Chapter 315: Chapter 195: The Education Problem is a Problem Chapter 315: Chapter 195: The Education Problem is a Problem “`
Gu Changsheng had just returned to the room and was washing up when Little Meat Bun came bouncing in, with droplets of water still on his face.
With a sweet and cute call, Little Meat Bun Gu Ze ran to the table by the side and began to unload the equipment on his body.
“Mommy, this is Huaizhou’s glutinous rice crisp, so delicious…” Little Meat Bun untied a small package around his neck and placed it on the table.
“Mommy, this is a Nine-Turn Exquisite Hairpin from the Peacock Lion Tiger Treasure Pavilion. I found it so pretty, bright red, it matches the color of your favorite clothes, so I wheedled it out of Peacock, Lion, and Tiger.”
Little Meat Bun took out a small brocade box from his bosom, ran to Gu Changsheng, and eagerly opened it.
Gu Changsheng dried his face with a brocade handkerchief while glancing sideways at it.
Upon looking, a spark lit up in her eyes. Well, this Nine-Turn Exquisite Hairpin truly was exquisitely beautiful, a masterpiece. The nine hollow and delicate carvings the size of thumbs encased nine tinier rubies swaying and dangling within, the collision of metal and stone produced a clear and melodious sound, refreshing one’s spirit and delighting the ears.
This did not seem like something to mollify a child – it was clearly priceless!
“Son, how did you manage to convince your master to give you this hairpin?” Gu Changsheng put aside the brocade handkerchief and seated her son comfortably on her lap.
Little Meat Bun Gu Ze smiled shyly, embarrassed to speak, “I told Lion Tiger that I loved it and wanted to wear it myself…”
Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth, then burst into a laugh, “Are you confident that your master wants to dress you up like a little girl?”
Little Meat Bun Gu Ze nodded hurriedly, then continued to unload more treasures, looking eager to present them, “Mommy, look, there’s also this Purple Gold Mystery Bracelet. It’s hollow in the middle, see, and when you press here, it pops out the thing inside.”
Following Xiao Gu Ze’s action, the bracelet indeed popped open a small hole in the middle, dropping out a Gold Bean.
“Hehe… Lion Tiger packed it with a lot, for me to buy snacks to eat…”
Gu Changsheng choked upon the sight of the small bean-sized Gold Bean. Buying snacks? With Gold Beans?
Based on the gold price, one Gold Bean could buy half a cart of rice, enough for a small family to eat for two months, right?
Moon… West… Pavilion!
“Mommy, there’s more, there’s a lot more. This is a small fan that can launch silver needles as Hidden Weapons; it can turn a rabbit into a wasp nest, I’ve tried it already.”
“This is a Dagger that can cut hair as easily as it cuts through air, named Chonghua. Lion Tiger really didn’t want to give it, but when I said it was for you, he reluctantly nodded.”
“Mommy, this is the Eternal Warm Jade Pendant, warm to the touch, you won’t feel cold in winter.”
“This is a Radiant Night Pearl, it’s so bright at night, can be used like a lantern for lighting the way.”
Gu Changsheng looked at the mountain-high pile of packages both big and small on the table, her mouth twitching again and again.
Even Zhou Mu, who had been standing by the window paging through a book, couldn’t help but turn around and take a few steps towards them.
Gu Changsheng looked at him, her mouth twitching as she asked lightly, “Are all these treasures?”
In her eyes, there was no doubt that these were treasures.
Zhou Mu glanced at the brimming table, nodded with a smile, “Indeed, they are supreme treasures of the world, must be the storied collection of Moon West Pavilion.”
“Hehe…” Hearing this, Little Meat Bun Gu Ze laughed even more cheerfully.
Seeing her son laugh so joyfully and remembering how he almost drowned her in tears a moment ago, scaring her witless, Gu Changsheng felt a surge of irritation and cracked him on the head as she said with an unpleasant tone, “You still have the face to laugh; did you loot your master’s Treasure Pavilion clean?”
How many supreme treasures can there be in the world? Aside from a few edibles, her son had managed to bring back so much!
Little Gu Ze rubbed his tapped forehead and defensively muttered, “It’s not looted clean, there are still four left, they were too big to carry…”
“You!” Gu Changsheng was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say.
Thinking of something, Little Gu Ze carefully looked up, his plump little mouth pouting as he looked at his mother with an aggrieved expression, “Mommy, I missed you so much, but you didn’t miss me. You even had Auntie Qiu be mean and stop me from coming home. Don’t you want Gu Ze anymore now that you have Uncle Wood to keep you company?”
Gu Changsheng saw her son, so cute it was explosive, accusing her with big watery eyes as if she had committed a heinous crime. Her heart softened, and she quickly hugged him, rubbing him tenderly, “How could that be! Mommy missed her beloved son so much, missed you like a day feels like three autumns, missed you to the point of not being able to eat or sleep…”
“Really? Then Mommy won’t abandon me huh?” Little Meat Bun perked up after hearing this, his large eyes shining brightly.
“Mommy is counting on you to take care of her in old age, how could she abandon you!” Gu Changsheng playfully tapped his little nose, speaking affectionately, “If I abandoned you, wouldn’t you flood this little mountain with your tears and wash away the Dragon King Temple?”
“Hehe…” Little Meat Bun Gu Ze smiled shyly, looking completely content with his mother’s affection.
“Gu Ze, do you really think your mommy would lose her appetite over you?” Zhou Mu couldn’t resist exposing Gu Changsheng’s exaggerated lies, casually chiming in, “Your mommy can’t live without meat for a meal, and without it, she’s like boneless. Do you really think she would still be so energetic if she couldn’t eat?”
Upon hearing this, Little Gu Ze’s mouth began to pout again, his eyes welling up with tears.
Gu Changsheng immediately exploded with anger, “Bloody evildoer! It’s a hard time for people, can’t you see I’m pacifying my son!”
Zhou Mu completely ignored her towering rage, snatched Little Gu Ze from her arms, held him close, and earnestly instructed, “So, no matter what anyone tells you, you can’t just take it at face value. You have to use your brain and think about how credible it might be, understand?”
Little Meat Bun blinked his large eyes and nodded, a trace of grievance still on his face, “I get it, but does Mom really miss me or not?”
“She’s your birth mother; her love for you runs deep. How could she not miss you? However, her claims of missing you are not as exaggerated as she makes them out to be. You better not be fooled by her,” Zhou Mu said, rubbing his small head and continuing with a smile, “Uncle Wood is the one who really missed you. I didn’t see you when I came back from Southern Fujian and became so sick from missing you…”
Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng rolled his eyes silently and muttered under his breath, “Shameless! Truly freaking shameless!”
Damn it, he was sick, but clearly, it was because of an infection at an old wound site followed by a relapse and getting caught in the rain. What did that have to do with missing his son?
Talking as if he had come back just to see her son. He freaking came back to catch an adulterer!
Shameless! Stepping on her to win over her son’s heart! Way too shameless!
“Really? Uncle Wood, you were sick?” Little Gu Ze first gasped in surprise, then a look of concern crossed his face.
“Yeah, I caught a cold and had a fever,” Zhou Mu nodded with mock seriousness.
Knowing that his own mother still wanted him, Little Meat Bun quickly forgot his previous grudges and, worriedly wrapping his arms around Zhou Mu’s neck, hurriedly looked toward his mother, “Mom, Uncle Wood is sick; he’s got a fever. Quickly strip him down and wipe him down too!”
Gu Changsheng was speechless with shock, his face burning red: “…”
It’s deliberate! Zhou Mu, that evildoer, is definitely doing this on purpose. He knew that when Little Gu Ze caught a cold, she had stripped him down and wiped his body with strong alcohol!
His mind a mess, his eyes in pain!
Gu Changsheng shook her head, rose to her feet, and snatched her son back with a glare, “Dare to compete with me for my son again, and I’ll finish you off!”
She was the birth mother; how come Little Meat Bun became enamoured with Zhou Mu upon seeing him?
Freaking beautiful people have it easy, appealing to young and old alike!
“Mom, Uncle Wood, he…” He’s still sick…
“He’s perfectly fine, spry as a dragon, a menace for ten thousand years is no issue at all,” Gu Changsheng interrupted her son’s words irritably.
“Is that so…” Little Meat Bun, simple as he was, nodded his head, leaned comfortably against his mother’s shoulder, and his little head nuzzled her neck, indescribably cute and endearing.
Gu Changsheng gave Zhou Mu a cold look and kissed her precious son, sternly lecturing, “You can’t just sneak away in the future. Your master couldn’t find you, he must have been so worried. You’re so small, what if some kidnapper had taken you away?”
Upon hearing this, Little Meat Bun softly nodded his little head, “I know…”
“You also can’t go around dosing your master with Rosemary Soft Bone Powder. Now that you’ve been caught red-handed, it won’t work again, understand?”
“Then what should I do?” Little Meat Bun looked up, puzzled.
“We switch to a different medicine!” Gu Changsheng declared emphatically.
Zhou Mu rubbed his forehead, irritably rubbing her head, “Is that how you teach your son? The beginning sounded reliable, but you went off track at the end.”
Having said this, without waiting for Gu Changsheng to retort, he looked down at Little Gu Ze and continued instructing, “In the future, without being fully prepared, you must not leave the protection of adults. Your master loves and protects you. Next time you drug him, remember to check the season before deciding how many blankets to cover him with, so you don’t overheat him!”
Gu Changsheng’s eyes bulged, “Does it make a difference?”
Zhou Mu gave her a sidelong glance, boldly stating, “Of course it makes a difference. You’re teaching him to drug people, while I’m teaching him how to handle the aftermath!”
Gu Changsheng and her son: “…”
Little Gu Ze’s momentary daze was brief, and soon his face was all smiles again, “Mom, let’s divide the spoils!”
Gu Changsheng came to her senses, glanced at him, then at the heap of treasures on the table resembling a small mountain, and was left utterly speechless.
She suddenly realized profoundly that if her son continued to grow up , he might indeed become the next Zhou Zongbao…
Educational problems indeed posed a problem!
She could handle her own crooked ways, but the key was that everyone else seemed to be following suit! What to do?
Mother and son cheerfully divided the loot, and with Little Gu Ze feeling contented after washing up, he skipped off to find the Lion Tiger for mealtime.
Under Little Gu Ze’s pitiful dawdling and coquettish demands, Yue Xilou gave in unwillingly, utterly defeated like a landslide, with no tricks left.
His only punishment was forced jumping on the Plum Blossom Piles for an entire morning without touching the ground.
Thus, the matter was left unresolved, while elsewhere, on the Grand Canal, two official boats, one following the other, hoisted their sails and headed north, making a beeline for the Capital City.