Chapter 303: Siblings Reconcile
Gu Yikun walked lightly over and saw his wife in the living room scolding his little sweetheart, "Ai Xi, you need to bear the consequences of your own mistakes."
The servants looked at each other, puzzled. How could such a young child clean up after herself?
In today’s society, even ordinary families treat their children with extreme care. The Gu Family is wealthy, so their young daughter should be pampered. Even if she develops some bad habits, people outside would still concede to her for the Gu Family’s sake.
Housekeeper He couldn’t bear to see Ai Xi being treated this way, so she said to An Junxi, "Jun Xi, isn’t this a bit too harsh?"
An Junxi didn’t think so, "Otherwise, she’d think this is all just fun and games."
Gu Aixi didn’t understand what her mom meant by bearing consequences. What did Mommy want her to bear?
An Junxi handed her a small basket and pointed at the fruits on the ground, "Did you throw these?"
Aixi nodded blankly, "Yes."
An Junxi said, "Pick them up yourself."
Gu Aixi had never done this before. She found it novel and eagerly picked up the fruits, but after collecting four or five, she got tired and complained to An Junxi, "Mommy, I’m tired."
An Junxi said bluntly, "The farmers who grow these fruits are even more tired. Who told you to waste them?"
Gu Aixi pleaded to Housekeeper He for help, "He He, tired."
She was used to using reduplicated words, calling everyone with cute nicknames, making the Gu Family’s servants want to cherish her even more.
Seeing the little princess asking for help, Housekeeper He suggested to An Junxi, "Can I help out?"
An Junxi refused, "No."
Gu Jinxiu offered, "Can I help my sister? It’s my fault she’s upset."
This time, An Junxi agreed, "Okay."
Aixi was elated and, without any prompt, thanked her brother, "Brother, you’re awesome!"
Gu Jinxiu smiled, and the two children started picking up the fruits together. The living room was large, and Gu Aixi soon got exhausted and started panting.
Gu Jinxiu said, "Sister, stop picking. Let brother do it."
This time, Aixi was very sensible. She repeated what Mommy had said, "I threw them, so I have to pick them up."
Housekeeper He watched the two busy children. It was rare to see them so understanding.
She lowered her head and wiped her tears. As one gets older, they become more sentimental, easy to cry at any moment.
She really hoped time would slow down, that she could age slower, and live to see the little miss grow up and get married. The little miss would surely look beautiful in her wedding dress.
An Junxi looked up and blinked. She and Yikun could only accompany the children for half of their lives; the siblings are each other’s longest companions. She didn’t want the children to get along poorly.
Gu Jinxiu and his sister finally cleaned up all the fruits on the floor. Gu Aixi dragged the small basket to show her mom, proudly saying in newly learned English, "OK!"
Before An Junxi could praise them, Gu Aixi suddenly pointed at the window and laughed, "Grandpa, Grandma, and Daddy!"
Everyone in the room looked over. The three faces couldn’t hide their embarrassment; being caught peeking was unbefitting of their status.
"Mom and Dad," An Junxi addressed the elders, "when did you get back? Why didn’t you come in?"
They walked around to the front door, and Gu Aixi threw herself into her dad’s arms. The child’s laughter quickly broke the awkwardness in the air. Gu Yikun noticed the tears on his daughter’s face and asked, "Aixi, did you make Mommy angry?"
Gu Aixi directly admitted, "Yes, I won’t do it again next time."
Gu Yikun chuckled and An Junxi, with arms crossed, said, "Little trickster, admitting your mistake so readily. I hope you’re not just saying that."
Gu Yikun freed one hand to hug his wife, kissing her forehead, "You’ve worked hard, honey."
The servants were not surprised; the young master always treated the young madam sweetly, and they were used to it.
An Junxi told him to keep it low-key, and Gu Aixi also went over to kiss her mommy, saying, "Thank you for working hard, Daddy’s wife."
Everyone in the living room laughed at her words, and An Junxi blushed, pinching her daughter’s cheek, "You’re quick to learn these things."
Seeing everyone laugh, Gu Aixi asked her dad, "Did baby say something wrong?"
Gu Yikun praised her, "You didn’t say anything wrong. My daughter is smart."
An Junxi held her daughter, whispering to her husband, "Don’t just focus on hugging our daughter. Jinxiu just got back; you should talk to him about his studies and give him some guidance."
Liang Huiyun looked at An Junxi with appreciation. She had to admit that An Junxi was difficult to find fault with.
Gu Jinxiu felt really guilty hearing his mom’s words. If it weren’t for her prompting, Dad wouldn’t have shown such concern.
Mom wasn’t biased. She was stricter with his sister than with him. He shouldn’t have doubted her love just because of a few words from his grandmother.
After dinner, Gu Yikun called Gu Jinxiu to the study. An Junxi found some time to ask Uncle Cheng, "Uncle Cheng, did the young master have any contact with outsiders at the training camp?"
Uncle Cheng replied, "The young master was fine on the way back. Later, the old madam of the Yin Family took him over to play. After coming out of the Yin’s house, he seemed off."
An Junxi understood. The problem arose there; Mrs. Yin probably bad-mouthed her quite a bit.
An Junxi could understand Mrs. Yin’s pain of losing her daughter, but to instill bad thoughts in Jinxiu was beyond her tolerance.
"Uncle Cheng, from now on, don’t let the Yin Family contact the young master, including Yin Feibai."
"Yes, Young Madam. The master has also instructed so."
"Thank you for your hard work."
An Junxi took Ai Xi to bathe. Since Ai Xi had been reprimanded today, she didn’t want to sleep with her grandparents. She wanted to sleep with her parents, fearing that Mommy would still be angry and abandon her.
Baby Aixi was especially obedient tonight, not playing around in the bath. She did everything her mommy said, sitting still as told, trying to please her mommy.
An Junxi found it both funny and exasperating. After bathing her daughter, she carried her to the bed. Housekeeper He helped dress Ai Xi, who was very cooperative. Housekeeper He praised, "Aixi is so good."
Aixi acted cute towards Housekeeper He, saying, "He He is also good."
Housekeeper He smiled with wrinkles all over her face, "Aixi has such a sweet mouth, calling me He He. I feel like I’m twenty!"
An Junxi laughed, "Housekeeper He is young at heart."
Housekeeper He blushed, "Not young anymore, I’m old."
"Not old," Gu Aixi put on her pajamas and ran to look in the mirror, "the bunny pajamas are so pretty."
An Junxi saw how she already cared about her appearance, "Do you remember who bought the bunny pajamas?"
"Aunt Miaomiao bought them. I already thanked her," Gu Aixi’s little head was quite clear.
An Junxi said, "Then Aunt Miaomiao’s affection for you wasn’t wasted."
Aixi asked, "Where are Daddy and Brother?"
An Junxi just realized that Yikun and Jinxiu had been talking for a long time. Could Yikun still be scolding the boy?
She asked Housekeeper He to watch Ai Xi while she went to check at the study. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she saw them coming from the study.