Chapter 642: The Educational Method Has Issues
In the parlor.
Little Ying You was still kneeling on the ground, perfectly still.
…Sang Zhe and Zhuang You had been in there for quite a while.
She had no idea what they were talking about.
Probably just dissing each other as usual. That old man with the white beard sure is annoying.
Bored and with nothing to do, Little Ying You fiddled with her fingers when suddenly, she faintly heard a timid, childish voice from behind the screen:
“Sis… sister…”
“Do you want some candy?”
Little Ying You turned her head and saw a fair, cute little boy peeking around the corner, carefully holding a handful of candy.
“What are you doing here? Watching me make a fool of myself?”
“N-no,” Little Lonely said nervously, wiping his nose as if trying to suck back some snot. “I was just watching you kneel for so long…”
Little Ying You stared at him for a moment.
To be honest, she never really liked her little brother.
It wasn’t that he was too mischievous like her; on the contrary.
As a child of Sang Zhe, Little Lonely was born with a fair, pretty face that everyone in the Sang family adored.
And his personality was the complete opposite of hers—quiet, gentle, obedient, never going against elders, and super polite to everyone.
Some comparisons she didn’t mind.
But she hated it when others compared her to him all the time.
Whenever she misbehaved, she could hear her mother droning on, “You little brat, if you had just half your brother’s obedience…”
After hearing that enough times, it got old, and once it got old, it became irritating.
Consequently, Little Ying You began to dislike her brother more and more.
Not only did he look prettier than her, but he also stuck to her like a little tail, wanting to share everything.
“I’m not eating. Don’t come over here,” Little Ying You frowned. “If Dad sees, he’ll think I’m slacking off.”
Little Lonely, feeling a bit wronged, pulled back his hand but didn’t leave; he just silently plopped down behind the corner wall.
“Sis, did you make Dad mad again?”
“No… Dad wouldn’t get mad at me.”
“Then why are you kneeling?”
“…Because it’s comfortable. Not your business.”
At that moment, Sang Zhe and Zhuang You walked out from behind the screen.
Zhuang You gave Little Ying You a disapproving shake of his head as he passed by and quickly left.
Sang Zhe walked straight over to Little Ying You.
“Daddy, did the teacher report me again…” she immediately jumped into her “wronged” mode, looking pitiful. “If you want to punish me, just do it now.”
To her surprise, Sang Zhe merely shook his head.
“Get up, the ground is cold.”
Little Ying You struggled to stand. Kneeling for so long made her legs feel a bit numb.
“You can punish me however you want, but please don’t let Mom come to punish me again.”
“I’m not punishing you,” Sang Zhe softly said. “But you can’t go to school for a few days.”
Little Ying You had already prepared for this. Perhaps she would have a different teacher again.
“I’ll take you out to play for a few days.”
“…Eh?”
Little Ying You’s eyes widened.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Um… Lin Prefecture? I heard from Aunt Bai that there’s a comic convention happening recently, and it has my favorite works—”
Halfway through, Little Ying You hurriedly covered her mouth, cautiously looking at Sang Zhe. “Dad, you won’t tell Mom that I secretly used the Communication Device to read comics, right?”
“Don’t worry.”
Sang Zhe grinned. “Dad loves reading too.”
——
——
But even though he had promised his daughter, the biggest hurdle to taking her out wasn’t himself.
It was Zhang Xiaoying.
Sure enough, when he told Zhang Xiaoying about the plan, he could see her expression darken.
“Hey! Honey, don’t get mad just yet. Give me a chance to explain.”
Sang Zhe quickly said, “This is exactly what Old Zhuang said. He said our daughter is acting out to get our attention. Ultimately, it’s our failure as parents to not be there enough for her.”
Seeing Zhang Xiaoying’s glare, he quickly changed his tune. “No, no, it’s me! I, as her father, haven’t been present enough.”
“I know. I have indeed struggled to balance family and work these past two years and have overly focused on the Divine and Demon thing.”
“Especially with our daughter; I’ve barely spent time with her except for her birthdays.”
“So, I figured I’d pause her studies for a few days so I can really spend some quality time with her.”
“Take her out for a little joyride, and once she’s happy, I can slowly educate her, you know, give her the wisdom of the ages.”
“Isn’t that better than beating her with a stick?”
Zhang Xiaoying glared at him gloomily and then huffed with annoyance, turning away. “You just spoil her. You’ve forgotten your wife since having a daughter.”
“How could that be?”
Sang Zhe immediately leaned in from behind to hug Zhang Xiaoying, rubbing against her while coaxing, “No one can change the fact that you’ll always be my beloved wife.”
“Exactly! It’s been too long since we had some fun together. Tonight, after I tuck her in—”
“Still planning to tuck her in?” Zhang Xiaoying’s face flushed, glaring at him. “Leave that to Aunt Yu. After my bath, I want to see you all cleaned and cozy in my bed.”
“Okay, okay! Whatever you say, dear.”
Sang Zhe chuckled as he rubbed his hands together. “So, taking our daughter out is—”
“Approved.”
“Mua! Long live my wife!”
He planted a big kiss on Zhang Xiaoying and merrily ran off to tell Little Ying You the good news, while Zhang Xiaoying blushed and touched her cheek where he kissed her.
A moment later, she slowly took out the Communication Device.
“…Husband will take our daughter out next week.”
“All units, please be prepared to act the moment Tianbao descends. Acknowledge receipt.”
In a chat group named “Sang Zhe’s Harem Internal Private Group (Sang Zhe is not allowed in),” a long string of replies popped up instantly.
“Received.”
“On standby.”
“Everything will be according to Sister Xiaoying’s commands.”
After seeing that all members had replied, Zhang Xiaoying sighed with relief, letting out a quiet breath.
…Are parents really lacking in companionship?
Indeed, Sang Zhe hadn’t spent much time with their daughter these past two years.
After the Ancestral Cang incident, Sang Zhe lost one means to keep the Divine and Demons in check, making him extra vigilant about monitoring them. He had little time to spend with family.
But precisely because of this, Zhang Xiaoying had always worried that their daughter might lack affection and care, pouring all her energies into taking care of Little Ying You.
Providing her with the best clothes, food, and teachers, from music to calligraphy to history—nothing was left out.
With all this, was it really a lack of companionship on their part?
Or could it be that her educational method truly had issues?
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