do the practical lessons together, The little one didn’t mind either way.
“Ah Wu, if I get the reward, we can live together.”
At this point, the little one hesitated for a moment. “Should we invite Teng Teng and Little Bai to live with us?”
Right now, the few of them lived together, and the little one thought it was lively with so many people.
“No.”
Ah Wu didn’t like living with others at all. If the school hadn’t forced this arrangement, he would never have agreed to share a room with Teng Liang and Zhai Bai.
If the little one really earned the reward and they moved in together, Ah Wu wouldn’t invite Teng Liang or Zhai Bai.
“Zai Zai, don’t you want me to change back and play with you?”
Seeing the little one’s little face still hesitating, Ah Wu said, “If it’s just the two of us living together, I can change back and play with you.”
The little one replied, “Okay.”
He wanted to change back and play with Ah Wu.
They sat by the window for a while, the breeze blowing softly. The little one closed his eyes, feeling content.
The next day, the little one confidently went to take his test. The other kids saw him and cheered him on.
While the little one was taking the test, the eldest prince in the palace received the package that the little one had sent him.
He looked at the contents of the package and read the letter in disbelief.
Both the seeds and the fertilization method were of great importance to the livelihood of the people, and yet Guan Shan Residence had casually handed over such crucial things.
At that moment, the eldest prince even considered going to study at Guan Shan Residence himself.
Unfortunately, it was just a fleeting thought—he knew he couldn’t actually go.
The prince examined the items in his hands again. Since these things were of such benefit to the people, he had to make them available.
But how?
In the letter, Little Seven had stated that the origin of these items was not to be disclosed. That was the rule of Guan Shan Residence.
The eldest prince pondered for a long time before finally leaving the palace with the items in hand.
The prince was both surprised and a little troubled by the little one’s birthday gift.
The little one, unaware of his elder brother’s reaction to the gift, was seriously focusing on his test, his face clearly showing how much he wanted to win the reward.
Time passed little by little.
The teacher’s test lasted two days. During those two days, The little one was incredibly nervous.
When the test finally ended on the third day, the results hadn’t been announced yet.
The little one wandered off by himself and went to find the chief examiner. He hadn’t spoken to the chief examiner at all during the days of testing.
The chief examiner was no longer surprised by the frequent visits of the little one who came knocking. Even if he didn’t open the door, the little one would find a way to sneak in through a hole.
“Big Boss, I came to see you!”
As soon as the little one came in, he spotted the chief examiner.
The chief examiner was busy watering the plants, but they didn’t seem to be growing very well.
The little one squatted down, observed for a while, and then reported, “Big Boss, two more plants have died!”
Chief examiner: “…”
Chief examiner: “I’m not blind.”
The chief examiner glanced at the little one still squatting on the ground, narrowed his eyes, and asked, “Why are you here again?”
“To thank you, of course.”
The little one looked up, smiling sweetly at him. “Thank you for giving Ah Wu the seeds and the fertilizer paper!”
The chief examiner’s mouth twitched. “Did he tell you it was from me?”
The little one nodded. “Yes! Big Boss, you’re so kind!”
The chief examiner sneered twice but said nothing.
Among this year’s troublemakers, if Huo Qinwu was second, no one would dare claim to be first. He had never met such a stubborn troublemaker.
Huo Qinwu’s little follower wasn’t a troublemaker per se, but he was just as troublesome.
While he could discipline the troublemakers, he hadn’t yet figured out how to deal with the little one squatting on the ground.
“Big Boss, are we having noodles today?”
The little one squatted for quite a while, helping water the plants, before eagerly asking.
The noodles the chief examiner made were too delicious. The little one had eaten them several times but still couldn’t get enough.
“You want noodles?”
The chief examiner, holding the watering can, glanced at the little one, who remained squatting and didn’t seem inclined to get up.
The little one gave an emphatic “Mm-hmm.”
The chief examiner continued, “What did you bring me today?”
This little one never showed up empty-handed when coming for food. He knew to bring a gift.
“I brought you some fat worms! You can cook them with the noodles!”
The little one said, pulling out three worms from his pocket. These weren’t ordinary worms; they were bamboo worms, found inside bamboo. Restaurants sold these for a high price.
These worms were ones the little one had caught himself.
When the chief examiner saw the bamboo worms, his expression turned sour. “I don’t eat these. You can have them.”
The little one handed them over, saying, “But they’re nutritious!”
The restaurant owner said these worms were very nutritious!
The chief examiner refused the worms despite their nutrition and told the little one to deal with them outside. He then went to the kitchen and cooked two bowls of noodles.
After finishing the noodles, he also fried some chicken legs, a greasy food he rarely touched, but kids seemed to love it.
The little one sniffed the air as the aroma of the chicken legs wafted out, and he followed his nose into the room.
“Big Boss, the meat smells so good.”
“Yours is on the table. Go grab it.”
The bowl on the table was bigger than the little one’s face. He held it in his hands, but instead of eating at the table, he sat on the doorframe, balancing the bowl while he ate.
Sitting on the doorframe allowed him to watch the outside while eating.
He had long wanted to do this, but back in the palace, he would get spanked for not eating properly, so he never dared.
Here with the chief examiner, there were no such strict rules.
“Big Boss, we’re going on a field study soon. Are you coming?”
“Mm-hmm.”
This time, the chief examiner was taking Huo Qinwu for field study. Normally, he wouldn’t get involved personally.
But Huo Qinwu was different.
Whether it was his natural disposition or the way he was raised, he was cold, to the point where it could be described as cruel.
He had thoroughly investigated the background of every child here.
Among them, Huo Qinwu was the legitimate crown prince of the Great Qing Dynasty, destined to inherit the throne.
If he were useless, someone could challenge his position.
But he wasn’t.
He was bound to become the ruler, and though the future of the other children wasn’t entirely predictable, some of them would certainly rise to prominence.
These children’s backgrounds meant they would wield considerable power in the future.
The chief examiner knew he couldn’t change the system of the dynasty, nor could he overthrow the era’s royal authority. But he could teach the future king.
A good ruler would mean a better life for the people of this era.
“Little Seven.”
While eating his noodles, the chief examiner glanced at the little one sitting in the doorway and asked, “Do you want to be emperor one day?”
“No.”
The little one shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.
He gave no explanation for his answer and simply continued slurping his noodles while watching a butterfly flutter outside.
After spending half the day with the chief examiner, when it was time to leave, the little one bashfully asked the chief examiner to pack up some noodles for him.
“I… I want to give them to Ah Wu.”
Such delicious noodles—Ah Wu hadn’t had the chance to try them yet.
Chief examiner: “…”
The chief examiner’s face darkened.
This little one really knew how to eat and take away food.
Despite his darkened face, the little one clung to his leg, completely unafraid, still pleading, “Big Boss, just a little bit of noodles. I can work for you! I can do any job!”
He was so eager to bring Ah Wu some noodles that he was almost ready to sign his life away to the chief examiner.
He kept pleading, and in the end, he did leave with a bowl of noodles.
On his way back, half the bowl was snatched by the uncle with the baby face.
“These are noodles Big Boss made. If you want some, go ask him yourself.”
“No, no, just a taste.”
The baby-faced man smiled handsomely as he ate a few bites of the noodles the little one handed him. Satisfied, he said, “This is it. I haven’t had this flavor in a long time.”
Seeing that the man enjoyed it, the little one was puzzled. “Have you eaten this before?”
The man responded with a vague “Mm,” without explaining further.
The little one continued to ask, “Do you know the Big Boss?”
“I do.”
“Then why don’t you go hang out with him?”
“I don’t feel like it.”
The man seemed uninterested in being asked further questions. He pinched the little one’s face and changed the subject, “These noodles won’t taste good if you take them back. If you want Ah Wu to eat them, you could bring him here.”
“Ah Wu won’t come.”
The little one had wanted to bring Ah Wu along, but Ah Wu was unwilling.
“Alright, head back. If you wait any longer, these noodles will be inedible.”
The man waved the little one off, and he headed back.
When the little one returned, Ah Wu was there. He handed the noodles to Ah Wu.
Ah Wu ate a few bites. The taste wasn’t great, but following his principle of not wasting food, he finished the bowl.
No matter what kind of food it was, he never wasted any.
Back in the Mountain and Sea world, he and the little one had gone through times of food scarcity, almost to the point of not surviving, so he had always cherished food.
The little one was also well-behaved with food. Anything he couldn’t finish, he would hand to Ah Wu instead of throwing it away.
After finishing the noodles, Ah Wu said, “You don’t need to bring me any next time.”
“Mm-hmm.”
The little one agreed, sitting on a chair and swinging his short legs. “Ah Wu, do you think the teacher will announce the results tomorrow?”
“Probably.”
Ah Wu washed the bowl, put it away, and sat down next to the little one to chat. “Whether you get a good grade or not, I’ll reward you.”
“I don’t want your reward. I want the teacher’s.”
As they talked, Zhai Bai came back.
“Ah Wu, Little Bai hasn’t been happy these past few days.”
The little one leaned close to Ah Wu, whispering so Zhai Bai wouldn’t hear.
Ah Wu didn’t pay much attention to Zhai Bai’s mood.
The little boy kept babbling, but Ah Wu didn’t take any of it to heart.
After chatting for a while, Ah Wu went to collect the laundry. The little boy jumped down from the chair and took a dry flower from his pocket to give to Zhai Bai.
He had picked the flower from the Big Boss’s garden. Originally, he wanted to use it for his bath, but seeing Zhai Bai, he decided to give it to him instead.
“This can be used in a bath to make it smell nice.”
The little boy said, letting Zhai Bai smell his hand. “Here, smell it. I used the flower when I washed my hands.”
The little one had been well taken care of, chubby and rosy, and his small hands were too.
Zhai Bai held his tiny hand and gave it a squeeze. It was quite soothing.
He continued squeezing the little one’s soft, chubby hand without saying anything, just quietly holding it.
“Little Bai, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Zhai Bai didn’t want to explain, but he took the little one’s flower and casually asked, “Do you have many brothers and sisters at home?”
“Yes! I’m Little Seven.”
The little one went on to explain the meaning of his name. “I’m the seventh child and also the youngest.”
“The youngest…”
Zhai Bai thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you like your older brothers and sisters?”
“Yes, I do.”
The little one answered without hesitation. “My brothers and sisters are all great. They really like Little Seven.”
Zhai Bai was skeptical.
In the royal family, there was little room for sibling affection.
He continued to chat with the little one about these ordinary topics for a while until Ah Wu came back with the laundry, and Zhai Bai stopped talking.
That night, the little one was anxious about the upcoming results, tossing and turning in bed.
Ah Wu was used to sharing a bed with him.
No matter how much the little one fidgeted, Ah Wu slept soundly, unaffected.
The next day, the little one woke up, and after getting ready, he didn’t even want breakfast—he just wanted to rush to class and wait for the teacher.
Ah Wu grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back. “Eat.”
“I don’t want to, I’m not hungry.”
Seeing the little one eager to run off, Zhai Bai, who was passing by, handed him a rice ball he had just bought.
The rice ball was as big as the little one’s face, enough to fill his belly so he wouldn’t go hungry.
Ah Wu let go of the little one’s collar only when he saw him take the rice ball, allowing him to dash off.
The little one’s little legs moved quickly, and he ran off in no time.
Zhai Bai glanced at Ah Wu beside him and asked, “Still not backing down?”
Ah Wu calmly replied, “Why should I?”
There were some things the chief examiner taught that Ah Wu refused to accept. They had a disagreement, and to this day, Ah Wu hadn’t yielded.
Perhaps because they lived in the same room and the little one often mediated between them, Zhai Bai and Ah Wu occasionally talked.
At that moment, Zhai Bai was asking about the point of their disagreement.
Ah Wu responded calmly, “The chief examiner gave me a test question to solve.”
“I answered, and he said I would become a tyrant.”
Zhai Bai: “…”
Zhai Bai was curious. “What was your answer?”
Ah Wu briefly explained the question, which was about the people. The chief examiner’s preferred answer was that he should educate and guide the people. He also wanted Ah Wu to show more tolerance and reduce his aggression.
But Ah Wu’s answer lacked that tolerance.
After hearing it, Zhai Bai looked at him without sympathy.
Zhai Bai didn’t consider himself a good person, but compared to Qin Wu, he felt like a saint.
“Keep it up.”
Zhai Bai patted his shoulder and said, “With you around, I’ll definitely look kind in the eyes of the teacher and the chief examiner.”
While they were talking, they returned to the classroom.
This test was required for all classes.
In the class where Ah Wu was, the reward went to Teng Liang.
Zhai Bai looked at the smiling Teng Liang and raised his eyebrows. “How did he get it?”
Ah Wu didn’t respond.
In this test, he had received a score of 0 on one of the questions.
This time, the feedback wasn’t from the chief examiner but from the teacher. The teacher’s comment aligned with the chief examiner’s: “Your temperament is too cold. You should change that.”
Ah Wu had faced disappointment in class, while the little one had won a prize.
The teacher had cut out three beautiful red flowers and awarded them to the top three in the test.
With the little red flower pinned on his chest, the little one stood even taller.
Not only did he get the red flower, but he also came in first place.
The teacher patted his head and praised him for quite a while.
The children below clapped enthusiastically. They were all happy for the little one’s first-place win, and none of them were jealous.
That day, the little one received his reward.
He was given a room of his own, decorated nicely. He just needed to move in his belongings, and it was ready.
After getting his own room, the little one asked the teacher to make him a door sign.
The sign had a few characters: “Little Seven’s Room.”
The little one was incredibly pleased with his room. He pulled Ah Wu over to show off.
“This is the reward Little Seven won. From now on, the two of us will live here!”
“Mm, Zai Zai is amazing.”
Hearing this praise made the little one smile even more brightly. After hearing enough compliments, he waved his little hand, pretending to be modest. “Zai Zai isn’t that amazing.”
He was just a little amazing.
With the new room, both the little one and Ah Wu moved in.
Teng Liang also got his own room.
Since Ah Wu and Teng Liang moved out, Zhai Bai essentially got his own room too.
While Zhai Bai liked playing with the little one, he preferred having his own space.
This time, all three of the kids were very satisfied.
After receiving their rewards, the practical lessons at Guan Shan Residence began as scheduled.
The practical lessons were held outside.
The teachers would take the students out in groups, and different students had different lessons.
The little one’s practical lesson was led by Teacher Jue. The place Teacher Jue took him to was unknown to him.
He didn’t know exactly what he was supposed to do either.
All he knew was that the practical lessons would be graded by the teacher.
If the teacher gave him a high score, he could earn new rewards. One of the rewards included an extended holiday.
They had home visit holidays.
For most kids, this holiday didn’t matter much.
But for the little one, it was something he really needed!
Teacher Jue took the little one to a place that wasn’t particularly special—just a place where labor was done.
Teacher Jue was showing him the lives of people at the bottom of society.
The little one held Teacher Jue’s hand, listening as he talked to these people. Teacher Jue even took him down to the field to work.
The little one changed into coarse clothes, rolled up his pant legs, revealing his soft, white calves.
He carried a small hoe and tilled a small patch of land, even planting seeds in it.
Besides experiencing farming, Teacher Jue also had him try jobs like a peddler or a butcher.
These were the lives of the lower class.
The teacher said next time he would let him experience the life of the middle class.
As the little one experienced these things and listened to the teacher’s teachings, some of the concepts that were previously difficult to understand started to make sense.
“Little Seven, write down your reflections on this experience. That will be your homework.”
The little one nodded seriously.
His practical lesson was more like an experience lesson, while the other kids seemed to have different kinds of practical lessons.
In any case, the teachers at Guan Shan Residence tailored the lessons for each child.
When the little one returned with a big slab of pork, Ah Wu still hadn’t come back.
Neither Ah Wu nor the chief examiner had returned.
The little one was a bit disappointed that he didn’t see them.
“I brought some pork. It’ll taste great with noodles.”
The little one had helped slaughter the pig, and this piece of pork was something he had cut himself. It was such meaningful pork, but neither Ah Wu nor the chief examiner got to eat it.
The little one had no choice but to ask the cook to make it into pork jerky, deciding to bring it back for his dad and mom.
He was so busy with school that he hadn’t realized how quickly time was passing.
Whether or not he could extend his holiday, it was now time for his home visit.
The little one had applied for it long ago.
He wanted to return to the palace for a visit. It had been so long since he had been back, and he missed his dad and mom.
Aside from his parents, the little one was also thinking about his little uncle. He had counted the days since his last visit.
According to his previous knowledge, his uncle was supposed to get into trouble when he turned four.
He was now three and a bit—almost four!
“Teacher, why hasn’t Ah Wu come back yet?”
The little one had finished his homework and packed his luggage, but Ah Wu still hadn’t returned.
Seeing that he was waiting for Ah Wu, the teacher went to inquire.
After returning, the teacher packed his little bundle and told him, “Qin Wu has gotten into a conflict with the chief examiner, so he won’t be back for a while.”
“You should go home for your visit first. Maybe by the time you’re back, he’ll be back too.”
The little one’s face showed a hint of disappointment, but he still packed his small bundle and boarded the carriage home for his family visit.
