"Let go find him in a bit," An Yang muttered under her breath, furrowing her brow.
Danton tilted his head and looked at her. "What did you just say?"
"Nothing," An Yang huffed. "Are you free right now?"
"I’m free."
"Then teach the Haotian Characters now."
Danton chuckled. "Follow ."
An Yang pursed her lips but still followed him into the study.
Danton handed her a dictionary. "Take a pen and copy from the dictionary. You write one, and I’ll read one aloud. That way, you’ll learn faster."
"Does that even work?" An Yang asked doubtfully.
Danton nodded. "It works. Just start writing. I’ll handle my work, and you’ll practice your characters. It won’t delay either of us."
"How can it not delay you if you keep reading them to ?"
"I have two brains."
An Yang pressed her lips together, grinning. "Liar!"
"What’s the point of lying to you? You’re not Sang Yu or Zi Yan." Danton turned on his computer. "Go on, get to writing."
"Handso brother, can you promise one thing?"
"What is it?"
"If I study really hard, can you promise not to get married first?"
"Why?"
An Yang’s eyes turned slightly red. "... I’m scared that once you get married, you won’t have ti to teach anymore."
"Just focus on your studies! My brother-in-law was just teasing ; don’t take his words seriously. Besides, I don’t even have ti to think about getting married right now. Over the years, I owe too much to the country, my parents, and my sister. I have to work hard to repay all of that first."
An Yang couldn’t help but laugh when she heard that. "When I grow up, I’ll help you pay it back."
"Hmm? What are you mumbling about?" Danton shifted his gaze from the computer to her face.
"Hehe... If you didn’t hear it, then never mind." An Yang picked up her pen and wrote down a character.
Before she could even ask, Danton read it out loud. "This character is pronounced ’Dan,’ one of the characters in my na."
"I know that! I can even write ’ton’!" An Yang laughed and wrote down the character for ’ton.’
Danton smiled, tapping a few keys on his keyboard. Seeing her continue writing, he started reading the characters to her one by one.
An Yang kept writing all the way until midnight. Danton glanced at the ti and then reviewed the characters she’d written. After testing her recognition, he found she had morized about eighty percent of them. Smiling, he said, "Not bad."
"I’ll rewrite the ones I don’t know well," An Yang said enthusiastically, taking the sheet of paper back.
Danton smiled and said, "It’s getting late. Go get so rest. We’ll review this tomorrow."
An Yang rubbed her eyes. "What about you?"
"I’m pulling an all-nighter."
An Yang frowned. "Do you think you’re made of iron? You just recovered from being sick a few days ago. If you keep pushing yourself like this, your body won’t be able to handle it!"
Danton looked at her with amusent. "Has anyone ever told you that you look really ugly when you’re mad?"
"None of your business! I’ll live with being ugly myself!" An Yang huffed. "If you don’t rest, I won’t either. I’ll stay here and keep you company."
"You’re still growing; you can’t stay up like this."
"And you’ve stopped growing?"
Danton furrowed his brows slightly. "No wonder your parents say you’re so hard to manage. I say one thing, and you argue back ten."
Seeing that he was upset, An Yang’s eyes reddened as she said, "I’m just worried about your health!"
"I can take care of myself..."
But when Danton noticed her wiping away tears, he sighed and stood up. "Alright, I won’t argue with you anymore. Go get so rest. I’ll finish up and rest later."
An Yang flopped onto the table with a thud. "I’ll wait for you. Hurry up, and I promise I won’t say a word. That way, you’ll finish faster."
Danton glanced at the computer, then back at An Yang. Finally, he shut down the computer and walked out with her.
As soon as the two of them stepped out, they saw Hao Tianwen’s mother sitting alone in the living room. Danton froze. "Mom, why aren’t you asleep yet?"
The Queen of Hao Tian wiped the corner of her eye. "I couldn’t sleep, so I waited for the two of you for a bit. I heard you teaching An Yang the Haotian Characters. Don’t teach her so late in the future; it’ll affect her rest."
"Auntie, I’m fine. I usually go to bed around this ti at ho, too."
"You’re still young; you need to rest well. Go to bed now." The Queen of Hao Tian only spoke to her son after An Yang had gone to her room. "You need to adjust your schedule too; it’s not good for your health."
"I’ll rest when I’m tired." Danton sat down beside his mother. "Is it because Uncle Xiang Zuo passed away? Are you feeling really sad? Do you need a shoulder to cry on?"
"Of course I’m sad." The Queen of Hao Tian sighed heavily. "Life is unpredictable; no one knows what might happen to them. Danton, if one day your father and I aren’t around anymore, you have to bear the responsibility. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask your sister and brother-in-law, but try not to trouble them too much."
"Mom, I understand. My sister has her own family."
"I know you’ll understand, unlike your father."
Danton hugged his mother’s shoulders with a smile. "Did you two argue?"
"I can’t even be bothered to argue with him!"
"If you didn’t argue, why are you sitting here alone?"
"Let be frank. I’m keeping an eye on you and An Yang. That girl might be young, but after all, she’s still a girl. Danton, do you know why An Yang seems to listen to you so much?"
Danton couldn’t help but laugh. "She listens to ? I say one thing, and she argues ten back."
"Silly boy, An Yang is at the age when young hearts start to stir." The Queen of Hao Tian patted his hand. "When I ca back from chatting with Aunt Xiao and the others, your Aunt Shui Hui called . She told that after you left, An Yang seed possessed—crying one mont, laughing the next. You’re not too young anymore; don’t you understand what that ans?"
Danton pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mom, it can’t be what you’re thinking, can it?"
"It’s exactly what I’m thinking!" The Queen of Hao Tian glared at him. "Your sister and brother-in-law have both noticed it. I do like An Yang as a child, but she’s too young... Of course, if you like her, I won’t object. But I have to remind you, if you do like her, you’ll have to handle things properly. And if you don’t, you need to change the way you interact with her. Don’t give her hope only to let her down in the end. She’s not just anyone; she’s your lifesaver!"
Danton burst into laughter. "Mom, what are you even saying? I’ve always thought of An Yang as a little sister."
The Queen of Hao Tian gave him a deep look.
Danton nodded seriously with a straight face. "I’m not lying to you. I’m still young, and An Yang is even younger. How could it ever be possible?"
"And what about when you both get a bit older? Could it be possible?"
"..." Danton shook his head.
The Queen of Hao Tian frowned. "What does that head shake an? Is it impossible?"
"Mom, I’m tired. You should get so rest too." Danton stood up.
The Queen of Hao Tian grabbed his hand. "Clarify before you leave."
"Mom, feelings are complicated. No one can say for sure." Danton smiled while helping his mother up. "Let walk you to your room."
"You’re right. So, should we let An Yang stay here or not? Your Aunt Shui Hui is also torn about this."
Danton thought for a mont. "Let her stay. She’s quite smart. If she goes back, no one can manage her, and it’ll only delay her future."
The Queen of Hao Tian nodded. "Your Aunt Shui Hui usually doesn’t ask for help lightly. For her to ask this ti, she must really have no choice. Let’s do our best to help."
Danton smiled and nodded. "How can a girl be this mischievous?"
"Don’t make fun of her. You and your sister weren’t any better! Back then, you were always running around, and your sister’s exam scores were only passing because they included her racing and Go competition results."
"Pfft." Hiding behind the door, An Yang couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Reviews
All reviews (0)