Chapter 3 — Beating up the Village Shrew • Educating the Two Buns
A large bowl of dark, mushy porridge—it was as clear as water, and you couldn’t scoop anything up with a chopstick. This was the father and his two sons’ dinner—no, it should be breakfast, right? In ancient times, poor families usually ate two meals a day. Judging from the little bun’s expression, they probably hadn’t eaten yet, otherwise they wouldn’t be eating so late in the afternoon.
Looking down at the few pieces of sweet potato in his own bowl, then at the little bun eating with relish, Ling Jingxuan felt a pang of emotion. He picked up a sweet potato and put it in Ling Wu’s bowl.
“Thank you, Daddy! It’s so delicious!”
Ling Wu’s eyes crinkled into crescent moons with happiness, even though it was just one piece of sweet potato.
“Xiao Wen too…”
“No, I’ve had enough. Daddy, you eat. Grandma said we don’t have money to buy meat to nourish ourselves, so at least we need to eat our fill.”
When Ling Jingxuan’s chopsticks reached for Ling Wen, the little bun covered his bowl with his hand and hid far away, his little eyebrows furrowed.
Was it a mixture of gratitude and heartache?
The more mature and sensible Da Baozi became, the more heartbroken he felt. He longed to take them out for a lavish feast, but alas… this family was exceptionally poor. Even without a close look, he could guess that this thin, watery black porridge was probably their staple food, and they likely couldn’t even sustain it.
“Then Daddy will eat by himself. Xiao Wen, do we have a well?”
Suppressing the tears welling up in his eyes, Ling Jingxuan stopped nagging and picked up his bowl, eating as he asked.
“How could we? Hiring someone to dig a well is very expensive!”
Da Baozi replied reflexively, then looked at Ling Jingxuan strangely, “Daddy doesn’t remember having a well?”
“Hehe… Daddy was a bit slow and forgetful for those years, didn’t he? How did we get water?”
If he couldn’t even handle Xiao Baozi, Ling Jingxuan would have lived in vain.
“Oh, we get our water from Grandma or Grandpa carrying it from the river.”
After all, he was only four or five years old. Even if he were smart and mature, he couldn’t possibly see the flaws in Ling Jingxuan’s words. Ling Wen got a seemingly logical answer and stopped worrying about it.
“Really?”
It seemed this family wasn’t just poor; even getting water was difficult. No wonder the two little buns and he himself were all filthy. He had originally planned to give the little buns a bath and tidy up the house after eating, but now it seemed impossible. This body was too weak, and after being unconscious for several days, it would be a miracle if he didn’t fall into the river, let alone carry water. The first thing he would do after earning money was to solve the water shortage problem. Even though he wasn’t a germaphobe, he didn’t like being covered in dirt.
“Eat quickly, and then take me to the river.”
Since there was no water for bathing at home, surely they could go to the river? He refused to believe that even taking a bath was so difficult.
“Hmm…”
Bang! Bang!
“Ling Jingxuan, you shameless monster, get out here! How dare you hit my eldest son! I’ll fight you to the death, Ling Jingxuan…”
Before the two little boys could say anything, a violent kicking sound suddenly rang out from outside, followed by a woman’s vulgar curses. The smiles on the little boys’ faces vanished instantly. Ling Wu’s small body trembled, and he subconsciously moved closer to Ling Jingxuan. Ling Wen looked at his father and then at his younger brother with difficulty, quickly finished the black porridge in his bowl, got up, and went out.
“Don’t be afraid, come with Daddy to see.”
Ling Jingxuan’s eyes, which were full of warmth, suddenly turned cold. He took the little boy’s hand and followed him out.
“Get out of here, you little bastard…”
—Bang!
At the doorway, Ling Wen was slapped away by a woman in coarse linen clothes as soon as he opened the rickety wooden door. His thin body stumbled back several steps before landing heavily on the ground. The woman didn’t even glance at the little boy she’d just knocked away, and stormed in with a teenager.
Ling Jingxuan, leading his younger son, stepped out and saw this scene. He gave the woman a cold look, then strode towards Ling Wen, who was struggling to his feet, tears streaming down his face.
“Ling Jingxuan, you shameless dog! You even dare to hit my son! I’ll fight you to the death!”
Seeing Ling Jingxuan, the woman rolled up her sleeves and rushed over, raising her hand to slap him. But Ling Jingxuan was no longer the same Ling Jingxuan; how could he let her beat and scold him? With a swift movement of his left hand, he precisely grabbed her forearm, his chilling gaze suddenly shooting towards her. “Get out!”
The shrewish woman clearly hadn’t expected Ling Jingxuan to dare retaliate, and stood frozen in place. Ling Jingxuan used a clever push, sending her rolling away like an ice bead being smashed.
“Ouch, my goodness…”
Ignoring the woman’s cries of pain, Ling Jingxuan walked over and squatted down in front of the little boy, grabbing his wrist to check his pulse and carefully examining his body. When his gaze swept over his swollen cheek, a murderous aura suddenly appeared. Damn it, how dare she use such force on a four or five-year-old child.
“Brother, does it hurt?” The little boy beside him, tears streaming down his face, trembled as he reached out and touched his brother’s swollen cheek, his fingers gently rubbing it, tears falling in a soft patter.
“It doesn’t hurt, Daddy, I’m fine. She’s Da Wa’s mother, the one you pulled down that day. She’s been coming to the door every day these past few days, yelling and cursing. Luckily, Grandma comes over every day when she has a spare moment…” Da Baozi’s little face, barely two fingers wide, was swollen like a steamed bun. It was impossible for him not to be in pain, but Da Baozi forced back his tears and touched his younger brother’s head. He turned and mumbled an incoherent report about the woman’s identity. Before he could finish, Ling Jingxuan pulled him close to his chest with heartache. “If it hurts, just cry. Daddy will protect you.”
“Waaah… Daddy… Daddy…”
Da Baozi’s little body stiffened, and then his two slender arms wrapped around his neck. Da Baozi couldn’t hold back any longer and buried his face in his neck, wailing loudly.
“Daddy…”
Xiao Baozi also came over when he saw this. Ling Jingxuan raised his arms and hugged him, letting the two children cry in his arms. He couldn’t help but secretly swear to himself that this was the last time. He would never let anyone touch a hair on their head again.
In less than an hour, Ling Jingxuan not only accepted his current identity but also genuinely regarded the two little boys as his own sons.
“You damned bastard, shameless monster, how dare you…”
The woman who had been pushed away earlier finally came to her senses, hands on her hips, pointing at the father and his two sons and cursing them with the most vulgar and vicious language imaginable. The teenage boy beside her also acted arrogantly and looked down on them. The little boy, who had been crying in Ling Jingxuan’s arms, froze. Ling Wu burrowed even closer into his arms, while Ling Wen hastily wiped away his tears, preparing to step forward to speak for his father, but Ling Jingxuan pulled him back.
“Leave this to your daddy.”
Ignoring the village woman’s tantrum, Ling Jingxuan met the older boy’s puzzled gaze, flicked his forehead with his finger, and when his gaze turned to the woman, the tenderness and doting vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling coldness and murderous intent.
The woman, caught up in her tirade, froze, a chill running down her spine. Wasn’t Ling Jingxuan an idiot? How could an idiot’s eyes be so terrifying?
“Don’t make me say it a third time, get out!”
Every word was like a hailstorm, chilling to the bone. How could an ordinary person withstand the murderous aura accumulated from over a decade of assassination in his previous life?
The woman stumbled back a few steps in fright, but after bumping into her son, she straightened her back and cursed, “What? You shameless monster, you dare to hit an old woman? Believe me or not, I’ll drown you in a pig cage! A grown man, I don’t know which wild man got you pregnant, and you gave birth to two little bastards, and you still have the nerve to live? You’re not ashamed, I’m ashamed for you. If I were you, I would have found a thick tree trunk and hanged myself. You’ve completely disgraced everyone in Lingjia Village, you damn monster…”
—Slap —slap —slap
The dark, burly woman cursed more and more fluently, using only the most offensive insults. Ling Jingxuan pushed the two children behind him, patted Ling Wen’s shoulder to signal him to watch his younger brother, and suddenly rushed towards the woman with his slender body. He grabbed her collar with one hand and slapped her repeatedly with the other, making the woman forget to fight back. Her dark cheeks visibly swelled up.
“Ahhh…”
Only when blood trickled from the woman’s lips did Ling Jingxuan disgustedly let her go. The woman’s face was swollen, her fingers trembling as she pointed at him, unable to utter a single word, only letting out screams of “Ahhhh!” Her eyes were filled with terror as she stared at him. There’s always someone to punish the wicked. These village women, seemingly fierce, were actually all bullies who preyed on the weak. As long as you were tougher than them, they wouldn’t dare provoke you again.
“Get out! Don’t let me see you again, or I’ll beat you every time I see you. And you, take your mother and get out of my house! If I find out you’ve bullied my little dumplings again, I’ll kill you!”
Ling Jingxuan retreated to stand in front of the little dumplings, speaking coldly. Coming from the 21st century, he had no principle of not hitting women. Daring to touch his son, a few slaps were too lenient.
“Yes, yes, yes…”
“Ugh…”
The boy, who looked to be no more than ten years old, saw that Ling Jingxuan was so ruthless and no longer dared to be arrogant. He grabbed his mother, whose face was swollen like a pig’s head, and stumbled away. Just a moment ago, he suddenly felt that the monster was really going to kill him. It was too terrifying!
“Wow… Daddy, you’re so amazing! You chased away the bad woman and the big kid!”
The little dumpling, who had been teary-eyed, rushed to Ling Jingxuan and hugged his leg, jumping and hopping excitedly. He was very supportive of his father, giving him a big compliment. Ling Wen, whose face was swollen on one side, was much more reserved in comparison, but his eyes were still filled with naked admiration and fanaticism when he looked at Ling Jingxuan. It is said that a father is a mountain in a child’s heart. Although they had never experienced it, at this moment, they sincerely trusted and admired their father.
“Little buns, remember this: kindness is often taken advantage of. You were bullied before because you were too weak, giving others a reason to bully you. From now on, Daddy will teach you some simple self-defense skills. We’d rather bully everyone in the world than let anyone bully us even a little.”
Squatting down and pulling the two children close, Ling Jingxuan tenderly stroked the older child’s face, speaking solemnly. Whether the children understood or not, he wanted to tell them: “If you don’t offend me, I won’t offend you; if you do, I’ll definitely kill you!” This was his principle from his past life, and he didn’t intend to change it in this one.
“Yes!”
The two little buns nodded in unison. Although they might not have fully understood his meaning, they knew their father was right.
“Hehe… Alright, I’ll go find some clean clothes. You two go get the wooden tub; let’s go to the river for a bath and freshen up.”
Gently flicking their foreheads, Ling Jingxuan stood up and looked at the small courtyard enclosed by a low mud wall. It was quite large, but there was nothing there—in a word, poor! In two words, very poor! Three words: extremely poor! Four words: nothing but bare walls!
“Hmm.”
The two little buns turned and ran towards the simple thatched hut next to the thatched house, probably the kitchen. Ling Jingxuan shook his head, deciding to ignore the state of his home for now and focus on cleaning their bodies first. He also wanted to see if he could find any useful anti-inflammatory herbs; the big bun’s face was so swollen, and it was the hottest time of summer; if not treated properly, it would likely become inflamed and fester.
On his first day after transmigrating, he was beaten unconscious for several days. Finally regaining consciousness, he encountered a shrewish village woman throwing a tantrum. Ling Jingxuan, this 21st-century internationally renowned physician and assassin, was truly miserable. The only consolation was that he had two adorable little buns, although he would be genuinely tormented by them later. At least for now, he was content.
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
