The room fell into a strange silence for a few seconds. Then Ludwig once again directed his gaze towards his son.
“Caesar, have you checked his grades?”
Huo Lin nodded. “Yes, I’ve checked.”
After saying that, Huo Lin added, “Ningning’s grades this time are a bit less than ideal, but part of the reason is that he didn’t review properly. I’ll have a good talk with him when I see him.”
Pre-exam review was crucial, even though it’s often referred to as last-minute cramming. Proper preparation could still lead to improvement. Unfortunately, the little child took the wrong path this time, neglecting proper review and instead kowtowing to Grandpa Confucius.
Over the two days of exams, the little child kowtowed quite a bit, but now that the results were out, the failing grades on the report card silently confirmed that taking shortcuts wouldn’t improve results.
This happened to be an educational opportunity, and Huo Lin planned to use the report card to teach the little child not to take shortcuts in learning.
“You mentioned choosing a practical field for yourself just now? I agree.”
Ludwig spoke calmly, “You can freely choose a practical field, but there’s one thing. When you meet Ningning, record a video for me.”
Ludwig was genuinely curious about Ningning’s reaction after seeing the report card.
Upon hearing his father’s request, Huo Lin fell silent for a moment.
A few seconds later.
He compromised, “Alright, I’ll record the video.”
When the video was recorded, it’s likely that everyone would have a copy again.
To be honest, Huo Lin sometimes worried about the little child. Growing up in this technologically advanced era, the embarrassing history videos he left behind were all in high definition.
Given the personalities of the adults in the family, Huo Lin was confident that the little child’s embarrassing video collection would only grow.
When the little child grew up, watching those videos would probably bring tears to his eyes.
“Alright, you can leave.”
Ludwig and his son didn’t have the habit of staying together in the study. There hadn’t been much of a tender father-son scene between them before.
Father and son with too similar personalities found it challenging to develop a deep emotional connection.
Huo Lin didn’t hesitate and turned to leave.
After Huo Lin left the study, Ludwig’s gaze glanced at the floor in the room.
On the floor of the study and in the corners, scattered around, were the toys of the little child. However, the playful little child who loved playing with these toys hadn’t been here for several days now.
***
Apart from the royal family missing the little child, Zhan Xi, this father, also missed the little child terribly.
“Ling Qi, I found out that the winter camp’s training for children is similar to military training. Our kid probably can’t handle this intensity. Should we try to bring him back?”
“If Ningning wants to come back, he’ll give us a call.”
Ling Qi remained calm, “Zhan Xi, I think it’s not Ningning who needs to be independent. It’s you.”
Zhan Xi had never let go of the little child, and now, being separated from the little child, the one finding it most difficult to adapt was this old father.
Fortunately, Ling Qi was still in the house, able to talk to him occasionally, dispelling some unnecessary thoughts.
***
Time passed bit by bit.
At the winter camp, the little children were in training. Before being placed in the forest environment, the teachers had already given them three hours of lessons.
In these three hours of class, the teacher told them about the forest living environment, various creatures inside, and the necessary survival skills.
The last bit of survival skills, even in today’s interstellar world, were particularly important.
War never ceased permanently, and no matter the country, young children could not always stay in comfort.
Although they were young, some survival skills could be learned in advance. This way, no matter when danger came, they at least had a bit more hope of survival.
The teachers didn’t immediately set difficult modes for the children. After dividing the children into groups and sending them in, they secretly provided the children with beginner’s kits.
Ningning and Wagner were supposed to be separated by the teacher, but when the teacher saw the two of them having a conflict during grouping, they thought for a moment and placed them in the same group.
As for Lele, the most delicate little one in the entire winter camp, the teachers assigned him to Savi.
Lele didn’t want to be separated from Ningning, and before departing, he held Ningning’s hand, crying uncontrollably, “The forest is so big... Lele is so scared.”
Ningning also felt that the forest was too vast, and he didn’t want Lele to go on this adventure. But there was no way; as his father, he couldn’t protect Lele.
Unable to resist the teacher, Ningning, influenced by Lele’s emotions, also became sorrowful. “Lele, wait until Dad becomes stronger, and then I can protect you properly!”
The teachers leading the group watched the two little children holding hands, tears in their eyes, for a few seconds, and then ruthlessly separated the two.
“Lele, don’t be afraid. I’ll find you once we get in!”
Ningning, held by the teacher around his chubby waist, vigorously waved his hand, shouting to Lele.
Lele couldn’t speak, just kept crying, and even Savi feared he might cry uncontrollably.
What was supposed to be a typical forest survival exercise turned into a scene of tearful farewell for these two children.
The teachers separated the two children and urged them to enter the forest.
Soon.
Ningning and Wagner entered the forest with backpacks on their backs. Inside the backpacks were only a bottle of water, a piece of bread, and a bit of grass rope.
Wagner, glancing at Ningning who hadn’t reconciled with him yet, hesitated for a moment but eventually stood shoulder to shoulder with him. “Ningning, there’s not enough food in our backpack. Will it be sufficient for you?”
Ningning, who only had one piece of bread, had long been worried about his limited food. He ate a lot, and one piece of bread wouldn’t even serve as a snack for him.
Facing Wagner’s inquiry, Ningning kept a straight face and remained silent.
Wagner looked at him, and finally, he took the initiative to make amends. “Let’s make up. I’ll share my bread with you.”
“What do you want in return?”
The little child frowned, asking Wagner.
Wagner patted his chest and replied, “I won’t eat anything. I can endure hunger!”
Ningning: “...”
Ningning looked at Wagner, who was about to share his bread, and finally extended his chubby little hand. “Okay, let’s make up.”
The two reconciled children, holding hands, walked forward together.
They had to live here for two days before they could leave on the third day. During these two days, they had to protect themselves well.
“Ningning, the road here is so difficult.”
Although Wagner was the son of a marshal, he had never experienced such a harsh environment. He held Ningning’s hand, walking carefully, step by step.
The child who had lived on the barren planet found the environment unpleasant but acceptable.
“Let’s find Savi and Lele’s team, and then we can sleep once we find them!”
Ningning’s goal had been clear and precise since the moment he entered.
Find food, have fun, sleep, and wait for the teacher to arrive!
Because of the clear goal, the little child didn’t feel so anxious upon entering.
“Ningning, how can we find food here?”
Wagner looked around. There were many plants and a small stream nearby, and a thick layer of leaves covered the path. They had to be careful while walking on the leaves.
The teacher had mentioned that there were snakes and insects here.
“Insects and snakes are both fine; they become delicious when roasted.”
Having tried roasted grasshoppers before, the little child wasn’t afraid of eating insects at all. He had even eaten insects on the barren planet before!
In the beginning, food was scarce when they lived at the barren planet, so anything edible was worth trying.
When the little child was just learning to eat, his father fed him various kinds of food.
Compared to eating insects, the little child was more afraid of going hungry.
Wagner hadn’t eaten insects before, and his face wrinkled in disgust. “How do you eat insects? Ningning, do you think insects from the Zerg race can be eaten?”
Ningning: “...”
Ningning’s expression gradually changed from shock to eager anticipation. He clutched the backpack strap and happily said to Wagner, “I haven’t tried it yet; we can give it a shot!”
Fully grown insects of the Zerg race looked disgusting and couldn’t be eaten. But unhatched insects were tender and small, making them edible.
Wagner: “?”
Wagner expressed a casual sigh, never expecting Ningning to be genuinely interested.
“Ningning, don’t think about it randomly. There are no Zergs here; we can’t catch them.”
Wagner, who didn’t want to eat Zergs, hastily spoke, interrupting Ningning’s thoughts.
Ningning continued to look around, not agreeing with Wagner’s words.
Having killed many Zergs on the barren planet, he was a skilled Zerg hunter!
He was also familiar with the living environment of Zergs. In the places they came to this time, there might be Zerg race inhabitants, especially in the underground basements and low buildings, which were preferred dwelling places for the Zergs.
