Ningning, watching the video of himself having a meal, showed off the comments below to his brother.
Huo Lin saw him poking at the comments with his chubby little hand and knew he was trying to change the subject in his typical adorable way. These comments weren't any different from before, and Ningning hadn't shown them off before.
He had just taken out the candy wrappers, and his little brother immediately came over to make him look at the comments together.
Huo Lin lowered his head to look at the little child. Catching her brother's gaze, the little child guiltily blinked his eyes. The next second, he simply bumped his head against her brother, his milky voice sticky as he said, "Brother, don't be mad at Ningning."
Huo Lin, who hadn't even really scolded the child much: "..."
Huo Lin frowned. He wasn't angry, but he would lecture: "During your last check-up, your teeth were already a bit unhealthy. Didn't Auntie Elara emphasize that you need to protect your teeth?"
The little child hummed and grumbled, rubbing his head against his brother: "But Ningning wanted to eat candy, and Ningning brushed his teeth."
"You brush your teeth carelessly. Before, you even dared to sleep with candy in your mouth after brushing."
Huo Lin, hearing his words, couldn't help but bring up past grievances with him.
Once these past grievances were brought up, the little child couldn't utter a single sound.
Earlier, some kid in kindergarten, no one knew who, had spread a rumor saying that if you held candy in your mouth before sleeping at night, then when you fell asleep, you would have a dream as sweet as candy.
Such a rumor, reaching the ears of the not-very-cultured little child, was actually believed by him.
He slept alone. At night, secretly eating candy while sleeping, the adults wouldn't find out.
Until one night, he fell asleep, with candy in his mouth. But he was completely unconscious and just swallowed it like that.
The candy got stuck in his throat. The little child, choked, immediately started acting strangely.
The commotion from his end was heard by Huo Lin, who had woken up after hearing the video sound. Terrified, Huo Lin was jolted completely awake. He ended the video call and phoned Uncle Zhan.
When Zhan Xi ran over, he hadn't even put on shoes; he was barefoot.
Zhan Xi arrived in time and had long ago learned how to handle such situations, so in the dead of night, he managed to rescue the little child.
With the little child causing such a scene, Huo Lin couldn't rest easy and wanted to go out in the middle of the night.
Ludwig and Ai Wei were alerted, and after finding out what had happened, they also put on clothes and went out with him.
The little child, rescued by his father, was crying loudly in fright.
Zhan Xi, holding the little child, was even trembling all over. He dared not imagine that if it weren't for Xiao Lin being on a video call with the little child, what the consequences for the little child would have been that night.
By the time the royal family of three rushed over, the little child's tears hadn't stopped yet.
He lifted her chubby face, sobbing that his throat hurt.
Zhan Xi shone a light to look. His throat was severely bruised by that hard candy and was now red. Not long after the adults took the child to the hospital, the doctor said it was inflamed.
Anyway, that incident had given quite a few adults a real headache.
Afterwards, the little child cried, saying another kid had told him about it and that everyone else in his class did the same thing.
Zhan Xi understood the seriousness of the situation. He immediately posted about it in the parents' group chat, even attaching a photo of his child in the hospital.
After he sent the message, the other parents were also terrified and immediately went to check on their own children.
It was said that that very night, certain mothers, usually known for their particularly gentle voices, swung their slippers and spanked their own children, yelling as they hit, "You've got some nerve! You don't even want to live anymore! How old are you, daring to sleep with candy in your mouth!"
Young children are so small, their throats are delicate. If something hard gets stuck and an adult doesn't notice in time, it can be fatal!
Ningning was the first in class who got choked, although he wasn't the one who came up with the idea of eating candy for sweet dreams, nor the one who spread it, was just one of the many children who followed along.
But unlucky for him.
The school found out about him. During the Monday assembly, they used him as a negative example, telling the story in front of all the children and starting a weekly safety lesson.
The incident of eating candy before bed was from a while ago, but the family still sometimes mentioned it around the little child.
When the little child heard his brother bring up those words, he wisely kept quiet.
He buried his face in his brother's chest, waiting for his brother to move on from the topic before continuing to talk: "Brother, Ningning won't eat so much candy next time."
Huo Lin carefully put away all his candy wrappers, and finally gave a low "Mm" in response.
The car drove at a steady pace.
On the way, Huo Lin had already told his parents that the little child was coming for dinner, so by the time they arrived, the meal was ready.
The little child rushed over and threw himself onto Ludwig's legs.
"Uncle Lulu, up!"
At five years old, the little child was heavier than before. The adults hadn't put him on a diet, so he was still chubby, his soft, pink cheeks making the adults want to kiss him again and again.
Ludwig was strong. He bent down to pick him up and could easily support him with just one arm.
The table was set with dishes, all of which the little child loved.
Ai Wei watched as he was carried over and reached out, instinctively wanting to take him into her arms, but the little child wiggled his body and said, cheeks flushing red, "Auntie will get tired."
He was trying to say that he is heavy, and if his aunt held him, she would get tired.
Ai Wei naturally understood what the little one meant. A smile appeared in her eyes as she first kissed the little child's cheek.
The little child, whose cheek had been kissed, leaned back, laughing. After he finished laughing, he offered his other cheek: "Auntie, this side too."
"Smooch."
As the adult and child were kissing cheeks, Ludwig grew displeased. He looked at the chubby little one and asked with narrowed eyes, "When Auntie holds you, you're afraid she'll get tired, but when I hold you, you're not afraid I'll get tired?"
"And you even let Auntie kiss this side. Look, is this cheek of yours really so nice to kiss?"
After saying this, Ludwig moved to kiss the little child's cheek that had just been kissed.
The little child covered his cheek, refusing to let him.
As the two of them horsed around, the little child's giggling laughter filled the dining room. The head chef in the kitchen, upon hearing it, found his mood lifting as well.
After playing for a while, the little child was placed in his chair to start eating.
Ai Wei placed a chicken drumstick on his plate and asked gently, "Ningning, the kindergarten graduation exam is coming up soon. How are you feeling about it?"
The little child, chewing on his greasy chicken drumstick, promised his aunt, "Auntie, I will definitely score high enough to get into brother's elementary school!"
He wanted to go to the same elementary school as his brother!
Hearing him set such a goal, Ai Wei felt it might be a bit difficult.
If he didn't get in, the little one would probably be sad for a long time.
She looked up at Ludwig, who also glanced at her. Their eyes met, and Ludwig gave a slight shake of his head.
The Imperial Military Elementary School was different from the kindergarten.
To get into this elementary school, one had to pass the entrance exam on their own. At this school, no connections or influence could help a child get in through the back door.
Ai Wei frowned slightly and lowered her voice: "What about donating a few buildings plus a few more training grounds?"
Ludwig still shook his head.
No.
The Imperial Military Elementary School didn't lack money.
Seeing there was no other easy way, Ai Wei could only soften her voice and start preparing the little one in advance: "Ningning, your brother's elementary school isn't that great either. The teachers there are very strict, and there are so many subjects to study. Maybe we should look at other elementary schools?"
"No."
The little child wasn't necessarily set on that particular school; he was set on his brother: "Ningning will definitely pass the entrance exam!"
The little child was determined to take the exam for the military primary school, and the adults had no choice but to give up.
Ludwig pinched the little child's cheek, nearly making the child, who was gnawing on a chicken leg, lose his temper.
After the meal was finished.
Huo Lin picked up the little child to do homework, while Ludwig and Ai Wei still had matters to attend to.
Time passed by, bit by bit.
In Huo Lin's private study, the little child, wearing only socks, sat on a chair. With his chubby little foot pushing against the carpet, he bit his pen and listened to his brother explain the homework.
"Brother, once I'm in primary school, will there be a lot of homework too?"
"There will be."
Huo Lin replied seriously: "Primary school homework is more than kindergarten, but compared to middle school, it's still considered less."
The little child: "......"
The little child thumped his forehead onto the textbook spread open on the desk, his milky voice despondent: "How long does this child have to go to school before he doesn't have to do homework?"
Huo Lin continued to reply seriously: "It'll be better once you get to university."
Although there is homework in university too, compared to middle school, it would feel much lighter, and there would be more practical classes.
Huo Lin hadn't been explaining for much longer before he straightened the little child's small body: "Sit properly."
The revision wasn't finished yet.
The little child's academic performance over the past two years had actually improved quite a bit. The former little child who slacked off and goofed around could now, on a good day, even score within the top few ranks.
The slacker little child's sudden motivation wasn't taught by Huo Lin; it was because Zhan Xi truly had the nerve.
He had sent the little child to his biological father's place several times already.
After being sent in, no one knew if the father had woken up in between, or how many times he might have woken up. The fact was, once the little child went in, he couldn't come out for several days.
The learning drive of the little child, after being locked up and then released, was completely different from his state before being confined.
Thanks to the deterrence of the child's father, the little one now has a real chance of getting into the Imperial Military Elementary School. If it were before, there would have been no hope at all.
"Focus. Once you finish your homework, I'll take you to see Pangpang for a while."
"Okay~"
Coaxed and supervised by his brother, the little one finally met his study goals for the day.
They went to the garden to see Pangpang. Pangpang was living a carefree life there now. The food and accommodation in the palace were excellent, and there were no crowds of tourists coming to see him.
Living comfortably and cozily here, Pangpang stirred his chubby body lazily when he saw the little one approaching.
He waddled over and played enthusiastically with the little one for a while.
When he got tired from playing, Pangpang even snatched Gun Gun's apple and offered it to the little one.
Gun Gun, whose apple was snatched: "..."
He was puffing with anger.
The little one looked at the big apple Pangpang had given him. It looked so fresh and juicy. To show his appreciation, he took a bite. It was crisp and sweet.
Gun Gun was of high value, so all the food given to him was top-notch, and the apples were no exception.
After finishing Gun Gun's apple, the little one reciprocated the kindness by bringing a bundle of bamboo over to Gun Gun.
"Gun Gun, here you go."
The little one played with Gun Gun and Pangpang, while Huo Lin did not join in.
He stood quietly not too far away, waiting for them to finish playing so he could take the little one back.
