But the moment Tang Zhuojun saw Linlin, so nervous he was trembling, a surge of maternal instinct flooded her.
Facing Tang Boxin, she lifted her chin and said, “Big Brother, you’re back.”
“What’s going on?” Tang Boxin frowned as he came in. “Why did I hear that things blew up over at Prince Rong’s residence—and that you even beat the little prince?”
“Father, it was my fault,” Linlin scrambled to his feet and said. “It has nothing to do with Auntie. It was me—”
“It was you what?” Tang Zhuojun cut him off, meeting Tang Boxin’s gaze without flinching. “Big Brother, I’m the one who hit him, and I’m also the one who stopped Linlin from studying there!”
“No, Father, it’s all my fault. It has nothing to do with Auntie. If you’re going to punish someone, punish me.”
“It was me!”
“That’s enough, both of you!” Tang Boxin interrupted them. He walked to a chair and sat down, his expression grave. “I took leave today. I have plenty of time to hear you out.”
Tang Zhuojun cleared her throat. On the surface, she looked ready to face death; inside, she was panicking badly— afraid Tang Boxin would suspect her motives, thinking she had deliberately turned Linlin against his studies.
Interfering with Linlin becoming the top scholar— within the Tang family, that would be a crime worthy of being torn apart by five horses.
“Big Brother, Linlin was being bullied at the prince’s residence. I couldn’t stand by and watch,” Tang Zhuojun said. “A group of kids ganged up on him, and this wasn’t the first time it’s happened. I don’t think Linlin can learn well surrounded by a bunch of spoiled wastrels. Father is a top scholar, and so are you— why not teach Linlin yourselves?”
Tang Boxin looked at Linlin and asked sternly, “Is what your aunt said true?”
Linlin bit his lip and nodded.
For a long while, Tang Boxin said nothing. His fingers tapped against the tabletop, as if he were deep in thought.
To Tang Zhuojun, every tap felt like it was pounding on her heart, but she still forced herself to continue. “Big Brother, no matter what, this academy can’t be attended anymore. I’m afraid that if this goes on, something will go wrong with Linlin.”
“Then he won’t go,” Tang Boxin decided decisively.
Disbelief flashed across Linlin’s face, followed immediately by overwhelming joy.
Tang Zhuojun exclaimed, “Big Brother, wise and mighty!”
Tang Boxin shot her a glare, though his expression had softened.
He walked over to the bed and said to Linlin, “Let Father take a look. Where are you hurt?”
Linlin shyly lifted his clothes, revealing the bruises and purplish marks on his body.
“Is this why you wouldn’t let Father help you bathe?”
Mist filled Linlin’s eyes. He lowered his gaze and said nothing.
“This is Father’s fault,” Tang Boxin said to himself. “I neglected you. From now on, you’ll stay at home with your aunt during the day. I’ll assign you your lessons, and when I come back in the evening, I’ll check your work and guide you.”
In the past, they hadn’t let Linlin stay at home because both father and son didn’t trust Tang Zhuojun, afraid she might sell Linlin.
That wasn’t an unfair accusation— she really had done such a thing before. It was only after Tang Boxin had beaten her severely that she gave up the idea.
Tang Zhuojun “pushed her luck,” blinking her eyes and saying slyly, “I knew Big Brother was the best! I’ll definitely take good care of Linlin. But as for Father… Big Brother, could you talk to him, okay? Hehe.”
Tang Boxin shot her another glare but didn’t object, silently taking responsibility for the matter.
Tang Zhuojun was very happy.
Father and Big Brother were both reliable, her son was obedient, and with three men backing her up, she could walk sideways like a crab. Why would she ever be desperate for a man? Tsk tsk.
“Father,” Linlin said softly, “about the young prince… I’m afraid the Rong Prince’s residence won’t let us off easily.”
Tang Boxin let out a cold laugh, pride flashing in his eyes. “If you two hadn’t joined forces to deceive me today, he wouldn’t dare do anything!”
Father was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and fiercely protective of his own. He was also someone who mattered to the Emperor. Although many mocked the Tang family for being poor, very few people truly dared to confront father and son head-on.
Seeing his confidence, Tang Zhuojun immediately felt reassured and chimed in playfully, “Big Brother is amazing! Then from now on I can be as arrogant as a crab, walking sideways everywhere.”
Tang Boxin said, “Go cook. I’m hungry!”
“You haven’t even eaten lunch?”
Tang Boxin replied irritably, “I was just about to eat when I heard you’d caused trouble, so I rushed back.”
“Alright, I’ll go cook right now.” Tang Zhuojun hummed a little tune as she left.
She’d fought a satisfying battle, Linlin no longer had to suffer, and Big Brother was backing her up— life was great.
Tang Boxin watched her light, cheerful figure and couldn’t help but smile.
But the smile didn’t last long. He turned serious and asked Linlin, “Are you willing to stay at home with your aunt? If not, I can find another place for you to study. I have a friend—”
“I’m willing,” Linlin said quickly. “Aunt treats me very well.”
Today, he could tell that Aunt had truly risked her life to protect him.
Ever since the flower-viewing banquet, Aunt had seemed like a completely different person. Although he didn’t know why, he very much hoped she would stay like this forever.
Tang Boxin patted his head. “Good. Then stay at home with your aunt for now. If you change your mind in the future, tell Father anytime.”
“Mm.” Linlin nodded vigorously. “I’ll study hard at home too. One day I’ll bring honor to the family and let Grandfather, Father, and Aunt enjoy a good life.”
“Good.”
That evening, when Tang Mingfan heard about the matter, he unexpectedly agreed without much fuss.
Seeing the surprise written all over Tang Zhuojun’s face, Tang Mingfan smiled. “Before, I was worried you couldn’t take care of Linlin. Now there’s nothing to worry about.”
Tang Zhuojun: Again, me?
She widened her eyes and looked at Tang Boxin, who nodded— yes, that was it.
Tang Zhuojun: …
Fine. She’d been unreliable. Now she knew.
And so, Linlin no longer went to the Rong Prince’s residence but stayed at home with Tang Zhuojun instead.
He was extremely diligent, barely willing to rest. If he wasn’t reading, he was practicing calligraphy, looking as though he wished he could become the top scholar by tomorrow.
Watching him write, Tang Zhuojun tragically realized that out of a page of forty or fifty characters, she recognized only one—“one.” Yes, just that single character.
The script here resembled seal script, extremely difficult to recognize. Compared to it, even traditional characters were like great-great-great-grandchildren, let alone simplified ones.
The original owner of this body hadn’t studied and was illiterate. After transmigrating, she was still illiterate.
“Linlin, can you teach me to read?”
Linlin was very happy to do so and greatly enjoyed the feeling of being a teacher.
The only thing that made him feel a little frustrated was that his aunt was… kind of dumb.
Tang Zhuojun discovered that Linlin’s memory could be described as photographic— he never forgot what he saw, a true academic genius.
They say a dog’s IQ is forty, an ordinary person’s is one hundred. Linlin’s IQ was at least 140, maybe even 180!
When Linlin looked at her, it was the same way she looked at a dog.
Under these circumstances, Tang Zhuojun kept herself tense and studied hard, trying to be a slightly smarter “dog,” so she wouldn’t be too disliked.
Sigh— he looked impressive, but once compared, she was just an underachiever under immense pressure.
After a few days, the ten-day deadline agreed upon with the pawnshop owner arrived, and Tang Zhuoyun went out with Linlin.
“Miss, you finally came!”
The pawnshop owner, no longer arrogant like before, looked as though he had seen a savior when Tang Zhuojun arrived. He hurried out from behind the counter, bowing repeatedly, full of gratitude.
The old ailment that had tormented him for years was finally improving!