The weight of an eight-year-old boy is only a few dozen pounds, and the force of him leaping off the carriage would at most cause someone to stumble, not inflict any serious harm.
However, the little devil always made a big show of his anger—first threatening to kill her with his glare, then attempting to crush her with his small frame. Whether he could actually do it was another matter, but he certainly made sure to put on a full display of bravado.
Unfortunately, while Zong Jincheng thought he was clever, Xu Wan was always one step ahead.
Xu Wan anticipated the little devil's childish antics and swiftly dodged to the side. Turning around, she saw the little cannonball fly off the carriage like a toad.
"Thud—" The muffled sound of his body hitting the ground.
"Young Master Jincheng!" The maids and servants exclaimed in shock.
But after a long moment, no one came to help him up. Instead, a pair of embroidered shoes appeared in front of him, and Xu Wan's teasing voice rang out from above: "Let me see, has our young master lost his front teeth?"
Zong Jincheng had hit his head on the ground, and a large bump was slowly forming on his forehead. In pain and frustration, he punched the ground and howled, "Damn it!"
Why does he always fail?
Why has he never succeeded?
Does Xu Wan have eyes on the back of her head?
How does she manage to dodge him every single time?
Xu Wan chuckled as she crouched down, patting his back and advising, "Little toad, go back and think it over carefully. That way, you might have a chance of succeeding next time."
Then, she stood up and smiled at Shunzi, saying, "Everyone, listen up. No one is allowed to help him figure it out."
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The servants lowered their heads and quickly came over to pull the little devil up and escort him back to his courtyard. Without a word, they hurried to call the family physician.
When Zong Wenxiu heard in the study that his younger brother had fallen, he immediately put down his brush and rushed to see him. Before even reaching the courtyard, he could hear the little one's continuous cries of pain: "Ah… be gentle, be gentle! Why are you so rough, physician? Did Xu Wan send you here to take revenge on me? You bunch of petty, grudge-holding people."
Shunzi wanted to say, who’s the petty and grudge-holding one here…
"Jincheng," Zong Wenxiu called as he entered.
Seeing his beloved brother, the little devil immediately broke down and wailed, "Brother, they’re bullying me again…"
The physician, who was applying an ice pack to his forehead: "???"
Who dares to bully you!
"Huh?" Zong Wenxiu looked at the large bump on his brother’s forehead and the ice pack in the physician’s hand, confused. "Isn’t the physician helping to reduce the swelling?"
The physician nodded tearfully, grateful that at least Wenxiu was reasonable. This Jincheng was utterly unreasonable and so difficult to deal with.
Zong Wenxiu took the ice pack and said, "I’ll take care of it. You can leave now."
"Alright, alright." The physician felt as if he had been rescued and quickly made his escape.
Zong Jincheng stuck his tongue out at the physician’s retreating figure, then immediately put on his sweetest smile for his brother, acting like the perfect little angel.
Zong Wenxiu couldn’t help but laugh softly. "Weren’t you attending a wedding banquet today? How did you end up with a big bump on your head?"
"It’s all Xu Wan’s fault! She hit me," Zong Jincheng began fabricating another story.
"But it looks more like you bumped into something."
Zong Wenxiu knew the difference between a bruise from being hit and one from falling. He glanced at Shunzi, who then explained the whole situation.
Zong Wenxiu sighed and gently applied the ice pack, saying, "Just give up. Madam is very clever. You’re no match for her."
Zong Jincheng stubbornly retorted, "No way! I’m the smartest person in the world!"
But you’re only eight years old. How could you possibly outwit Madam?
Zong Jincheng continued muttering, "She told me to go back and think it over. I’m still trying to figure out how she noticed me. She doesn’t have eyes on the back of her head…"
"Hmm?" Zong Wenxiu was puzzled.
Zong Jincheng’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Brother, do you know how she did it?"
"I…" Zong Wenxiu was about to say that it was quite obvious if one paid more attention to others, but his brother was always too focused on himself.
Shunzi quickly interjected, "Young Master Wenxiu, Madam has instructed that no one is allowed to help Young Master Jincheng figure it out. He needs to think it through himself."
"Shunzi!" Zong Jincheng shouted angrily. "Get out!"
Shunzi replied resentfully, "…Yes."
Zong Jincheng then began to whine, "Brother, my dear brother, the best brother in the world, please tell me. What did I do wrong? How come everyone else knows, but I don’t?"
Zong Wenxiu firmly sealed his lips.
This time, he absolutely couldn’t give in. He couldn’t fall for his brother’s tricks again.
"Brother? Brother? Don’t ignore me. I’m dying to know!"
"Brother, please tell me. It’ll help me become smarter, and you’ll be proud of me!"
"Brother, brother? Brother, brother, brother…"
Zong Wenxiu kept his eyes fixed and his heart hardened, determined not to give in, even though his brother’s pleas were melting his resolve.
He sighed, "Jincheng, if you keep squirming, I’ll stop applying the ice pack."
Zong Jincheng immediately froze.
The physician wasn’t as gentle as his brother, always hitting his bump with the ice pack, which hurt like hell.
He tilted his head and asked weakly one last time, "Brother, can’t you really tell me…?"
Zong Wenxiu nodded and said, "We must listen to Madam. You need to figure it out yourself. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be like what you said before—a gentleman doesn’t accept handouts?"
He had been hoisted by his own petard.
The boomerang was truly terrifying.
The ice pack helped reduce the swelling a little, but it didn’t disappear completely. By the morning of the third day, when they were about to check the exam results, the bump was still visible.
Today, Xu Wan wasn’t just accompanying the two boys to check their results. She also had to return to the Minister's Mansion by noon because Xu Lian'er was bringing Chen Yunyu back for the bridal visit.
So, she had sent someone early to hurry the boys along. However, the more urgent the situation, the more obstacles seemed to arise. The little devil still hadn’t gotten out of bed.
Xu Wan frowned. "Why isn’t he up yet? Doesn’t he usually recite passages with Wenxiu by this time?"
Zong Wenxiu was also puzzled and quickly said, "Madam, don’t worry. I’ll go wake him up."
"Alright, tell him to hurry up and not dawdle."
Zong Wenxiu rushed to his brother’s courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw Shunzi pacing around with clothes in hand, constantly reminding, "Young Master, Madam and Young Master Wenxiu are waiting for you. You need to get up."
But the little devil on the bed remained completely still, his head buried under the blanket.
Zong Wenxiu approached and asked, "What’s wrong, Shunzi? Is Jincheng embarrassed to go out because the bump on his head hasn’t gone down?"