Da Bao, however, was good-natured and adaptable. What mattered most was having fun, and enduring a few scornful glances from Er Bao was harmless and acceptable.
He had never taken Er Bao's disdainful gaze to heart. Da Bao was happily engrossed in playing with a somewhat battered magic cube in his hand.
...
The next morning, Feng Jin rose early, holding the box containing the magic cube, intending to deliver it to Da Bao and Er Bao.
She knocked politely twice at the door. Receiving no response, she felt a pang of confusion. It was already past mid-morning, and the children were still not awake. Had they gone out to play?
Pushing the door open with a sense of bewilderment, she scanned the room. Her gaze fell upon the beds, and only then did she see the two children sleeping soundly.
Why were these little ones sleeping so deeply today? It was so late, and they still weren't up. She wondered when they had gone to sleep, as their blankets were about to fall to the floor.
Feng Jin shook her head helplessly, placed the box in her hand on the desk, and walked over to the beds. She carefully tucked the blankets, which were about to slip off, back onto the beds.
Then, she noticed the rather ugly and rudimentary magic cubes placed beside their pillows. Her brow furrowed slightly. She knew very well that she hadn't made these magic cubes, so where had they come from?
With a curious touch, she picked up one of the magic cubes from beside the bed and examined it closely in her hand. It was well-made, though the craftsmanship was a bit crude.
There were also a few minor flaws; at a glance, it wasn't as fine as hers. But who had made it? In this era, could there be anyone else besides her who could make a magic cube?
It was absolutely impossible for it to be Ling Mo Han. If he had made it, he certainly wouldn't have chosen to deliver it to the children first. He would have impatiently rushed to show it to her the moment it was made.
So, who had made this magic cube? Could it be...
As soon as this thought formed in her mind, Feng Jin immediately dismissed it.
This was completely impossible. Da Bao and Er Bao were so young; how could they have made a magic cube?
Why had she even had such a thought? Had Ling Mo Han really angered her to the point of her mind starting to wander?
Who cared who made it? She could ask them carefully once Da Bao and Er Bao woke up. Thinking about it for so long here wouldn't yield any results, and it would only be a waste of time.
As Feng Jin stood up, holding the magic cube, Da Bao on the bed turned over, grunted a couple of times, and slowly opened his eyes.
Da Bao looked groggy, clearly not yet fully awake. After a moment, he vaguely saw Feng Jin's figure.
He thought it was someone else, but it turned out to be Mother. Da Bao instantly relaxed his guard, preparing to roll over and go back to sleep.
He suddenly remembered the magic cube that had been made and placed on the bed. His sleepiness vanished instantly. Da Bao sat up abruptly from the bed and began searching for the magic cube Er Bao had made, but he couldn't find it anywhere.
His heart immediately sank, realizing something was terribly wrong. This was a disaster. Mother must have seen the magic cube when she came and put it away.
If Mother found out they had secretly made one, she would surely be very angry and might even give them a good beating.
It's over, it's over... It seemed inevitable that he would get spanked this time. Da Bao felt as though the sky was falling, his brain working at lightning speed, imagining countless countermeasures.
After all, this magic cube was made by Er Bao. Why didn't he just push all the blame onto Er Bao? Er Bao was the mastermind, and he was merely someone who got to play with the magic cube.
Mother was so understanding and fair; she would surely make a just judgment and wouldn't implicate innocent bystanders.
Da Bao had already devised a strategy in his mind and decided that if Mother asked later, he would say exactly this, pushing all the blame onto Er Bao.
Then, it would be none of his business. Er Bao would have to figure out how to deal with Mother.
Although this was a bit unsportsmanlike, to save his own skin, he could only inconvenience Er Bao.
It was quite normal for Er Bao, as the younger brother, to take the blame for his older brother. At most, he could find a way to compensate Er Bao later. Thinking this, Da Bao's guilt towards Er Bao lessened.
"Mother... Listen to me..."
Just as he was about to explain, Er Bao also woke up. Seeing Mother standing beside them, his first reaction was to grab the magic cube placed beside him, intending to hide it.
Feng Jin immediately saw through the little tricks the two boys had up their sleeves. She directly picked up the magic cube from the desk and placed it in front of them.
"What is this about? Who would like to explain?"
She pulled over a nearby chair, sat down, folded her arms, and waited for their explanation.
"Mother, it was all made by my younger brother. It has nothing to do with me."
Da Bao immediately distanced himself, stating clearly that these matters had nothing to do with him and that it was all Er Bao's doing.
Caught off guard by the sudden accusation, Er Bao was stunned for a moment. His gaze shifted to Da Bao. This little brat was going too far, pinning everything on him. It was truly excessive.
When they were playing, why didn't he say anything about not playing? He played more enthusiastically than anyone, and now he was shifting the blame faster than anyone.
Feng Jin's gaze shifted to Er Bao, and she observed him closely. Could it really be that Er Bao had made it?
"Mother, it was me."
Er Bao didn't argue; he simply admitted it. He also understood that if he didn't admit it and continued to lie like Da Bao, the consequences wouldn't be very good.
It was better to admit it now, and Mother wouldn't blame him too much.
"And this magic cube, you made it too?"
What concerned her most was who had actually made the magic cube. Feng Jin held the cube and asked Er Bao.
He hadn't intended to hide it from Mother anyway, and now that she already knew, he had nothing to conceal. He simply nodded and admitted it.
"Mother, I made it. I hadn't played enough, and then Mother took it away, so I made one myself."
Feng Jin was utterly speechless. She could never have imagined that Er Bao had actually made the magic cube. It was simply unbelievable.
Taking a deep breath, she managed to digest this explosive news. Feng Jin sat in her chair and pondered for a long time, unable to fathom how Er Bao had made it.
Seeing Feng Jin's continued silence, Da Bao became even more worried than Er Bao.
Mother was so calm; could this be the calm before the storm? It seemed they were truly in for it this time.