And the moment it left his lips, Zhan Tianyu's expression changed drastically.
As if by design, his fifth brother arrived.
A fleeting glint of dark light flickered in his deep brown eyes.
By the time he turned to look at Zhan Tianye, his gaze had become calm.
"Fifth Brother."
"Daddy!" the three little ones shouted in unison.
Daddy was here, that was great!
Seeing how excited Zhan Xiaoli and the others were to see Zhan Tianye, Zhan Zichen muttered disdainfully to himself, *Daddy is a cripple, what's there to be excited about! My daddy is so capable, and I'm never this excited.*
Hmph!
Zhan Tianye had already heard what had happened when he entered the manor. He looked at Zhan Zichen.
Just as Zhan Zichen was inwardly mocking Zhan Xiaoli's "crippled" daddy, he suddenly met Zhan Tianye's gaze.
His face turned pale with fright.
His body trembled.
Fortunately, he only received a glance, but that single glance was enough to make him tremble with fear.
Why was Zhan Xiaoli and the others' "crippled" daddy so terrifying?
With just a look, he could instill such fear!
The atmosphere shifted dramatically with Zhan Tianye's arrival.
It felt as if even taking a deep breath would inflict internal injuries.
"How old is Fourth Brother's son?" Zhan Tianye asked in a cold voice.
Zhan Tianyu looked at his son, Zhan Zichen, "He'll be seven this month."
"Yes, Daddy, I'm already seven!" Zhan Zichen nodded vigorously, looking rather pleased with himself. He was his daddy's only son!
"Seven years old and still can't distinguish right from wrong. I've seen it all," Yun Xiaojing said, hugging his arms and being utterly unapologetic in his critique.
He had seen many seven-year-old boys who were already sensible and even took care of their younger siblings.
He hadn't seen many boys like Zhan Zichen who were so boastful and overestimated themselves.
Hearing Yun Xiaojing's criticism, Zhan Zichen's eyes turned red with anger, "What did you say?!"
"Daddy, they broke my sword, and now they're making a fuss!" Zhan Zichen complained to Zhan Tianyu.
Zhan Tianye raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhan Tianyu with a clear, sharp gaze, "He still doesn't realize his mistake?"
"Uncle Ye Wang, that was my favorite sword! I did nothing wrong; it was they who acted rashly," Zhan Zichen gritted his teeth and continued to defend himself.
In the past, no matter what he did, as long as he thought it was right, it was right. If he thought this matter was Zhan Xiaoli and the others' fault, then it was definitely their fault! He was not wrong!
Zhan Tianye's dark eyes grew dimmer, "You are not wrong?"
*Slap!*
A slap landed.
Zhan Zichen clutched his face and sat down on the ground, "Daddy!"
Daddy hit him again!
He had already been hit twice today!
The other side of his face was just hit, and now it was this side. Both cheeks throbbed with pain. The moment he uttered "Daddy," the pain flared.
"Do you know you were wrong now?" Zhan Tianyu asked Zhan Zichen in a deep voice.
Zhan Zichen was terrified by the two slaps.
He didn't dare to shed tears in front of his father, so he could only sniffle and say reluctantly, "Daddy, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong."
Yun Shu had been watching from the side, saying nothing, but seeing how Zhan Tianye, with just a few simple sentences upon his arrival, could resolve the matter, she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
"It's good that you know you were wrong," Zhan Tianye said coldly.
Zhan Tianyu stood up, cast a glance at Yun Shu, and then, with Zhan Zichen, left.
The farce ended just like that.
After the father and son had walked away, Yun Xiaojing said with a sigh, "From now on, I'll avoid him as much as possible. I never want to see him again!"
"Me neither. I don't want to see him again. He's seven years old, and still can't tell right from wrong! Mother, when we were at Prince Ning's manor, Xiaojing already offered to compensate him with money!" Zhan Xiaofeng said angrily.
Perhaps because both Daddy and Mother were present, he felt a sense of grievance and didn't want his parents to think they were in the wrong.
Yun Shu stroked Zhan Xiaofeng's head and said gently, "Mother believes you. It's time for lunch, are you hungry?"
"Hungry!"
The three little ones said it almost in unison.
They were truly hungry!
Their stomachs had been rumbling earlier.
"Let's go eat!" Yun Shu said with a smile.
The three little ones immediately ran off towards the dining area.
Yun Shu turned back and smiled brightly at Zhan Tianye, "Have you had lunch yet? Shall we eat together?"
Zhan Tianye gazed at her smile, feeling as though he could easily get lost in it.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Yun Shu."
Yun Shu hummed in response, "What is it?"
"Let's go, let's have lunch together," Zhan Tianye said gently.
Yun Shu smiled, "Let's go, with them."
With them.
Their family, five people, all indispensable.
Not far away, Yun Changfeng called out to the three running children, "Wait for your maternal grandfather! Now that they're gone, let's hurry to lunch. Grandfather is starving!"
Seeing Yun Changfeng calling them, the three little ones stopped running and went to hold his hands, "Grandfather, come too!"
Yun Changfeng was filled with joy and contentment, "Good, good, good!"
A gentle breeze blew, carrying with it a sense of normalcy and happiness.
Yun Shu felt a warmth on her fingertips.
She looked down; Zhan Tianye had taken her hand.
She smiled faintly, "I wonder what Yu Le has prepared for lunch in the kitchen."
"Whatever it is, as long as I'm with you all, everything becomes a rare delicacy in the world," Zhan Tianye said tenderly.
Yun Shu raised her eyebrows slightly.
She was only now realizing that Zhan Tianye could be quite eloquent, and his simple words could easily touch her heart.
However, she wholeheartedly agreed, "When the family is together, nothing else truly matters."
...
Outside the General's mansion.
Father and son boarded the carriage.
After getting into the carriage.
Zhan Zichen looked fearfully at Zhan Tianyu.
"Daddy, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. I'll never do this again. I really liked that sword very much, that's why I was so insistent," Zhan Zichen had become much smarter from the moment they walked out until now.
He didn't want to anger his father.
In fact, the pain on his face made him realize that things were different here in the capital; there were many rules and matters that were not the same as before.
The Uncle Ye Wang just now only defended Zhan Xiaoli and the others, he didn't defend him at all.
And Daddy, he seemed to be afraid of Uncle Ye Wang?
He couldn't understand why Daddy would be afraid of Uncle Ye Wang, who was a cripple.
He couldn't understand, but he didn't dare to ask.
"After all, it was a sword Daddy gave you. You would be very sad if it were damaged. I'll get you another one in a few days. However, tomorrow you will bring a gift and apologize to them," Zhan Tianyu's expression, which had been stern and unreadable just moments before, softened.
Zhan Zichen was stunned, "A gift and apologize?"
"Yes, Daddy will take you tomorrow."
Zhan Zichen didn't want to see those three people again, but he didn't dare to refuse, so he could only obediently nod, "Okay, I'll listen to Daddy."
...