Chapter 12 - Education Must Start as a Baby

Thanks to my editor Gold Fairy~

“Jing… Jingxuan...they… there’s nothing wrong with Da Wa’s dad right?”

With her eyes, she followed the family of three until they disappeared from their line of sight. Ling Wangshi was tugging on her son’s arm and stammeringly asking. Even if she was bold, she was also a village woman who had not seen the world. The sight of blood had clearly terrified her.

“There’s no problem. Mother, lets go inside first then talk ba.”

Throwing her a light smile to pacify her, he extracted his arm from her hand without a word.

“Dad, Da Wa’s dad was bleeding a lot. He…. Will he die?”

The two buns were also obviously terrified. Their little faces were pale, but what they were worried about was not the life or death of Da Wa’s dad, but if Ling Jingxuan had caused trouble. Even though they were young, they still understood that killing someone required you to pay with your life. Dad was finally normal again after great difficulty. They didn’t want to lose him.

“Haha.. how can he die that easily? In the books they say, ‘good people won’t live long, while scourges remain for thousands of years.(1)’ Do you guys think Da Wa’s dad is a good person?”

Compared to the other three,  Ling Jingxuan had an uncaring expression. Having heard what was said, the two little buns looked at each other suspiciously. In succession they nodded their heads. Ling Jingxuan almost bursted out into laughter. He immediately restrained his expression and squatted down to tug on them. “Xiao Wen, Xiao Wu, you guys need to remember. When dealing with those kinds of no face, no skin rascals, you have to be even more ruthless and shameless. You definitely cannot back down or have even a thread of softheartedness. People’s desires have no limits. If you back up one step today, tomorrow they’ll dare to cheat you ten steps. We won’t take the initiative to cause trouble, but also absolutely cannot be timid. To be merciful to someone is to be cruel to yourself. When it is necessary, what's the harm in seeing some blood?”

Those eyebrows which did not possess the slightest bit of heroic spirit was now domineering. In the 21st century, there was a saying that he agreed with. To teach someone, you must start from when they’re a baby. Ling Jingxuan understood it the best. He couldn’t protect them for a lifetime. Rather than worry about their safety all the time, it would be better to let them gain experience on the cruelty of human nature. Forging them to be stronger and more domineering than anyone else.

“En, Daddy we will remember.”

Perhaps the two buns did not fully understand his meaning, but they still agreed and nodded their heads. Knowledge was more valuable than anything else. Daddy, when he was younger, was one of the Tong Sheng in the village. From their limited perception, everything Daddy says must be correct.

Ling Jingxuan was unaware at this moment, but because he cold bloodedly taught this method, he really trained them to become two types of domineering people in the future. One whose power shook everywhere, and one who was a tyrant in the imperial court. But this would be in the future.

“Obedient children, today Daddy caught a lot of fish. We’ll go home first.”

Rubbing the head of the two little buns, Ling Jingxuan got up and picked up the wooden bucket on the side. The grandparent and grandsons were aware of the fish. The two littles buns, one was excitedly swallowing his saliva and the other’s eyes were turning into the shape of copper coins. On the contrary Ling Wangshi had a face full of doubt. Where did her son go to catch fish ah?

The wooden bucket had about ten fish and each fish was about 3-4 catties heavy. Fortunately Ling Jingxuan had used the water from the Crescent Moon Spring, otherwise if these fish weren’t squeezed to death, they would die of lack of oxygen instead.

“Mother, isn’t there a market near the entrance of the village?”

Sitting in the tattered central room, Ling Jinxuan asked with a smile as he was watching the buns rolling around the wooden bucket in the courtyard. There's nothing to be done, the original owner’s memories were too distant. He was also incapable of being certain that the him from five years ago was similar to the him now.

“There is a market. Because it's the boundary for several villages, usually some locals would go bring some things there to earn some money for family expenses. Recently everyone is there fighting over wheat seeds. A little later there will be many people there buying things. Did you want to bring the fish there to sell?”

Ling Wangshi having heard what was said was a bit startled. Thinking about her son’s condition these past few years, she couldn't help but burst into sadness. Her eldest son previously was so outstanding ah. But right now even the most basic things….

“En, I caught ten fish ne. In a moment you should take one home for dad and my two younger brothers to help replenish your bodies. I’ll leave one for the little buns to eat. The leftovers will be taken to sell.”

Nodding his head, Ling Jingxuan reverted his line of sight. Ling Wangshi was very capable in giving birth. In one stretch she gave birth to three sons. Apart from this eldest son, there were still twins.  There was the second son, Ling Jinghan, and the youngest was Ling Jingpeng. But she was also unlucky. Even if she had this many sons, the 14 year old Ling Jinghan was said to be a great talent. He was the person the Ling family was counting on to continue to be a scholar. But it was like the Gods were joking around with them. They gave him a ruined body. With his health, he simply could not support himself for a few days to take exams. And Ling Jingpeng, he did not like to read or study. When he was young he was the leader of a group of children and currently it was the same. The master of the house, Elder Ling, frequently scolded him, and simply didn’t see him as a grandson. Therefore, Ling Chenglong husband and wife pair, although they had three sons, in the Ling Family they were actually low ranked. Above them, the other two Chengs also did not find them pleasing to the eye.  Below them, were their brother’s wives pressuring and bullying them. Their days did not pass all that well.

“Leaving one for Xiao Wen and them to repair their bodies is good. Take the rest to sell. Actually forget it, you shouldn't go by yourself to the market. Later, I’ll have your dad make a trip.”

Her son’s filial piety made her feel even more intimate. Thinking of the villager’s resentment, Ling Wangshi took the initiative to have Ling Chenglong run errands. She was unwilling to have her son, who had just become normal, have to bear the abuse again.

“That also works. How about this ba. Mother, have Dad and my younger brothers come over tonight to eat dinner. Yesterday, I also dug out a lot of wild herbs. At night we can all eat as a family.”

Thinking that the Ling Family had not separated, if they took this fish back, they probably wouldn’t be able to get any of it. There weren't any problems in getting together. Since they were a family, as long as they didn’t have bad intentions towards him, then he was also willing to integrate them. He also wanted to take the pulse of his second brother, Ling Jinghan, to see what kind of illness he had and if there was any way to treat it. In this group of people, they only needed one person to succeed so that the others could cast off their bad reputation and finally became people.

“Ok, I’ll go find your dad then.”

Ling Wangshi was feeling happy. She adopted a posture looking like she was going to leave. Ling Jingxuan hurriedly said, “Mother, don’t forget to bring Second Brother too. I haven’t seen them in a long time.”

“This.. ok, I’ll pull your younger brother here in a handcart.”

Ling Wangshi was a bit hesitant. Then thinking about how difficult it was to have this family eat together, she decisively responded.

“Ai, Mother, be careful.”

Seeing her appearance, he knew that Ling Jinghan must be very sick. Ling Jingxuan did not point it out and got up to send her to the door. The two buns, hearing that tonight, Grandpa Grandma and their two uncles were coming for dinner, happily danced around. After all they were children that accompanied him to live in this lonely deserted mountain bottom. Relatives hardly ever came by, how could they not be happy?

***

1. Good people don’t live long…: Good people tire themselves constantly because they are always trying to help people, but a bad person is very selfish and only helps themselves. Therefore, bad people will live longer because they will not exhaust themselves and only work for their own interest.