OFTLHFRO C24

Chapter 24: The Academy Holds Them Back

In Luo Mingchen’s eyes, those students were all walking copper coins, so he called out his sales pitch even more vigorously.

Many who had been lured away by the candied hawthorn vendor turned back at the sound of something “chilled and refreshing.” In twos and threes, curious students gathered around.

One slightly plump youth frowned and asked, “Is your pudding really any good?”

Luo Mingchen kept smiling smoothly. “Of course it’s delicious. Young master, if you like things sweeter, you can choose the brown sugar one—it has red beans inside. If you prefer something less sweet, there’s the coconut milk one, the plain rice-flavored one, and another with pineapple chunks.”

The boy blinked, stunned. “You can add pineapple in there?”

“Yes, you can.”

Hesitating for a while, he finally decided to buy one of each, adding, “But if they’re not good, I won’t come again.”

Such a childish remark made Luo Mingchen want to laugh. “I guarantee you’ll come back for more, young master.”

The boy grinned, took the wrapped puddings, and left. Along the way he poked one with a bamboo skewer and took a bite.

It really was chilled and refreshing…

Once one person gave it a try, others curious about it followed suit. Most just bought one or two bowls to sample. Few were as generous as that wealthy boy.

By the end, all the puddings Luo Mingchen had prepared were sold out to the students. More people who came afterward, having heard about it, were disappointed when told he’d already closed for the day.

He reassured them that he would sell again tomorrow, and only then did they leave.

When the crowd finally thinned, Huo Yuhui brought Huo Xiang over.

“Little daddy! Daddy!”

Huo Xiang ran up happily.

Luo Mingchen gently pinched his finally-rounding cheeks and said, amused, “Why haven’t you two gone for lunch yet?”

Huo Yuhui answered, “We wanted to wait and eat with both daddies.”

Little Huo Xinyue, spotting her brothers, waved excitedly.

Seeing her, Huo Xiang quickly reached out and pulled her from Huo Yan’s arms. “Feels like you’ve gotten heavier,” he muttered.

Xinyue giggled, planted a kiss on his cheek, and called him, “Brother.”

At that, Huo Xiang immediately forgot about her “being heavy” and beamed, kissing her little face in return.

Not wanting to leave her eldest brother out, Xinyue stretched out her arms for Huo Yuhui, kissed him too, and happily received one back in fairness.

Watching them passing kisses around so freely, Luo Mingchen chuckled. He himself had been standing at the stall all morning and was starting to feel hungry. “Let’s go.”

On a nearby street was a small eatery where most of the patrons were students. Prices were affordable.

They sat down and ordered a few dishes—the rice there was all-you-can-eat. Even if they had ordered just one dish with rice, they could still get more refills if they weren’t full.

Some students looked down on the place, claiming such a humble establishment was beneath their status, choosing instead to have meals delivered by servants from home or to dine at a more elegant and distant restaurant.

The food here was decent enough, though Huo Xiang felt it still couldn’t compare to Little Daddy’s cooking.

But since Huo Yuhui had told him not to say such things, Huo Xiang stayed quiet and simply lowered his head to eat.

After finishing, Luo Mingchen took out the two puddings he had saved especially for them—pineapple for Huo Xiang, coconut milk for Huo Yuhui.

“Here, save them for later. But don’t wait too long—it’s hot outside.”

“Little daddy! You’re the best!”

Huo Xiang threw his arms around him with joy. He had been craving one when watching other students eat, but his elder brother told him not to run over, lest Luo Mingchen feel pressured to share more.

So he hadn’t expected Little Daddy to set some aside for him deliberately…

Luo Mingchen couldn’t help laughing. “You two should head back to the academy now. You still have classes this afternoon. Take a short rest after eating.”

“Mm!”

Watching the brothers trot off toward the academy, Luo Mingchen let out a small breath of relief.

After eating, little Huo Xinyue became drowsy and yawned.

Seeing Luo Mingchen glance his way, Huo Yan quipped, “And mine?”

Luo Mingchen raised a brow. “Are you a child too?”

Clearly underestimating Huo Yan’s shamelessness, he answered, “Yes.”

“… I’ll save you some next time.”

Instead of going home, the two went to their newly-purchased residence nearby, which still needed tidying. Fallen tiles and broken pieces could be replaced after everything was cleaned and workers hired to repair the house.

Luo Mingchen sat with the sleeping Huo Xinyue in a shaded corner, using his water ability to help clear blockages in the small lake.

Huo Yan trimmed away dead or crooked branches and swept fallen leaves from the path.

They had already done part of this work previously—now they were finishing the rest. Later they would purchase clay bricks and tiles, tidy up the house’s interior dust, and finally move their things inside.

After toiling the whole afternoon, they went to meet the boys at the academy, but strangely, the brothers were not at their usual waiting spot.

They lingered at the gate, watching people leave until nearly everyone was gone. Then Luo Mingchen went up to ask the guard: “Brother, have all the students left already?”

The guard, who somewhat remembered them, replied, “The teacher has kept them back.”

Puzzled, Luo Mingchen asked, “Why?”

“They fought with others. Since you’re here, you’d better go inside. The servants of the other students have already been sent to call their parents.”

Alarmed, they hurried in with Huo Xinyue.

Quite a few children had been detained. Besides Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang, there were five more of similar age, including the same wealthy youth from earlier.

Huo Yuhui was injured in several places, with a doctor applying medicine to him.

When Teacher Mo saw the two men arrive, his face relaxed slightly. “You certainly are diligent in coming to fetch these children every time.”

Luo Mingchen nudged Huo Yan, signaling for him to answer.

Huo Yan explained, “At their age, we shouldn’t need to escort them daily. But the mountain path is rough, and the two children are frail. Without companions their age, we thought it best to escort them ourselves until their health improves.”

“They may be frail in body, yet courageously reckless!” Teacher Mo said coldly. “Four boys held them down and beat them—and still they refused to yield. Had I not arrived in time, who knows how seriously they might have been harmed!”

His ire held more disappointment than anger—hating iron for not becoming steel. Huo Yuhui was easily the most talented student he had ever encountered, while Huo Xiang’s mental arithmetic was impressive, and both were normally obedient. To think they could have been crippled in a fight—how wasteful would that be?

Against stronger opponents, as the saying goes, “a wise man doesn’t suffer needlessly.” What harm is there in yielding for the moment?

Frowning, Luo Mingchen bowed slightly. “Thank you, Teacher. But our children are usually obedient. Why did they fight in the first place?”

Teacher Mo snorted. “Ask them. The younger one was so terrified he turned pale. As for the elder—I pressed him for some time, and he refused to utter a word.”

At that, Luo Mingchen went to gently take Huo Xiang’s hand. “Xiang, why did you start fighting with others?”

Until now, the boy’s eyes had stayed fixed on his injured elder brother, stupefied by fear. But the moment he saw his two fathers, he burst into tears, hugging Luo Mingchen and sobbing, “Little daddy! They snatched my food, and they tried to kill brother! Wuuuhhh…”

Footnotes:

• Steamed rice pudding (缽仔糕, bōzǎigāo) – Southern Chinese dessert made from rice flour, sugar, and water, commonly eaten chilled in small bowls. 
• Walking copper coins – colloquial expression, meaning potential customers viewed purely as money.

   

• Hating iron for not becoming steel (恨鐵不成鋼) – Chinese idiom describing deep disappointment when someone with potential fails to meet expectations.