Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 783 Two Children
In fact, some things seem to be preordained even if time and space are changed. Ever since that day of roasted lamb, little Meiniang has become a regular visitor to the courtyard.

Unlike Zhang Jianzhi, who came here to find her father, she often came simply to freeload. Although she was the daughter of Wu Shihuo, the Wu family was no benevolent group. A girl's good looks could be a resource, but until she could utilize that resource, all she would ever receive was the world's covetousness towards her.

Fuliang is indeed better than other places. If her mother hadn't brought her back from her hometown, she knew how her older brother would treat her. But it's only slightly better here. Although she is young, her reaction to the malice of the world seems to be innate.

Only in this small courtyard could she feel a great sense of peace, free from those malicious covetousnesses and desires for her body.

There was only the food laid out for me to enjoy every day and the endless stories to hear.

Good morning, sir.

It was another day off, and Xiao Meiniang arrived even earlier than Zhang Jianzhi. After entering the house, she didn't waste any words. She greeted everyone and went straight to the kitchen. After eating two large bowls of rice porridge and three fist-sized buns, she took out the clothes from the washroom and squatted in the yard to start washing them.

Xia Lin didn't stop her, because this was her own work-study program. It was already past the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the weather had become a bit cold. Her hands quickly turned red. Shui Xian, being an older woman, felt sorry for the delicate girl suffering like this, so she went to help.

"No need." Xia Lin raised her hand to stop her and said, "She should understand that there is no such thing as a free meal in this world. If you want to get what you need, you either have to use your brain, your body, or your labor. If you keep helping her because she is weak, she will pay a heavy price in the future."

Just then, Xiao Meiniang finished hanging up the clothes and went to the study without saying a word, where she continued copying the article that she hadn't finished yesterday.

This copying was also one of her daily tasks, because Xia Lin would regularly look through the works written by literary talents in the market, but some people's handwriting was really a headache. It wasn't that the writing was bad, but that it was too unrestrained and made people's heads hurt. So one of Xiao Meiniang's tasks was to use regular script to copy these texts and compile them into a book for the master.

This was not just about labor; she also had the opportunity to read extensively. Needless to say, her talent was exceptional, and in just a few days, her progress far surpassed that of her peers. Even Zhang Jianzhi, who was known for his intelligence at school, always lost to her in discussions.

When Zhang Jianzhi arrived at Xia Lin's place, he didn't have to do any work, and there wasn't much work for him to do. Shui Xian asked him about this with great curiosity.

"Sir, wouldn't this seem unfair?"

"Of course, there is no such thing as true fairness in the world. Although Zhang Jianzhi's parents are not around, he has no worries about food and clothing. But look at Xiao Wu. If the school did not provide meals, she and her mother would not even be able to eat. If she were to cry out for fairness in this situation, wouldn't that be somewhat unfair to others? I have told her that fairness is never something that is given to you by charity; it is something that you have to fight for yourself."

Just then, Zhang Jianzhi's voice rang out again: "Uncle! Come quickly, Uncle."

Xia Lin got up and went into the courtyard. Looking at Zhang Jianzhi, whose head was the only part of his body visible outside the wall, she asked with a wry smile, "What are you doing so early in the morning?"

"Just now when I came over, I saw a beautiful young woman at the intersection, dressed in gorgeous clothes. She was absolutely stunning!

"Where do you get so many beauties? I've noticed you have one every three days and one stunningly beautiful woman every five. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Uncle, I really didn't lie to you! Come and see!"

Xia Lin waved her hand: "Want some steamed buns?"

"Look at it first, then eat."

Unable to withstand his entanglement, Xia Lin reluctantly pushed open the courtyard gate and went out. As soon as she went out, she heard footsteps coming from the alleyway not far ahead. Then she saw Li Min, the head of the four personal guards of Li Tang, leading his men and walking quickly towards her.

Xia Lin nodded to him from a distance. Li Min and her group knelt on one knee in front of Xia Lin and were about to speak when Xia Lin stopped them: "Get up, say what you have to say."

Only then did Li Min notice the unfamiliar child standing next to Xia Lin. He nodded gently and said, "Sir, the young master and young lady have arrived."

"Bring them in."

After a while, Xia Lin's Li Zhi and Dugu Jiaye appeared outside the small gate. Li Zhi had just turned ten years old this year. Although he still looked like a child, he was raised to be the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. His demeanor was so distinguishable that he could be seen at a glance from others.

Beside her was Li Zhi's younger sister, the future Princess Dugu Jiaye of the Tang Dynasty. Unlike her mother, she loved beautiful clothes from a young age. If I'm not mistaken, the gorgeous little sister Zhang Jianzhi mentioned earlier was her.

Sure enough, Zhang Jianzhi pointed at Kasyapa in astonishment and said, "She...she..."

"Daddy!"

Unlike Li Zhi, Jia Ye was still a child at heart. Upon seeing her father, she was naturally overjoyed and ran over to Xia Lin, throwing herself into his arms.

Instead, Li Zhi bowed to Xia Lin and said, "Father."

After saying that, he glanced at Zhang Jianzhi and asked, "And who is this?"

“Zhang… my name is Zhang Jianzhi.”

“Brother Jian.”

"Hello……"

Although he's only ten years old, his manners, posture, and expressions clearly show that he's been well-educated, and he's really handsome...

The more you look at him, the more handsome he becomes. His face has seven parts of Xia Lin's shrewdness when he was young and three parts of San Niang's heroic spirit. If someone had told Xia Lin before him that some people could have good looks, he would have only admitted that fools could have good looks. But after his eldest son, he admitted that awesomeness could also have good looks.

"Uncle...aren't they your children?"

"Okay." Xia Lin smiled and brought in the two new children: "Jianzhi, go and call Xiaowu over, so everyone can get to know each other."

After a while, Little Wu Zetian walked out quickly, and Xia Lin's keen senses could tell that the moment Wu Zetian appeared, the daughter in his arms was like a cat with its fur standing on end, extremely wary of her.

"You've already inherited your father's spider sense at such a young age?" Xia Lin patted his daughter's head: "Go and call Sister Wu."

Jia Ye was somewhat resistant, but Li Zhi stepped forward very calmly, cupped his fists and bowed: "Sister Wu, Father has written to me about your situation. If anyone bullies you again, leave everything to me."

"You!" Xia Lin pressed down on her son's head: "I told you to say hello, not to flirt with her."

“Father, since Sister Wu is also studying with you, I should address her as my younger brother, whether by seniority or age. It is only natural for a younger brother to protect his elder sister. My uncle also told me the same thing.”

These words didn't sound like something a ten-year-old would say. Xia Lin shook her head, but Xiao Wu's eyes were red. She pursed her lips, trying hard not to cry, and simply returned the greeting lightly.

Seeing this, Xia Lin realized that some people's destinies are beyond her control; they are the gears of fate, and it's best to let things take their natural course.

In the afternoon, Li Chengqian also arrived. Now seventeen years old, Li Chengqian looked like a young man. After studying at the academy for many years, he was about to graduate this year. After these years of nurturing, the already likable child had now reached a state of inner radiance.

Well, Xia Lin hadn't seen him in a long time. Back then, he was like a piece of crystal clear amber, but now he's like a piece of finely polished jade, clear and translucent. He's not only a handsome man but also exudes a gentle and refined charm.

"Headmaster." Li Chengqian bowed deeply to Xia Lin, even prostrating himself in a full-body salute: "From this day forward, Chengqian will follow the headmaster."

Xia Lin nodded: "Let's go inside. We're just one person short. We'll start eating when he arrives."

Because Li Chengqian, Li Zhi, and Jiaye were siblings, they got along very well. Xiao Wu was a little shy, and she was always quiet but habitually hid behind Li Zhi. When Xia Lin saw her carefully pinching the hem of Li Zhi's clothes with two fingers, he knew that she was basically going to be his daughter-in-law.

Zhang Jianzhi, on the other hand, is practically a social terrorist. The more people there are, the happier he is, and his jumping around is somewhat endearing.

Around dusk, a commotion arose outside their house. Upon closer listening, it turned out to be a series of curses. Xia Lin got up and went to the door, where he saw Emperor Jingtai holding the ear of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, cursing him in a variety of ways, some of the words being utterly vile. "That's enough, that's not how you raise a child."

"I can't teach him anymore." Emperor Jingtai kicked his son in the back of the knee: "You little bastard, kneel down! Call for help!"

This person was none other than Tuoba Shang, the eldest son of Emperor Jingtai, who had been living in seclusion in his residence and engaging in sexual relations with both men and women. After being kicked over by his father, he knelt there without daring to raise his head.

"Boy," Tuoba Jing squatted down and said in a sinister tone, "I want to see how arrogant you can be in front of him. Don't you like to cause trouble in the capital? Come, come, look up at the person in front of you. Do you know who he is?"

Xia Lin was also sizing up Tuoba Shang with his hands in his pockets. When their eyes met, Tuoba Shang, the powerful and influential crown prince in the capital, almost wet his pants.

He could never forget Xia Lin... He was a witness to that massacre. The screams outside the palace lasted for seven days, and the stench of blood lingered for over a month. It was a nightmare that haunted him for the rest of his life.

"Get up."

Xia Lin said something to Tuoba Shang, then turned to look at Tuoba Jing: "You..."

"Huh? What?" Tuoba Jing suddenly shouted, "It's too far. Wait for me to go out and tell you."

Seeing him run away like that, Tuoba Shang had never been so disappointed in his father. He had previously thought that Xia Lin would at least give him some face out of respect for his father, but now it seemed that his father was just a stray dog ​​in front of Xia Lin.
Xia Lin tilted his head and watched Emperor Jingtai disappear into the alley. He snorted coldly, but turned to Tuoba Shang and asked, "Have you eaten today?"

“My father won’t let me eat… He said he’d let this brat starve to death.”

Xia Lin scratched his head as he listened: "Let's go eat first."

When it was time to eat, Tuoba Shang was nothing like a prince; he was more like a starving ghost reincarnated. He ate three large bowls of rice soaked in soup with some pickled vegetables, tears streaming down his face.

"Brother, eat slowly..." Zhang Jianzhi put his chicken leg in his bowl: "I'll give you my chicken leg too."

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Shang burst into tears, sobbing, "For nearly two months, I've been imprisoned in the mansion by my father. He only gives me one meal a day of coarse rice. If it weren't for the people in the mansion taking pity on me and secretly bringing me some tofu, I would have starved to death long ago..."

At this moment, Li Chengqian frowned slightly, and after a quick glance at his bright eyes, he said, "The headmaster said to be realistic. There are very few fathers in the world as cruel as you. You must have committed an unforgivable crime."

Tuoba Shang didn't respond, quickly finished the chicken leg, and continued to eat his meal in a flurry. Xia Lin said with a smile, "Alright, let's not talk about this today, let's eat first."

Nothing happened after the meal. Tuoba Shangze and Li Chengqian lived in the same room. They were both sixteen or seventeen years old, and naturally they started talking more when they had free time.

"Why did you come to work under the Great Demon King?" Tuoba Shang lay on the bed with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. "Me? If my father hadn't planned to starve me to death, I really wouldn't have come. This place is so bland and there isn't even a brothel."

Then Li Chengqian, with a smile on his face, beat him up...

A prince whose body had been weakened by wine, women, and hunger was no match for the crown prince, the strongest carbon-based being on Earth who had spent years honing his skills in the Six Arts of a Gentleman. Tuoba Shang was extremely aggrieved, and could only cover his face, point at Li Chengqian, and shout, "You dare hit me?! Do you know who my father is?"

Li Chengqian laughed and simply said, "I'm three months older than you, so you have to call me senior brother. If you disturb my rest, I'll beat you up again."

He was a gentleman, like jade, but he was hiding his true strength... he was a real fighter. This made Tuoba Shang sobbing that he didn't dare cry out loud, only able to bite the blanket and sob softly.

The next day at cockcrow, Li Chengqian was already dressed, but Tuoba Shang was still fast asleep. Li Chengqian went up to him, ripped off his bedding, and dragged him to the cold ground like a dead dog.

"You!" Tuoba Shang exclaimed in shock, "Are you insane!?"

"You must get up at cockcrow, that's the rule." Li Chengqian still had the aloof face of a senior brother: "The master is like a father, and the elder brother is also like a father. If you continue to sleep in, your elder brother will punish you."

Tuoba Shang dared not resist and could only follow Li Chengqian into the courtyard dejectedly. It was just dawn, and the temperature drop last night made them breathe out hot air.

"woke up?"

Li Zhi was already standing in the courtyard, with Xia Lin sitting on the wall beside him. He raised his chin and pointed to the three buckets of water in the courtyard: "The three of you, why don't you take a bath?"

Without saying a word, Li Chengqian and Li Zhi began to undress. The icy water poured over them, and even Li Chengqian's body turned red and his lips turned blue from the cold. Li Zhi was younger, so he looked even more pitiful. But Xia Lin never stopped them from beginning to end.

Only Tuoba Shang stood there, tested the water temperature with his hand, and then abruptly withdrew his hand: "This is murder!"

"Help him wash."

Amidst screams and struggles, all three of them were steaming with heat. Xia Lin then nodded and said, "Go back and get dressed, then wait for me here."

The three of them returned to the courtyard. Tuoba Shang felt that if he could starve to death in the capital, it wouldn't be such a big deal. Why did he have to come here and suffer such inhuman torture?

After breakfast, they would begin their morning classes. As an excellent special agent, he was not only good at fighting and killing, but he was also proficient in many other things. However, the military-style management and high-intensity study left even Li Chengqian feeling somewhat tired by noon.

The younger Li Zhi could only grit his teeth and continue, while Tuoba Shang simply gave up. Since he couldn't understand or learn anything anyway, he might as well play dead or throw him in a well if necessary.

However, the very next morning, after reviewing what they had learned the day before, Li Zhi was taken to a restaurant to work as a waiter, while Tuoba Shang was transported to a clay mine to work as a laborer and dig pits.

Li Chengqian barely passed the in-class test, so he wouldn't be punished, but he still had to suffer the consequences because he hadn't supervised his junior brother properly. As a result, he was implicated and had to go sell pears.

As Tuoba Shang rested that night, he lay on the bed, sobbing from the aches and pains all over his body. Li Chengqian massaged him with liniment from behind. Next door, Li Zhi sat at the table, and Xiao Wu, who had heard that he had been scalded by boiling water that day, ran from the academy to apply medicine to his wounds.

“Young master, aren’t you the master’s own son? Why is he so heartless?”

Tears welled up in Xiao Wu's eyes as she spoke, and she looked extremely aggrieved. But Li Zhi reached out his other hand to wipe away her tears: "Senior sister, Father once said that a calm sea cannot produce skilled sailors. The problems we will face in the future will be even more severe and cruel. If we cannot even bear the difficulties at present, then we will have no chance to achieve anything in the future."

"Are you in pain?"

"It did hurt a little, but it stopped hurting when my senior sister came."

Xiao Wu pursed her lips and patted him: "Why are you just like those people, always saying things like that, you little rascal."

Just then, Tuoba Shang's screams came from next door. Xiao Wu's hand trembled upon hearing this: "Second Senior Brother's screams are so pitiful."

"Yes, he spent the whole day mining, so naturally he's in a lot of pain."

"If everyone is this tired, then this heavy responsibility is absolutely necessary?"

Faced with Xiao Wu's question, Li Zhi sighed helplessly: "This is my fate. I am my father's son and my mother's son. This is my inescapable destiny."

"There's no such thing as fate. You're only a few years old, yet you speak so old-fashioned words." Xiao Wu pouted, somewhat displeased: "Don't learn from Senior Brother, he's so old-fashioned."

Li Zhi simply smiled but didn't explain much.

(End of this chapter)