Double Box Record

Chapitre 102

Shu Yang held his younger sister's hand and shook his head, saying, "Xiao He, Brother Winter Melon and Brother Pumpkin are both older than us. Why are you being so impolite? If Mom and Dad find out, they'll scold you again."

Shuhe laughed and said, "No way, they were servants to begin with. Servants are meant to be waited on. Otherwise, why would we keep them? I'm not that kind of kind-hearted person. Besides, those two are incredibly stupid. They don't understand anything. I asked Little Winter Melon to read to me, but he doesn't recognize many of the characters. I asked Little Pumpkin to tell me stories from books, but he stumbles over them. So what if they're older than us? They're inferior to me in every way. They even look down on me, a mere child."

Shu Yang shook his head in an old-fashioned manner: "That's not how it works. Just because someone knows more words or understands more principles doesn't mean they're better than others. Besides, Brother Winter Melon and Brother Pumpkin aren't outsiders, nor are they servants. Don't say that."

Shu He flung her hand away: "You're an idiot too, I can't be bothered to talk to you. I only listen to my parents' lectures, why should I listen to yours!"

She returned to her room and waited and waited for Little Pumpkin, but he didn't come. After a while, Little Winter Melon brought her the food. She frowned as soon as she saw the dishes: "I hate radishes the most! Why do you always make this? It's one thing to be stupid, but you can't even read the room. Is this how you serve your servants?"

Little Winter Melon scratched his head repeatedly after being scolded, so he had no choice but to ask her, "What would you like to eat, young lady?"

"I want to eat water chestnuts and honey-glazed lotus root."

Little Winter Melon was troubled: "But it's winter now, where would we find water chestnuts and lotus roots..."

"These are all excuses." Shu He wouldn't usually be this arrogant, but today her parents weren't home and no one was watching her, so she became a million times more arrogant. "We raised you not so that we could hear you say we don't have this or that. If I could get it myself, why would I need to ask you? Your job is to serve your master."

She speaks in a gentle and soothing manner, as if she is not angry at all, and there is no sarcasm in her words, making it impossible for anyone to feel angry.

Little Winter Melon was stunned for a moment: "Even a smart girl like you can't get them, how could a fool like me possibly buy water chestnuts and lotus roots?"

After saying that, he ignored her and turned away.

Teaching Children (Part 2)

Shu He was angry for a long time, and then her chest started to ache.

Because of her poor health since childhood, Shu Jun and Yi Chun were afraid that she would hurt herself if she got excited, so they tried their best to satisfy any request she had, thus spoiling their daughter to the point of being unruly. She was relatively well-behaved at home with her parents and was also pleasing and obedient in front of them. But once they went out, this child would jump around like crazy. She used to be able to order Little Pumpkin around, but later Little Pumpkin ignored her, and now Little Winter Melon ignores her too.

She was physically weak and prone to suspicion. In addition, she was intelligent and had read many books. She believed that no one else was as clever as herself and could not tolerate the slightest disobedience. She thought that if she were healthy and could practice her boxing in the wind and snow like Shu Yang, none of them would dare to treat her like that.

Because of her heart condition, she sometimes couldn't go down the mountain to play with Shuyang, leaving her all alone and ostracized by everyone.

When she thought of things that made her sad, she started to cry.

I cried and cried until I slowly fell asleep. In my daze, I felt someone gently pick me up, put me on the bed, and cover me with a blanket.

She softly clutched the man's sleeve and murmured, "Mother..."

Yichun thought she had hurt her because she wasn't careful enough, so she gently stroked her head to comfort her: "Go to sleep, it's not dawn yet."

Shuhe was filled with grievances, and now that she was awake, she couldn't fall back asleep. Tears streamed down her face as she nestled in Yichun's arms and complained, "I asked Little Pumpkin to buy me some snacks, but he stormed off in a huff and won't come back. Later, when I was hungry, I asked Little Winter Melon to cook for me, but because I didn't like the dish, I asked him to change it, and he actually talked back to me! Mom, please chase them away! They're so annoying!"

Yichun knew her daughter's usual character; these words, coming from her own mouth, required careful consideration and interpretation to understand the truth.

She said, "Don't talk about chasing them away or not. They are all our family. Do you want to drive your family away?"

As they were talking, Shuhe suddenly saw a figure flash outside the door. It was Little Pumpkin. He glanced inside with a hint of worry, and seeing that she was alright, he turned and left.

Shu He's anger flared, and she retorted angrily, "They're not family! They're just servants! Shouldn't servants be kicked out if they don't obey?"

Yichun released her in astonishment, stared at her for a long time, and then whispered, "Where did you learn these things?"

"That's exactly how it is. Who would treat their servants like family?"

Yichun was silent for a while, then suddenly hugged her and quickly walked out the door.

Shuhe didn't know what she was going to do. When she looked up, she saw that Shuhe's expression was unusually serious, and her lips were slightly pursed, as if she was a little angry. Shuhe was a little scared for a moment.

Shu Jun always doted on her, and Shu He wasn't afraid of him much. Of the whole family, she was only afraid of Yi Chun, even though Yi Chun was the one she looked down on the most—a reckless and foolish woman who only knew how to fight and didn't understand reason.

The sky outside was just beginning to lighten, and the snow made everything look white.

Yichun carried her to a hilltop not far away, then threw her to the ground and said casually, "Look at that small hill over there, what can you see?"

Shuhe shivered uncontrollably from the cold, tears welling in her eyes, and said in a trembling voice, "Mother... I'm cold, I'm cold..."

Yichun ignored her and pointed ahead: "Look carefully, what's up ahead?"

Shuhe had no choice but to focus her gaze on the small hill in front of her, where she saw several red dots. She guessed that the red plum blossoms on the hill must be in bloom, very beautiful. She whispered, "They're red plum blossoms, very pretty. Mother, did you come to take me to pick red plum blossoms?"

Yi Chun's voice was calm: "If you like red plum blossoms, why don't you go pick them yourself?"

Shuhe knew in her heart that her mother was angry, but she stubbornly insisted that she had done and said nothing wrong, and said coldly, "Mother, you don't need to teach me anything. I know the principles of the world even though I don't go down the mountain. If I can't pick the red plum myself, does that mean I can't get it? I can ask someone else to pick it, and in the end it will still be mine. If you have the ability to make others do things, why must you do everything yourself?"

Yichun chuckled and gave her a gentle push on the shoulder. Shuhe lost her balance and immediately fell to the ground in the snow.

"You yourself said that you need to have the ability to command others. Then let me ask you, what ability do you have to get others to do things for you? Your father trained hard in martial arts since he was a child, and he earned his wealth bit by bit through his own skills. Your mother followed her master to learn martial arts, never slacking off for a day, and traveled all over the world alone. And you? I ask you, what ability do you have to dare to get others to do things for you!"

Shuhe was so cold she couldn't speak. Unwilling to admit defeat, she could only cry silently, lying motionless in the snow, even maliciously thinking that if she froze to death, Yichun would regret it.

"You think you're superior because you're your parents' daughter, born with no worries about food or clothing and always being taken care of. But when your parents grow old and die, will you still think you're superior? Shuhe, let me tell you, if you want others to listen to you, you can't rely on anyone else. If you want someone to pick the red plum for you, you must be able to pick it yourself first! I understand that you're not healthy and can't practice martial arts, so you're stuck indoors all day. But to earn others' respect, is it only through your own skills? You've read so many books, but what principles have you learned? Don't you even understand this?"

After saying this, Yichun ran forward and returned with two branches of red plum blossoms in no time.

"You can pick small pumpkins and winter melons, can you? Small pumpkins have countless friends and extensive connections in the martial arts world, do you have that? Small winter melons know they have no talent for martial arts, but they don't give up and persevere every day, can you?"

Shu He was filled with remorse and knew she was in the wrong, but admitting her mistake was not so easy.

She was arrogant and, relying on her intelligence, always managed to win her parents' favor, developing a haughty and disdainful attitude. Today, after being severely reprimanded by Yichun, although she wanted to admit her mistake, the words that came out were defiant: "I don't think I'm wrong! I know you all dislike me because of my illness. You might as well let me freeze to death here; you'll have plenty of younger siblings to please you!"

Yichun was furious and said coldly, "Fine, then you can stay here."

She actually turned around and left, leaving her daughter alone in the freezing cold.

Shu He initially stubbornly remained huddled in the snow, refusing to move. After waiting for half a day without her parents coming to pick her up, she finally panicked, got up and ran around, only to find her heart pounding wildly and her whole body feeling weak and powerless.

She was so frightened that she kept crying out, "Mother! Mother! I know I was wrong! Please take me back!"