Chapter 296: Chapter 296

The other three women listened to her boast about her child again, and their expressions turned increasingly grim.

An older woman heard Li Lixing call Li Xing’an "Third Brother Li." There must be many children in their family; Li Xing’an even has a sister named Li Yuzhu.

She smiled and asked Li Yuzhu, "Miss Li, how many siblings do you have?"

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Six siblings. I have three brothers and two sisters, making me the sixth."

The woman’s eyes lit up instantly.

She cast a disdainful glance at Mrs. Sang and further inquired of Li Yuzhu, "Miss Li, are all six of you from the same mother?"

Li Yuzhu nodded, "Yes, my father did not take concubines. We are six siblings from the same mother."

The woman exclaimed with delight, "Oh my, your mother is amazing, giving birth to six children." Turning with a smile to Mrs. Sang, she added, "Mrs. Sang, you need to work harder. You’re still young and should aim to surpass Mrs. Li by having two more children."

Outshone, Mrs. Sang’s face turned noticeably darker with anger.

She would like to have more children, but the five she already has nearly drive her insane. Having another might just put her over the edge.

"I already have five children, while you, Mrs. Qin, only have two. It’s you who should really step up," Mrs. Sang said with a smile.

Mrs. Qin’s face stiffened. She picked up a cup of tea to drink, stifled with anger.

The other two women seized the opportunity to seek advice from Li Yuzhu on health and beauty recipes.

Li Yuzhu shared a couple of simple tips.

The two women eagerly noted them down.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Sang called over her eldest son to play a game of chess against Li Lixing.

In the county’s affluent circles, it was no secret that Li Lixing was considered a wastrel.

Everyone turned to Li Lixing with eager anticipation.

Li Xing’an noticed their expressions and scoffed softly.

He whispered a few words to Li Lixing.

Li Lixing raised his brows and looked at him.

Li Xing’an winked at him.

Li Lixing exhaled and said, "Alright."

Sang’s eldest son was skilled at chess; Li Lixing was initially worried he’d lose miserably, not expecting Li Xing’an to covertly assist him.

With that assurance, Li Lixing was at ease.

All the Li Family’s three brothers and Mu Yuanxiu knew how to play chess; Li Lixing had picked up a thing or two from them.

A servant brought over the black and white chess pieces and board, setting them on a small table in the pavilion.

Sang’s eldest son, Sang Wenshun, enthusiastically took a seat, shaking his leg, ready to crush Li Lixing to tears and have him beg for mercy on his knees.

In the same season last year, Sang Wenshun had already made Li Lixing cry.

Sang’s eldest son tapped his fingers on the table, urging, "Li Lixing, hurry up. Why are you dawdling? Are you afraid of losing? No problem, I’ll let you have three pieces."

Li Lixing glared at him, saying nothing.

"Old rules: you take black, I take white; you go first," Sang’s eldest son continued.

Mrs. Sang smiled at the other women, saying, "My son has no special skills besides playing chess." Then she sighed, "But playing chess won’t get you an official position or earn money, so what’s the point of learning it?"

The three women glanced at her, each curling their lips as they turned away.

While she wasn’t proficient, Li Yuzhu had learned a bit of chess from her eldest brother Li Xingmao. Although not great at it, she could generally follow along.

She too stood aside, watching attentively.

Li Xing’an was an expert; he sat behind Sang’s eldest son, facing Li Lixing.

Whenever Li Lixing didn’t know which chess piece to move, he looked to Li Xing’an.

Receiving a subtle cue, he immediately understood what to do.

With this silent guidance, Li Lixing handed Sang’s eldest son a devastating defeat.

Mrs. Sang was white with anger.

The other three women, however, were jubilant, repeatedly praising Li Lixing’s prowess.

Sang’s eldest son, his face crestfallen, was almost in tears.

Mrs. Sang failed to show off her son today, but she was undeterred, quickly changing tactics.

"Chess is mentally exhausting; Lixing is two years older than Wenshun, and naturally knows more. Shall we try something else? Lixing?"

Li Lixing was indifferent, "What shall we play, Aunt Sang?"

"Let’s try painting. I hear you’re quite talented at it, right?" Mrs. Sang smiled, this time bringing over her eldest daughter. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩

Miss Sang, around eleven or twelve, was chubby, with a round face and a plump build inherited from Mrs. Sang, quite resembling the Second Princess.

Standing next to Li Lixing, she looked three or four years older than him.

Li Lixing frowned, "Painting?"

Mrs. Sang blinked, "Can’t do it? If not, we can play something else."

Li Lixing thought for a moment, then asked, "What are we painting? How do we determine the winner?"

Mrs. Sang looked around at the ten or so children gathered, laughing and chatting, and replied with a smile, "We’ll let these brothers and sisters judge the quality of the painting. If they say it’s good, then it’s good. After all, you are all children, are you not? We adults have different views and won’t interfere."

Li Lixing was a bit troubled; his painting skills were actually quite poor.

He sighed inwardly; had he known there would be a showcase today, he should have studied painting more diligently with the teacher, so he wouldn’t be embarrassed now.

If his mother knew he lost face while visiting, she would certainly be heartbroken.

Li Lixing was extremely dejected.

Li Yuzhu’s eyes shifted slightly, and she smiled, "Lixing, why don’t you draw the kind of paintings my sister-in-law does?"

Cute beast paintings, those are children’s favorites.

She didn’t believe that these kids wouldn’t love those drawings.

Chai Eying’s cute beast paintings use a technique similar to modern simple line drawings.

Just a few strokes can depict the clumsy demeanor of an animal.

Then, using anthropomorphic methods, hinting at a bit of a cat and mouse vibe.

Li Lixing uncertainly looked at Li Yuzhu.

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Trust me." Little rascal, you have no other choice, why hesitate?

Li Lixing sighed and had no choice but to agree; he indeed only knew how to draw those outline style animal pictures.

The eldest daughter of the Sang family might look ordinary but she was indeed a talented girl.

Especially proficient in painting.

Upon hearing she would paint, several children gathered around.

Servants brought two small tables and carried over paper, brushes, and paint.

The two then employed their skills and began painting.

The Sang family’s daughter painted a landscape.

The majestic mountains and waters emerged with grandeur from just a few strokes.

Li Lixing, on the other hand, painted a little cat, with a small tiger depicted beside it.

The two little beasts were having a conversation.

Tiger student, "Teacher Cat, can you teach me how to catch mice?"

Additionally, Li Lixing drew a few other animals in a spectator pose.

The second painting still featured the tiger and the cat; the cat remained the same size, but the tiger had noticeably grown.

Tiger, "Teacher Cat, I want to learn how to jump."

In the third painting, the tiger had grown into a fully matured adult tiger, while the little cat remained tiny, with its foot-and-a-half long body appearing minuscule beside the tiger.

This time, the tiger asked again, "Teacher Cat, I want to learn how to climb trees." Its expression was no longer humble but showed a gaping mouth.

The tiger was quite large, so Li Lixing drew it a little slower.

The children found the landscape painted by Miss Sang dreary; upon looking up, they discovered Li Lixing’s amusing drawings.

Was there text included?

Was there a story involved?

The kids chuckled gleefully and all hurried over.

One child even worried for the cat, instructing Li Lixing, "Li Lixing, don’t let the cat teach the tiger to climb trees. Look, this tiger is already being fierce towards the cat; its mouth is so big, it might eat the cat. The cat should climb up high to escape the tiger’s mouth. If the tiger learns to climb trees, the cat would be eaten."

"Oh, the poor cat, Li Lixing, you can’t let the tiger eat the cat."

Li Lixing saw everyone surrounding him, ignoring Miss Sang’s mountainscape, and he felt proud.

"Of course, the cat catches mice that steal food; it’s a good cat. But the tiger is a villain that eats people, so I won’t let the cat teach it to climb trees," Li Lixing said as he painted.

Indeed, the last painting showed the cat refusing to teach the tiger to climb trees; the tiger got angry, roaring loudly with an open mouth and extended claws threatening to eat the cat.

The cat quickly climbed up a tree.

The tiger stood beneath, frustrated.

Simple line drawings, vivid and amusing, along with a story.

The children watched, utterly engrossed.

Li Lixing put down his brush and looked at everyone, "You all judge our paintings."

"Lixing’s painting is great."

"Yes, Lixing’s painting is."

"I also think Lixing’s painting is great."

"Brother Lixing, can you gift me your painting?" The youngest son of the Sang family, four-year-old Sang the fourth, tiptoed and gazed longingly at the painting, asking Li Lixing.

Li Lixing said generously, "Sure."

The children unanimously believed that Li Lixing’s painting was better than Miss Sang’s.

Miss Sang felt grievance; her eyes reddened, her lips puckered, tears welling up in her eyes.

Mrs. Sang was furious, her complexion turning dark.

And yet, the other three women kept praising Li Lixing, which infuriated Mrs. Sang further.