Feng Jin’s tone held a hint of helplessness as she urged Da Bao to stand up and move around. She was genuinely worried he might overexert himself, stuffing so much into himself at once. Where did it all fit?
Da Bao nodded obediently and began hopping and skipping, as if everything he saw was new and required a touch or a poke before he could move on. He instantly transformed into a universally annoying little terror.
Unable to bear it any longer, Feng Jin personally stepped forward, directly scooping up the mischievous Da Bao and placing him back on the chair. “Sit down. If you dare to run wild and be naughty again, I’ll spank your bottom!”
This child was truly a handful. Taking such a troublesome child out, she genuinely feared being severely criticized by someone. Feng Jin looked at Da Bao with exasperation, and for some reason, a sudden thought of tying a rope around him occurred to her. Perhaps then Da Bao would be more settled and obedient.
“Mother…” Da Bao called out, his tone slightly aggrieved. With a drooping face, he sat obediently beside Feng Jin, not daring to cause trouble for the moment. He was genuinely afraid his mother might actually hit him, and his little bottom would suffer.
It was better to be obedient for now. This was perhaps what his great-grandfather often said: ‘He who understands the times is a hero.’ Yes, that was precisely the meaning.
With his mind made up, Da Bao instantly became incredibly well-behaved and sat quietly next to Feng Jin, without the slightest fidgeting. He was a completely different person from moments before. He even scooped food into Feng Jin’s bowl from time to time, “Mother… this is delicious… Mother, eat.”
After saying that, he didn’t forget to grin, revealing his signature smile. That carved jade-like little face, paired with that incredibly heartwarming smile.
Feng Jin’s heart was instantly warmed in this cold winter, a surge of warmth flooding her. She picked up a dish and took a bite, a faint smile gracing her lips. She then scooped up another piece and placed it in Er Bao’s bowl, “Eat more to grow tall and strong.”
This child, Er Bao, ate too little. Although he was the same height as Da Bao, he was skin and bones, feeling like a handful of brittle bones when held, the bones even poking her hand.
In contrast, Da Bao was plump and round all over. Compared to him, she felt a pang of heartache for Er Bao and couldn’t help but urge him to eat more.
“Mother, I’m full…” Er Bao put down his chopsticks, indicating he was full. He very consciously took his handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth, and he even tidied up the table in front of him.
Feng Jin also noticed that Er Bao, at such a young age, seemed to have mysophobia. Wherever he was, it was always clean.
Even if his shoes got a little dusty, he would stop to clean them before walking further. If the cuffs of his clothes got dirty, he would insist on changing into clean ones. This love for cleanliness was very much like Ling Mo Han.
“Achoo!”
Just as Feng Jin was about to use Er Bao as a positive example to educate Da Bao, Da Bao’s unexpected sneeze completely interrupted the words at her lips.
Especially Er Bao opposite him, his expression instantly darkened. He glared at Da Bao, his eyes seeming to burn with a fierce flame. He suppressed it with all his might to avoid an outburst.
Feng Jin pressed her forehead with a hand, exasperated. How could she have given birth to such a son? Taking him out was truly embarrassing.
She quickly took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped Da Bao’s face, wiping away all the drool and snot at his mouth. Looking at the handkerchief now covered in Da Bao’s secretions, Feng Jin frowned slightly in disgust and promptly threw it all away.
“In public, you should at least pay attention. With so many people here, you’ve eaten your fill. If you do this, how can others eat?”
Feng Jin lectured Da Bao earnestly. This had ruined her appetite, and she imagined others felt the same.
“Eldest sister-in-law, it’s alright. We’ve all finished eating…”
Ling Wan, worried Feng Jin would scold Da Bao further, quickly tried to smooth things over by saying.
“Mother… I won’t, I won’t…”
Seeing someone intercede for him, Da Bao cleverly and quickly admitted his mistake. The back-and-forth left Feng Jin with no further anger to vent.
“Do you understand?” Feng Jin asked Da Bao sternly, her face still serious.
“I understand,” Da Bao replied, nodding his head vigorously as if pounding garlic. Fearing Feng Jin would get angry again, he didn’t forget to stand on tiptoe and plant a firm kiss on Feng Jin’s cheek, directly smearing his drool and snot onto Feng Jin’s face.
“Da Bao…”
Feng Jin called out helplessly, feeling her face sticky with unknown substances. Her brow furrowed tightly in disgust as she looked at Da Bao, who was still innocently unaware.
“Young madam, please wipe it quickly.” Cai Qing saw this and quickly handed a handkerchief to Feng Jin.
Feng Jin helplessly wiped away the drool and snot from her face. Her gaze fell upon the still naive and innocent Da Bao. The scolding words were difficult to say at that moment.
She could only restrain her temper and gently educate him, “Da Bao, when you kiss others, you mustn’t get your drool and snot on them. It’s very unhygienic, and others won’t like you because of it.”
“Wah… wah… Mother, you don’t like… you don’t like me…” Da Bao immediately thought that Feng Jin was saying this because she didn’t like him, and burst into loud sobs.
Instantly, Da Bao’s crying echoed throughout the restaurant. Countless gazes turned towards their direction, and some people pointed and gestured, as if accusing them of mistreating their child.
Feng Jin bent down to coax Da Bao, but Da Bao was inconsolable, crying without any sign of stopping.
Finally, Er Bao, unable to watch any longer, stood up and whispered a few words into Da Bao’s ear. Da Bao instantly stopped crying. Two tear tracks remained on his face, giving him a rather pitiful appearance.
Feng Jin let out a helpless chuckle. Fortunately, he had stopped crying. That was good enough.
“You’re not crying anymore, so let’s go,” Feng Jin said quickly. She didn’t want to see Da Bao continue to embarrass himself here, so it was best to leave quickly. She immediately stood up, pulling Da Bao with one hand and Er Bao with the other, and hurried towards the exit.
After walking for a while, Feng Jin suddenly remembered something. She turned to look at Er Bao, bent down, and asked, “What did you say to him just now that made him stop crying?”