Chapter 618: Chapter 620: Mystery

Ancient Wen Heng wasn’t a masochist, so he immediately begged for mercy.

Jin Qianqian finally let go, shaking her slightly sore hand. "Making such a big secret of it. It’s just some food and toys, isn’t it?"

"Madam is truly wise to have guessed."

Jin Qianqian looked at his ingratiating smile and gave his arm another firm squeeze. "See? Doesn’t that feel a bit better? I was pressing your acupoints, you know."

Ancient Wen Heng moved his body and immediately noticed the marvelous effect. "It really does feel much better. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, my dear."

"Next time, even if you want to spoil the children, don’t joke around with your own health. It’s a long journey; you’ll have plenty of chances to make it up to them."

"It’s fine. I can catch up on sleep in the carriage all day. I’ve already broken my promises to them so many times. If this continues, I’m afraid I’ll lose all my authority as their father."

Thinking about how he might have even fewer opportunities to be with his two children in the future, Ancient Wen Heng felt even more guilty. "Besides, all I did last night was talk, for the most part. The people under me did most of the work."

Jin Qianqian asked, "What did you make for them?"

"Just some small toys," Ancient Wen Heng said, pulling a stack of drawings from his robes. "If Li Xia hadn’t found some skilled craftsmen, we might not have even finished these by today."

Jin Qianqian flipped through a few of the pages. They were all puzzle-type toys common in later generations, but here and now, they were rare and valuable.

Jin Qianqian pointed to one drawing. "Can they even figure out this Lu Ban Lock?"

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Let them try to figure it out for a while. If they really can’t, I’ll have Ming Feng demonstrate it for them."

’Luo Luo should be fine,’ Ancient Wen Heng thought to himself, ’but our second son might not be able to solve it.’

Jin Qianqian looked through them again. They were all things made of wood, and the protective mother in her grew worried.

"These were all made in a hurry. Are there any splinters on them? Don’t let them hurt their hands."

"Don’t worry, I’m their father. Do you think I’d harm them?" Ancient Wen Heng leaned his head back. "Besides, it’s just a few little splinters. Wouldn’t it be normal even if they got one in their hand?

You’re just watching them too closely. Kids need to get bumps and scrapes to grow up."

Jin Qianqian shot him a glare. "Am I afraid of them getting a few bumps and bruises? I played with things like this when I was little. The feeling of getting a splinter stuck in your hand is so much worse than a bump or a scrape.

Sometimes I’d rather take a fall than endure that piercing pain."

Seeing his wife get worked up, Ancient Wen Heng said, "Don’t worry! I’m their father; of course I’d be careful.

Besides, the men are meticulous. Not only did the carpenters sand everything smooth, but Ming Feng and the others also handled the toys themselves to make sure there were no problems before sending them over."

Hearing the sound of happy laughter from the carriage behind them, Jin Qianqian’s mood brightened as well. "Ming Feng and the others are always reliable."

Ancient Wen Heng: "..." ’So, after all that work I did last night, I don’t get a single word of praise, but Ming Feng and his men get all the credit?’

The expression on his face was too obvious. Jin Qianqian understood immediately and, smiling, pulled some dried fruit from a cabinet. "You’ve worked hard, husband. See which one you’d like, and I’ll serve you."

Ancient Wen Heng reached out and grabbed a handful of pine nuts. "How could I dare let Madam serve me? You were the one working hard just now. Now it’s my turn to wait on you."

With that, he placed the shelled pine nuts on a small dish in front of the cabinet. "Please, have a taste, Madam."

...

When it was time to rest, He Gaofei and the others learned of Ancient Wen Heng’s profound fatherly love from the children who were showing off their new things.

He borrowed a toy from one of the children and started fiddling with it. Finding it surprisingly fun, he soon couldn’t put it down.

"You grown men should be ashamed of yourselves, fighting with two children over toys," Mrs. He said with a laugh, then had her maid go fetch some snacks they had prepared earlier.

She had someone deliver the items to the two children’s carriage. "Your Uncle He is still a child at heart and has taken over your toys, so Aunt He is giving you his favorite snacks."

Gu Benluo waved his hand magnanimously. "Don’t worry about it, Aunt He. My father prepared so many for us, we can’t play with them all at once anyway.

These are Uncle He’s favorites. If you give them all to us, what will happen when Uncle He starts crying?"

Mrs. He froze for a moment, then burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

An image of He Gaofei’s old face, crying his eyes out like a child, had popped into her head.

Gu Benluo looked at her, completely baffled. He couldn’t understand why this elder was suddenly laughing like that, as if he hadn’t said anything strange.

Seeing the child’s innocent and confused expression, Mrs. He lovingly patted his head. "It’s alright. We’ll just let your Uncle He cry.

If Luo Luo likes them, Aunt He will find some more for you next time."

With that, she didn’t linger any longer. She was afraid if she stayed, she’d burst out laughing again and scare the child, which wouldn’t be good.

Back in her carriage, she saw He Gaofei sitting cross-legged, completely absorbed in the toy. She couldn’t help but let out another PFFT of laughter.

He Gaofei glanced up at her and asked casually, "What’s so funny?"

"Nothing," Mrs. He certainly wasn’t going to tell him the truth right now. If he got angry from embarrassment, he might throw a tantrum for the rest of the trip. "I just took some snacks over to the two children. Seeing how happy they were, I guess it was contagious."

"Mr. Gu has raised his two children well," He Gaofei commented. "If a toy like this were in the hands of our boys, they probably wouldn’t let anyone else even touch it."

Mrs. He said, "...My lord, you haven’t forgotten how old our sons are, have you? They are long past the age for playing with toys.

When we get back from this trip, we need to start arranging our second son’s marriage."

Mrs. He was still a bit reluctant to compare their own sons with two little, innocent children.

"I know, but do you think our boys have the brains to figure this thing out? I’ve been taking it apart for half the day and still can’t get it back together. It’s a real brain-teaser." He Gaofei scratched his head in frustration, having no idea how to reassemble the figure he had just taken apart.

Mrs. He replied, "...That’s because they don’t have a father like Mr. Gu. If you were as dedicated as him, perhaps our sons wouldn’t be the way they are now."

Thinking of her sons at home, who had accomplished nothing to this day and hadn’t even managed to pass the exam to become a child student, Mrs. He felt very distressed.

"You should have brought them all with us back then," He Gaofei grumbled without looking up. "It would have been good for them to get out and see the world. Maybe they could have even found a path for themselves in Lu City."

"Are you suggesting they become merchants, my lord?" Mrs. He pursed her lips. Her sons weren’t great, but they didn’t need to sink to that level.

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