Chapter 853: 855, Bao Bao Who Sneaks Cigarettes (First Update)

On the other hand, Zi also really enjoyed the pastries here, and since he saw Duanmu Sheng as a good friend, over time, they became even more familiar with each other.

"Children won’t know how to grow if they don’t face pressure. I’m doing this for her own good." Duanmu Sheng wanted to nurture Nian’en to become capable. She didn’t want Nian’en to be played like she was by a man, disappointing so many people by her side.

Therefore, Duanmu Sheng had arranged many classes for the three-year-old Nian’en—etiquette, tea ceremony, calligraphy, dance...

She was determined to make Nian’en proficient in the Six Arts of a gentleman.

Hearing this, Zi decided not to say more. After all, different values make debate pointless.

"By the way, where’s Nian’en today? I haven’t seen her. Is she at class?" Zi took a bite of soft bread and asked.

Wow, the bread is really delicious, fragrant, sweet, and soft...

It feels like life itself has been elevated in quality.

Zi closed her eyes in satisfaction.

Despite the length of time that had passed, Zi still hadn’t kicked the habit of being greedy for food.

Live till old, eat till old.

This was Zi’s profound motto.

Duanmu Sheng looked at Zi and a faint smile curved her lips.

"Sheng Sheng!" A beautiful female voice came from outside.

Duanmu Sheng looked up and saw Situ Ya walking in from outside the door, and it only then occurred to Duanmu Sheng that Situ Ya had the day off.

"Sheng Sheng, where’s my goddaughter? I’ve specially made some delicious food for you today," Situ Ya said as she placed the lunchbox on the table.

Zi immediately stopped eating the bread, taking a light sniff. A glint of infinite brightness sparkled in his eyes.

Good food.

"Nian’en is with my mom. The old lady likes children. I asked Nian’en to spend more time with her," Duanmu Sheng said with a smile. "Ya Ya, you make delicious food every week to bring to me and Nian’en on your day off, but really, you don’t have to go through all this trouble."

Zi closed his eyes and slowly said, "Sweet and sour ribs, fish-flavored shredded pork, salt and pepper squid, cola chicken wings..." So many tasty foods, Zi was already drooling!

Situ Ya glanced at Zi, and with a hint of disdain, she said, "Little Black Charcoal, you’re here again? Be honest, do you have any designs on our Sheng Sheng?" Little Black Charcoal was the ’affectionate’ nickname Situ Ya gave to Zi.

"Ya Ya, what nonsense are you talking about!" Duanmu Sheng tugged on Situ Ya’s sleeve.

"Designs?" Zi widened his eyes at Situ Ya with some confusion. "What designs?" Even if there were any designs, it was on the delicacies here, with no designs on Duanmu Sheng at all.

Zi hadn’t yet harbored any thoughts of romance.

Seeing Zi’s clear gaze, a shade of sadness flashed across Duanmu Sheng’s eyes.

From that look, Duanmu Sheng could tell that Zi had no designs on her at all.

But happiness is fought for by oneself, wouldn’t there be a different outcome if one were more proactive?

Some things you only know after trying, so Duanmu Sheng wanted to give it a try.

Situ Ya was experienced in reading people, and she obviously knew that Zi had no thoughts about Duanmu Sheng, but seeing that Duanmu Sheng clearly had feelings for him, she wanted to help bring the two together.

Duanmu Sheng raising a child alone would indeed have a hard time without a man.

"Are you an idiot?" Situ Ya, somewhat dissatisfied, knocked on Zi’s head. Was this guy thick-headed? If he had no feelings for Duanmu Sheng, why would he appear here so often?

"Miss Lin, hitting people is rude behavior!" Zi touched his own head somewhat innocently, especially hitting someone as adorable as him—that’s just wrong!

"So what if I hit you? Little Black Charcoal, can’t handle it?" With that, Situ Ya knocked on Zi’s head even harder.

Zi looked up at Situ Ya, "Ladies should use words, not force!"

Situ Ya said with a smiling face, "Sorry, I am a goddess."

Zi: "..." If it weren’t for the sake of food, he would have left long ago!

Damn it! The food in the box really smells too good!

Lin Yuya, this woman, is really not like a woman at all!

She’s a total man!

No! It’s a tigress!

No wonder the book always says women are tigers.

Now I see, looking at Situ Ya.

Zi, although grumbling in her heart, still maintained an honest and naive appearance on her face.

"Little Black Charcoal, you say you come here to Sheng’s place every day, do you have any ulterior motives?" Situ Ya looked at Zi, her eyes slightly squinting, with scrutiny twinkling at the bottom.

"I do," Zi nodded earnestly.

"See, I knew it...", a sly glint crossed Situ Ya’s slightly narrowed eyes.

A gleam also passed through Duanmu Sheng’s eyes, as Situ Ya’s actions were so obvious, how could she not know Situ Ya’s intentions.

"I’m plotting to eat all the new products here, tiramisu, Boston pie, Paris twilight, green grasslands..." Zi continued, "Sister Sheng, the pastries here are really delicious! I love them! By the way, when will you open a branch near where I live? That way, I wouldn’t have to travel so far to buy from here!"

To say Zi lacked emotional intelligence, she actually did have some.

Her words severed all of Duanmu Sheng’s thoughts. Before, her interactions with Duanmu Sheng were just like friends, never considering the male-female relationship. But hearing Situ Ya’s words today, it seemed that their relationship was no longer just simple friendship.

She didn’t want to hold Duanmu Sheng back, so it was better to clear things up.

Duanmu Sheng’s expression remained usual, smilingly she said, "I do have thoughts of opening another branch, but I didn’t have enough funds at the time. I’ll think about it when I’m more financially stable." Duanmu Sheng instantly understood Zi’s intention from her speech.

She couldn’t help wondering, did the old Zi really not like her?

But if not, why would he go to such lengths to help her?

This left Duanmu Sheng quite puzzled.

Let’s try again.

For the sake of Nian’en, she had to try again.

"Take your paws off, who let you touch my lunch box!" Situ Ya slapped away Zi’s hand.

Zi withdrew her hand and said with a simple smile, "Beautiful things should be shared with everyone. I’ve nearly tasted all the delicacies of the Superpower World, but today is the first time I’ve encountered such fragrant dishes. Where did you get this packed? Tell me the name of the shop and its address; I want to go there for all my meals from now on."

"These dishes were made by Ya herself, Zi, aren’t you out of food? Come sit down and eat with us." Duanmu Sheng said, smilingly taking out the dishes from the box.

Instantly, the fragrance became even more intense.

"Little Black Charcoal, today you’re in luck," Situ Ya said, hitting the back of Zi’s head again.

The hit left Zi dazed.

"If you break me, you’ll be responsible!" Zi looked up at Situ Ya.

"What now? You’re planning to con me?" Situ Ya’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Perhaps past experiences had conditioned Situ Ya to reflexively hit a man whenever she saw one.

Especially upon seeing Little Black Charcoal, that is, Zi.

Duanmu Sheng played the peacemaker, "Alright, alright, let’s eat, the food’s getting cold." Watching Situ Ya and Zi, Duanmu Sheng suddenly felt like she was looking after two kids.

**

Duanmu Family.

Zhou Yiheng brought Lin Xiyuan to the Duanmu Family as guests.

Zhou Jin and Duanmu Canghai received them with great enthusiasm.

Lin Xiyuan, seeing Zhou Jin busy herself around, didn’t feel like she had discovered anything amiss.

Zhou Jin, towards her, was as good as ever.

So, it must have been overthinking on her part, Lin Xiyuan felt slightly relieved.

"Auntie, Uncle, how come I haven’t seen Little Zhe and his wife?" Zhou Yiheng asked curiously.

Zhou Jin smiled and said, "Those two kids went to bed late last night, they haven’t woken up yet."

Duanmu Zhe and Mo Qingyi usually endured very tough conditions in the army, so sleeping in at home was quite normal for them, Zhou Jin wasn’t concerned.

"Still not up?" Zhou Yiheng said in surprise, "It’s past eleven in the noon, and they’re still asleep? They love to sleep in, don’t they?"

Lin Xiyuan took over the conversation and said, "Yi Heng, why are you making such a fuss? Can’t Brother Duanmu and Sister Qingyi have a good relationship?"

Zhou Yiheng nodded, "Alright, alright, whatever you say goes." Zhou Yiheng was now very obedient to Lin Xiyuan. If Lin Xiyuan asked him to go east, he would not dare to go west. Having just reconciled after a fall-out, Zhou Yiheng of course wanted to coax Lin Xiyuan properly.

Seeing the love between these two, Zhou Jin also felt relieved.

It was not until dinner time that Mo Qingyi and Duanmu Zhe came downstairs.

Lin Xiyuan looked at the couple, who appeared as if they were a match made in heaven, and her grip on her chopsticks involuntarily tightened until her knuckles turned slightly white. However, she disguised her emotions very well, and with Zhou Yiheng by her side, almost no one noticed her abnormality.

After all, in everyone’s eyes, she and Zhou Yiheng were the pair to match.

Duanmu Zhe and Mo Qingyi’s love was stronger than gold.

Fortunately, they didn’t have a child yet.

A child would become the greatest hidden worry between them.

Imperial palace.

After several days of excitement, the imperial palace returned to calm.

Chu Jin was currently teaching Bei Bei ancient medicine.

Since Bei Bei was not allowed to practice her special ability, learning additional skills would be useful to her in the future.

"China’s ancient medicine emphasizes ’observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking.’ Bei Bei, tell Mommy, what do these mainly refer to?" Chu Jin was holding a blue-bound ancient book, quizzing Bei Bei.

Bei Bei scratched her head, then said, "Observation refers to examining one’s complexion. Listening means hearing the breath. Questioning involves inquiring about symptoms. Pulse-taking is about feeling the pulse. Together, they are known as the Four Diagnostics."

Listening to Bei Bei’s answer, Chu Jin nodded with satisfaction, "Bei Bei is so clever. Mommy will reward you with a candy."

"Thank you, Mommy, I also think I’m very smart." Bei Bei immediately unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth.

Just then, a loud crying voice came from the practice room.

"Mommy... help..."

Yes, that distinctive cry could only belong to Bao Bao.

"Mommy, it’s big brother." Bei Bei grasped Chu Jin’s hand anxiously.

"Let’s go have a look." Chu Jin bent down to pick up Bei Bei and ran quickly to the practice room.

Bao Bao seldom cried, so something must have happened today.

Upon entering the practice room, Chu Jin frowned slightly at the scene before her.

She saw that Mo Zhixuan was pulling down Bao Bao’s pants and striking his bottom with a ruler.

Bao Bao was lying over a stool, his little bottom marked with red stripes after red stripes.

Chu Jin felt a heart-wrenching pain at the sight.

"What is going on here?" Chu Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, "What has Bao Bao done wrong?"

Mo Zhixuan usually didn’t hit children. His outrage today must have had its reasons.

"Mommy!" Seeing Chu Jin come over, Bao Bao ran quickly to her side as if he had seen his savior, not even bothering to pull up his pants, "Mommy, Daddy hit me! It hurts!"

Seeing Bao Bao’s pitiable state, Chu Jin couldn’t care for anything else and hurriedly bent down to pick him up, "Don’t cry now. Mommy will punish Daddy for you later. Really, how could he be so heavy-handed? Look at this little bottom, it’s all swollen."

Bao Bao wiped away his tears and sobbed, "I also want to spank Daddy’s little bottom!" Otherwise, he wouldn’t feel relieved!

"Jin, don’t mind him. Today I must discipline him properly!" Mo Zhixuan walked over holding the ruler, with a stern look on his face.

"Mommy save me! Daddy is bad! Daddy only allows officials to start fires and won’t let the common people light lamps!" Bao Bao clung tightly to Chu Jin, scared.

"What on earth happened?" Chu Jin looked up at Mo Zhixuan, "Look how scared you’ve made the child!"

"Ask him yourself about the good deed he’s done!" Mo Zhixuan replied, his lips tightly pursed and his face serious.

Chu Jin was truly curious about what Bao Bao could have done to upset Mo Zhixuan to this extent.

You should know, Mo Zhixuan is usually quite committed to educating through civil methods, hardly ever resorting to corporal punishment for the children.

This time, he must have been truly angered.

"What did you do to make Daddy so angry?" Chu Jin looked at Bao Bao.

"I... I..." Bao Bao felt guilty and didn’t dare to look at Chu Jin.

Chu Jin set Bao Bao down on the ground, her face stern, "Tell the truth, what did you do!"

The atmosphere turned somewhat cold.

Bao Bao and Bei Bei, seeing how serious Mommy and Daddy were, didn’t dare to speak.

"Mommy..." Bao Bao grabbed Chu Jin’s hand, his tone somewhat ingratiating, "Mommy, you have to promise me, after I tell you, you won’t get angry, you won’t hit me, and especially not break the gentleman’s agreement like Daddy did, a real gentleman should use his mouth, not his hands."

Chu Jin nodded gently, "Okay, I’ll do as you say, now tell me."

Seeing this, Bao Bao felt relieved and continued, "I... I took Daddy’s cigarettes..."

"What else!" Mo Zhixuan demanded in a harsh tone.

Chu Jin’s gaze was tender, "What else?"

Bao Bao swallowed hard, feeling something was off—the tenderness from Mommy was scary.

"Spit it out, once you do, Mommy absolutely won’t spank you," Chu Jin said, reaching out to touch Bao Bao’s head.

Bao Bao touched his bottom, looking pitiful, "Mommy, my little bottom hurts, can I not say it?"

Chu Jin shook her head, "No, you cannot."

"Mommy..." Bao Bao pulled at Chu Jin’s hand, rocking his body, starting to act coquettishly.

"Stand up straight!" Chu Jin suddenly became stern, "Confess to lighten your punishment; resist, and it will be harsher!"

Bao Bao’s heart trembled, and he instantly stopped wriggling and trying to butter her up with sweet words.

When Mommy got angry, it was far worse than when Daddy did.

Indeed, what they said on TV was true, the weather in June, a woman’s face, they change in an instant.

Mommy’s face change was faster than flipping a book!

Scary!

Terrible!

"I took Daddy’s cigarettes, then I tried a little bit, and gave other kids a little bit to try too... because Daddy said, right, that good things should be shared with everyone... Mommy, did I do the right thing?" Bao Bao gave Chu Jin a big smile, the saying goes, don’t hit a smiling face, Mommy must think he is too cute to want to hit him.

"Was it just a little bit? Be honest with Mommy, how many cigarettes did you secretly take!" Mo Zhixuan said coldly.

He didn’t know about this until a parent came to complain.

They said Bao Bao took their children to secretly smoke, even getting a five-year-old addicted to cigarettes.

A mere five-year-old, addicted to cigarettes because of Bao Bao, and the child was a little girl...

How could this not make Mo Zhixuan angry?

Bao Bao, only four years old, knew to secretly take cigarettes to smoke, leading other children to smoke as well—what would happen when he grew older if not to turn the world upside down?

"Not... not much..." Bao Bao lowered his head, "Just one pack..."

One pack of cigarettes contains 12 cartons.

A child secretly taking 12 cartons of cigarettes—this was a very serious problem!

Chu Jin’s expression also gradually became serious.

With a "smack," Mo Zhixuan swung the ruler down hard on Bao Bao’s bottom.

Bao Bao’s lips puckered, about to burst into tears.

Chu Jin spoke up coldly, "Mo Jingxing, no crying!"

Bao Bao forcefully swallowed his cry, sporting an expression of wanting but not daring to cry, truly aggrieved.

"Who told you to secretly take Daddy’s cigarettes? And who told you to lead other kids to smoke? Mo Jingxing, I’m asking you, who gave you such boldness!" Chu Jin’s face was devoid of any expression.

When it came to educating her child, she wouldn’t indulge him excessively—when it was time to discipline, she would discipline.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read