He added a few more words of instruction, becoming somewhat verbose.
"Yes, eldest brother, I've noted it all down."
Ling Mohan sighed with a hint of helplessness. The child was growing up and needed to venture out into the world; he couldn't keep him by his side forever, or he'd be spoiled.
As a man of the Ling family, Ling Muzhu was at an age where he should be out exploring on his own.
When Ling Muzhu was his age, he had already fought countless battles, his scars were too numerous to count, and he had long forgotten how many times he had faced near-death situations.
Compared to him, Ling Muzhu was incredibly fortunate. Now that he was of this age, it was time for him to go out and make his own way.
"It's good that you've noted it. Go back, pack your things, and prepare everything you'll need..."
After a few more instructions, Ling Mohan finally left, another troublesome matter awaiting him.
...
"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"
Feng Jin paced back and forth in her room, almost as if smoke were billowing from her head. Her breathing was rapid, clearly indicating she was furious.
"Ling Mohan, that scoundrel, he's deliberately trying to provoke me, he is! That scoundrel... bastard!"
She was on the verge of cursing Ling Mohan's entire lineage when she angrily sat down on a chair, picked up a teacup, and downed a full cup of water. Then, as if to vent, she slammed the teacup onto the table with a loud bang.
Da Bao and Er Bao, standing nearby, flinched at the commotion. The two little ones exchanged a glance, then after a moment of stunned silence, they simultaneously and tacitly turned their heads away.
With a creak, the tightly shut door was pushed open from the outside, and a ray of sunlight playfully squeezed in.
Inside the room, the mother and her two sons, with a shared understanding, turned their heads towards the doorway, eager to see who had arrived.
As Ling Mohan stepped inside, he saw the mother and sons staring at him with wide eyes, which made him frown slightly.
He walked in under their intense gazes, casually sat on a chair, poured himself a cup of clear tea, and took a sip. Just as he was about to speak, an unidentified object flew rapidly towards him.
He instinctively reached out to block it, and upon catching it, he realized it was a pillow.
"How dare you show your face! Weren't you just arrogant and overbearing? If you truly had the ability, you wouldn't have come back. Just leave and don't be an eyesore. Looking at you makes me tired!"
Feng Jin, hands on her hips, furiously approached Ling Mohan and unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse. After venting some of the pent-up anger, she felt a bit more relieved.
As the target of her wrath, Ling Mohan appeared remarkably calm. He waited for Feng Jin to finish speaking before slowly shifting his gaze to her and said, in a light and airy tone, "Are you done?"
"No... not yet!"
His demeanor left her somewhat bewildered, and she almost blurted out something foolish without thinking. Fortunately, she reacted in time and quickly corrected herself.
"Then continue."
He had plenty of time now, ample time to listen to Feng Jin's lengthy tirade, and the patience to wait until she was tired and had no more strength to speak before he would.
"You... you..." Feng Jin's mouth opened slightly. She had prepared a whole speech in her mind but didn't know where to begin.
She waved her hand dismissively, deciding to be magnanimous this time and not hold it against Ling Mohan. "I'll let it go this time, but don't let there be a next time."
It was her bad luck to have encountered Ling Mohan, who disrupted her plans from the start. Her meticulously crafted scheme had come to naught. Thinking about it made her feel incredibly stifled.
She really wanted to pry open Ling Mohan's head to see what was inside – brains or jelly – for he always did such foolish things.
"All your things are in the study. I'll have them all moved back later."
Ling Mohan spoke calmly. Those things had been piling up in the study until they were mountains, leaving no room to even stand. Keeping them was of no use to him; it was more important for Feng Jin to take them away quickly.
"Integrity is paramount in business. I said it before, and if you've acquired it, then it's yours. There's no reason for me to take it back. I have plenty of these small things, and I don't care for them. You can keep them yourself."
With a grand gesture, Feng Jin decisively refused.
He had ruined her business in front of so many people, and now he wanted to appease her.
Hitting her with one hand and offering a sweet with the other. Others might fall for this trick, but she would never be such a fool.
She would never do something so incredibly stupid. Since Ling Mohan insisted on disrupting her business and ignoring her warnings, he would have to bear the consequences himself.
"You really don't want them?"
Thinking she might have misheard, Ling Mohan patiently asked again, but the answer was the same as before.
"Naturally. A spoken word is like a chariot with four horses, impossible to recall! How could I go back on my word!"
Feng Jin answered with a resolute tone, her voice uncharacteristically firm and leaving no room for doubt.
"You truly don't regret it?"
"Of course... Why are you so out of character today? You're being so long-winded, like what! A true man stands tall and upright. How can you be so spineless? You're truly disappointing!"
His incessant nagging was driving her crazy, and Feng Jin couldn't take it anymore. She pointed at Ling Mohan and launched into a stern lecture.
She didn't want her two children to follow Ling Mohan's example and pick up such bad habits.
The man coughed lightly to conceal the expression on his face. "Keeping these things is useless to me. Consider it a favor. I'll have Lu Shi deliver them all later."
It was initially a whim to tease Feng Jin, but he hadn't intended for it to escalate to this point. If he didn't apologize quickly, it would become uncontrollable.
"Ah..." Feng Jin exclaimed in surprise. After realizing what he meant, she quickly refused again. "No need, I don't want your things. You should keep them yourself. Perhaps they'll be useful for something else."
She dared not accept them. If she did, Ling Mohan might have another strange idea one day and act up again, and she wouldn't be able to handle it.
"You have to take them, whether you want them or not. They're yours!"