Chapter 312: Strong Hands‑On Ability

The fear of Master Shen is sometimes an instinct etched into the bone.

At that moment, Prince Qi instinctively stepped back two paces.

Master Shen laughed and swayed the ruler in his hand as he left, not giving Prince Qi and his wife another glance.

But the couple were both frightened enough to be breathless.

When Master Shen was far away, Prince Qi finally strained to regain some face: "…Actually, I think Master Shen's arrangement is fine, it trains the children's hands‑on ability, training…"

The words grew more hollow, and in the end he simply stopped speaking.

At this time, Sui Sui was following Tangtang Jiejie, searching among a pile of wood for materials for their little waterwheel.

Sui Sui didn't really understand, but Master Shen gave them tools, so each of the three little girls held a measuring stick, which could, to some extent, help them locate the appropriate material.

Shen Hua Tang wasn't searching alone; she patiently explained to her two younger sisters the dimensions of the parts of the waterwheel they had drawn: "Look, this piece is our blade; any wood of this size we can pick out, then compare later. I always think… Grandfather will probably include a visual‑confusing option, so we'll need to filter again at the end."

Although Sui Sui didn't quite get it, Tangtang Jiejie told her which type to look for, and she searched within the pile of wood.

At this moment, the maids kept their distance, and no one could step in to help.

Aunt Xiang was indeed anxious, wishing she could go forward herself.

Unfortunately, Master Shen wouldn't allow it.

Sui Sui didn't need adult help either.

She had done things far harsher than this before.

She hadn't shied away from the heavy task of dragging firewood up the mountain.

Just a few pieces of wood; for Sui Sui, it wasn't difficult.

Recalling Tangtang Jiejie's explanation, she kept her eyes scanning the pile for wood that met the criteria.

Soon, Sui Sui selected a piece, and Liu He Meng also found one.

The three little girls kept working hard.

Master Shen divided the materials into two piles, so everyone could pick alternately.

Shen Hua Tang thought Grandfather would definitely set a confusing option, so they first made a rough selection, then a careful one, saving some effort.

The three little girls searched joyfully.

From time to time they would pull out the blueprint and study it carefully.

Then, they continued searching.

In contrast, Feng Xuanrui and his group didn't find it that easy.

Feng Xuanrui thought this was right, Feng Xuanbin thought that was right, and Feng Xuanbo had his own ideas.

The three brothers soon began arguing, even getting physical.

Prince Qi watched from a short distance, silently turning his head to look at the sky.

Ah!

The sky is truly blue today, the grass green, the water clear.

What a nice day! A gentle breeze brushes the face, feeling quite pleasant.

So, he saw nothing.

As the elder brother, Feng Xuancang naturally tried to mediate at this moment.

But the mediation failed, and he was instead pinned down by the three brothers together.

Feng Xuancang:.

Save the day! The busiest person in the whole scene was, of course, Feng Xuanjie; he wanted to help this brother and also that brother.

In the end, after half a day of circling, he helped none, flustered himself, sweating profusely, and the workload ended up as: zero.

Finally, Feng Xuanjie became desperate.

When would this ever end? Watching the brothers tussle, Feng Xuanjie stamped his foot, gritted his teeth, and turned to run toward Sui Sui. His original intention was to ask his sister for help, letting Sui Sui persuade the brothers to stop fighting.

But as soon as he arrived, Sui Sui joyfully grabbed his hand: "Fourth brother, we're searching so slowly, can Fourth brother help us?"

After asking, she saw Feng Xuanjie looking bewildered; Sui Sui thought Fourth brother was reluctant, so she clasped her hands together, repeatedly bowing to him, her voice soft and coquettish: "Fourth brother, please, help us, we really can't manage, there are only three of us."

…

Feng Xuanjie's stance wasn't particularly firm to begin with.

When his sister pleaded, his mind went blank, and he instantly decided to stay and help.

As for the fighting brothers? They fight daily anyway; Father King and Mother Consort are watching, so nothing serious can happen.

Feng Xuanjie quickly settled himself, staying calmly to assist Sui Sui.

Fearing Sui Sui might get pricked by wood, Feng Xuanjie wished he could become three‑headed, six‑armed to help, occasionally urging Sui Sui: "Sister, don't move, Fourth brother is here."

"Fourth brother can do more, sister need not act."

"This piece can be taken; this piece Fourth brother has already inspected."

…

At first, Feng Xuanjie was reluctant to let Sui Sui pick together.

Later, fearing Sui Sui lacked a sense of participation, Feng Xuanjie thought it over and handed her the wood he had inspected, letting her check whether it met their requirements.

Feng Xuanjie was meticulous and considerate, taking good care of Sui Sui, and sometimes also looking after the other two girls.

Shen Hua Tang and Liu He Meng didn't reject him either.

Feng Xuanrui and the others got into a head‑to‑head fight, so they simply started wrestling on the spot.

After all, coming to Zhuangzi's place was originally for physical training.

So wrestling was fine! They even matched themselves automatically.

Feng Xuanrui wrestled Feng Xuanbin, and Feng Xuancang wrestled Feng Xuanbo.

Feng Xuanbo, though slender, actually had decent strength.

As the elder brother, Feng Xuancang also intended to look after them, and let the water flow.

So, everyone ended up in an evenly matched situation.

The four brothers were wrestling happily, completely unaware that Feng Xuanjie had already betrayed.

By the time they realized something was wrong, Feng Xuanjie had already held Sui Sui in his arms, carefully helping his sister pick out wood.

Sui Sui felt involved and had her fourth brother's help, so at this moment naturally whatever the fourth brother said went.

The fourth brother said carefully, "May I hold you for a moment?" and Sui Sui generously agreed.

Then, Feng Xuanjie carefully held the person in his arms.

He looked slender, but his body was trained solid muscle.

Thus, his strength was great; holding Sui Sui was no problem at all.

He could even protect Sui Sui with one hand, while the other helped pick wood.

Prince Qi watched from afar, lightly nodding: "Fourth brother's stamina is still not bad."

Princess Consort of Qi heard and replied gently: "He is sturdier, so the Wen family can also rest easier."

When mentioning Feng Xuanjie's birth mother, Aunt Wen, Prince Qi furrowed his brows and asked softly: "How has her health been lately?"

Princess Consort of Qi had been busy these days with banquets and Sui Sui's affairs, so she hadn't attended to them; upon hearing the prince's question, she turned her head to look at Aunt Qiu.

Aunt Qiu quickly replied: "Recently she hadn't slept well, caught a wind chill, had a slight cough; when leaving the manor today, I heard she's improved a lot, her complexion looks better."

Prince Qi nodded after hearing, didn't ask further, and turned his gaze back to the distance.

The second watch is at 19:00.