Chapter 817 - 420: His Dad!

Chapter 817: Chapter 420: His Dad!

Hearing this, Zhang Huai shuddered and turned to look at her with a bizarre expression. After a long while, unable to endure it any longer, Juhua playfully punched him. "What is that look on your face?" she scolded lightly. "If you want to laugh, then laugh! Doesn’t it hurt holding it in like that?"

Huai Zi chuckled heartily under his breath. After Juhua punched him a few more times, he freed a hand to catch hers, stopping her assault. "Juhua, it’s better if you just call me ’Brother Huai Zi.’ My mother also calls my father ’his dad.’ It wouldn’t be good if we get things mixed up later."

He laughed a few more times and leaned in to whisper, "I’ve heard you call me ’Brother Huai Zi’ for so many years that I’m used to it. You suddenly changing it makes me feel completely out of sorts. Anyway, even if you don’t call me that, I’m still the children’s dad. That won’t change."

Juhua couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

"So, what is it?" Huai Zi asked with a smile.

Juhua frowned in thought for a moment before glaring at him. "You interrupted me so much that I’ve forgotten what I was going to say."

Huai Zi stirred the mashed cherry puree with a spoon. "Then tell me when you remember," he chuckled.

While the couple was chatting, Banli started babbling, "AH... EH..." Juhua quickly nudged her husband. "Hurry up and feed him."

Huai Zi hurriedly turned around, scooping up a small spoonful of cherry juice to feed their son.

Being a novice at feeding, the father ended up smearing red juice all over his son’s mouth, with quite a few drops spilling onto the baby’s chest.

"This juice will stain his clothes and it won’t wash out," Juhua complained. "Scoop less next time. When you feed him, put the spoon a little deeper into his mouth. As you pull it out, scrape the juice from the corners of his mouth back inside. Yes, just like that."

Huai Zi listened and smiled. Juhua was extremely proficient at these tasks now; seeing her teach him so expertly, one would think she had already raised several children.

He clumsily fed a small spoonful of cherry puree into Cong’s mouth and smiled. "I don’t feed them often, so of course I’m not as skilled as you. Look at our daughter, she’s so much more refined. Not like Banli, getting it all over his mouth." He paused, adding, "These cherries are so bright and red, they look awfully appetizing. Pick a few out for me to taste."

Juhua picked a few unpitted cherries from the bamboo basket and fed them to him. The two of them ate while laughing and teasing the twins.

Sitting nearby, Pu Pao stood up and popped the last spoonful of her cherry puree into her own mouth. "Young Madam," she said to Juhua, "Jing’er has finished eating. Are Banli and Cong done? I can go wash the bowls."

"They’re just about done," Juhua quickly replied. She then turned to Huai Zi. "You can finish the rest. Little babies shouldn’t eat too much of this anyway. It’s fine to just feed them some corn mush tonight."

"That’s exactly what I thought," Pu Pao said with a grin, "so I ate all my leftovers."

Hearing this, Huai Zi immediately scooped the remaining puree in the bowl into his mouth, finishing it off in two quick spoonfuls. The stuff was sweet, tart, and delicious, and he savored every bite. Banli tilted his head back and stared unblinking at his father. His little mouth smacked a couple of times before he swallowed, seeming to wonder why his father was eating it himself and no longer feeding him.

Seeing her son’s adorable expression, Juhua instantly doubled over with laughter.

Huai Zi found it amusing too. He offered Banli an apologetic look. "Son, this stuff isn’t good for you. Daddy ate it for you so you wouldn’t get a tummy ache."

Listening to the young master, Pu Pao pursed her lips in a hidden smile. She took the empty bowl from his hands and headed to the well to wash it.

Huai Zi’s mother, He, emerged from the kitchen, laughing continuously as she overheard the exchange. She scooped Banli up into her arms. "You only know how to bully my eldest grandson. Do you really think he doesn’t understand anything? Banli, watch Grandma get back at him for you." She turned her gaze to Huai Zi. "Why aren’t you off working? Go grind that bucket of glutinous rice!"

Juhua also jumped up, laughing. "Mommy is going to cook dinner for Banli now."

Night fell.

After coaxing the two babies to sleep, Juhua ground some ink under the lamplight. She laid out a ledger, took out her custom-made quill pen, dipped it in the ink, and began to record their recent income and expenses.

She was taking precautions, clearly separating her private assets from the household’s shared finances. Naturally, her parents-in-law wouldn’t mind the details, and she was certain Zhang Yang wouldn’t care either. However, once Zhang Yang’s future wife joined the family, and eventually, when the younger generation grew up, things could easily become complicated if the accounts weren’t settled clearly.

Even between blood brothers, accounts should be settled clearly! This was the very foundation of family harmony.

At present, their family wealth was still modest. Once they accumulated more, however, few people would be able to remain indifferent. Yet, wasn’t a great fortune built bit by bit? Their current farmland and properties were the foundation, making it all the more crucial to maintain meticulous records. In the future, anyone who opened the ledger would be able to trace exactly how their assets were acquired.

When Huai Zi returned to the room after his bath, he saw Juhua sitting earnestly at the round table. Holding a single quill, she was writing rapidly, her expression completely absorbed.

He sat down, rubbing his soaking wet hair with a cotton towel, and asked softly, "Doing the accounts again? Juhua, how do you write so smoothly with a goose feather? It looks so beautiful, too. I’ve tried it several times, but it always feels awkward."

Juhua smiled. She raised her hand to dip the tip into the inkstone and continued writing. "Isn’t it just because my brush-writing is terrible? It’s simply a matter of habit. Back then, to save money, I never used an ink brush. I always wrote with a twig in a sand tray, which is practically the same as this quill. That’s why I’m used to it. I’m not like you all, who always used ink brushes at school, so naturally, you aren’t accustomed to a hard pen."

When she had first started writing with a quill, she had intentionally made her handwriting look childish and amateurish. Later, growing impatient with the charade, she revealed her true penmanship. They say a person’s handwriting reflects their character; Juhua’s writing was neither delicate and elegant, nor was it bold and forceful. Instead, it was free-spirited and flowing. Seeing it, Huai Zi couldn’t help but click his tongue in sheer amazement.

Huai Zi watched her for a moment before speaking again. "Juhua, do you really need to record it in such detail? Also, you shouldn’t be the only one paying the hired farmhands’ wages out of pocket. Dad was just talking to me about this the other day. He said he wouldn’t mind these expenses, and I imagine Yangzi wouldn’t either."

Without even looking up, Juhua replied, "Brother Huai Zi, didn’t I tell you? As the older brother, you need to be more thoughtful about certain things. Keeping accounts is just to ensure the household finances are transparent and clear. It prevents any messy disputes down the line; it’s not meant to target anyone."

Huai Zi nodded. In truth, he agreed with her approach.