The Laid-back Life of a Stepmother

After a brief exchange, Wen Ye had formed a preliminary impression of Xu Yuxuan's tutor, Xu Baili.

He was not only erudite but also humorous and witty, with a carefree and unrestrained demeanor in his words and actions.

For someone of his age to possess such a mindset was something Wen Ye had never encountered before.

Xu Yuejia had actually found such a tutor for Xu Yuxuan.

It was truly surprising.

Xu Baili drank the tea offered by Xu Yuxuan as a gesture of respect and sighed, "From now on, I am your teacher."

Xu Yuxuan, with his small hands clasped together, bowed to him, still looking somewhat confused as he said, "Xuan'er~ says goodbye to teacher!"

Xu Yuejia corrected him from the side, "It's 'pays respects to.'"

Xu Yuxuan quickly amended, "Pays respects to!"

His voice was full of energy.

Xu Baili, not one to nitpick, patted Xu Yuxuan's round head and said, "You're much more interesting than your father."

Seemingly understanding a bit of what Xu Baili meant, Xu Yuxuan nodded solemnly.

Seeing this, Xu Baili finally felt a glimmer of anticipation about his decision to come to Sheng Jing to be Xu Yuxuan's tutor.

He had expected to meet a miniature version of Xu Yuejia, but instead, he was pleasantly surprised.

And not just a small surprise.

Teaching such a child would be much more interesting. After the tea ceremony, Xu Yuxuan was ready to begin his formal education.

However, considering his young age, he would only study for one hour each morning, from mid-Chen hour to mid-Si hour, with three days off per month. This schedule would continue until the end of the year, after which he would turn three years old, and two additional classes would be added in the afternoon—one for literature and one for martial arts.

As he grew older, more classes would be added.

As the son of a Duke, whether he excelled in literature or martial arts, he could not completely neglect the other. He didn't need to master both, but he had to be proficient in both.

Finding a martial arts instructor wasn't necessary, as there were always retired soldiers in the military camp who had been forced to leave due to physical disabilities.

The Duke had chosen martial arts instructors for his two sons from among these veterans. Their skills didn't need to be exceptional; solid fundamentals were enough, as the focus during the enlightenment stage was on building a strong foundation.

For now, this martial arts instructor only had Xu Jinglin as his student, but by next year, Xu Yuxuan would join him.

As the heir to the Duke's estate, Xu Jingrong was destined to join the military. After four or five years of foundational training, he was now learning advanced techniques.

Perhaps because Xu Baili was so different from others, Xu Yuxuan didn't show much resistance when he heard he would be studying with him. The pig-shaped dough figurine and bamboo dragonfly Xu Baili had given him were still clutched in his hands as he played.

With the familiar presence of Nanny Ji, Hexiang, and Ren Dong, as well as a new "playmate," Xu Yuxuan only hesitated for a moment when Wen Ye and Xu Yuejia left, saying, "You must come to pick Xuan'er up!"

After receiving their assurance, he turned back to continue playing with the pig-shaped dough figurine.

Back in the west courtyard, Wen Ye asked curiously, "How did you meet Mr. Xu, my lord?"

Xu Yuejia explained briefly, "A few years ago, I was sent by imperial decree to Wuzhou to handle a case. On the way, I passed through Tangshui Village in Yushui County. Mr. Xu had passed through there before me and had gotten into trouble by standing up for someone. A local villager had smashed his head, and I saved him."

Wen Ye still had questions, "What happened after that? Why does he refer to you as his sworn brother?"

At this, Xu Yuejia paused, his expression somewhat complicated as he said, "At the time, he said that given his age, he could be my elder. By calling me his sworn brother, he was elevating my status as a way to repay me for saving his life."

Wen Ye couldn't help but laugh. She could imagine the expression on Xu Yuejia's face when Xu Baili had made that request.

"And yet you still invited him to be Xuan'er's tutor? Aren't you worried he might 'corrupt' Xuan'er?" Wen Ye asked after her laughter subsided.

Xu Yuejia replied, "A strict teacher wouldn't suit Xuan'er's temperament."

Wen Ye agreed, adding, "For example, someone like you, my lord, wouldn't be a good fit for Xuan'er."

Xu Yuejia glanced at her and said, "I'm just too busy with official duties to have studied the specifics of teaching methods."

Wen Ye nodded, "I understand. No need to explain, my lord."

Xu Yuejia awkwardly changed the subject, "…I still have some official matters to attend to."

Wen Ye reminded him, "Don't forget to pick up Xuan'er at mid-Si hour."

Since it was the child's first day of school, it was best not to break the promise they had made to him.

After all, it was just this once.

Xu Yuejia, who had already stepped out of the main hall, replied, "I remember."

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Wen Ye put down her novel, straightened her clothes, and asked Tao Zhi, who had just entered, "Has my lord arrived?"

Tao Zhi nodded.

Wen Ye stood up immediately, saying, "It's time to pick up that little one."

Xu Yuxuan's classroom was set up in the study of the courtyard where Xu Baili was temporarily staying.

There was also a pavilion there, which Madam Lu had slightly modified. From the pavilion, one could enjoy a full view of the spring scenery.

Moreover, the pavilion was in the shade, so when the weather turned hot, moving the lessons there would keep them cool.

It only took a quarter of an hour to walk from the west courtyard to the study.

Xu Yuxuan, with his small satchel on his back, had been waiting at the door for a while.

When he finally saw the two of them approaching, he was about to run over, but Nanny Ji stopped him, whispering, "Young Master, you haven't bid farewell to your teacher yet."

Xu Yuxuan pouted, no longer as affectionate toward Xu Baili as he had been an hour ago. Xu Baili sat nearby, sipping tea leisurely, seemingly in no hurry at all.

Just as Wen Ye and Xu Yuejia were about to reach them, Xu Yuxuan slowly shuffled over, turned sideways, and bowed to Xu Baili in a proper manner, "Xuan'er bids farewell to teacher."

This time, he didn't say "goodbye to teacher."

Xu Baili nodded slightly and said gently, "Go back with your father and mother. Come again tomorrow."

Xu Yuxuan seemed to understand and let out a small huff.

Wen Ye, who had just arrived, happened to hear this and glanced at the satchel on his back, asking with a smile, "Did your teacher give you this satchel?"

Xu Yuxuan touched the strap across his chest and nodded.

Madam Lu had also prepared a satchel for Xu Yuxuan, but it was clear that he preferred this one, which had a small tiger head embroidered on it.

Wen Ye took a look inside the satchel and saw that it was filled with the pig-shaped dough figurine, the bamboo dragonfly, and other miscellaneous toys—but no books. The books were in the satchel Nanny Ji was carrying.

When Xu Baili saw Xu Yuejia, he greeted him, "Sworn brother Zitan."

Xu Yuejia did not respond.

Wen Ye, however, addressed him, "Mr. Xu."

Xu Baili nodded in acknowledgment, "Sister-in-law."

Xu Yuejia and Wen Ye: "…"

The family of three bid farewell to Xu Baili and left the courtyard. On the way, Wen Ye asked, "What did your teacher teach you today, Xuan'er?"

Xu Yuxuan, walking between her and Xu Yuejia, replied in his childish voice, "A word-finding game~"

Then his eyelids drooped, "Xuan'er kept losing."

Wen Ye raised an eyebrow, "And what happens when you lose? Is there a punishment?"

Hearing this, Xu Yuxuan pouted and said, "Yes! Teacher is also bad!" He glanced up at Xu Yuejia and added, "Just like Father."

Wen Ye understood—the punishment was probably making Xu Yuxuan study with him. She asked again, "So, do you still want to come back tomorrow?"

Xu Yuxuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes… I want to learn words!" Then he shook his head, "But I don't want to study."@@novelbin@@

Wen Ye suppressed a laugh and said, "That's right, Xuan'er should focus on learning words. Once you know all the words, you can win the game against your teacher, and then you won't have to study anymore."

Xu Yuxuan nodded vigorously, "Yes!"

His small fists clenched secretly.