Chapter 42: An'an, An'an!

“What? Cheating on exams? Skipping classes? And being defiant?”

In this private school called Mingde Hall, Jiang Wang was both shocked and furious.

He had already been feeling anxious since An'an told him yesterday that her teacher wanted to see him as her guardian. He had easily connected this to threats from Fang Zehou.

If the Fang family used underhanded tactics—such as using their connections to have An'an expelled from her school—he truly wouldn't have much of a way to deal with it.

He had even prepared himself to pay out of pocket to hire a private tutor for An'an.

But he could never have imagined, no matter how hard he racked his brains, that the reason Jiang An'an's teacher wanted to see him was simply because of her poor behavior.

Jiang Wang felt a profound sense of absurdity.

When a teacher gives lessons, things like slapping hands, making students stand in punishment, or forcing them to copy texts are common occurrences. It was unheard of for a teacher to be unable to handle a student. Hadn't he, Jiang Wang, been forced by Xiao the Iron-Faced to copy Taoist scriptures even after joining the inner sect of the Daoist Academy?

Just how bad and disobedient did a student have to be for a teacher to request a meeting with the parents?

"Look at this." The old master of Mingde Hall tossed over a stack of notebooks. "I punished her by making her copy the *Thousand Character Classic*. Look at what she actually wrote."

Jiang Wang took them with both hands and glanced at them. He was about to say there was no problem—the content indeed was the *Thousand Character Classic*. But he quickly realized that while the content was correct, the handwriting consisted of as many as seven or eight different styles.

In other words, Jiang An'an had even cheated on the transcription assigned by her teacher.

Jiang Wang wanted nothing more than to cover his eyes; he couldn't bear to look. When he was punished by Xiao the Iron-Faced to copy Taoist classics a hundred times, he never thought to ask for help; he had stayed up countless nights, diligently transcribing word by word.

How could this Jiang An'an have such a "creative" way of thinking?

"She cheats on exams too?" Jiang Wang asked, his voice trembling.

"During the quizzes, I caught her red-handed writing answers for others." As the old master spoke, his voice rose sharply. "She doesn't even pass her own exams! How is that even possible!"

Jiang An'an was standing right beside them, her head bowed low in a pitiful manner as if ready to accept any punishment, but her large eyes were secretly stealing glances at Jiang Wang's expression. Every time Jiang Wang looked her way, she immediately averted her gaze.

There was another little girl in the room, currently sprawled carelessly on a lounge chair, playing with her fingers. She was likely the classmate who had asked Jiang An'an to cheat for her... her attitude was a bit too arrogant!

She was quite pretty, with skin like cream and delicate features; though she hadn't fully grown into her looks, she was clearly a beauty in the making. The only flaw was her small nose, which tilted up quite high, making her look overly proud. Everything she wore and carried was expensive; she was the very image of a little troublemaker.

Then again... if one expected a failing student like Jiang An'an to help her cheat, what kind of studious child could she be?

Jiang Wang told himself to stay calm. His sister was introverted, quiet, well-behaved, and lovely; there must be some misunderstanding... Misunderstanding my foot! The evidence was as solid as a mountain!

Jiang Wang grabbed Jiang An'an and turned to walk out. "Come home with me!"

As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father, and if a child is not taught, it is the fault of the father. He decided that today was the time to demonstrate parental authority. How had that timid little girl turned into this in just a few short months? He decided he had to give her a good thrashing—at least ten slaps to the hands. Getting beaten in the school was too embarrassing, so he would take her home to do it.

Hmm... maybe just three slaps. Three was harsh enough and would hurt for a long time.

At that moment, the little troublemaker even jumped up and waved, saying brightly, "Goodbye, An'an!"

With one hand held by Jiang Wang as they walked out, Jiang An'an had already realized things were going badly and had been acting submissive for a while. Hearing her friend's greeting, her other hand timidly rose to respond...

Jiang Wang gave her hand a hard tug, cutting off the farewell of that friendship.

A few steps after leaving Mingde Hall, walking south along Xuanwu Street, they passed the Cai Family Mutton Shop.

When the aroma of mutton wafted through the air, Jiang An'an deliberately let out a cough. In the past, a single glance or even a sniff from her would have made Jiang Wang stop and lead her inside.

But today, Jiang Wang pulled her along, walking past without a single glance.

Jiang An'an understood then that her brother was truly angry.

Turning left ahead, they entered Qingmu Avenue. Walking east along the avenue to its end led to Feima Alley. In Feima Alley, their home lay.

"Brother..." Jiang An'an called out.

But Jiang Wang remained silent.

"Brother..." Jiang An'an gently tugged at Jiang Wang's hand.

Jiang Wang let out a huff through his nose to signal his cold attitude.

As they reached the doorstep, Jiang An'an said eagerly, "Brother, let me open the door, I brought the keys!"

Jiang Wang unlocked the door himself, pushed open the courtyard gate, and released the hand he had been holding. His voice was deliberately cold: "Go inside."

He couldn't let Jiang An'an think she could slip away from this so easily. A four or five-year-old child was at the age where their character was being formed; he had to teach her a lesson.

Jiang An'an's small hand brushed against Jiang Wang's. Seeing that he truly had no intention of holding her hand again, she let it drop dejectedly.

But then, as if remembering something, she perked up and suddenly ran to the front.

Jiang Wang followed her into the bedroom, only to see Jiang An'an heading straight for her small bed.

Jiang Wang was about to tell her to stop.

Usually, whenever Jiang An'an didn't want to do something, she would flop onto the bed and cry out, "Oh, I'm so sleepy, I've fallen asleep," to easily get out of it.

But suddenly, Jiang An'an ducked down, and her small body vanished under the bed.

*Do you think you can hide under the bed to avoid being hit?* Jiang Wang was almost laughed to tears by her audacity. He grabbed a broom by the door and blocked the front of her small bed.

But An'an soon crawled back out. She was clutching a small wooden box, and after scrambling around under the bed for a while, her little face was covered in dust.

She held the old wooden box high with both hands and said joyfully, "This is for you!"

Jiang Wang leaned the broom against a nearby cabinet and took the box with suspicion. "What is this?"

He opened the small wooden box and saw a pile of silver, gold, pearls, and more—a dazzling sight of luster.

Jiang Wang's heart suddenly tightened. Holding the box in one hand, his voice became more severe than ever before: "Where did this come from?"

Jiang An'an had never seen her brother look like this, and she instantly panicked. Her lip trembled as she sobbed, "I... I earned it!"

"Earned it?" Jiang Wang's hands began to shake. "Where did you earn it? How did you earn it!"

He slammed the wooden box onto the ground with a loud thud. "Speak!"

Gold, silver, and pearls scattered across the floor.

Terrified, Jiang An'an burst into tears. "Helping a classmate with her exam..."

"Can you earn this much money just by helping a classmate with an exam?"

Jiang An'an sobbed, "Qingzhi... Qingzhi is very rich. I helped her with her exam, and she gave me money."

Jiang Wang felt his heart, which had been suspended high in anxiety, slowly settle back down.

He began to regret being so harsh just now.

He knelt down and placed his hands on Jiang An'an's small shoulders. She looked like a piece of exquisite porcelain, as if she might shatter if he didn't protect her with the utmost care.

"When did our family ever need you to earn money?" Jiang Wang looked at her, reaching out to wipe away her tears. "Brother has money, plenty of money, do you understand?"

Jiang An'an sobbed, "Didn't you borrow money from that pretty boy to buy the house? Borrowed money has to be paid back..."

Jiang Wang suddenly remembered that when he had gone to ask Zhao Rucheng for the silver and the courtyard, he had brought An'an along.

Poor little An'an. Her little box, the heart she had so carefully presented—how heartbroken must she have been the moment it was slammed onto the floor?

Jiang Wang looked at her as tears flowed down her dusty little face, washing away the dirt to reveal her snow-white skin beneath.

Jiang Wang's nose tingled.

His heart suddenly became incredibly soft, yet it felt as though it had been crushed into a thousand pieces.