Chapter 616

Chapter 623: Studies (Part 2)

Back in their room, Lady Eleven reminded Lord Xu, "My lord, please make sure to explain the situation clearly to Master Pang later, so he understands the circumstances. Otherwise, if Shen Geer takes a bad fall or gets hurt, it would be terrible!"

"I’ll make it clear to Master Pang," Lord Xu replied with a smile, then called Jin Geer over to speak with him. "Since you’ll be learning from the master, you must take it seriously. Don't slack off—otherwise, the master will punish you."

Jin Geer kept nodding. "I won’t get punished!"

"Good," Lord Xu said with a chuckle. "Remember your words."

Jin Geer, grinning, nodded before running over to Lady Eleven, who was sitting on the kang organizing fabric remnants. "Mother, Mother, are you going to make a book bag for Seventh Brother?"

"Yes!" Lady Eleven replied, helping her son up onto the kang.

Jin Geer leaned against his mother’s lap, his large, almond-shaped eyes fixed intently on her. "Mother, Second Brother has books, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones… His inkstone even has a big tiger and pine trees carved on it…" His eyes gleamed with envy.

Yuge’s inkstone had been a gift from the Second Madam—a precious Duan inkstone from the previous dynasty.

Lady Eleven couldn’t help but pinch her son’s nose playfully. "You little scamp, I’ve already prepared something for you." She reached under the kang table and pulled out a carved boxwood case with scenes of fishermen, woodcutters, farmers, and scholars. "Here you go."

Jin Geer hesitated when he saw the case, which was about the size of Yuge’s inkstone. He carefully opened it and found brushes, inksticks, and an inkstone neatly arranged inside. The brush handle was made of bamboo, carved with a monkey holding a peach—its fur carved in such fine detail it looked real. The inkstick also featured a monkey, this one climbing on it, while the inkstone depicted a monkey gathering pinecones beneath a pine tree. All three items were small, exquisite, and utterly charming.

Jin Geer gave an excited shout and threw himself into Lady Eleven’s arms. Caught off guard, she nearly toppled backward and almost fell backward and hit the kang table.

Lord Xu reacted swiftly, grabbing his son and scolding, "You’re starting school soon—must you still be so reckless?"

"It’s fine, it’s fine!" Lady Eleven quickly reassured him with a laugh.

Undeterred, Jin Geer wriggled free and hugged his mother again. "Mother, is all this really for me?"

"Of course!" Lady Eleven embraced him. "Do you like it? I specially ordered it from Duobao Pavilion."

"I love it!" Jin Geer nodded eagerly, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons. Then he scrambled out of her arms, snatched the case, and slid down from the kang. "Mother, I’m going to see Seventh Brother!"

"It’s so late," Lady Eleven said in surprise, glancing out the window. "Go tomorrow."

"I’ll be right back!" Jin Geer’s eyes sparkled. "I’ll take Huang Xiaomao and Liu Erwu with me. I won’t wander off…"

Lady Eleven suddenly understood.

He wasn’t going to see Shen Geer—he just wanted to show off.

"You can go, but leave the case here," she said with a smile. "Be careful not to damage anything inside."

She didn’t embarrass him and didn’t expose his real motive.

Jin Geer pouted, his eyes shifting guiltily.

Lady Eleven pretended not to notice and called Hong Wen in. "It’s getting late. Help the Sixth Young Master wash up."

Hong Wen obediently took Jin Geer’s hand.

Head hanging, he followed her out.

Lady Eleven chuckled.

If she had let him go, Shen Geer would have been envious, and the Fifth Madam wouldn’t have gotten any peace.

As she tidied the fabric scraps on the kang table, she turned to Lord Xu. "My lord, shall I assist you with washing up as well?"

"No need," Lord Xu sat down opposite his wife. "Just call a maid in."

Lady Eleven summoned a young maid.

Lord Xu discussed Jin'er's schooling with her: "Don’t coddle him the moment he faces hardship—skipping school for heat, cold, wind, or rain. If he develops bad habits, he’ll never amount to anything in the future."

"Honestly, my lord," Lady Eleven set aside a few selected pieces of cloth into a small wicker basket. "Do you take me for such a soft touch?"

Lord Xu chuckled. "Don’t speak too soon. Mother’s a woman of strong opinions, isn’t she? Yet my second brother still quit midway."

"And yet your second brother turned out fine, didn’t he?" Lady Eleven teased him.

Lord Xu was momentarily speechless.

"Understood," Lady Eleven cut him a look. "I’ll make sure Jin'er attends school every day. I promise not to neglect his studies!"

Under the lamplight, her sidelong glance sparkled like sunlight on a spring stream, radiant and captivating.

Lord Xu’s heart stirred, and he took Lady Eleven’s hand.

Lady Eleven smiled faintly.

A charged, intimate tension filled the room.

Lord Xu’s lips parted as if to say something when suddenly, Hong Wen’s startled cry came from outside: "Young Master Six, the mistress said you should go tomorrow—"

Lady Eleven froze, and Lord Xu bolted outside in a flash. By the time Lady Eleven stepped outside, Lord Xu was already searching for the child: "He couldn’t have left the courtyard. Light every lantern and comb the grounds!"

He stood tall on the steps, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s. Maids and older women bustled about—some carrying stools, others holding iron hooks for lanterns, and some lifting lanterns to illuminate the courtyard’s corners—throwing the courtyard into chaos.

Hearing the commotion, Lord Xu turned his head. "This child is too quick. By the time I arrived, he was already gone." His tone carried a hint of helplessness.

Hong Wen, who was lighting a lantern nearby, immediately approached.

"Mistress," her face flushed red, on the verge of tears, "It’s all my fault for not holding him back in time..."

The bigger Jin'er got, the harder it was for the maids and older women to keep him in check. He needed a personal attendant who could keep him in line. Otherwise, in a few years when he moved to the outer courtyard, Lord Xu wouldn’t be able to watch him all the time, and there might not even be anyone to stop him then.

"I know," Lady Eleven comforted her, equally helpless. "Go light the lanterns quickly."

No sooner had she spoken than Lord Xu strode to the winterberry hedge beside the steps.

"Will you come out on your own, or shall I pull you out?" He smiled at the neatly trimmed hedge.

A rustling sound followed, and Jin'er, sulking, stood up clutching the lacquered box, a few dried grass blades still clinging to his head.

"How did Father know I was here?" he muttered softly, his eyes timidly darting toward Lady Eleven.

"This courtyard isn’t that big, and the hallway is open at a glance. Outside the gate is a passage—even an adult couldn’t run out that fast, let alone a child like you," Lord Xu didn’t scold him but patiently explained. "You were either hiding in the side rooms or some corner of the courtyard. Knowing I was searching, which maid or older woman would dare hide you? So you must have been in a nook of the courtyard. With lanterns lit, the yard brightly illuminated, and you wearing that scarlet cloak—standing out against the green—of course, I’d find you quickly."

Jin'er looked down at his crimson silk cloak embroidered with gourds and treasure vases, frowning in frustration. "If I’d known, I would’ve changed clothes before coming out!"

Lady Eleven was torn between laughter and exasperation.

Hong Wen hurriedly picked up Jin'er. "Lord, Mistress, I’ll take the Young Master Six to wash up." Her tone suggested she was desperate to brush it aside, afraid Lord Xu and Lady Eleven would press further.

"Wait," Lord Xu and Lady Eleven spoke in unison, stopping Hong Wen.

Husband and wife shared a look.

In front of so many serving women, and considering Lord Xu's dignity, Lady Eleven took a step back, signaling for him to speak first.

Lord Xu took Jin Geer from Hong Wen and walked inside while asking, "If you changed clothes, could you still hide?"

Jin Geer thought for a moment. "I'd wear green."

"What if we searched bit by bit?" Lord Xu continued toward the inner chamber.

Lady Eleven followed.

She saw Jin Geer tilting his head in silence, but his eyes gleamed with stubborn resolve.

Lord Xu sat by the window on the heated platform bed and made Jin Geer stand before him.

"Your mother didn’t allow you to leave, and the maids and matrons naturally wouldn’t permit it either. Yet you didn’t think or plan—you just charged ahead without thinking," he said calmly, gazing at his son. "I’m truly disappointed!"

Though he was lecturing Jin Geer about thinking ahead, his tone almost seemed to... encourage defiance?

Lady Eleven couldn’t help but frown. "My lord..." She interrupted Lord Xu.

Without even glancing at her, Lord Xu raised a stern hand in a silencing gesture.

With their son present, Lady Eleven had no choice but to hold her tongue.

"This isn’t about what clothes you wear," Lord Xu continued. "Think carefully about what I’ve said—doesn’t it make sense?"

Jin Geer pressed his lips together and lowered his head.

Lord Xu remained silent.

The room fell quiet, the atmosphere heavy. No one spoke.

After a long pause, Jin Geer finally looked up. "Then... then I’ll slip out the back door." His eyes darted uncertainly, betraying his lack of confidence.

"The back door has matrons on night duty," Lord Xu dashed Jin Geer’s hopes. "Besides, with Hong Wen watching you, whether you go out the front or back, the result would be the same, wouldn’t it?"

Yet Jin Geer brightened—he caught a faint glimmer of amusement in his father’s eyes.

"Then I’ll run to the courtyard first and slip to the back door?" Shedding his timidity, Jin Geer’s thoughts tumbled out. "If you’re all searching the front courtyard, I can escape through the back!"

Wasn’t this the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain?

With just a few words, Lord Xu had led Jin Geer to this idea.

Lady Eleven’s eyes widened in disbelief. Knowing that parental arguments would only confuse their child, she swallowed her words.

"Then you’d have to be faster than me!" Lord Xu could no longer contain his delight, his smile crinkled the corners of his eyes.

"Then, then..." Jin Geer’s eyes darted as he pondered his next move.

But Lord Xu scolded, "Stop glancing around! If people see your eyes shifting, they’ll know you’re plotting. They’ll see right through you while you remain clueless about them. That’s how you get outmaneuvered!"

Jin Geer hastily muttered, "Oh," and fixed his eyes straight ahead.

Lord Xu nodded in satisfaction.

Jin Geer’s expression relaxed further.

"Then I’ll wait until Hong Wen is fetching water, secretly slip out through the side chamber, and when you search the front courtyard, I’ll go out the back. If you search the back, I’ll go out the front. By the time you notice, I’ll already be gone—you’ll never catch me!"