Ji Yanyi asked instinctively, "Is this a reward?"
Just as misbehavior brought punishment, did good behavior bring rewards?
Bo Xin somehow understood what he meant. It seemed that, compared to her biological son, her foster son cared more about that merciless slap.
There was a hint of shrinking in his eyes.
Bo Xin chuckled. "I've never seen anyone get a reward for beating just one person."
Ji Yanyi felt guilty. After all these years, the teachers said the investment in him could have raised a top student.
But that meant this wasn't a reward!
He leaned in dependently. "It could be a reward. Can Mom tell me a story every time I beat someone?"
Who said a foster son couldn't calculate? His calculation was clearly very greedy.
Bo Xin remembered there were over a hundred students in his grade.
She curled her fingers and flicked his forehead. "If you don't want to listen, forget it."
His bargaining failed spectacularly.
Ji Yanyi conceded. He grabbed Bo Xin's clothes and gently shook them, his voice carrying the unique childishness and fragility. "Mom."
Bo Xin thought that, compared to Jiang Yuxu, who would rather die than show weakness, Ji Yanyi's coaxing was effortless.
But Bo Xin enjoyed both kinds anyway.
Outside, rain began to patter softly. Bo Xin's voice was steady, carrying a special hypnotic tone.
Ji Yanyi had wanted to stay awake, but his eyelids soon drooped, his small hand clutching Bo Xin's clothes endearingly.
—
Rain made people sleep deeply. Jiang Yuxu checked the time and saw it was already eight.
If he were still in the countryside, not cutting pigweed at this hour would earn him a beating. A happy life was truly intoxicating, Jiang Yuxu thought, touching his pillow.
She had said at the hotel that these days had been hard on him.
He hadn't understood then, thinking the hotel conditions were already good. But now, lying on this meter-eighty solid wood bed, he realized why she had said he was wronged.
But now, she who thought he was wronged had gone to accompany another child she thought was wronged.
So even the best houses weren't soundproof.
In the morning, he had planned to just eat an egg. She said one egg was enough for him now—any more would be excessive.
So he ate it preciously.
Small bites, with elegant manners.
Ji Yanyi sat on the same side, twisting his body to face him. "Do you know how to use the gas stove?"
Jiang Yuxu frowned and glanced at him suspiciously. "I cooked the hand-pulled noodles yesterday myself."
The doubt faded from Ji Yanyi's face. He dug into his bowl, eating noisily, and only stopped after finishing a whole mouthful.
"You're pretty good. Did Mom teach you?"
Jiang Yuxu swallowed the last bit of egg, his tongue moving as if repeating those two special syllables.
She hadn't taught him how to cook, but he had learned by watching.
Even if he hadn't seen it, "I could still figure it out. These things are made for people to use, aren't they?"
Ji Yanyi belched and said, as if in admiration or casual remark, "You're really smart. The teacher said people like you could become scientists who serve the country."
The two of them exchanged words as they finished breakfast. Jiang Yuxu felt that overnight, he had seen two different children.
He knew the reason, of course. It also showed just how good she was at coaxing kids.
Jiang Yuxu saw her look away again.
But as she put on her shoes, she seemed completely unaware of his presence. Jiang Yuxu stepped forward. "Are you taking him to tutoring today?"
Bo Xin shook her head. "No, it's Saturday."
Even tutoring centers gave kids days off. Jiang Yuxu clearly didn't know that.
"Then where are you going now?"
Bo Xin pinned up her hair, securing the last clip at the back of her head. Outside, Bo Xiao's car was already waiting. "To the largest shopping mall nearby."
Jiang Yuxu had never been to a mall and wasn't particularly curious.
But what came out of his mouth was, "I want to go."
Bo Xin glanced at the child who had gone into the room to organize his toys, presumably to show off the most interesting ones. He had been inside for half an hour and still hadn't come out.
"Why? I thought you two were getting along well."
Jiang Yuxu put one hand in his pocket, his cheek unconsciously turning right, and muttered as if annoyed or complaining, "...It's too noisy."