Liangdu’s temperature at the end of July is still scorching. Standing under the sun, Daozi and Xiao Moqing were in the yard for a while, with fine sweat seeping out on their foreheads.
The mid-afternoon sun doesn’t harm anyone; Daohua, unhurried, drinks her porridge. After finishing the porridge, she started eating pastries, as if she had forgotten the few people in the yard, including Daozi.
Initially, Daozi and Xiao Moqing were still humming in complaint, but as ti passed, their arrogance slowly subsided.
Gradually, the courtyard quieted down.
Only when Daozi and Xiao Moqing beca wilted did Daohua speak up: "Let’s talk, what happened? Who goes first?"
Xiao Moqing imdiately wanted to complain, but seeing Daohua’s unsmiling face, he was still sowhat scared. After thinking for a mont, he looked towards Daozi.
At this mont, Daozi realized that Daohua was angry and he shrunk his neck, not saying a word.
Seeing this, Xiao Moreng stepped forward to plead, but Daohua raised her hand to stop him.
Daohua looked at her son, whose lips were slightly broken, and then at Xiao Moqing, whose cheekbones were swollen, and asked with a smile, "What, are the two of you only brave enough to fight but not to admit it?"
Daozi mustered his courage, glaring angrily at Xiao Moqing: "Mom, it was Xiao Moqing who first grabbed my skateboard."
Xiao Moqing quickly retorted: "You didn’t keep your word. You clearly agreed that if I won our ga of rock-paper-scissors, you would let take the skateboard to An Residence to play."
Daozi: "I didn’t say you couldn’t play, I just wanted you to wait one day, but you couldn’t wait and ca to snatch it. I don’t like you anymore."
Xiao Moqing snorted: "As if I liked you!"
"Humph!"
The two of them snorted at each other, then simultaneously turned their heads in the opposite direction.
Daohua looked at the two of them; the servants had already co to tell her about the incident earlier.
Xiao Moqing is indeed domineering, always resorting to force when things don’t go his way, but this ti Daozi was actually at fault first, hesitating at the last minute despite having agreed earlier.
Daohua beckoned Daozi to co forward.
Daozi imdiately raised his eyebrows at Xiao Moqing, thinking, ’Mom is my mom, of course she will side with .’
Daohua did not, as usual, pull Daozi into her arms, but asked him to stand one ter away.
Seeing Daohua not comforting him, Daozi imdiately pouted.
Daohua ignored him, but pointed at Xiao Moqing and others: "Do you know what your identity is in relation to them?"
Daozi was stunned for a mont, then loudly said: "I am their younger brother, except for Xiaoshi."
Daohua shook her head: "Think again."
Daozi glanced at Xiao Moqing and the others, his eyes rolling, then he loudly said, "I am the Little Prince."
Daohua: "Little Prince of what?"
Daozi: "Of Prince Residence."
Daohua pointed at Xiao Moreng and the others: "Then who are they?"
Daozi: "Older brother? Younger brother?"
Daohua: "They are guests. Now do you understand your identity? You are the Little Prince of Prince Residence. They are guests at the residence. How should you, as the young host, act?"
Daozi tilted his head: "I should treat them well."
Daohua: "Did you accomplish that?"
Daozi: "..."
Daohua, pointing at Xiao Moqing: "Is it right for a host to injure a guest?"
Daozi pouted, remaining silent.
Daohua then asked: "Since you promised your seventh brother to lend him the skateboard, why did you go back on your word?"
Daozi retorted: "I didn’t go back on my word, I just wanted him to wait one more day."
Daohua: "Before the rock-paper-scissors ga, did you make this clear to your seventh brother?"
Daozi again bowed his head silently.
Daohua: "People must keep their word. You wouldn’t want others to call you dishonest, right? If you say you will do sothing, you must do it. If you can’t fulfill it, then don’t rashly promise others. Once you have promised, no matter how reluctant, you must follow through."
Though Daozi’s lips were still pouted high, his expression had cald significantly.
Daohua: "Did you do sothing wrong today?"
Daozi, unwilling to admit his mistakes in front of his newly t peers, bowed his head silently.
Daohua didn’t give Daozi a chance to escape: "Speak up."
Daozi looked at Daohua grievously, his nose feeling sour, as his mother wasn’t siding with him: "It was seventh brother who started it."
Daohua: "That is his problem. We are talking about you now, did you do anything wrong?"
Looking at her son’s pitiful expression, Daohua remained firm: "What, does the Little Prince dare to do things but not accept responsibility?"
Daozi hung his head and in a muffled voice said, "I was wrong!"
Seeing Daozi admit his mistake, Xiao Moqing lifted his chin again, thinking to himself that as the son of the Crown Prince, his aunt would surely side with him.
At this mont, Daohua turned her gaze towards Xiao Moqing, "Moqing, how old are you this year?"
Taken aback by the sudden question, Xiao Moqing instinctively replied, "I am eight years old."
Daohua smiled and nodded, "Eight years old, you’re a big kid now."
Xiao Moqing puffed out his chest, "Yes, I have grown up."
Daohua asked further, "Do you know how old Daozi is?"
Xiao Moqing answered, "Yes, he is four years old."
Daohua continued with a smile, "You are eight and he is four; that makes you his older brother, right?"
Xiao Moqing nodded, "Yes, that’s right."
Daohua, "As an older brother, shouldn’t you take more care of and be more tolerant towards your younger brother?"
Xiao Moqing: "..."
Daohua: "Your younger brother is still young and doesn’t always think things through; if he makes mistakes, you can correct him, but hitting people – isn’t that using your size to bully him?"
Xiao Moqing glanced at Daozi, who was a whole head shorter than himself, looking sowhat embarrassed; he seed to have indeed bullied him just now.
When Daozi heard his mother defending him, his previously drooping spirit lifted instantly.
Daohua continued smilingly, "Is Moqing a child who bullies others just because he’s older?"
Xiao Moqing hurriedly retorted, "Of course not."
Daohua: "Then, was it wrong for you today to fight and snatch things from your younger brother?"
Xiao Moqing grimaced, and finally he nodded weakly, "I was wrong."
Daohua smiled, "That’s a good child. For sothing like today’s issue, you can first explain things clearly to your younger brother, and if he doesn’t listen, you can still co to for help, wouldn’t that be much better than fighting over it?"
Xiao Moqing nodded again, "Next ti Daozi goes back on his word, I will co to you, aunt."
Daohua nodded in response, "Good, since both of you have admitted your mistakes, let’s talk about punishnt now."
"Ah!"
"There’s a punishnt too?"
Daozi and Xiao Moqing asked in unison.
Daohua smiled, "Of course, you’ve made a mistake, how could you not be punished?"
No longer caring about competing with Xiao Moqing, Daozi quickly flung himself onto Daohua’s legs, "Mom, I know I was wrong, I will keep my word next ti, please don’t punish ."
Daohua pushed Daozi away, "Go back and stand in your original place."
Daozi glanced at Daohua’s expression and seeing that his mother wasn’t joking, he reluctantly shuffled back to his original spot.
Daohua: "Daozi, as the host, you have not treated your guest well and failed to keep your word. You are punished to stand for one hour every day for seven days."
On hearing this, Daozi’s face fell imdiately, "Mom, that’s too harsh, you’re going to lose your darling son this way."
Daohua ignored him and turned to Xiao Moqing, "As an older brother, for initiating physical violence against your younger brother, you are punished by being forbidden from the amusent park for seven days."
Xiao Moqing’s face fell too, and although he wanted to bargain, seeing his aunt looking at him with a smile, he swallowed back his words.
Daohua smiled and said, "Good, since there are no objections, let’s settle it this way."
Daozi, Xiao Moqing: No, they had objections.
Daohua looked at the two, "For my part, this matter is concluded. Now I ask you two, how do you want to resolve this situation?"
Daozi and Xiao Moqing appeared puzzled: The matter isn’t over?
Daohua smiled, "For instance, do you prefer to make peace or from now on go your separate ways and stop seeing each other?"
Daozi and Xiao Moqing were silent for a mont.
Daozi looked at Xiao Moqing, rembering what Daohua said about him being the host, and though he felt a bit awkward, he spoke first, "Look what mom said, it’s such a trivial matter, of course we’ll make peace."
Xiao Moqing also nodded, "There’s no need to separate over such a trivial matter."
Daozi walked towards Xiao Moqing and extended a hand of friendship, "Let’s still be good buddies."
Xiao Moqing shook Daozi’s hand, "Yes, good buddies."
They shook hands and also hugged each other.
Seeing the two reconcile, everyone around Daohua admired her greatly.
The aunt really is amazing; such a mischievous person as the seventh brother, and just a few words from aunt settled him into compliance.
The servants serving Xiao Moqing also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
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