Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family-Chapter 1028 - 1027 A Place to Train People

Chapter 1028: Chapter 1027: A Place to Train People

Chapter 1028 -1027: A Place to Train People

As soon as the subject of the Old Master Marquis came up, Chou Chou’s spirited demeanor immediately wilted.

With his little head drooping, he obediently followed Xue Lan back to the Ancestral Hall, staring blankly at the countless plaques above him. Even as Xue Lan spoke later about when to pack up the food box to leave, he did not take notice.

“Wuu wuu wuu… Mom, I was wrong, I won’t be naughty anymore! Mom, please come back, Mom, Chou Chou misses you so much! Wuu wuu…”

The howling cries echoed out from the Ancestral Hall, each shattered sob heartbreakingly piercing.

Outside the door of the Ancestral Hall stood a tall figure.

When Xue Lan passed by, she hastily paid her respects, but he simply waved his hand to dismiss her.

He stood silently outside the Ancestral Hall door for a long while, listening as the sobbing inside went from soft to loud and then from loud to soft, slowly fading to silence. Only then did he gently push open the main entrance of the Ancestral Hall.

Exhausted from crying, Chou Chou was now deeply asleep inside and did not notice the sudden presence of another person.

Di Yelei sighed. Was punishing Chou Chou by sending him to the Ancestral Hall a punishment for himself or for the boy? Ever since Chou Chou had moved in, not a single day had he slept peacefully.

Bending over, he picked up the small boy and placed him onto the temporary small bed beside him, then pulled up the quilt to cover him. Looking at Chou Chou curled up like a little kitten, he sighed deeply, stretched out his hand to touch his cheek, and then turned to walk towards the numerous plaques in the center of the Ancestral Hall.

Lighting three sticks of incense, Di Yelei stood solemnly in front of his ancestors’ plaques, praying that the child would learn from his pain and would not cause any more trouble in the future.

By the time Chou Chou awoke, Di Yelei had long since left the Ancestral Hall.

Staring at the quiet, empty Ancestral Hall and the rows of cold plaques, Chou Chou couldn’t come back to his senses for a long while. He couldn’t remember when he had returned to rest on the small bed.

Perhaps Elder Sister Xue Lan carried him up?

He thought.

At the first watch of the night, Di Yelei appeared in the manor on a fast horse.

Leaping off the horseback, he strode into the main house, which still had a solitary lamp lit.

In the room, Liu Sisi was not asleep, but instead was dabbing on rice paper. Sensing his arrival, she looked up at Di Yelei, her eyes immediately curving into crescents.

“Ye Lei, come and see, is this the person?”

In Liu Sisi’s hand was a portrait. Depicted in the portrait was an elder woman, drawn based on Chou Chou’s description. It must be said, Liu Sisi’s drawing skills had improved significantly of late, especially her ability to convey the subject’s spirit with just a few strokes.

“Very good, Sisi, you’ve done an excellent job, but after all, this is drawn based on Chou Chou’s account alone. I don’t know how much it resembles the person. Tomorrow I’ll take it to Chou Chou to have him take a closer look and make a detailed comparison.”

“That’s a good idea…”

As soon as Chou Chou was mentioned, the smile on Liu Sisi’s face disappeared.

She was lost in thought for a while before letting out a light sigh, “Chou Chou… is he doing okay?”

“You don’t need to worry, the child is well fed and rests well, even though he is in the Ancestral Hall, he’s certainly not going to starve himself. Xue Lan is specifically looking after him. Since all the servants from his home were sent away and no one was there to take care of him, we had to let Xue Lan help out.”

Di Yelei explained Chou Chou’s current situation in detail, and in the end, he analyzed the matter very seriously.

“This child, indeed, doesn’t know how to shortchange himself.”

Liu Sisi was also amused by him, “When did they put a small bed in the Ancestral Hall? I always thought he slept on the ground.”

“There was never a small bed in the Ancestral Hall before, but there’s always been a wooden table there used for placing incense and such offerings. The table isn’t tall, he gathered all the offerings from up there and stashed them in a corner, then he laid out two coats on the wooden table, and just like that, he made himself a rudimentary little bed. Other things might be barred from entering the Ancestral Hall, but clothing and such are naturally excluded. He took two extra fox fur capes and used them directly as quilts to cover himself…”

When it came to discussing Chou Chou’s recent antics, Di Yelei was brimming with words.

Not only did he explain the cause and effect, he even told Liu Sisi about what happened at dusk today.

Liu Sisi shook her head repeatedly upon hearing this. This hardly sounded like a punishment for kneeling; it seemed more like he went on a little trip.

“Well, anyway, he is still young…”

Liu Sisi thought about the root of Chou Chou’s mischief, which was related to her own indulgence, and she suddenly stopped the unfinished words in her mouth.

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“Chou Chou may have been cheeky and caused some trouble, but he isn’t truly unforgivable. Boys should be a bit boisterous, that’s best. I have thought about his future as well. With Chou Chou’s temperament, it’s not good for him to continue staying where he is. I’m thinking it would be better to send him to the academy, let him stay there. It’s better than always being in the Ancestral Hall all the time, preventing him from growing up properly. What do you think?”

What Di Yelei hadn’t said out loud was that he planned to let Chou Chou stay in the academy for another half year to learn calligraphy, and when Chou Chou turned eight, he would send him to learn martial arts under Old Tang. Then, when he turned ten, he would be sent directly to the barracks.

The barracks was the best place to shape a young man, and with Chou Chou’s active nature, only there would suit him best.

“Go to the academy? That’s certainly a good idea, I just fear some might think Chou Chou won’t make the cut and will give him a hard time.”

Liu Sisi was still worried, after all.

“Without experiencing hardships, how can one grow into a big tree? I’ve made up my mind, I’ll send him to the academy and make sure to duly inform the teachers there, let them give him a rough time. Only by facing tough challenges will he truly learn.”

“…Alright! Then let’s do it your way. Do you have any specific plans?”

“No… I was just speaking off the cuff. I don’t have any specific plans.”

“Sisi, you really look beautiful when you smile.”

Di Yelei gently took hold of Liu Sisi’s hand, slowly leading her away from the desk, and soon the two were leaning close together.

“Ye Lei, I’m not feeling well, don’t be like this…”

Facing the embrace that tightened, Liu Sisi instinctively struggled lightly.

“Stop moving! Otherwise, I might just punish you right this instant.”

Di Yelei, grinning broadly, seemed very much entertained. His own Sisi was indeed different from the rest. Even in this moment, she did not panic; instead, she silently began searching for a comfortable position.

“I’ll stop moving! You calm down too. Sending him to the school is good, at least he won’t be idle all day… But Ye Lei, Chou Chou is just over seven years old. Sending him now, won’t some people speak out? But those are just ordinary students, surely there’s no precedent for admittance to the academy at the age of seven.”

Indeed, there are many capable children of seven years old in the academy, but they are definitely excellent in their learning. Once Chou Chou enrolls, being illiterate and untrained in martial arts, he might end up at the very bottom.”

“That’s where your thinking is wrong. It’s normal for Chou Chou to start at the bottom since he’s enrolling late. But once his academic results come out, surely no one will look down on him.”