“You could’ve woken me up, you know.”
“But you were sleeping…”
“I wasn’t sleeping, I was just lying down.”
“Then, um… now—”
“Wait! Stop the sexual harassment! No more sexual violence!”
Qing declared firmly, showing her palm.
This was Qing’s way of stopping a bad behavior in her hometown, making the bad guys shed tears of repentance, suddenly realizing the joy of friendship, and helping each other study, solving all problems in a miraculous fashion.
This genius method was devised by the great officials of the Han people, and among these miraculous results was a mystical object called the ‘Laughter Bell’ that made people burst into happy laughter when rung.
“Hey, lady, the gender equality education is still not sorted out.”
I thought I’d have days before you showed up, but you just popped in during the night.
When was the last time I heard from you again?
It must have been five years ago before I left.
I remember…
Thinking back, I know I shouldn’t have that attitude.
Like, not treating the audience like criminals.
“Alright. I’ll give this back, but the chest talk ends here. Got it?”
“Ah. Yes…”
Not throwing a tantrum here isn’t really kid-like, is it?
You seem to listen well though.
“And hey, sit here. I’m gonna tell you an awesome story.”
“You’re my older brother?”
“’Brother’ also means someone older than you, you know.”
“Ah…”
Mo Yongjun plopped down on the ground with a thud.
“First, let’s assess this. So, hasn’t anyone taught you what you should and shouldn’t say to others? Is the education in the noble clan a bit lacking? What do they teach at home?”
Even Tang Nan-ah knows what not to say.
She knows, but she usually does her own thing and then just apologizes greatly when it becomes a problem.
Thinking about it, this kid at least asked something, while Tang Nan-ah was just secretly feeling around.
There really was a true criminal after all.
“Martial arts!”
“Hmm. And?”
Mo Yongjun then made a face as if asking if there’s anything else to learn apart from swordsmanship.
“How old is our little one?”
“Nine years old!”
“But haven’t you learned anything except for swordsmanship?”
“No! I’m the hope of the clan! As long as I master martial arts, it’s enough! And martial arts are fun!”
Having seen how he flew during the day with that new technique, it was hard to believe he was just nine years old; his skill was remarkable.
He might be a martial arts genius, or perhaps a prodigy, but still, some basic common sense should be taught.
To the adults in the martial world. Qing thought this was a troubling lack of common sense, and she wasn’t wrong.
But hey, it wasn’t too surprising.
In Qing’s hometown, plenty of parents didn’t bother to mind a child’s behavior as long as their grades were good.
They just thought, “It’ll get better with age.”
Having good grades meant everything was solved, but aging won’t solve anything.
Unknowingly preparing for the retirement treatment, they were just content with their child’s report card.
“Alright. First, let me tell you about integrity…”
Qing began her version of gender equality education in a rather Chinese way.
She wasn’t so ignorant as to teach something like total gender equality out of the blue in the Central Plain.
However, she did partially agree with Seomun Sulin’s radical ideas—though in the modern world, it was just common sense.
Seeing a woman’s bare feet would be just like losing her integrity, so it’d be fine to beat and chase her away for it; this was strictly ancient and primitive Chinese thinking.
(Going beyond China, it’s not much different from Western standards today).
Initially, Mo Yongjun’s curious expression of what she meant began to change into a frown.
“So, if I weren’t so understanding, our little one would’ve had no words to say even if they were stabbed to death. Got it?”
“Oh. So I did something wrong…?”
“Yeah. If you did something wrong, what do you think you should do?”
“Um… this is a minor offering, but…?”
The kid shyly extended the gold coin that he had just been given back.
Take a look! What is this, half of my half?
If I had four of these, it’d fit me perfectly! What the!
But cute is cute, and annoying is annoying.
As a sensible adult, Qing had a duty to teach that there were people in this world where cuteness wouldn’t work.
Thud!
That was the crisp sound of the wooden stick hitting.
“Ah!”
Of course, Mo Yongjun instinctively clutched his head and rolled on the ground.
Shaolin monks didn’t need to learn the unnecessary advanced techniques like the “72 Shaolin Skills” just to educate villains.
Seomun Sulin’s radioactive punch method alone would suffice to reform evildoers. This unprecedented technique should be widely spread throughout the martial world.
“Ow…”
Mo Yongjun now had huge swellings forming around his eyes.
“If you do something wrong, you need to apologize first. Offering a gold coin comes next. Got it?”
“Yes… But, beggar sister, will I not bleed?”
That reaction was right on point.
I know that pain.
Qing stifled a laugh while trying to educate him.
“You won’t bleed, so stop rubbing it. And remember that pain. My heart hurt just as much. What’s the deal with thinking you can openly touch someone on a first encounter? Sure, it was amusing to call you a beggar, but still, what’s the deal with calling me that? Do you even know what that means?”
“Uh, someone who does anything for money…”
“Wrong. Ignorance isn’t an excuse. You shouldn’t try to understand it alone. You should have confirmed this with an adult first.”
“Yes… Then, beggar sister, you are an adult, right?”
He was implying he wanted to know.
“Sure. There’s probably no one as great an adult as me. Hmm. In this world, there are good words and bad words…”
Qing established a level-appropriate education for the little one.
You shouldn’t say bad words; it hurts the listener level of childish content they usually teach.
However, this was also a precious education that Mo Yongjun hadn’t received and should have.
People of the Mo Yong Clan weren’t rough around the edges.
With a genius destined to become the number one in the world arising in the clan, it was exhilarating to teach martial arts, and they had scholars competing day and night to become his master.
Eventually, both he and I would want to boast about teaching the future number one.
So, someone else would likely teach him common sense, and the disaster that arose from that was something we all shared.
“So, you shouldn’t use those words.”
“But adults are already using them freely.”
Qing was momentarily at a loss for words.
To think that’s why there’s such a thing as a mirror.
Of course, the kids wouldn’t have known they were listening in, so the clan members were probably talking freely too.
Could it be an issue with that secret passage?
“Hmm. But adults already know that what they’re saying is bad.”
“Then that makes it bad behavior too.”
“Right. However, if problems arise from that, they take full responsibility. Hmmm.”
He’s too young to understand personal responsibility.
In the martial world, Qing had never been so meticulous in her considerations before, and if Seomun Sulin saw this, she’d be praising him as a wonderful teacher by now.
“Those bad adults are why. So, do you want to be a bad adult too? Do you want to become one?”
“Hmm… I’d prefer not to.”
“Good. You’re nice.”
Qing patted Mo Yongjun’s head.
I wish my hands weren’t dirty.
Hmm, seems his crown is a bit bulbous.
Did I end up using a little too much strength?
“However, um, you know…”
“Hmm. What is it?”
“It’s about… the chest.”
Hmm. But he seems a bit persistent about this.
However, the words that followed were pitiful.
“Then isn’t there a way for me? Because I don’t have a mom, so I can’t do that. And since I’m not married, I don’t have a wife either. If I were to ask others, it’d be bad, so that’s not allowed…”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“That’s unfair…”
It was an unfortunate statement, but it was right.
But how to tell him that?
The rich young master should be thankful for being born with such privilege, it wouldn’t be right to say something that ridiculous.
“Hmm. Do you totally have no mom? Hey, lady, why are you saying this? Don’t you have other mothers? Don’t rich families usually have several mothers? Oh, right, a nurse! You must have a nurse, right?”
“Well, my aunt ended up being…”
Did the nurse and her uncle hit it off?
Qing thought a bit simplistically, but it was more complicated than that.
The nurse was around the level of an honorary wife, so they were family, just without their names on the family tree.
Neither Qing nor Mo Yongjun knew, but a man had taken his brother’s honorary wife as his main spouse, overcoming everyone’s opposition—a great victory of a pure love story.
However, Mo Yongjun, without a mother and his nurse taken away, seemed the most pitiful.
“Sorry. There’s really no other way. You might have to get married quickly.”
“Yes. Hmm. But…”
Mo Yongjun looked at Qing.
Qing’s expression turned awkward behind the curtain.
Oh dear.
I really don’t know why these kids like me so much.
But it does have its cute side.
“I’ll tell you beforehand, I have no intention of getting married. Looking at me like that won’t secure an engagement.”
“Eh? I don’t want to marry you, beggar sister.”
Qing’s eyes twitched.
“What? Didn’t you just look at me like, ‘maybe you’ or something? Changing your words out of embarrassment now?”
“Um… if it’s about the chest, marrying just for that seems wrong to the other person, so I wondered…”
“Hmm. They say if you teach one, you’ll understand ten. Our little one has had a splendid thought. The color-loving child has now become the top husband in the martial world.”
Qing wiped her hands on Mo Yongjun’s hair.
It still feels bulging.
I hope no one comes asking who hit him later.
“Hehe…”
The kid let out a bright laugh, happy.
Hmm. He is a kid.
But still, some things need to be laid down clearly.
“But wait, you don’t want to marry me? How dare you?”
“But, beggar sister, you wore a veil. People who wear veils have faces that might hurt others’ feelings, so they cover them…”
“Who says that? Is that something you heard?”
“My father said… There was someone who wore a veil long ago, and I asked why they covered their face, and they answered. They’re the one covering their face for others, so you can’t point and stare or rudely take a peek.”
“Hmm. Right. Good to know.”
That’s why it’s important to listen carefully.
The perception of those who wear veils in the Central Plain is as such, and the conclusion is quite profound, indeed.
Just being lazy in wearing it is a special case for Qing.
It’s not like there are no people using it for that purpose in the Central Plain, but there was no need to emphasize those rare exceptions.
Suddenly, Qing drew a playful smile.
“So, you don’t want to marry an ugly person like me? Think about it; right now, I just might be willing to marry you! Let me think about it again?”
“I don’t want to. I want to marry a pretty woman.”
“Isn’t the heart more important than looks?”
“Uh… Then, I want to marry someone who’s both pretty and kind. Not you, beggar sister.”
The kid hesitated for a moment before replying.
What a clever answer!
“Lady, the rich young master saying this leaves me speechless. So you want to marry someone both pretty and kind? Give it a good think. This is your last chance. If I’m hurt this time, I’ll be absolutely broken and will never marry you!”
“Um… I’m sorry.”
The kid bowed, still seated, showing that the education seems to have worked.
“Really? Then there’s nothing to be done. I don’t want to marry you either. No matter how much you come crying later, it won’t work.”
“I don’t think that’ll happen…”
“Now it’s over, completely over. Eternal friends, you got that? Don’t you dare expect more than friendship from me. Got it?”
“Eh? We’re friends?”
Mo Yongjun’s expression changed to one of joy.
Qing’s face also brightened.
“Yeah. Do you want to be my secret friend?”
“No. I want to just be friends.”
“Ah, still a bit assertive, are we?”
“Then, since we’re friends, you can call me A-Jun. But for you, just ‘Flower Beggar Sister’ will do.”
“Huh? Flower beggar…?”
Mo Yongjun looked at Qing’s veil with a puzzled expression.
But why does this little guy always have to be a bit off-kilter when he’s cute?