Chapter 458: Chapter 442: Madam
Fang Chuning made Xie Xun storm off again. He even forgot to take Ruyi with him. Ruyi, obedient as always, sat quietly on the warm couch while Xie Jue played chess and fed him.
Xie Jue remarked indifferently, "Childish."
Fang Chuning knew exactly what he meant. "He’s always finding fault with me. You’re really biased."
Xie Jue thought to himself, if Fang Chuning dared say this in front of Xie Xun, the latter would most likely resort to violence again. Just then, Ruyi tried to grab the sweet potato with his hand, but Xie Jue stopped him.
"It’s dirty."
Though Ruyi was very obedient in front of him, he couldn’t stand eating bite by bite with a spoon. He thought grabbing the food with his hands was much tastier. Determined to grab it, he tried again and again, but Xie Jue refused to let him use his hands. When Xie Jue wasn’t paying attention, Fang Chuning sneakily gave his half to Ruyi, who gleefully grabbed a big chunk with his chubby little hand and stuffed it into his mouth.
Just as Xie Jue finished wringing out a towel and turned around, he saw Ruyi’s dirty hands again. "Fang Chuning, are you asking for death!?"
"Ruyi, your daddy is so fierce." Fang Chuning drawled lazily, his tone carrying a hint of complaint. Ruyi chuckled, his crescent-shaped eyes sparkling with delight.
Xie Jue had no choice but to endure, his face blank while watching Ruyi eat the sweet potato with his hands and even lick his fingers. He fought hard to suppress the urge to clean his hands.
Who taught him such bad manners, grabbing food with his hands?
"Back in Jiaozhou, he ate with impeccable manners, waiting to be fed—such a good boy." Xie Jue’s voice held a trace of anger. "But since coming to West State, he’s developed this fondness for grabbing food with his hands."
Ever since Xie Xun gave Ruyi a rib to gnaw on, Ruyi had been astonished to discover that he could eat with his hands—and it tasted amazing. From that moment on, he loved grabbing dishes and meat straight from his bowl with his hands.
Fang Chuning said, "He’s still young. Habits can be corrected slowly."
"Bad habits are cultivated early," Xie Jue replied coolly. "Just like you—when you got injured, you went on hunger strikes. Even now it’s the same."
Fang Chuning fell silent. "..."
When he was younger, his father disciplined him harshly. Rebellion sprouted in his heart, and he developed a childish defiance, convinced that his father didn’t like him. As a form of retaliation, he would starve himself whenever he was wounded, thinking in his immaturity, "If you treat me poorly, I’ll harm myself to make you suffer." That childish notion grew into a bad habit.
"When did I ever go on hunger strikes? You fed me, and I ate whatever was given—even poison." Fang Chuning teased recklessly.
Xie Jue said flatly, "Ruyi understands everything now. Watch what you say."
"Watch for what?"
Xie Jue shot back coldly, "Watch your feathers."
Fang Chuning burst out laughing, tears nearly streaming down his face. "You’re exaggerating. Is Ruyi some kind of child prodigy? He’s not even two—what could he possibly understand?"
Ruyi licked his little hand until it was wet and then held it out to Xie Jue, obediently waiting for him to clean it. Xie Jue carefully wiped each of his fingers until they were spotless.
The more Fang Chuning watched, the more intrigued he became. "I never thought this is what you’d be like as a father."
"What did you imagine?"
"I never fancied imagining you as a father," Fang Chuning said casually, propping his chin on his hand and tapping his fingers against the chess table. "But now... I think you’d be like my father—very strict with your son. I didn’t expect you’d be this gentle as a dad."
"Do you have any memories of your grandfather?"
Fang Chuning shook his head, puzzled as to why Xie Jue brought him up. "He passed away very early. My father was only thirteen when my grandfather died in battle. Our family was in chaos for years because of it."
Xie Jue threw the dirty towel into the basin and fed Ruyi some water, speaking as if in idle conversation. "My father personally raised my elder brother—patiently and gently. Though Zhixu and I were not raised directly by him, we often heard stories about my father’s relationship with my elder brother. That’s why Zhixu and I will likely both be patient and gentle fathers. Your father’s strictness with you may stem from your grandfather’s strictness towards him, shaping him into who he is. As a result, he was equally harsh in raising you."
"My father rarely spoke of my grandfather, as if he didn’t like him at all. The relationships among the Fang Family uncles and brothers are strained as well," Fang Chuning said faintly. "It’s just like me and him—we Fang Family members can’t cobble together a single normal father-son pair."
Xie Jue had watched Fang Chuning grow up and felt a pang of sorrow when talking about father-son relationships. He didn’t know how to comfort Fang Chuning.
This was the knot in Fang Chuning’s heart that he carried for half his life.
The topic ended without resolution. Xie Jue sensed his shift in mood and tactfully refrained from continuing the discussion. Instead, he poured Fang Chuning a cup of tea and added two sugar cubes.
Ruyi, having eaten and drunk his fill, soon fell asleep on the side.
"Eating and sleeping—being a child is so nice," Fang Chuning said enviously. "Having someone to shield you from the storm, someone to care for you tenderly—you just need to be obedient, eat well, sleep well, and grow up safely. That’s all."
"Ruyi is very much like you."
"My son, of course, resembles me."
"... True." Fang Chuning lowered his gaze slightly, and the conversation abruptly turned sharp. "When did you get married? Is it that communication from Zhongzhou is too limited, or do you have a hidden mistress? Why haven’t I met your wife? There are no women’s belongings in this house either. Is your wife still in Jiaozhou and didn’t come with you to West State for the New Year?"