Ever since Wei Yang and Lin Chao grew older, Lin Yu found himself constantly overwhelmed. He finally understood why He Dongdong used to yell at the two youngsters so often. Even with Lin Yu’s patient temperament, he couldn’t endure mediating their endless disputes day in and day out.

One moment it was “Your candy’s too big!” or “My candy’s too small!” The next, “You got more!” or “I got less!” Lin Chao was manageable—he’d eat whatever he was given. Wei Yang, however, was harder to handle than both Tuan-ger and Lin Chao combined. He’d refuse his own food and insist on grabbing Lin Chao’s instead.

Lin Chao wasn’t about to indulge him. He opened his mouth and bit Wei Yang’s hand. The pain made Wei Yang start crying, reaching out for Lin Yu to pick him up. “Daddy, daddy, waa waa waa, it hurts.”

Lin Yu’s head ached from the crying. “Serves you right. Who told you to take your brother’s things? Keep this up and I’ll have your daddy come home and spank your bottom.”

“No spanking, bottom.”

“I will. Who else but you is always grabbing either your brother’s or your little brother’s things?”

Lin Chao ran over too. “Daddy, pick me up.”

Lin Yu set Wei Yang down. Wei Yang wasn’t happy and clung to Lin Yu’s clothes, refusing to let go. “No, pick me up.”

“Who’s this bossy little tyrant? Why should I only pick you up and not your brother?”

Lin Yu bent down to pick up Lin Chao fairly. Lin Chao tilted his head obediently and rested it on Lin Yu’s shoulder. Wei Yang protested, wailing loudly for Lin Yu to pick him up too.

Lin Yu was getting a headache from the fuss. “Both of you get down. No one’s getting picked up.”

Lin Yu set Lin Chao down. Great. Now the two were fighting again. Lin Yu couldn’t be bothered to intervene. He slumped into a chair, chin resting in his hand, utterly disinterested. Let them fight if they want.

Aunt Wang and Aunt Liu tried to step in, but couldn’t stop them. Lin Yu spoke up, “Don’t pull them apart. Let them fight it out.”

Wei Qingshan rode home from school with Tuan-ger on his horse. The moment he entered the house, he saw his fulang looking utterly exasperated, while the two little ones rolled around on the floor in a tangle.

Wei Qingshan cleared his throat. “What are you doing? Get up, both of you.”

Wei Yang scrambled up, clinging to Wei Qingshan’s trouser leg and wailing, “Daddy, Lin Chao hit me!”

Lin Chao sniffled softly, hugging Wei Qingshan’s leg and sobbing, “Daddy, he hit me.”

One bawling loudly, the other whimpering quietly—Wei Qingshan’s heart melted. He ruffled Lin Chao’s hair. “There, there. Stop crying.”

Both little ones reached out for Wei Qingshan to pick them up. He grabbed one in each hand and pulled them aside. Then he lifted Lin Yu, who was sitting on a chair. Sitting on Wei Qing Shan’s arm, Lin Yu let out a startled cry.

He lightly tapped Wei Qing Shan twice. “What are you doing?”

Wei Qingshan held Lin Yu and stepped in to mediate. “Come here, you two. Did you pick on your little daddy again today?”

The two little ones clasped their hands and said nothing. Wei Qingshan frowned sternly. “Look how you’ve bullied your little daddy. And you still want to be held? No way.”

Wei Yang knelt down with a thud. “Little Daddy, I won’t bully you.”

Lin Yu chuckled, leaning on Wei Qingshan’s shoulder to act tough. “Keep messing around and you’ll get spanked.”

Lin Chao saw this and his legs went weak, kneeling down too. “Little Daddy, no spanking.”

Both little ones knelt in unison. Lin Yu suppressed a chuckle with a light cough. “Who told you to kneel? Now I’ll have to wash your dirty clothes.”

Tuan-ger came over and lifted the two children up. “If you bully Little Daddy again, I’ll spank you.”

Lin Yu nudged Wei Qingshan. “Let them go. Everyone’s watching.”

Wei Qingshan hadn’t had enough cuddling. Only when he saw his fulang finally cheered up did he let go. “Maybe we should just send him to school early.”

Lin Yu playfully smacked him. “What are you thinking? He’s not even two yet.”

With Wei Qingshan back, the two little ones finally settled down for a bit.

Lin Yu realized that though Wei Yang was a handful, he was innocent at heart. Lin Chao, on the other hand, seemed well-behaved but was actually mischievous. If Wei Yang took something of his, he wouldn’t let it go—stealing Wei Yang’s things in secret or running to tattle. Neither of them was easy to handle.

That night, Lin Yu finally found some peace. She rolled over and nestled into Wei Qingshan’s embrace. “Watching these two is more exhausting than minding the shop.”

“Honestly, I think we should send them to school early. You’d get some peace. Neither of these little ones is half as easy as Tuan-ger was.”

Lin Yu kicked him. “Is that any way for a father to talk?”

Wei Qingshan rolled over, pinning his young husband beneath him. “Getting bold, aren’t you? Kicking your husband now.”

Wei Qingshan tickled Lin Yu a few times, making him squirm and laugh. Lin Yu tried to dodge the tickles by wriggling away, but the fulang’s constant wriggling only fueled Wei Qingshan’s desire. He pinned him down and teased him mercilessly.

Lin Yu’s voice gradually changed pitch. Just as Wei Qingshan was enjoying himself, the door was pounded on. “Little Daddy, Little Daddy, I want to sleep with you!”

Startled, Lin Yu quickly covered his mouth. Wei Qingshan grunted, “Ignore that little brat.”

Wei Qingshan blew out the lamp. Lin Yu kicked him. “No, stop it! Go see what’s wrong with Yang’er.”

“Don’t bother. He’ll be gone soon.”

Outside, Wei Yang kept banging on the door. “Little Daddy, Little Daddy! Lin Chao kicked me! I want to sleep with you! Little Daddy, Little Daddy~”

Lin Yu nudged the man who refused to get off him. “Go. Go check on him.”

Wei Qingshan showed no sign of reluctance, paying the person outside no mind whatsoever. He’d probably come over while Aunt Wang was out peeing and would be picked up soon.

Wei Yang kept pounding on the door. Lin Yu dared not make a sound. Seeing his fulang now too afraid to push him away, Wei Qingshan grew even more brazen. Lin Yu glared at him in fury, but alas, the lamp had been blown out, and Wei Qingshan couldn’t see.

Before long, Aunt Wang carried Wei Yang away. “Second Young Master, hurry back to bed. Young Master Lin has long since fallen asleep.”

With the visitors finally gone, Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Furious, he bit Wei Qingshan. Not only did the man not let go, he even shifted their position.

━━━ ✦ ━━━

Lin Yu’s life grew increasingly comfortable. With the silver he’d saved over the years, he bought a plot of land and built an inn. The First Pavilion sign was moved to a new location.

Shi Xiaoliu married the shop’s accountant and acquired a small courtyard near the county government. His wages rose to ten taels of silver, and he grew increasingly adept at managing the restaurant. Ding Xiaohe assisted him, as the expanded establishment sometimes proved too much for Shi Xiaoliu alone.

Zhao Yueniang often visited Lin Yu, cradling her several-month-old baby. Living comfortably, she now carried herself with the confidence of a true head of the household.

Except for the few times her mother-in-law secretly helped out with the Jia family right after the wedding—which Cui Xian discovered and caused several scenes over—after she became pregnant, even her mother-in-law sided with her, severing all ties with the Jia family.

This time, Zhao Yueniang brought several sets of clothes for the three boys. “Brother, I saw these nice fabrics and made some outfits for the boys.”

Lin Yu accepted them. “You’re taking care of the children now. Don’t waste your time on such labor-intensive things.”

“It’s fine. The little ones have the maids to look after them.”

Zhao Yueniang enjoyed bringing gifts to Lin Yu. After all, no one would criticize her for it. Her father-in-law’s Drunken Immortal Restaurant still sourced soup dumplings from her brother’s place—what harm could it do?

“Brother, I tried those new crab roe soup dumplings you’ve been making lately. They were incredibly fresh. I hear they’re selling like hotcakes at Drunken Immortal.”

Those crab roe buns were specially made by Lin Yu for Drunken Immortal Pavilion. They sold them at their First Pavilion restaurant, too, but they didn’t sell as well there. The buns were pricey, so they sold exceptionally well at the pavilion.

Business was booming at home now. Shi Xiaoliu and Ding Xiaohe helped manage things, so Lin Yu could relax and didn’t have to work so hard.

When the two little ones turned three, Wei Qingshan took them to school. Wei Yang couldn’t sit still. On his first day, he got his palms slapped twice. When Lin Yu came to pick him up, Wei Yang couldn’t hold back his tears and burst into crying as soon as he saw him. “Little Father, my hands hurt. The teacher hit my hands.”

Lin Yu saw the red marks on his palms and blew on them gently. “Why did the teacher hit you?”

“Little Daddy, today the teacher held Wei Yang’s hand to write. Wei Yang pulled the teacher’s beard, and now the teacher’s beard is covered in ink.”

Lin Yu was speechless. The two swats were well deserved.

Just then, the old master emerged from the classroom, books in his arms. Lin Yu saw not only the long goat beard smeared with ink, but also patches of ink on the master’s face that wouldn’t wash off. Feeling guilty, Lin Yu gave a nervous chuckle. “Good day, Master.”

The old master snorted. “Not good.”

With that, he turned and walked away, books still in hand. Wei Yang, who had darted behind Lin Yu the moment he saw the master emerge, only dared to peek out once the old man was gone. Lin Yu suddenly felt that a couple of slaps were nothing compared to what they’d done to the master.

Now that all three children were attending school, Lin Yu enjoyed more peace during the day. Yet Wei Yang’s mischief meant he was summoned to the master’s office every other day. Lin Yu grew wary and began sending Wei Qingshan to endure the scolding instead.

Wei Yang was truly unruly. Not only were his studies a complete mess, but he also loved to play pranks. Even Wei Qingshan, now a high-ranking officer, was powerless against him at school—all he could do was smile apologetically.

Fuming, Wei Qingshan dragged the little brat home, telling him to reflect on his behavior. But Wei Yang showed no sign of remorse. Free from the Confucian lectures at school, he was even happier, running wild at home.

Climbing trees and catching fish, he never stopped. Lin Yu, furious, stood beneath the tree with a stick, shouting, “Get down!”

Fearing Lin Yu’s punishment, Wei Yang hugged the tree and scrambled higher. Standing below, Lin Yu couldn’t quite reach him. Frustration turned to exasperated laughter—of the three children at home, Wei Yang was the most troublesome. While Lin Chao earned daily praise from the master at school, this one drew daily scolding.

Lin Yu had Wei Qingshan take this rambunctious little one to the City Defense Office. Once there, Wei Yang played even more wildly, mimicking the guards’ training by swinging his tiny fists.

Wei Qingshan realized his second son wasn’t cut out for academics but showed genuine interest in martial arts. He decided the boy might as well follow in his footsteps. His other son, Lin Chao, was bright and focused—a natural for scholarly pursuits.

Wei Qingshan was quite pleased. Having one brother inclined toward scholarship and another toward martial arts was ideal. Moreover, his ger seemed particularly drawn to business matters—even at such a young age, he could already follow his young husband in reviewing the ledgers.

Wei Qingshan was delighted—each of his three children possessed their own unique strengths.

Another early spring arrived, bringing a late-winter chill that blanketed the courtyard in snow. Wei Qingshan and Lin Yu stood at the main hall doorway watching the snowfall while the three youngsters chased each other playfully in the yard. A smile touched Lin Yu’s lips. “Spring has come again.”

“Mhm.”