Chapter 121: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 121: Praising Suisui
Qi Wangfei had a simple thought: even if she didn’t understand, it was important to praise. Children should grow up being encouraged and praised, especially Suisui, who had endured much hardship and received too many cold stares in the past.
With this in mind, Qi Wangfei opened her arms and gestured, “Suisui, you are so—smart!”
After speaking, she felt it wasn’t enough. Shaking her head, she stretched her arms even wider, “No, Suisui is even smarter than this!”
Suisui was busy shaping charcoal when she heard her mother’s words. She looked up, her face smeared with black and yellow, resembling a little cat that had fallen into a muddy puddle, but her eyes sparkled brightly.
It was as if a new moon reflected in a muddy pool, shining brilliantly amidst the dullness around it.
Watching this, Qi Wangfei felt both pleased and amused.
Suisui giggled, raising the charcoal she had made, “Mother, look! I made another one!”
After showing it off, she placed it on a nearby spot and diligently poked small holes in it.
Suisui remembered that these holes were important and had to be made well.
With a serious expression, she concentrated as she poked holes, her little hands reaching out, pressing down until she couldn’t anymore, then pulling back to continue.
Once the charcoal was filled with holes, she set it aside and moved on to the next one.
Seeing the little girl so happy, Qi Wangfei joined in the fun.
Though initially resistant to touching the yellow mud, both physically and mentally, she tried to ignore it and pushed herself to engage.
Once she got hooked on the task, she forgot her initial discomfort.
After her first failed attempt at making charcoal, her competitive spirit kicked in for the second try, and she aimed to do better.
From time to time, she discussed with Suisui, “Suisui, I think we should use less yellow mud; otherwise, it won’t burn well.”
“But we can’t use too little, or it won’t stick together.”
“I think your proportions are just right.”
...
Within five attempts, Qi Wangfei had moved from discomfort to proficiency.
Being an adult with decent embroidery skills, her handiwork turned out quite well.
By the sixth attempt, she produced a decent piece.
She figured out that reducing the amount of yellow mud made the charcoal sturdier and burned better.
The mother and daughter were having a great time.
On the other hand, Feng Xuanrui was not having such a good day.
Instead of practicing archery today, they were doing physical training.
They stood in place or held a horse stance, with each young noble choosing their own exercises.
After the basics, they also needed to squat with bowls in their hands.
...
The various weight-training exercises were far from enjoyable.
Feng Xuanrui had always struggled with sitting still or maintaining focus.
He initially thought his sister would come watch him and wanted to show off, hoping to be a little teacher when she learned from him later.
But as he waited for her to arrive, he grew increasingly impatient.
Where was his sister?
Feng Xuanrui became more and more irritable.
Unfortunately, Teacher Shen didn’t care about his worries.
Noticing him unable to hold his position, he made him train harder.
Feng Xuanrui: ...!
Where is my sister?!
Feng Xuanbin was even worse off; as a half-grown child, he lacked discipline.
While watching his sixth brother getting scolded, he quietly shifted his weight and made a run for it...
Yes, he skipped class again.
By the time Teacher Shen noticed, Feng Xuanbin had already dashed quite a distance.
Watching this scene, Teacher Shen’s anger skyrocketed.
First, he smiled slightly, then shouted, “Seventh Young Master, where do you think you’re going? Get back and train harder!”
Feng Xuanbin’s legs trembled at the shout, and he quickly turned around to obediently return.
Once back, he sheepishly tried to justify himself, “Teacher, I was just going to the restroom.”
Teacher Shen shot him a glare and mercilessly increased his load.
Feng Xuanbin: ...!
I want to escape!
The other three young nobles were training diligently, even though they secretly wished to skip.
However, Feng Xuanbo was clever.
He typically observed his brothers to see if anyone tested Teacher Shen’s limits.
If someone tried and failed, he would resign himself to the situation.
If they succeeded, he would quietly follow suit.
Now that Feng Xuanbin had tried and failed, Feng Xuanbo abandoned his thoughts of escape.
Feng Xuanjie was just too timid to attempt anything.
As for Feng Xuancang, being the eldest present, he had to set an example.
Even if he didn’t want to train, he had to take responsibility.
So, he gritted his teeth and accepted the heavier loads assigned to him.
While the brothers were sweating through their training, Suisui continued happily shaping the mud.
She had made plenty of mud, though not all met the right proportions.
However, there were still usable pieces.
Those with less yellow mud were acceptable.
But the best value came from the three-to-seven ratio.
Suisui had crafted quite a few of those, with well-made holes.
Meanwhile, the system was worried...
Qi Wangfei clearly didn’t take these efforts seriously, treating them as mere toys for children.
Even if she recognized the usefulness of the charcoal, she probably wouldn’t think much of it.
The divide between rich and poor was stark in society.
They lived comfortably and would hardly grasp what affordable charcoal meant for ordinary people.
So, even if Qi Wangfei realized the charcoal burned better and cost less, she likely wouldn’t take it to heart.
Suisui herself didn’t understand these things; she just found it fun.
The system, on the other hand, felt some civic concern.
Quickly realizing it was just a system, it questioned whether worrying was justified.
Oh well, never mind.
It returned to thinking about whether it could find a cute and reliable sleep coach that evening, along with some children’s songs to sing to Suisui.
The little girl had recently been humming “A Sheep in the East, a Sheep in the West.”
Just as the mother and daughter were enjoying themselves, Aunt Qiu reported that the Marquis of Huguo had come to visit.
He had previously expressed some interest in joining Suisui’s charcoal-making endeavor.
Surprised that he had actually come, Qi Wangfei quickly stood up, ordering Aunt Qiu to receive their guest while she took Suisui to change clothes.
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