For the next few days, both the Pei family and the An family were in dire straits. Pei Yuan Shao returned to the capital the next day, as if he had only come to beat someone up.
The next day, Shi Yunshu and An Chengxi went to work and went to class with their injuries. Originally, Shi Yunshu felt sorry for the child and wanted him to rest for a day, but he was rejected by Pei Ruoqing. After Pei Ruoqing went to school, An Chengxi looked at Shi Yunshu and said," You're too indulgent.”
Shi Yunshu stood at the entrance of the Pei family's house. Behind him were the willow branches swaying in the morning wind and the rising sun. His gaze fell on the lake in the distance." Aren't children meant to be indulged and spoiled?”
An Chengxi clenched his teeth and was silent for a moment. Then, he sighed helplessly. This brat was still angry that he had left without saying goodbye back then. Now that he had become the older brother, he didn't want the child to bear any sadness. This silent accusation made An Chengxi's head hurt.
He rubbed the space between his eyebrows. Were the youths these days so difficult to coax? He was also a little angry. Was this not over?
However, he was still patient and softened his tone." It was my fault for leaving without saying goodbye back then, but there are priorities. You should understand.”
Heh, Shi Yunshu wanted to laugh, but he couldn't." Senior Brother, there are some things that are valued differently when the standard is different. You're my only brother, and many of my first times were taught by you. In my heart, your position is the same as my father's, but if you leave just like that, what am I to you? A dispensable burden?"
Shi Yunshu did not care about An Chengxi's answer. He turned around and walked towards the school. His steps were small but very steady. His clear figure was elongated by the light, making him look a little lonely and desolate.
An Chengxi couldn't speak for a moment. At this moment, he truly realized how much psychological trauma his unannounced departure had caused this child.
An Chengxi had originally planned to look for Ji Linyuan, but when he called, he was told that Ji Linyuan and Mo Qiyin had returned to the capital, so he had to put the matter on hold.
Pei Yuan Shao had been busy until late at night for the past few days. To see that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, he had no choice but to deal with the matters at hand in advance. He had a premonition that things would not end so easily after returning to the capital this time.
Due to Song Yuyan's awkward status, she did not plan to return with Pei Yuanshao. Thus, she was the only one left to guard the rear of the Pei and An families.
An Chengxi had bought the plane tickets for August 15th at 9 am. The Pei family's residence was closer to the airport, so Pei Yuanshao suggested that An Chengxi and Pei Yuanshao come over in advance.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Shi Yunshu came out of the kitchen with a glass of milk and happened to bump into Pei Ruoqing, who was pouring water. Pei Ruoqing's gaze fell on the glass of milk in Shi Yunshu's hand. She lowered her eyes in silence for a long time. Yun Shu knew that he didn't like to drink milk, and his family didn't have the habit of drinking milk before going to bed. It was obvious who he had prepared it for.
As expected, Shi Yunshu watched him go downstairs and instructed," Send this glass of milk to Senior Brother. He can't sleep at night."”
"Yes." Pei Ruoqing responded. There was nothing strange about it, but the hand holding the cup tightened. In the room, Chu Junyi and An Chengxi occupied a corner of the desk, doing their own things. They were very busy.
Pei Ruoqing knocked on the door. The person inside did not even lift his head." Come in."”
An Chengxi only looked up when he saw Pei Ruoqing. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at the glass of milk in his hand. He turned off the computer and asked casually," Your brother asked you to come?”
"Yes."
He placed the milk next to An Chengxi's hand and was about to leave when he heard Chu Junyi say," Little Ruo, come here for a moment."”
Pei Ruoqing glanced at An Chengxi and saw that he did not have any other expression. She lowered her eyes and walked to Chu Junyi's side." Teacher Chu."”
Chu Junyi turned to the side. Her expression was not as relaxed as usual. It was even a little serious." Look at your essay.”
Pei Ruoqing pursed her lips and took the notebook from her. Chu Junyi only gave him 40 points for the 100-point essay, not even half of it. He flipped to the end and saw the comments left in a vermilion pen. People who were limited to their own small world would always be frogs at the bottom of a well.
This time, it was a scenario essay. It was about a mother who was dissatisfied with her husband's abuse and took her two ignorant children to commit suicide by lying on the train tracks. What do you think of this? Actually, Chu Junyi didn't want to make things difficult for these children. It was just that she was doing a research project and something like this happened some time ago. She wanted to use this incident to test the three values of this generation of children.
Fortunately, 98% of the students had chosen to disagree with her views. Only a small number of them were conflicted. However, what she did not expect was that Pei Ruoqing's writing was not good. Just his views alone made her shudder. He said that her mother was wrong. She had given up the courage to die, but she could not bring herself to live.
However, there was nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, living didn't mean anything. Death could also be a form of relief.
She never thought that as the eldest son and grandson of the Pei family, she would be so depressed and negative. She even lacked the most basic respect for life.
"Tell me, why do you think so?”Chu Junyi stared into his eyes as if she wanted to see into his heart.
Pei Ruoqing subconsciously lowered his head and said," I…didn't think too much.
As An Chengxi listened to their questions and answers, his expression turned solemn. He said to Pei Ruoqing," Let me see."”
Pei Ruoqing pinched the notebook until it creased, but she was defeated by An Chengxi's sharp gaze. She handed the exercise book over with both hands.
An Chengxi took the notebook. The first thing he saw was Pei Ruoqing's neat handwriting. An Chengxi looked at Pei Ruoqing in surprise. He calmed himself down and continued reading.
Pei Ruoqing did not feel any sense of reliance or respect towards this senior brother. She only listened to him respectfully because of the title of Eldest Senior Brother. All the reasons he listened to were because they were people that Pei Yuanshao and Shi Yunshu cared about. At the moment, his feelings for them were not that deep, whether it was An Chengxi or Shi Yihong.
Shi Yihong did not ask him to do anything other than giving him some advice. He heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he felt a little disappointed.
"Pei Ruoqing, what is life in your eyes?”An Chengxi's cold voice brought him back to his senses.
Chu Junyi saw his serious tone and was afraid of scaring the child, so she tried her best to signal him with her eyes, but An Chengxi deliberately ignored her. He sighed. Chu Junyi was a typical example of a protective person. She was merciless when she lectured others, but when she protected them, she was more protective than anyone else.
He closed the book in his hand and said to Pei Ruoqing," Let's go to your room.”
The first thing An Chengxi said when he entered the room was a direct jab." Pei Ruoqing, you're too narrow-minded!”
Pei Ruoqing lowered her head and did not look at him.
"I'm sorry, I'll write this essay again. However, isn't it too absolute to judge me based on just one essay?”Pei Ruoqing looked up at him with a cold expression.
A pair of sharp eyes landed on Pei Ruoqing's face. It was not the first time that he felt that Pei Ruoqing did not look like a twelve year old child. She did not have the youth and vitality that a child should have. She seemed to have a lot on her mind and was gloomy.
He did not get angry at his offensive words. He even repeated the previous question in a good temper." What is life in your heart?”
He didn't know what life was. He only cared about the life and well-being of the people he cared about. Of course, he couldn't say this to An Chengxi, so he lowered his eyes and didn't answer.
An Chengxi realized that when Pei Ruoqing refused to talk to others, she was the exact same as Shi Yunshu. This kind of disregard was the most infuriating. When had An Chengxi ever been ignored outside? It was only when he returned home that these two little ones would make him angry.
Seeing his expression, An Chengxi couldn't help but think of Shi Yunshu. He was furious." Who taught you not to answer questions? Shi Yunshu?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to answer. It has nothing to do with my brother.”What Pei Ruoqing could not tolerate the most was someone throwing dirty water at others for no reason. He had been framed in his previous life. He was too lazy to explain, but it did not mean that he did not care. It was just that no one had expectations of him, so he just muddled along.
However, when someone mentioned Shi Yunshu, he had a different feeling. That person who was like the moon and the stars, he was not willing to let him touch even a speck of dust.
An Chengxi did not expect Pei Ruoqing to be so bold as to argue with him again and again. He sneered," Heh, you want to reason with me, right? Fine, kneel down!”
Pei Ruoqing bent her knees and knelt down. Seeing his seemingly " obedient " look, An Chengxi's anger did not decrease but increased instead. He was clearly so unwilling but still forced himself to do it. It was not difficult to guess his motive. Wasn't he just worried that he would complain?
Then wouldn't it seem unreasonable if he didn't do as he wished?
Seeing that An Chengxi was about to make a call, Pei Ruoqing frowned." You…don't call me. I…What do you want me to answer?"”
An Chengxi casually put down his phone and hung up. He crossed his legs and leaned on the edge of the table. He crossed his arms and looked at him with a good gaze. He said faintly," I never have the habit of reasoning before I scold someone!”
Pei Ruoqing understood. He got up and pulled open the drawer. A small sandalwood ferule lay quietly inside. He took out the ferule and held it flat. He took two steps back and knelt down. He did not say anything and just knelt straight.
An Chengxi sneered. He took the ferule and slapped Pei Ruoqing's face." Since you can't keep your mouth shut, you should clean it up!”
"Pei Ruoqing, let me ask you something. How have I, An Chengxi, offended you to make you so hostile?”
Shua, the color of blood on Pei Ruoqing's face quickly faded away. It was even turning paler and paler. It was as if a string had suddenly moved, waking up the ferocious beast in his heart and making him terrified.
"How did I offend you?" 'You didn't offend me in any way.' Pei Ruoqing laughed bitterly in her heart. If An Chengxi did not ask this question, he could still lie to himself and say that he was arguing with him to protect his interests. Pei Ruoqing, didn't you already say that you wanted to let go? Do you want to harm others and yourself again?
Perhaps Pei Ruoqing's expression was too obvious. An Chengxi frowned and stared at him. He had not thought of fighting today. After all, he and Pei Ruoqing had not reached the point of trusting each other. The most important factor in discipline was trust. If Pei Ruoqing did not trust him, no matter how severe the punishment was, it would not achieve its intended purpose.
An Chengxi wouldn't easily take action against someone who didn't trust him from the bottom of his heart, let alone a family law with extraordinary significance. What was family discipline? Family rules were given to family members. He did not have the mood to do anything to a person who did not acknowledge him as family from the bottom of his heart.
It was just that he had been angered by this bastard today, so he wanted to give him a warning.
"I'm sorry. I was narrow-minded and lost my composure because of my emotions.”
An Chengxi was a little surprised." Pei Ruoqing, as your senior brother, it's my responsibility to guide you. No matter what you think, I still have to say what needs to be said.”
Shi Yihong had once said that An Chengxi was a person who was magnanimous and magnanimous. This evaluation was not low. His heart was deep and had formed his own world. Naturally, he could not bear to see his junior brother being so "petty". Regardless of whether Pei Ruoqing listened or not, since he had bumped into her, he had to correct her.
"Pei Ruoqing, if the child in your article was your brother or Martial Uncle, would you make the same choice?”
If it was Shi Yihong and Pei Yuanshao? Pei Ruoqing did not know. He only felt a throbbing pain in his head. It was as if he had this problem since his rebirth. Once he thought too deeply about the bad things in his previous life, his head would feel like it had been pierced by steel needles, making him feel abnormally painful.
An Chengxi's words reminded him of the last time he saw Shi Yunshu in his previous life.
Pei Ruoqing's face turned pale again and again. She was silent for a moment before she slowly replied. "That essay was my true thoughts. I don't deny it. I just think that as a bystander, I can say that what she did was wrong. She forgot her social responsibility and the support of her original family. Her ability to deal with problems was too weak. However, when one was outside the situation, one could remain calm. When one was inside, who could remain calm?”
An Chengxi's expression turned blank for a moment. He did not expect Pei Ruoqing to answer him like that.
After a pause, Pei Ruoqing continued," As for life, I didn't answer you just now because I didn't know how to explain the word 'life'. This word is too profound, and I don't know how to explain it.”
When An Chengxi heard Pei Ruoqing's words, he was shocked and did not recover for a long time. Looking at Pei Ruoqing's panicked and helpless expression, An Chengxi suddenly felt his heart ache. He was still a child after all!
After a long while, she said," I take back what I said before. It's not that you're narrow-minded, but I am. I apologize for what I said. I'm sorry."”
"Senior Brother, you don't have to apologize to me. I was indeed narrow-minded before.”
Pei Ruoqing did not understand. They had only known each other for a few days. What made An Chengxi spend so much effort to control him?
Pei Yuan Shao cared about him because of their blood ties, and Shi Yunshu was willing to teach him because he had exchanged his sincerity bit by bit. What about An Chengxi? Just because of the title of a senior brother? Was there really someone who would do something like this without any returns?
However, looking at An Chengxi's magnanimous eyes and the slight worry hidden in his eyes, Pei Ruoqing's mindset started to waver!
He began to realize that the relationship between people was not only about benefits and exchanges, but also…fetters!
Other than Pei Yuan Shao, he had never received such unrequited care. An Chengxi didn't do him any good and might even cause him to retaliate. However, he still pointed out his problems and mistakes. Even Shi Yunshu had held back from teaching him. He had never taught him so directly in the beginning.
Pei Ruoqing thought that he was really selfish. He was so selfish that he did not want to see the good in anyone other than An Su, Pei Yuanshao, and Shi Yunshu. He was limited to his own world and only wanted to protect the peace of this world. Shi Yunshu once said to him," If you stubbornly guard one person with one heart, then how sad will those who have sacrificed for you be? People's hearts were not big, but they were not small. Why not give those who wanted to get close to you a chance?”
What did he do after that? He no longer rejected the people around him, but he had never truly accepted them from the bottom of his heart.
He closed his eyes and forced the corners of his mouth up. His voice was broken and heartbreaking." Ruoqing has many things that she doesn't understand. Please…teach me, Senior Brother."”
An Chengxi's eyebrows twitched when he heard his tone. He realized that he couldn't understand this young man. When you felt that he couldn't hold it in anymore, he could kneel down calmly. When you felt that he was compromising, there was a hidden sting in his words. Just when you felt that he was hopeless and only wanted to do his duty, he said," There are many things I don't understand. Senior Brother, please teach me."”
Pure and real, An Chengxi's heart, which had not wavered for many years, rippled slightly.
"Little Ruo, you have to understand that I didn't call you senior brother for nothing.”An Chengxi put away the heartache in his eyes and looked at him seriously.
"Yes, I understand." He should listen to Shi Yunshu and give the people around him a chance, and also give himself a chance.
"Alright, stretch out your hands. Let's settle today's score.”After talking for so long before getting to the main topic, An Chengxi felt a little helpless. His junior brother's personality was too special, so he had to be careful.
"Yes." Pei Ruoqing, who was no longer stubborn, was very cooperative. The paleness on his face had not faded, and his hands were still sore from holding the ferule earlier. However, he still tried his best to keep his arms flat and behaved.
An Chengxi couldn't help but sigh. This child was really likable after he put away his sharp temper. He said," I don't like to lecture you. I only wasted so much time on you because it's your first time training under me. Little Ruo, let me ask you again. Do you know where you went wrong?”
Pei Ruoqing nodded. He slowly raised his head and looked into An Chengxi's eyes. There was no anger, no disdain, only encouragement and tolerance like the mountains and seas. Pei Ruoqing suddenly felt a little ashamed. He replied An Chengxi in a hoarse voice," You can't see things correctly. You disrespect your elder brother and talk back to him.”
"I've already suffered from talking back. I'll give you a reminder. Remember not to be so rash in front of outsiders, especially elders. I won't punish you too much for the rest. Twenty strikes will be considered as a warning.”
Pei Ruoqing had just responded when An Chengxi smashed the ferule in his hand down. In just a moment, Pei Ruoqing's face turned pale. He now understood that Pei Yuanshao and Shi Yunshu were really too gentle to him. The effect of An Chengxi's one hit was equivalent to Shi Yunshu's ten hits. The key was that he could not dodge. If he dodged, not only would he have to start all over again, but he would also have to double it. From Shi Yunshu's strictness, he knew that the Shi family's rules were never a joke.
An Chengxi knew how hard he had hit her. A lesson without pain was not a lesson, especially for a child. He would remember to eat but not to hit. However, he was surprised when he saw Pei Ruoqing gritting her teeth rather than making a sound. After ten consecutive slaps, Pei Ruoqing's forehead was already covered in sweat, but he did not make a sound.
An Chengxi secretly reduced his strength. Although it still hurt, it wasn't as painful. After twenty rounds, Pei Ruoqing's hand was already swollen. His voice was even more hoarse than before," Thank you for your lesson, Senior Brother.”
An Chengxi smiled and thought to himself that he had learned the rules well. It would depend on whether he had the heart to follow them. He said," Do you know what to do after you're punished?”
Pei Ruoqing put down her bloodshot hands and hung them by the side of her legs in an attempt to rely on the coolness of her pants to relieve the heat. He hummed softly and felt that it was inappropriate. He added," I know."”
"Look at the time yourself and get up when you think it's enough. Don't apply the medicine. The injury on her face is not serious and will disappear tomorrow morning. Just let the hand hurt. Remember.”She did not care if Pei Ruoqing would reply and walked out, closing the door behind her.
After the punishment, he would reflect on himself. Sometimes, Shi Yunshu would ask him to write down his reflections without checking them. He would put them all together and let him take time to read them every week.
He moved his knees and knelt beside the desk. He used his red and swollen hands to pull out a pen and paper and put them on the chair. He looked at his hands. It was impossible for him to hold the pen. He took out his phone and opened the memos. He could still type.
Pei Ruoqing knelt beside the chair and slowly experienced the changes in her state of mind in this short period of time. It seemed that nothing had changed, but it also seemed to have become more open. Of course, Pei Ruoqing knew the reason. He was trying to accept An Chengxi, and he was also trying to accept and integrate into this world. This feeling was not bad. It even made him feel at ease.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]