“What exactly are you trying to do?” Linlin asked. “There’s already no money left in the family. Trying to curry favor with me is useless!”
Tang Zhuojun: “…”
Fine then— whatever sins the former owner committed, she was the one paying the price now.
She applied the medicine to Linlin and then teased him with a smiling face. “Actually, I lied about calling your father. Your dad went to pick up my dad, hee hee.”
This kid was far too stiff and serious. She really hoped he could relax a little.
Linlin: “…”
Just as he was about to drive Tang Zhuojun out, he heard her say, “I know our family doesn’t have money. At the prince’s residence school, you must have suffered a lot because of that.”
Who says children’s worlds are pure and untainted?
Those kids born with silver spoons in their mouths, immersed in wealth and privilege from a young age— how could they possibly understand the hardships of life?
Their families were all well-off; everything they ate, wore, and used was better than Linlin’s. And yet Linlin studied the best among them all, which made them jealous— so of course he was ostracized.
“Actually, I don’t think you’re suited for studying there,” Tang Zhuojun said. “But I can’t bring this up rashly. Give me some time— I need to think about how to talk to your grandfather and your father. And I also need to make sure you have something else to do…”
Although she had never been a mother, she felt that a child’s healthy physical and emotional growth was what mattered most.
Being bullied like this was a very serious issue.
Seeing Linlin lower his gaze and remain silent, Tang Zhuojun knew he truly didn’t want to go there anymore.
Otherwise, given how much he disliked her, he would definitely have rejected her outright.
His silent acquiescence now showed that the situation he was facing was truly not optimistic.
“How about this,” Tang Zhuojun said. “Tomorrow I’ll say you’re sick and let you rest at home for a few days first. Then the two of us can discuss a plan together, okay?”
Linlin hesitated for a long while. “Okay.”
He really didn’t want to go tomorrow anyway, because tomorrow they would be learning horseback riding. Other families all had horses, so everyone else could ride. Only he couldn’t at all, and every time he performed terribly. For someone as competitive as him, that was hard to accept.
“Don’t tell my father or my grandfather,” Linlin said with a hint of pleading. Then, feeling that he sounded a bit too conciliatory, he added fiercely, “They’re already worried sick over you!”
“I know. I won’t,” Tang Zhuojun said, patting his head. “Hurry up and practice your calligraphy, eat your strawberries. I’ll go check whether the meat is done stewing.”
Linlin watched her indistinct figure through the swaying beaded grass curtain, frowning slightly, a look of confusion appearing on his face.
What exactly was she trying to do?
By the time Tang Boxin returned with Tang Mingfan, dusk had already fallen.
Tang Zhuojun brought out the warm dishes and busied herself arranging the meal.
To take care of Linlin’s injured emotions, she even made half a portion of the braised pork she had originally planned to cook the next day and served it up.
During the meal, Linlin kept looking at Tang Zhuojun, but she didn’t say a word.
Feeling sullen, Linlin turned his frustration into appetite. He ate two flatbreads and half a bowl of braised pork, and also ate quite a bit of the cold dishes.
She had clearly promised to help him take leave, yet now she was playing dumb. He would never trust this woman again!
Tang Mingfan praised the cold dishes repeatedly.
Suddenly, Tang Boxin said, “Father, we should probably tell Ah-Jun about the Prince of Jin.”
Tang Mingfan looked at his son in surprise.
Tang Boxin lowered his gaze, his long lashes concealing the emotions in his eyes, and said calmly, “Ah-Jun is sensible now. It’s better to tell her, so she won’t overthink things later if she finds out.”
“Father, what is it?” Tang Zhuojun asked curiously.
Tang Mingfan looked a bit awkward. After clearing his throat, he said, “It’s nothing major, and it doesn’t really concern you. It’s just that at court today, the Emperor said that from now on, the Prince of Jin will come to the Court of Judicial Review.”
What he didn’t say was that the Prince of Jin had already come that afternoon, and that the father and son had only returned home after seeing him off.