Faced with young Lu Huaiyu’s reflection, Xie Yanxun both nodded and shook his head before looking him in the eyes and speaking seriously.
“That’s only part of it. The most important thing is that you didn’t take your own safety into consideration.”
“I know you skipped class because you were worried that your little brother wouldn’t be able to adjust to his first day of kindergarten, so you went to check on him.”
“The distance between the two places isn’t very far, but no one can guarantee that nothing will happen along the way. What if you ran into human traffickers? What would you do then?”
“You also avoided all the surveillance cameras and didn’t bring anyone with you. If something unexpected had happened, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have been able to help you right away.”
“So no matter what happens, you must always put your own safety first. Do you understand?”
He had never been particularly bothered by his child skipping class, because he knew what his child was like.
Lu Huaiyu was very responsible. He knew what he should and shouldn’t do, and he had his own principles and boundaries.
He was simply mischievous and loved stirring things up. Every now and then, his brain would go offline and he’d do something less than sensible.
Whenever that happened, Lu Qiwu and Xie Yanxun would guide him in time, then let him grow at his own pace.
There was only one thing they would never tolerate: treating his own safety as a joke.
Lu Qiwu poked her eldest son’s chubby cheek. “Your dad is right. No matter what kind of trouble you cause for other people, Mom and Dad have the ability to deal with the consequences for you.”
“That’s because Mom and Dad know that our Da Yu has always been a responsible child, so we trust you no matter what you do.”
“But no matter when or where, you must always make sure you’re safe. Do you understand?”
Young Lu Huaiyu nodded, indicating that the next time he did something naughty, he would remember to take his own safety into account.
The couple were satisfied. They then turned around and began lecturing young Xie Changyu.
Young Xie Changyu had been watching his big brother get scolded, but in the blink of an eye, the tables had turned and he was the one in the hot seat.
“Mommy, Daddy, I know I was wrong, too~”
“I shouldn’t have talked nonsense and given the kindergarten teachers a bad impression. I won’t do it again~”
The four-year-old twisted his little fingers together as he sincerely admitted his mistake.
With his chubby little face, big eyes holding a few sparkling tears, and tiny figure, he was so adorable that anyone would want to kiss him senseless.
Even at such a young age, he was already displaying extraordinary acting talent.
Lu Qiwu knew perfectly well that he was putting on an act, but she was still so charmed by him that it felt as though an arrow had shot straight through her heart. She couldn’t resist kissing his little cheek.
Then she grabbed young Lu Huaiyu and kissed his cheek as well. She was nothing if not fair.
Xie Yanxun was almost won over by young Xie Changyu’s cuteness too, but he still kept his face stern.
“Our Little Second Yu did a very good job. You reflected seriously on your mistake and actively admitted that you were wrong.”
“You did an excellent job in that regard. But when you admit your mistake, you also have to correct it. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Daddy. I won’t talk nonsense again~”
Xie Yanxun pinched his cheek and met his eyes at the same level. “Good. Until you know the actual facts, you mustn’t jump to conclusions.”
“Otherwise, you could end up spreading rumors and making false accusations. In serious cases, you might even cross the line into breaking the law.”
Young Xie Changyu was still too young to understand such profound principles, so he simply nodded obediently. Whatever Mommy and Daddy said had to be right.
Seeing that he clearly hadn’t understood a word, Xie Yanxun explained it again in terms the child could comprehend.
Young Xie Changyu finally realized what he had done wrong and promised that the next time he went to kindergarten, he would apologize to his teacher.
Because of this little episode involving skipping class and talking nonsense, the brothers were rewarded with a day off—and also punished by being made to copy the Core Socialist Values.
After making this mistake, the two mischievous little monkeys behaved themselves for several days. Then their true natures began to show again.
For instance, that weekend, the brothers went to wreak havoc at their maternal grandparents’ house.
Qi Rou and Lu Wenhua had been quite delighted when they picked up the two little troublemakers.
It didn’t take long, however, before they started getting headaches.
The two little brats had begun misbehaving again.
Young Xie Changyu had learned the art of flower arranging in handicrafts class at kindergarten and was currently completely caught up in it.
So he dragged his brother, Lu Huaiyu, along and took a pair of little scissors to his grandparents’ flowers and plants.
In particular, none of the rare flowers that Lu Wenhua had spent a fortune and countless hours cultivating managed to escape the brothers’ merciless pruning.
“Big Brother, this one is pretty. Grandpa likes this orchid the most. Cut it down and give it to him—he’ll definitely love it!”
Lu Huaiyu felt that something about those words seemed off, but his hands didn’t slow down in the slightest as he cut the flower.
That orchid had cost Lu Wenhua tens of thousands to buy. He had carefully tended it for several months before it finally bloomed.
With one snip of the scissors, it was gone.
“It’s cut! Here, you hold this. Big Brother is going to cut a few Juliet roses next. Grandma likes Juliet roses!”
“Okay.”
Young Xie Changyu obediently took the orchid Lu Huaiyu handed him, then scampered after his brother to cut the Juliet roses.
“This one is the prettiest. Big Brother, cut this one!”
“Our Er Yu has such wonderful taste. You picked the prettiest flower in the whole garden in one go.”
And so, over the next two minutes, the younger one pointed out the flowers while the older one cut whichever ones he indicated.
One of them dared to point, and the other dared to praise him—and cut the flowers.
All that remained were the plants in the house, trembling in fear.
Under normal circumstances, the household staff arranged their schedules to avoid running into the bosses. Thus, early that morning, the garden and climate-controlled greenhouse contained only the two brothers.
There wasn’t a single person around to stop them from recklessly destroying such precious flowers.
More than an hour later, the brothers carried two beautifully arranged bouquets over to surprise their grandparents.
Lu Wenhua was genuinely delighted at first.
The two children actually had some talent. Both arrangements looked quite beautiful.
That was, until he noticed the particularly lovely orchid in one of the vases. He nearly blew a fuse.
Still, he decided to offer a compliment first. “Our Da Yu and Er Yu are amazing. Your arrangements look even better than a professional florist’s.”
Qi Rou still hadn’t realized how serious the situation was and instinctively joined in.
“That’s right. The two of you make such a beautiful team. Grandma absolutely loves them~”
Looking at his wife’s bright smile, Lu Wenhua suddenly felt that perhaps he wasn’t quite as furious anymore.
But he still couldn’t help pointing at the orchid in the vase and asking, “Where did you cut this orchid from?”
Even though he had already confirmed that it was his beloved plant, he still held on to a sliver of hope.
What if it wasn’t? What if it merely looked similar?
Young Xie Changyu immediately took credit. “It’s from that orchid you like the most, Grandpa~”
“I cut it especially to give to you. You really do like it, Grandpa!”
Lu Wenhua: “…”
You cut my favorite orchid and gave it to me?
Xie Changyu, you little rascal—you’re really something, taking credit for someone else’s flower!
Qi Rou finally realized what had happened. Those two little brats had gone and wreaked havoc in her garden!
No wonder those Juliet roses had looked so familiar!
They were the floral equivalent of cash—flowers she had had carefully cultivated, which had only just bloomed these past two days!
And those two little spendthrifts had ruined every last one of them.
Qi Rou and Lu Wenhua were speechless about it, but they were not particularly angry. After all, they were only a few flowers! Flowers were grown for people to admire, whether they were admired on the stem or cut and displayed in a vase. What difference did it really make?
The only thing one could say was that the Xie family's children's little-demon tendencies had all been indulged into existence by the adults who raised them!
