Early morning, Baiyang Alley.
“Tangyuan, time to get up.”
Qiao Suiman climbed out from under the quilts, and Lu Dongqing also woke up and quickly put on his clothes.
“Mmm.” Little Lu Yuanfeng opened his eyes sleepily. “A-mu, Father.”
“Today is your first day at the private academy. You must go early, or else the teacher will scold you,” Qiao Suiman said.
Tangyuan is already over five years old and at the age of enlightenment. Lu Dongqing had inquired about the private academy well in advance. Together with Lu Huaqing’s son, Lu Xiao, they would head to the one on Xide Road. It would take nearly the time of one incense stick to burn to reach there by carriage.
The private academy was run by a teacher from the Yunlang Academy. Having grown too old to teach at the academy, he opened his own small private academy to educate young children.
Lu Xiang had met him before and knew he was a truly knowledgeable and dedicated teacher. He therefore sent both of the young ones to study under him.
As Tangyuan grew older, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing rarely used his childhood name. Outside, they called him Yuanfeng, so he was quite accustomed to the name, unlike initially, when he didn’t even know they were calling him.
Lu Yuanfeng yawned. The noise woke his two younger brothers. Little Hetao sat up by himself and stayed obediently in place, while Xiao Ou’er smacked his lips and crawled into Qiao Suiman’s arms, saying, “A-mu, are we going out?”
They moved to Baiyang Alley for nearly a year now. The children were all accustomed to the routine of getting up every morning, eating breakfast, going to the shop, and returning in the evening. So, he assumed they were heading to the shop.
Qiao Suiman’s eyes curved into smiles. Tangyuan could dress himself now, so he and Lu Dongqing each picked up a child to dress. Xiao Ou’er has red lips and white teeth, his eyes smiling like crescent moons. Qiao Suiman chose a pale yellow hair ribbon to tie his hair, making him unbearably cute.
“First, we’ll take Da-ge to the private academy, then go to the shop,” Qiao Suiman said.
They had often talked about the private academy before, so Hetao and Ou’er knew about it. However, they did not understand what it actually meant, and thought their eldest brother was abandoning them to go play by himself.
It took a long time to explain before the two little ones stopped fussing about going along.
Tangyuan quickly put on his clothes and jumped off the bed. He pinched his youngest brother’s cheek and said, “Ou’er, Da-ge is going to the academy to learn to write and read. When you and Hetao are bigger, you can go too.”
“Like Qiao An-gege?” Little Hetao asked after putting on his clothes.
“That’s right.”
Qiao Suiman smiled. Tuanzi started school last year, though not on Xide Road.
There was a lecture hall on the outskirts of town run by a female teacher, specifically for young ge’rs and girls to learn to read and write. Unlike other private academies aimed at preparing for the imperial examinations, the one on the outskirts focused on teaching principles and practical skills such as accounting, things that would benefit girls and ge’rs.
“A-mu, when can I go?”
Xiao Ou’er tugged on Qiao Suiman’s sleeve and mumbled.
“Your big brother only started at five years old. You’re just a bit over two. You’ll have to wait a few more years.”
“Okay.”
Xiao Ou’er didn’t insist. Anyway, he still has his second brother to play with, so he wouldn’t be bored.
He then took Little Hetao’s hand. “Er gege[mfn]二哥哥 – second brother[/mfn], we’ll study together.”
Little Hetao finally smiled and spoke: “Okay.”
The three children dressed and stepped out of the room. Old Lady Li had already prepared breakfast, with washing water set to the side. She wiped their faces and helped them clean their teeth one by one.
After washing up, they sat on their chairs. Qiao Suiman no longer fed them individually. They were all old enough to eat on their own now, so he didn’t have to worry too much. For breakfast, they had braised noodles, and everyone at the table ate heartily.
Old Li, Old Lady Li, and Li Heng ate separately at a smaller table, having only plain noodles.
Old Li finished quickly and went to hitch the carriage. After locking the rooms, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing took the children to the carriage to go to the private academy, while Old Lady Li and Li Heng went to the shop.
They got up early today, so there were only a few people on the street. Heijin ran ahead of the carriage on his own. Now over nine years old, he was still strong and healthy due to good care, running back and forth to the family shop every day.
They also kept two wolfdogs at the house in Baiyang Alley, making Heijin’s job of guarding the house much easier.
When they entered Xide Road, they passed by a bookshop, where Lu Huaqing, Meng Yan, and Lu Xiao were already waiting.
Lu Yuanfeng and Lu Xiao were only about a month apart in age. They often played together and were very familiar. Now that they will attend academy together, they already arranged to go at the same time.
The book boxes for the two children were both made by Lu Dongqing, perfectly sized for their height so they could carry them.
When they arrived at the gate of the private academy, many families were already waiting outside. Lu Yuanfeng eagerly hopped off the carriage and ran to Lu Xiao’s side, waiting for the doors to open.
“A-mu, will Da-gege not go to the shop with us anymore?” Xiao Ou’er pouted.
“He will. He has a vacation every month,” Qiao Suiman said, bending down to pat Xiao Ou’er’s back.
Little Hetao took his younger brother’s hand. “Ou’er, Er gege will play with you.”
Xiao Ou’er finally broke into a smile.
Before long, the private academy gate opened. They already paid and submitted name plaques. After verifying with the academy attendant, Lu Yuanfeng and Lu Xiao were led inside.
Lu Yuanfeng turned around after entering the main gate and waved: “A-mu, Father Uncle, Auntie, Hetao, Ou’er, I’m going in!”
“Go ahead,” Qiao Suiman smiled and waved his hand.
“Good thing they have each other for company,” Meng Yan said.
“Indeed.”
The private academy gate closed. They needed to deliver a meal at noon and then pick them up in the afternoon.
They did not linger and returned to the shop by carriage.
With their own child starting school for the first time, both Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing were quite nervous. They were absent-minded all morning. As mealtime approached, Qiao Suiman prepared the meal himself, and then he and Lu Dongqing took the two little ones to deliver it.
The drink shop has people watching it, and the bamboo ware shop has also hired helpers, so leaving for a while wasn’t a problem.
After a while, the young children streamed out like little fish. Lu Yuanfeng and Lu Xiao came out together, chatting with several other children around them, talking to them and chattering. They seemed perfectly at ease and showed no signs of discomfort.
“Yuan’er!”
Qiao Suiman was so anxious that he blurted out Tangyuan’s childhood nickname unconsciously.
“A-mu!”
Lu Yuanfeng was very happy to see them all come. He ran over in a few steps and said goodbye to his other little friends.
Lu Xiao got into his family’s carriage to eat. Lu Yuanfeng also panted as he climbed into their carriage. Qiao Suiman opened the small wooden box and said with a smile, “Did you meet new friends today?”
Seeing the box full of food, Lu Yuanfeng nearly drooled and quickly nodded: “The teacher asked our names. I remember them. I played with them after class.”
“Very impressive,” Lu Dongqing said with a laugh.
Worried that the younger two would be envious watching Tangyuan eat, Qiao Suiman had simply packed two extra portions, letting all the children eat in the carriage. He and Lu Dongqing would eat later when they returned.
The time allotted by the private academy was quite sufficient. After finishing his meal, Tangyuan told them about what he did that morning. He spoke with great enthusiasm, but his two younger brothers listened with drowsy eyes.
Qiao Suiman lowered his head and secretly smiled. After a while, he sent him back into the private academy, saying, “Father and A-mu will come pick you up later.”
“Understood, A-mu.”
Back at the shop, they carried the already sleeping little ones inside, removed their shoes and socks, and only then did Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing have time to eat at leisure.
Lu Dongqing swallowed a big mouthful of rice and said with a laugh, “We worried he wouldn’t adapt, but it turns out we’re the ones not used to it.”
Qiao Suiman’s eyes curved. “That’s right, I was restless all morning. But he was fine, it was like he was having fun.”
“In a few years, when we send the two little ones to school as well, we’ll have it easier,” Lu Dongqing said.
Qiao Suiman bit his chopsticks and nodded with a smile, “We haven’t gone out alone in a long time. How about we find a time when Tangyuan is on break, take the children back home, and let Mother look after them for a few days. Then we’ll go have some fun.”
Lu Dongqing’s eyes lit up. He picked up a meatball and put it in Qiao Suiman’s bowl, grinning as he said, “Sounds good.”
These past two years, with so many children, and the shop business has been doing well, even with hired help, there was still much to worry about. Sometimes, even intimate moments had to wait until the children were sound asleep before they could sneak off to the bedroom, let alone go out alone together.
The thought alone had Lu Dongqing grinning so wide he forgot to eat. Qiao Suiman laughed heartily, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
He couldn’t help but feel they weren’t exactly proper parents, always thinking about sneaking off without the kids to have fun.
Lu Dongqing grew happier the more he thought about it. “Let’s close the shop early this year and send them back ahead of time. Then we can go stay in the prefectural city for a couple of days. We didn’t get to see the observation tower and Dawangou[mfn]大彎溝 dà wān gōu – Great Bend Valley[/mfn] last time. This will be the perfect chance to see them.”
“Hmm, but you said before that when Tangyuan is five or six and could remember things, we’d take him along,” Qiao Suiman teased.
Lu Dongqing shoveled a few bites of rice and shamelessly replied, “At the time, I didn’t know we would have two more little ones. Hetao is fine, but Ou’er is delicate. We’ll wait until he grows bigger.”
Qiao Suiman raised an eyebrow. The words sounded perfectly reasonable, yet they couldn’t hide the fact that the two of them were just being playful.
Their gazes met, filled with tacit understanding, and they both lowered their heads and laughed.
Little Scholar Yuanfeng gradually settled into his studies. He was very diligent with his schoolwork, and the teacher even praised him a few times. When Qiao Suiman found out, he was so pleased that he immediately prepared a grand meal for him.
“Hetao, you’re eating too little. Have a few more bites.”
Compared to the eldest son who loves to eat, the second son has never liked to eat since he was a baby. This caused Qiao Suiman constant headaches for quite some time, often nagging him about it.
Lu Dongqing took the opportunity to put two meatballs into Little Hetao’s bowl and said, “Finish them all. Don’t waste food.”
Little Hetao crushed the meat into his rice, then pursed his lips and said, “Okay.”
“Hetao, eat more. You need to eat a lot to grow tall and strong. Otherwise, you’ll only be, only be…”
Tangyuan thought for a moment, then whispered, “Only as tall as Old Grandpa Li. But I’ll be as tall as Father!”
Qiao Suiman burst out laughing, nearly choking on the soup he was drinking. Even Lu Dongqing couldn’t hold back, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
Hetao’s eyes widened. Though still young, he could see there was quite a difference in height between Old Li and Lu Dongqing. He looked at Lu Dongqing and Qiao Suiman in alarm and said, “Is what Da-ge said true?”
Qiao Suiman suppressed a smile and nodded solemnly: “It’s true. You need to eat more meat to grow tall. See how your gege is a bit taller than the others?”
Lu Dongqing also nodded, then turned away and cleared his throat.
Little Hetao immediately gripped his spoon tightly and shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed hurriedly, then blurted out, “I want to be as tall as Father, so I can protect A-mu and didi.”
Qiao Suiman’s heart warmed. His second son has always been this way since childhood, very endearing. Thinking for a moment, Qiao Suiman said, “From now on, eat everything A-mu serves you, and you can become as tall as Father.”
In the past, they often had little to eat. Now that they could provide better conditions for their children, naturally they hoped the children could eat and live well.
Hetao usually ate very little, sometimes even less than Ou’er, the little ge’r. That’s why Qiao Suiman is worried. But after all, he is only just over two years old. As long as he can finish what he’s been given, that’s enough.
Little Hetao nodded: “Understood, A-mu. I will eat properly.”
Xiao Ou’er, who was obediently eating the noodles in his own bowl, also looked up with sparkling eyes and said, “Ou’er will eat too!”
“Alright, alright, alright,” Qiao Suiman responded, his eyes narrowed with a smile.
Little Lu Yuanfeng was quite proud as he was eating meat with hearty mouthfuls.
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