How cold it is outside.
The moment you return home, you feel how warm it is.
Coming home.
It feels like a fulfilling day.
But also quite tiring.
In front of the old emperor, even if you do nothing, you'll feel exhausted.
However, Jiang Changtian is a person with strong executive ability. As long as he thinks it's useful, he's willing to do it.
Returning home and seeing Sister Xia, Jiang Changtian feels his whole body relax.
Very reassuring.
The smile on his face isn't as bright as it is outside, just a slight change in his cheeks, with a tiny dimple.
This smile isn't as handsome as his daytime smile, even slightly silly, but it makes people feel happy.
"What's for dinner?"
"I know you'd want a bowl of hot noodle soup when you come back. The wild chives and greens that Mianmian planted are growing well. I picked some to put in the noodles, they're very fragrant."
Still noodles.
But on a cold winter night, being able to eat a bowl of hand-pulled noodles made by Sister Xia is already the greatest happiness.
For dinner, Mianmian and Brother Chong obediently wait for their father (Uncle Jiang) to eat together.
Jiang Changtian first eats a bowl of hot noodle soup, and after the hot soup base, he starts to ask the two children how they've been doing.
He first asks Brother Chong.
"I've been to the Star Observatory these past few days. It's quite nice, I like it there. The books I read there are very interesting. Uncle, would it be alright if I become a star observer in the future?" Zi Congheng asks tentatively.
Both Jiang Changtian and Qin Luoxia are slightly stunned.
Qin Luoxia knows what a star observer is because her daughter has mentioned it several times.
Her daughter had even sent letters to the star observers in Jingzhou before.
To be honest, she doesn't understand how anyone would be willing to do such a dull job.
However, in Qin Luoxia's opinion, choosing a career is a big deal. She might not understand, so she looks towards her knowledgeable husband.
Jiang Changtian is also slightly surprised.
He thinks about Brother Chong's background, and realizes that asking him to take the imperial examinations or become an official might be a bit difficult for him.
It's not possible right now anyway.
He himself didn't come from an imperial examination background, so he doesn't need to force the younger generation.
"That's fine, but don't rush to make a decision. You're still young. Just observe and learn for now. If you come across other things and want to do something else in the future, that's okay too. After all, there are many choices in life."
Zi Congheng nods, a smile appearing on his face, looking somewhat happy.
He knew Uncle would agree. Uncle is a very open-minded elder in some aspects.
Then Jiang Changtian asks Mianmian how her studies with Inspector He are going.
Mianmian excitedly replies, "I'm learning very well. The teacher doesn't have time to teach me directly, so he has his aide, Mr. Dongfang, guide me."
"Oh, so what have you learned?" Jiang Changtian asks curiously.
"Many things," Mianmian counts on her fingers as she shares.
"You must memorize the laws, rules, and regulations well. Either be the one who makes the rules or learn how to break them, reasonably exploiting loopholes in the rules."
"Before doing bad things, always check if there's anyone around. Secrecy leads to success."
"If you want to execute someone's nine clans, first check the family genealogy. What if you're also their relative?"
"When convicting someone, you can make them prove their innocence. It's much easier than you proving their guilt."
"When scolding someone, you must be righteous and confident. Even if you don't have a reason, speak loudly. After all, you've already started scolding."
"Generally, you can't persuade the other person in an argument. So the only purpose of arguing is to make the other person unhappy."
"Also, don't be afraid of the powerful and dare to fight against villains. If you can't beat them, just say they're powerful. If you can't outdo them, just say they're villains. Label them, then fight..."
At first, Jiang Changtian listened with a pleasant expression, nodding slightly.
By the end, his face had turned slightly green.
Qin Luoxia, who was ladling soup with a spoon, had now bent the handle of the spoon.
Brother Chong silently pulled his bowl closer to himself.
"There's still so much more! I've found that the teacher knows too much. I want to go again tomorrow," Mianmian, full of curiosity, said excitedly.
Jiang Changtian held Sister Xia's hand and calmly said, "Let's teach her properly, don't use force. You'll regret it after hitting her. Let me do it, my hand is gentler!"
Jiang Mianmian jumped away from the table... What's wrong? You told me to study and improve myself. I'm learning so diligently, and you're still not satisfied... These are all philosophical principles...
Then she was tripped by the "unaware" Brother Chong and couldn't escape...
Mianmian looked resentfully at Brother Chong's long legs.
So what if your legs are long?!
Then she was kept back.
Father didn't have the heart to hit her after all.
Father prepared to reason with her some more.
Mainly because Mianmian's face looked too much like Princess Huiyun's.
Her personality was also a bit similar.
A spitting image.
This gave Jiang "Old Father" Changtian a bit of a heart attack.
He despised his own mother from the bottom of his heart.
He was very worried that Mianmian would become like her grandmother in the future.
But compared to the education of confiscating property and executing nine clans, the little girl might be better off following Princess Huiyun.
Moreover, these days the princess has gone to cause trouble for her consort, so she'll probably be sent back soon and will look for Mianmian.
Jiang Changtian felt that you can't guard against thieves forever, so it's better to educate her first, seize the initiative. Although the child is still young, some things need to be said in advance.
So after dinner.
The family very solemnly had after-dinner snacks and tea.
Physical education needs to be grasped, and ideological education needs to be grasped too.
As parents, even when raising a child to 80 years old, they still worry whether the child will be depressed at 80, whether they will have dementia, whether there will be no one to take care of them.
Mianmian took a sip of her little milk tea, sweet and milky, with a very authentic taste.
Then, because she was at home, she sat cross-legged on the warm kang, behaving well.
There was a charcoal basin in the room, so it wasn't too cold. A thin blanket was enough.
And it was the kind where they boiled tea around the stove.
However, their home still wasn't as impressive as the princess's palace. The princess's palace even had floor heating, which was amazing.
It was all done by manually burning stoves to create floor heating, mainly labor-intensive, wood-consuming, and material-consuming.
Jiang Changtian saw that both children were seated properly.
Brother Chong had a seemingly indifferent look on his face. This child appeared cold on the surface, but was actually a very sentimental child. His apparent indifference was just the expression of someone who cares too deeply, not wanting to easily form relationships or socialize with others.
Cold on the outside, warm on the inside.
Mianmian, on the other hand, was the opposite. Mianmian was warm on the outside but cold on the inside. Jiang Changtian felt that his little daughter looked very lively, but in reality, it was the opposite. Her heart was very lonely, feeling a sense of estrangement from everyone, as if she was estranged from the entire world, somewhat out of place.
However, whether warm on the outside and cold on the inside, or cold on the outside and warm on the inside, Jiang Changtian decided today to fulfill his duty as a father and teach the children properly about love and relationships.
Although it might be a bit awkward for an elder to talk about this, thinking of his muddle-headed mother, he took it as a warning and decided he must teach them.
Jiang Changtian began, "I want to talk to you about the dangers of falling in love."
Mianmian: ??
Zi Congheng: ???
Mianmian saw Father's serious face and thought, Father is quite ahead of his time. Isn't free love forbidden in ancient times? It's all supposed to be parents' orders and matchmakers' words.
But thinking about it, forbidding free love might go against human nature. Even with parents' orders and matchmakers' words, they would still allow some interaction. It's impossible to have truly blind marriages. And if there really was no free love, there wouldn't be stories like "The West Chamber" or Zhuo Wenjun selling wine.
"If you see someone and feel love at first sight, fall in love, and get deeply involved, it's a very scary thing.
If you blindly like someone, first, you'll become stupid.
Once a person becomes stupid, they're easily deceived and lose money. They're easily hurt. Fools always get hurt and might sacrifice themselves and their whole family to give, which is the height of stupidity.
Second, you'll become annoying. Always suspicious, using your brain all day to think about what the other person is doing or not doing, becoming insecure, always feeling you're not good enough for the other person, and from then on, no longer improving, stopping right there.
Third, you'll have a shorter life. When in love, you don't eat or sleep well, which affects your health and lifespan. In love, people find all sorts of ways to act up. If you don't act up, you won't die, but one day you might act yourself to death."
Qin Luoxia listened with trepidation. Are the dangers of falling in love really so great? Fortunately, she doesn't fall in love casually. She only likes her husband.
Jiang Mianmian: ... Okay, okay, okay, let me get a notebook to write this down.
Zi Congheng looked at Uncle Jiang, thinking, if in the future, Mianmian never finds a partner or gets married, I wonder if you'll be anxious and regretful. He's waiting to see.
