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墨書 Inktalez
"Don't worry, Mistress. The Young Master never does anything without confidence. If he hasn't returned in a few days, he must be meeting with the Second Young Master."
However, the Second Young Master he referred to was undoubtedly Shen Muqing.
Xia Muxin didn't ask further. Shen Muhan always acted with discretion, and besides, he had taken her to Aunt Liu's house for a reason: to let her know that Aunt Liu's two sons were likely to return.
Aunt Liu and Sister Swallow came by the house several times a day. Although they didn't say it out loud, Xia Muxin could tell what was on their minds. They were wise enough to trust Shen Muhan and the Xia Family.
Moreover, the two had been away for ten years. The elder one had already gotten married back then, and now they should be nearing thirty. The younger son was already in his twenties. Their return would be the greatest blessing for them.
Yan Zhouwan was also anxious; after all, it had been months since she last saw Shen Muqing. The couple had such a strong bond that it would be strange if they didn't miss each other. Xia Muxin herself felt a sense of longing after just a few days apart.
Finally, on the fifth day, Shen Muhan and Shen Muqing returned, accompanied by about ten others. After some inquiries, Xia Muxin learned that these were the ones who had been taken to serve in the military during that great battle; all those who survived were here now. Dayao Village was also mentioned, but it seemed their homes had been destroyed, so they brought them back here.
Aunt Liu and Sister Swallow immediately recognized their two men and rushed over, crying uncontrollably in their joy and sorrow.
This scene made Xia Muxin and the others' eyes turn red as well.
Fortunately, they were all still alive.
The two women had endured so much suffering and exclusion with their children; outsiders could never fully understand what they had gone through.
"Second Brother, your hand..."
Sister Swallow held her man tightly, while Aunt Liu cradled the second child. As tears streamed down her face, she suddenly felt something was off. Startled, Aunt Liu looked over and realized that the right sleeve of the second child's shirt was empty. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she cried out.
"Mother, it's fine. Didn't I come back alive?"
But the second child was cheerful and calm, smiling as he spoke to Aunt Liu.
After a long while, Aunt Liu finally stopped crying and pulled her family to kneel before Shen Muhan. Approaching sixty years old, she had thought no one would send her off in this life. Little did she expect that Heaven would open its eyes, allowing her to close them peacefully even now.
Shen Muhan and his brothers were not willing to accept such a gesture and quickly helped them up.
They then urged them to return home.
It had been ten years since they last met; there must be so much to say.
Yan Zhouwan stood frozen, tears streaming down her face, likely reminded of her own family. Xia Muxin exchanged glances with Shen Muqing, who understood and took Yan Zhouwan back into the house.
Shen Muhan entrusted the remaining few to Ming Yi for handling.
"Those dark circles under your eyes are deep; you must have missed me so much that you couldn't sleep."
He walked over to Xia Muxin and noticed her dark circles and pallor. His heart ached for her, yet he couldn't help but create a light-hearted atmosphere.
"You wish! With two handsome guys fighting over me every night for hugs to sleep, how could I have time to think about you?"
Xia Muxin replied, looking at him with a mix of sincerity and teasing.
Shen Muhan's handsome face fell as he turned to see the Three Bear Cubs running toward them with cheerful smiles. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed.
“Dad, you come here...”
However, as the Three Babies approached the two, the boys each grabbed one of Xia Muxin's legs and rubbed their faces against her. Yuan Yuan, on the other hand, pulled Shen Muhan over and whispered mischievously.
Shen Muhan looked at Xia Muxin in confusion, but she could only shrug her shoulders in helplessness.
“Three Treasures, why are you dragging your dad over here?”
Shen Muhan couldn't help but laugh as he scooped Yuan Yuan into his arms and planted a careful kiss on her tender cheek. He asked gently.
His little daughter was quite the character; he had no way to deal with her. She always came up with new tricks at every turn.
Moreover, it seemed that even their so-called Mother Tiger couldn't handle her, which must mean she was truly a handful.
“Dad, we three have discussed it. From now on, you and Mom are not allowed to share a room.”
The little girl turned Shen Muhan's head to force him to look her in the eye and said seriously, pouting as she looked at him with a sense of grievance.
Shen Muhan felt countless black lines forming on his forehead. Nothing was more important than him sleeping with his wife, not even this beloved daughter of his. He immediately denied it:
“Why not?”
“Because they all said that if you want more little brothers and sisters, you need to sleep together more. So, we don’t want those snotty little brothers and sisters who cry all day long. Therefore, you can’t sleep together.”
Yuan Yuan stated firmly, her tone filled with accusation.
Having two foolish older brothers was already troublesome enough; if she had to deal with a few younger brothers as well, she might as well leave Daimiao Village. Her aunt and Zhou Zhou's family had two snotty brats that drove her crazy, always dragging her to play with them and even fighting her for her treasures.
Of course, by "treasures," she meant those peculiar stones.
"Who told you that?"
Shen Muhan was nearly grinding his teeth in frustration. That reckless child was leading his precious ones astray. At such a young age, they were already aware of these things; what would happen when they grew up? It would surely drive him and his wife to distraction.
"We went to the riverbank to collect treasures with our brothers, and we heard those aunts say that if a couple has been married for months without conceiving, it must be because their relationship is not harmonious. If they spend less time together, they won't have children. Look at you! You sleep with Mother every day; she'll definitely have younger siblings sooner or later. We don't want that."
Yes, they had secretly overheard this information. Initially, they didn't quite understand it, but later one of the older brothers explained it to them. After some discussion among the three of them, that very night, the two older brothers insisted on sleeping with their mother every night, and they had plenty of ways to separate the two adults.
Thinking about this made Yuan Yuan's eyes sparkle, which caused Shen Muhan to sigh deeply.
This girl must be spoiled beyond measure.
By the time they returned home, it was already evening. During the day, Aunt Liu had personally come over to invite their family for dinner at her house, but Xia Muxin politely declined, suggesting they choose another day to welcome the Two Big Brothers back. Hearing this, Aunt Liu agreed and happily returned home to share the news with her family.
Meanwhile, Aunt Xia and her family had already prepared dinner, knowing that their two sons-in-law were coming back. The meal was much more lavish than usual. Xia Muxin teased them for being biased and neglecting their own daughter, which made Shen Muhan and Shen Muqing sigh in response.
Of course, dinner wouldn't be complete without Er Dan's family of three.
Everyone was in high spirits and enjoyed some drinks at the table. When Shen Muqing returned home, he naturally wouldn't stay at the Xia Family's place. After having dinner, he took his child and headed home while Er Dan also took his child and led his pregnant wife Xia Jihua back. Ming Yi and the others wisely went off to their own rooms.
Xia Muxin began washing up the children, but Shen Muhan got there first and soon emerged refreshed. He then joined Xia Muxin in helping wash the kids.
Xia Muxin was the last one to wash up.
However, when it came time to sleep, the couple struggled because Three Babies just wouldn't let them rest.
Yuan Yuan pulled Shen Muhan into the next room, which had already been tidied up with a space cleared out and a large bed set up. This bed was big enough for Shen Muhan to sleep alone.
“Daddy, this will be your bed from now on. I’ll sleep over here,” Yuan Yuan said, acting quite mature for her age as she spread out the blankets for Shen Muhan and patted the quilt.
Shen Muhan sat down helplessly, and upon seeing this, Yuan Yuan immediately climbed onto her little bed.
“Three Treasures, why aren’t you sleeping with Daddy?” Shen Muhan asked casually, his mind already drifting to his wife while feeling bored in the room.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yuan looked at Shen Muhan with a shocked expression, crossing her arms protectively over her chest, and exclaimed dramatically, “Although I like Daddy, I don’t want to have little brothers or sisters with you!”
This time, Shen Muhan completely lost it. He scooped Yuan Yuan into his arms, and she screamed repeatedly, calling for help and saying things like “Save me!” and “You’re going to ruin your own daughter!” But no matter how much she cried out, Mother Tiger wouldn’t come to her rescue.
Shen Muhan gave her chubby little bottom a few playful pats before starting to impart some life lessons to her.
In the end, amidst his incessant chatter, Yuan Yuan surprisingly fell asleep.
He carefully carried her back to her little bed and then tiptoed into the next room.
The lights in the room were still on, but the two younger children had already fallen asleep. The eldest and second child each held onto Xia Muxin with one arm. Since they were wearing pajamas designed by Xia Muxin, their embrace revealed large patches of her skin. Shen Muhan felt a tightening in his throat at the sight and immediately picked up one child in each arm, carrying them to the next room. Once back, he pounced on Xia Muxin.
The next day, while Xia Muxin was still lost in her dreams, she was abruptly awakened by a series of loud knocks on the door.
Shen Muhan had not yet woken up either. Besides, they were both completely undressed and tightly wrapped around each other. Every slight movement from Xia Muxin made her acutely aware of Shen Muhan's subtle reactions. She swallowed hard and decided to wake him up by shaking him.
“Is it the kids waking up?”
“Don’t let them in; their father hasn’t decided to forgive them yet.”
Shen Muhan didn’t care; he turned over, burying his head in Xia Muxin’s neck, exhaling heavily as he mumbled.
Xia Muxin rolled her eyes, unsure of what to say.
He was being so petty, even holding a grudge against the children.
However, those three bear cubs were indeed giving her a headache. Last night, the two older ones had been pulling at her, insisting they didn’t want any younger siblings. It made her furious; she even considered hitting someone. If she hadn’t heard Yuan Yuan crying next door, she might have actually done it.
Moreover, while she cherished her time alone with Shen Muhan, she worried that if the children continued this way from a young age, they would develop selfish habits. Ming Yi and the others spoiled them too much; they catered to their every whim, which was detrimental in the long run.
She thought about it a lot and decided it would be best to send them to school early so they could face some hardships. She didn’t want to raise useless rich kids who would squander their inheritance like Wang Dafu did.
She also didn’t want their good reputation to go unpassed down.
“Husband, the kids aren’t small anymore. I think we should send them to school and also buy a big house in Town for Ming Yi and the others to live in for their safety.”
“That’s a good suggestion. By the time I was three, I could recite poetry. These kids have been spoiled by us; it’s time they experienced some challenges. Otherwise, they could become a disaster in the future.”
Shen Muhan had originally been sleeping with his eyes closed, but as soon as Xia Muxin spoke, he immediately opened his eyes and looked at her with agreement.
Their voices were not lowered; instead, they sounded like a normal conversation. Once their words fell silent, the knocking at the door ceased, replaced by the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. They even heard Yuan Yuan's aggrieved complaints:
"Grandpa, Grandma, Mom and Dad are heartless! They want to send us to school when we're so adorable! We don't want to go; we want to stay with Grandpa and Grandma, and be with Uncle and Aunt, and everyone..."
"I say, your Shen family bloodline is quite traditional, yet how did you end up with such ungrateful little wolves? It's really worrying."
Listening to Xia Muxin's words, she couldn't help but laugh, directly shifting the blame onto Shen Muhan.
Shen Muhan rolled over and pinned her down, chuckling as he said, "Isn't there also your blood in them? You seem to belong to the devil; I see these kids have taken after you."
At that moment, even if Xia Muxin wanted to retort, she dared not. She could only swallow this hidden grievance; she certainly couldn't withstand Shen Muhan's explosive energy. If she remembered correctly, she had barely slept for an hour.
However, they acted on their decision without hesitation. When they went downstairs, Aunt Xia and others approached them with questions. The couple firmly insisted on sending the children to school. However, this school was not in Town; they planned to establish their own school along the road between Daimiao Village and Dayao Village. This way, if other village children also wanted to attend school, it would be close to home and safe.
Once the couple's policy was announced, Aunt Xia and her husband had nothing more to say. This village had been poor for several generations; very few families could afford to send their children away. Even if they did manage it, Feng Liulang was still someone who didn't know how to repay kindness. They thought it would be better to run a school in this village to prevent the children from learning bad habits from outsiders.
The two elders understood what kind of temperament their grandson had. They figured that their daughter and son-in-law were worried about their children's future, which was why they made such a decision. Thus, they agreed.
The Three Bear Cubs wore long faces as they complained everywhere. However, Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan were the authority figures; their complaints were of no use. In the end, everyone still listened to what their parents said.
As a result, the children spent that day feeling gloomy and unhappy.
This time, Shen Muhan was much more proactive than Xia Muxin. After breakfast, he went out to find people, and the location of the school was determined only after much deliberation. The first step was to establish the school.
The villagers were overjoyed to hear that the Xia Family was building a school. Many of them had lived half their lives without knowing how to write their own names. If their children could study for a few years, even if they didn't become Top Scholars, just finding a job would make them stand out.
Moreover, this was a matter of pride for the family.
They quickly united to lend a hand, and work began the very next day.
Xia Muxin sent Shen Muhan and another person outside to invite a group of teachers. In addition, she also arranged for a group of women; she wanted to create an environment that offered more than just rote learning, aiming to cultivate various interests and hobbies among the students.
As the saying goes, "Every profession can produce a Top Scholar."
The seedlings were transplanted, and the workshop was progressing well. The brick factory was also thriving. During this time, Xia Muxin felt restless; with the school being built, she had plenty to keep her busy, running around all day and giving various instructions.
After two months of hard work, the school was finally completed.
On the first day of enrollment, over a hundred students showed up, which astonished everyone.
Moreover, her tuition fees were low, bringing immense joy to the villagers.
Of course, matters like securing official recognition for the school's opening were entrusted to Shen Muqing since he held the highest official position at that moment.
Xia Muxin also enrolled her three children. She advocated for girls' education and hired teachers skilled in embroidery, painting, and sewing. Given that it was a feudal society where girls were generally not allowed in schools, she decided to offer other interest classes as well. Over time, these girls would inevitably learn some characters through exposure.
Thus, the first rural school in Tianli Kingdom was established. News spread rapidly about it accepting girls and teaching not only literacy but also other subjects, attracting many eager students.
Xia Muxin's academy was unlike anything outside, filled with lush trees and blooming flowers, along with various fitness equipment such as pavilions, swings, and the most interesting of all—a basketball court.
These were sights that people from outside had never seen before. Even the daughters of wealthy families had only glimpsed at kicking a ball, and that was only if their family background was impressive enough to afford such opportunities.
Curiosity about Xia Muxin's interest and hobby classes was palpable.
One day, a family of three arrived at Hongqiao Academy. No one knew they were the modern emperor Tian Ming Rui and his unacknowledged partner Zhou Lijiao, whose son was already two years old. Only Shen Muhan knew that this child was born from Tian Ming Rui's forceful desire to have Zhou Lijiao bear his child.
Tian Ming Rui understood Zhou Lijiao too well; she loved children. After losing one child together, he wanted to keep her by ensuring she gave birth to his offspring.
This risky move turned out to be the right one. Since Zhou Lijiao learned of her pregnancy, her mood improved significantly. She no longer quarreled with him or sought ways to escape. In fact, it was her idea to come here.
They had visited once before when Xia Muxin planned to merge two villages, and it was clear that Zhou Lijiao adored this place and its simple way of life. However, Tian Ming Rui could not provide her with such an ordinary existence, which weighed heavily on his conscience. Therefore, he tried his best to fulfill her various requests and took her out to enjoy nature whenever possible. Yet, wherever they went, Zhou Lijiao insisted on bringing their son along as a "light bulb."
He remembered those three words came from Shen Muhan.
Shen Muhan had said he was happier because he only had one light bulb at home while they had three.
As a result, the two of them had shared drinks under the moonlight, complaining for quite some time.
Their sudden arrival without prior notice led everyone to assume they were just like any other visitors there for sightseeing.
Thus, aside from polite greetings, they were allowed to explore freely.
"Wow... what a handsome young man," Yuan Yuan exclaimed at that moment while skipping class and hiding under a tree munching on snacks. Her eyes sparkled with hearts as she spotted Skyview City, drooling in delight.
Her two older brothers were the most handsome she had ever seen, but the boy in front of her was even more charming than both of them. His expression was irresistibly cute, with a rosy face that looked even softer than hers. As her father would say, she couldn't help but want to take a bite out of him.
Yuan Yuan didn't disappoint herself; she dashed forward and planted two kisses on Skyview City's cheek.
Then, with a demeanor reminiscent of a Gray Wolf enticing Little Red Riding Hood, she leaned in and said, "Little Brother, do you like it here? This is my home. Wherever you want to play, I'll treat you. It's all on me."
Tian Ming Rui and his wife were initially taken aback. They knew their son was adored by everyone, but this was the first time they had seen such an active child. At first, they were angry at her rudeness and felt their son had been wronged. However, when the girl with sparkling eyes claimed that this school belonged to her, they quickly relaxed.
In this world, perhaps only Xia Muxin could raise such a child.
Skyview City wiped his rosy cheeks disdainfully and glared at Yuan Yuan with a frown. "Who are you? Do I need to know you? Go away!"
- End of Chapter -
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