TGDS Chapter 81.3

The Good Dad System (Arc 11) Chapter 81.3: A Patriarchal Family (15)

At that time, various self-help articles were just beginning to become popular in bookstores, and educational philosophies were finally entering the lives of various families. Articles like “A twelve-year-old girl goes to Harvard” were very popular. As soon as Pei Naochun saw them, he bought them without saying a word and kept repeating, “Look at them, they had to be strict with their children from a young age, not too lenient, not too strict, and they ended up going to Harvard!”

…

In short, Pei Naochun, a professional brainwasher who could fool all the disciples in the cultivation world, successfully instilled similar ideas into the minds of Tang Zhao Di and Wu Guizhi. They firmly implemented the educational path that Pei Naochun led them on—no matter how much they spoiled Pei Zihao, they couldn’t spoil him too much. Only with appropriate strictness could he become successful. The all-encompassing little emperor treatment that Pei Zihao enjoyed in his previous life was completely gone.

“I…” Pei Zihao hesitated, turning back to stare longingly at the refrigerator. Finally, he made up his mind, “I want to give it to my sister. She’s so tired from school!” Having made his decision, he stopped looking at the refrigerator, afraid of being tempted.

“Our Zihao is so sensible.” Upon hearing this, Pei Naochun hugged his son and then casually pulled a milk candy from his pocket. There were no candies at home, as he was worried about the two children getting cavities. “Here, have some.” Every time his son did something right, he would praise him and give him small rewards from time to time.

At least so far, the child hadn’t shown any selfishness like he had in his previous life. On the contrary, he valued his sister very much—even occasionally vying for her attention, making even his grandmother jealous.

Pei Zihao hesitated, holding the candy in his palm, then took it out again: “Dad, can you cut it in half for me? I want to give half to my sister.”

“Okay, I’ll cut it for you.” The milk candy was soft, so Pei Naochun didn’t even need a knife; he could easily separate them through the bag.

“Thank you, Dad.” Pei Zihao took the candy, looking happily towards the door, waiting for his sister to come home. A moment later, there was a noise at the door. Pei Zihao didn’t hesitate; he nimbly slid off his father’s lap like a playful puppy and rushed towards the door. Even before he reached it, he called out, “Is that sister? It’s Zihao!” If he hadn’t yet mastered opening the new front door, he probably would have already burst through.

“No, it’s Mom,” came the reply quickly from outside—it was Tang Zhaodi’s voice.

“Mom, you’re back!” Pei Zihao wasn’t disappointed at all; he was just as excited. Children his age have an incredible amount of energy, bouncing around like a perpetual motion machine, never getting tired. He waited anxiously for the door to open, and when it finally did, he squealed with delight. There, he saw not only his mother, but also his sister and grandmother.

Tang Zhaodi looked at her son’s even more excited face and shook her head helplessly. She exchanged a smile with her mother-in-law: “Mom, look at this kid. Now that he has a sister, he doesn’t even care about us anymore.” Though she said this, she wasn’t upset. As a mother, seeing her children getting along so well made her happy.

“That little rascal is even jealous of me.” Wu Guizhi and Tang Zhaodi were arm in arm, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law getting along like nothing could be better. They had just met downstairs and gone upstairs together. She deliberately complained loudly, “Yesterday I took my blood pressure medication and lied to that silly boy that I was eating candy. I didn’t care afterward, but you know what? Zihao ran to Xiaoping and complained to her, saying that I secretly ate candy and didn’t leave any for him and Xiaoping. Xiaoping got upset. The doctor said I can’t eat candy, so she rushed over to scold me. That’s when I realized that this little rascal is so clever for his age!”

Tang Zhaodi was both amused and exasperated, looking at her chubby-cheeked son with a helpless expression: “I won’t let him watch TV next time. I don’t know which TV series he learned so many things from. The other night, when Xiaoping came over to me and acted cute, he actually came over and said, ‘Why doesn’t sister hug him? Does she not love him anymore?'”

“I didn’t!” Pei Zihao had sharp ears and immediately overheard his mother and grandmother talking badly about him. He hurriedly covered his sister’s ears. “Sister, don’t listen! Mom and Grandma are bad people, they’re talking badly about me, humph!” He was quick to forget—only remembering the good things, not the bad, since he hadn’t done any of those bad things anyway.

“I won’t listen,” Pei Xiaoping obediently replied to her brother, not telling him that his little hands couldn’t be covered properly.

Seeing that his sister had changed her shoes, Pei Zihao immediately pulled his sister’s hand and walked into the house, strutting proudly like a victorious rooster, heading straight for the refrigerator: “Sister, there’s a cake in the refrigerator, I’ll give it to you.”

“Ahem.” Pei Naochun deliberately cleared her throat loudly, glancing over there, amused.

Pei Zihao pouted, “…Dad bought it, but I didn’t eat it. I’m saving it for my sister!”

“I know, Zihao is the best to me.” Pei Xiaoping was a little taller than her brother, and quickly took out the cake under his expectant gaze. The two of them sat down facing each other and ate the cake on the spot.

“And this, you can have it too.” Pei Zihao did whatever came to mind. He immediately took out some milk candy from his pocket, took half of it and put it in his mouth, then offered his precious candy to his sister. The candy melted in his mouth, a sweet taste that warmed his heart. He squinted his eyes with delight as he watched his sister unpack the cake.

The cake that Pei Naochun bought was from a Western-style pastry shop in S City. The shop was located near the airport, which was quite far away. The cake itself wasn’t as fancy as in later years; it was just a simple fruit and cream cake. However, the ingredients were fresh and carefully selected, making it exceptionally delicious. In the Pei family, it was a controlled item, and they would only buy it once a month at most.

Pei Zihao licked the candy in his mouth, reluctant to chew it. He had mastered a thousand ways to eat candy; only by holding it in his mouth and letting it slowly melt could he enjoy the longest-lasting deliciousness. He watched his sister eat cake with longing eyes, his mouth unconsciously opening and closing as if he were eating it too. This little adorable sight made the three people around him burst into laughter.

“Zihao, have a bite too.” Pei Xiaoping took two small bites first and then tried to give it to her brother. She knew he would be unhappy if she didn’t eat, so she took a big bite and carefully put the strawberry on top onto her fork, then carried the plate forward.

Pei Zihao quickly shook his head, covering his mouth tightly with both hands, resolutely refusing to let her have any.

“The cake is especially delicious, I can’t finish it, you have a bite.” Pei Xiaoping coaxed her brother. He always wanted to save something for her, and she felt the same way. Although she was happy eating alone, she couldn’t bear to see her brother drooling.

Pei Zihao still didn’t put his hand down, his voice muffled through the gap, barely audible unless you listened carefully: “I’m not hungry, I don’t want to eat, I don’t like it, sister eat.” His drooling eyes betrayed his thoughts.

“Really not going to eat?”

“Yes!” Pei Zihao was resolute, unmoved by the sweet talk.

“…Fine.” Pei Xiaoping had no choice but to continue eating, taking small bites, hoping to share with him when he couldn’t resist the temptation.

“Sister!” Pei Zihao released his hand, taking a few heavy breaths. He didn’t know the proper way to cover his mouth but not his face; he had almost suffocated. “Did Sister Xiaoyu give you cake?”

Pei Xiaoping was taken aback: “…Yes, we ate it all on her birthday, didn’t we?”

Pei Zihao was initially disappointed, then suddenly excited: “No, I mean usually, did she?” He drawled out the last syllable in a coquettish tone.

“No.” Although they had pocket money, they weren’t the type to squander it, and besides, there weren’t any cake vendors near the school.

Pei Zihao couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “Did Sister Xiaoyu give you any candy?”

“No.” Li Xiaoyu had bad cavities, and Aunt Li had given her a strict order not to eat candy.

Full marks! Pei Zihao straightened his chest and said solemnly: “Then, Sister, aren’t I the best, the best, the best to you!” He used “the best” three times in a row, his eyes shining.

Pei Xiaoping subconsciously looked at her parents and grandmother for a moment, hesitating in her heart. The difficulty of this question was like asking who you love more, your dad or your mom. Everyone was good to her, but who was the best to her?

“…Grandma?” she hesitated. Her father and mother were also very good. It was so hard to choose.

Pei Zihao’s eyes were already brimming with tears, as if he had been hit hard: “But Grandma didn’t give you any candy or cake!” He said pitifully, settling for second best, “What about second best?”

“…” Pei Xiaoping was extremely troubled and had a headache, her eyes constantly glancing at her parents.

Pei Naochun understood Pei Zihao’s meaning. He came over, half-laughing and half-crying, and gave a hint: “Xiaoping, does your brother mean he’s especially good to you?” Sensing his son was about to cry, he had to intervene.

“Yes, Zihao is especially good.” Pei Xiaoping breathed a sigh of relief, having avoided the question.

“Then I’m better than Sister Xiaoyu, right?”

“…Yes.” Pei Xiaoping answered easily. Friends were good, but her brother was family, and besides, Xiaoyu wasn’t there, but her brother was right there.

“Then do you like me more than Sister Xiaoyu?” After a long detour, finally getting to the point, Pei Zihao’s eyes shone with anticipation. Wu Guizhi, standing nearby, almost choked on her water, getting it all over herself, while Tang Zhaodi silently turned away, her shoulders shaking.

“Yes, I like you more!” Pei Xiaoping finally understood her brother’s meaning, answering with a smile, her eyes gentle. Her brother was the cutest.

Pei Zihao chuckled, leaning on the table, watching his sister eat cake, overjoyed, his heart filled with sweetness.

He knew it; he held a more important place in his sister’s heart than Xiaoyu! Hmph, it’s just that he’s too young to go to school with her.

Later… Pei Zihao, lost in his smug fantasies, didn’t realize that the age difference between him and his sister would make their time at the same school exceptionally short. He figured he’d have to face this kind of blow several more times in the future.

“Mom, it’s New Year’s Day! Lai Di asked us if we’re going back home for the New Year?” Tang Zhaodi suddenly asked. In previous years, neither family would go back home…

They would celebrate the New Year together, and they would also organize a meal for the factory workers who weren’t going home. “Laidi’s mother is sick and says she has to go back. What about us?”

At this, Wu Guizhi suddenly started to mutter, “Yes, it’s been years since we’ve been able to go back.” For some reason, she was always very busy, taking care of her two grandchildren and the shop during the week, and didn’t even have time to go back during holidays. She could only stay at home and burn incense in front of her husband’s photo.

“Then let’s go back,” Pei Naochun readily agreed.