mtl008 Chapter 231 Extra (3) Daily Life of Raising a Child 03
Chapter 231 Extra (3) Daily Life of Raising a Child 03
On the third day of the autumn hunt, His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Empress went into battle with injuries, one of them truly injured, and the other led two little ones into the forest.
The couple couldn't find a single one that was perfect.
"Uncle, can't I ride a horse by myself?"
Lin Anji and Lin Shiming rode together on one horse. The little one leaned against his uncle's chest, his eyes sparkling.
Lin Shiming glanced down at him, pinched Lin Anji's still chubby cheeks, and coaxed him with a smile, "No way, you're not even as tall as a horse's leg when you stand up. You can't even hold onto the horse while sitting on its back, and you'll fall off if no one holds you. You ride a horse the size of your age. There are no ponies at the riding stable, so you'll have to come with me!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Anji looked down at his short legs. Indeed, they couldn't even reach Lin Shiming's knees, let alone the stirrups. His clever mind told him that Lin Shiming was right, but his uncle's lively thoughts and stubborn temper, just like his own, fueled his mischievousness.
Lin Anji didn't want to be shut down like that.
He tilted his head and pondered for a while, emphasizing the "small" in "little horse," and then a flash of inspiration struck him.
“Then I can ride the Linha! It’s small!”
When his name was called, Lin Ha raised his head, his clear wolf eyes meeting Lin Anji's. Lin Anji clapped his hands excitedly: "Uncle, uncle! Look! Lin Ha agreed!"
No matter how much Linha resembles a husky or how much trouble it likes to cause, it is still a genuine wolf. Putting it on a leash and riding it like a horse is not a serious offense.
"You've misjudged it," Lin Shiming said calmly, trying to fool the child. "It's rejecting you. If you don't believe me, ask it and see if it agrees."
Lu Yuxi hugged the quiet Lu Tingsong in her arms and almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Lin Anji felt that what her uncle said made sense.
"Lin Ha Lin Ha, tell me quickly, do you want me to ride you?"
Lin Ha couldn't understand a word and just thought its little master was playing with it, so it stupidly raised its two front paws to paw at Lin Anji's feet.
Lin Anji looked up at Lin Shiming, her eyes full of expectation, "Uncle..."
"Tingsong".
Lin Shiming did not respond to his nephew, but instead called out to Lu Tingsong.
"Do you remember the law your uncle talked about with you yesterday? Come on, review it with your friends."
Lu Tingsong also wanted to ride a wolf.
But Lin Shiming's words, meant to fool Lin Anji, clearly indicated that this was absolutely impossible. Therefore, Lu Tingsong, being a few years older, could only cleverly and sensibly cooperate with Lin Shiming.
“My uncle said yesterday that according to the law, only when you clearly say ‘I agree’ can it be considered as consent.”
Lin Shiming nodded in satisfaction, then poked the little guy's face again, "Did you hear that, kid? Did Lin Ha say it agreed?"
Lin Anji then turned to stare at Lin Ha. Lin Ha looked foolish and made "woo woo woo" noises at him.
Lin Anji was suddenly disappointed. "It didn't agree."
It would be a miracle if it agreed!
Lu Yuxi was amused by the Empress's trick of fooling children, and the muffled laughter in her chest made Lu Tingsong, who was leaning against her, feel a little itchy.
Those despicable adults bully children.
Lu Tingsong looked at his dejected friend from a distance of about one person's width, feeling indignant. Just then, he suddenly recalled the words his grandfather had told him the night before he left the palace.
"Your royal uncle and father are incredibly lazy. They're always plotting when to pass the throne to you so they can go out and play freely. So, Tingsong, you'd better keep a low profile. If they discover that you're steady and intelligent, they'll definitely abandon you to slack off!"
Although it was clearly Emperor Longyun's attempt to sow discord and deliberately oppose Lu Yuxi and the others, his brilliance lay in the fact that he was entirely correct and truthful. Lu Tingsong, at such a young age, was already incredibly intelligent to discern the provocative intent in his words; how could he possibly outwit the cunning schemes of that old fox, Emperor Longyun?
Therefore, even though he knew that his grandfather had ill intentions, he still foolishly fell into the trap, planting the seed of causing trouble and pretending to be stupid in his heart.
The first step in playing dumb is to emulate younger children.
Lu Tingsong blinked his big eyes, a brilliant idea already forming in his mind. The time wasn't right yet; he'd wait until noon when they set up camp…
Hey.
*
Although Lin Shiming cruelly coaxed the child and refused his wish to ride a wolf alone, he still softened when he saw his dejected nephew. So he took Lu Yuxi with him and found a wide grassland by the river. They then drove the two children across the land.
The two were excellent riders, and their horses were both formidable. When they got carried away, none of the guards could keep up, and they could only barely lag behind. The two figures flew across the vast expanse of land like lightning, and the cool air felt like sharp knives, scraping their faces painfully.
But these physical pains can't compare to the exhilaration of riding a horse and cracking the whip.
The exhilaration of speed ignited their spirits, and the freedom and carefree joy filled them with exhilaration. From afar, they could hear the continuous cheers of two children and the unrestrained laughter of a young couple.
Lin Shiming estimated that it was about time and, fearing that continuing to ride would injure the two children's thighs, he and Lu Yuxi tightened the reins and gradually stopped.
Lin Shiming handed the cub in his arms to the pursuing guards before dismounting, casually tossing the reins behind him, and leaving the task of feeding the horses to the guards.
"How was that? Feeling good now?" Lin Shiming pinched Lin Anji's cheek and then tapped Lu Tingsong's forehead. "You've kept your promise, so don't nag about it anymore when you get back."
The two children, still buzzing with excitement, nodded repeatedly, their smiles wide and undisguised.
“Let’s go!” Lu Yuxi came over from the side. “I’ve already asked someone to start a fire. The pheasant we just hunted was pretty good. I’ll take you to catch a couple of fish later. I’ll cook it myself. We’ll have lunch here.”
The two children immediately cheered with joy.
*
Lin Shiming led the two children to the river to catch fish, while Lu Yuxi sat by the fire, brushing oil and sprinkling feed on the prepared pheasant, occasionally looking up at the riverbank and watching the three children playing happily in the water, a slight smile playing on her lips.
By the time the four of them finished their lunch leisurely, while playing and doing other things, it was already 1:15 PM.
When it was time for his usual afternoon nap, Lin Anji was already yawning incessantly.
The group didn't care much about the details, so they simply laid out their tents under the open sky, sprinkled some insect repellent, and took a nap.
Fatigue aggravated their drowsiness, and soon they all breathed steadily and fell asleep.
Cool breeze.
Several wild geese flew across the sky, leaving behind a few loud cries.
Lu Tingsong carefully got up from the ground.
He peeked over to check on Lin Shiming and Lu Yuxi, making sure they were both sound asleep, before tiptoeing to the other side and quietly waking Lin Anji.
"Shh-"
Lu Tingsong gestured to the sleepy Lin Anji to be quiet, then took his hand and tiptoed to the side.
After running around all morning, Lin Ha and Lin Qi lay down to rest. Sensing someone approaching, the alert wolf immediately looked up. Seeing that it was its two familiar little masters, it relaxed and resumed its usual silly and clueless behavior, happily walking over.
Soon, the two men and two wolves stealthily disappeared into the nearby woods.
Lin Shiming sat up straight, his eyes opening with exceptional clarity.
"Are we just going to let them run wild like this?" Lu Yuxi propped herself up on her arms and asked Lin Shiming with great interest.
"Children. At this age, they are carefree and fearless, without a care in the world. Let them be, let them have their fun first, and we can educate them when we get back."
Lu Yuxi smiled and said, "I will do as Her Majesty the Empress says."
Lin Shiming chuckled. He raised his arm and gestured, and several large trees in the woods immediately swayed their branches and leaves before falling silent again.
After arranging for guards to follow them discreetly, Lin Shiming pulled Lu Yuxi down to lie down again.
"Let them make a fuss. Let's go to sleep and get some rest so we have the energy to beat the kids tonight."