"Dad!" Zhi ran inside and, upon seeing Fourth Master Xiao in the room, immediately dashed over. Fourth Master Xiao caught him and spun him around with a laugh, asking, "What have you been up to?"

Zhi giggled and replied, "I went kite flying with my big brother, second brother, and third brother." He gestured with his hand to show the height: "It flew very, very high!"

"Hmm. Very impressive." After Fourth Master Xiao spoke, Sheng, Xing, and Min successively entered the door. Min seemed accustomed, but Sheng and Xing were caught off guard. They had never seen Fourth Master Xiao smiling so warmly and energetically. The two exchanged a look of disbelief, momentarily forgetting to pay their respects.

"Father!" Min bowed properly and performed a salute, then looked at Xiqiu standing aside, saying, "Mother!"

Seeing the three come in, Fourth Master Xiao’s eyes moved, and his smile gradually faded. He put Zhi down and nodded toward the three. At this moment, Sheng and Xing finally snapped out of it, exclaiming, "Fourth Uncle!" and hurriedly performed a salute.

"Sit down and talk," Xiqiu gestured for Bihuai to serve tea, then pulled Zhi aside to chat softly: "Was kite flying fun?"

Zhi nodded: "Very fun." He looked at Xiqiu, "Mom, could you help me find some Xuan paper and bamboo?" Xiqiu raised an eyebrow at this: "What do you need bamboo for?"

"I plan to make a kite myself, one that’s bigger than my big brother’s!" Zhi said seriously, then added after thinking it over: "...I’ll make two, and one for you, Mom!"

Xiqiu smiled slightly and nodded, "Okay, I’ll get you some bamboo strips and Xuan paper later on. Can Zhi make it himself?"

"I know how to do it." Zhi appeared confident, "I’ve studied my big brother and second brother’s kites!"

It turns out he had already prepared a bit, and Xiqiu lightly chuckled to herself.

Meanwhile, Fourth Master Xiao sat with the three children, chatting. Compared to the ease in front of Xiqiu, they appeared slightly more reserved here. Fourth Master Xiao looked at Sheng and asked, "I heard you went to the theatre with someone the other day?"

Sheng’s face changed at the words, and he immediately lowered his head, sneaking a glance at Xing for help. Fourth Master Xiao furrowed his brow slightly and said sternly, "Does your father know about this?"

"F-Fourth Uncle." Sheng stood up and looked tense, "I... I won’t go again in the future, I promise!"

Fourth Master Xiao looked at him, and after a moment, as sweat dripped down Sheng’s forehead, he finally spoke: "Remember your promise, that place is not where you should be going."

"I understand." Sheng immediately nodded in agreement. Fourth Master Xiao nodded slightly, still expressionless, "Sit and talk."

Sheng sat down nervously.

Xiqiu watched from the side, giving a light sigh in her heart. The children were all quite scared of Fourth Master Xiao; now, with his face tensed, they didn’t even dare to breathe deeply. She led Zhi over to the others, saying, "I’ll take Zhi to wash his hands. Later, have someone inform the Grand Dowager that we’ll be having dinner here tonight." Sheng, having no one at home to manage him, with the Fifth Madam busy with business and the Fifth Young Master occupied with studies, spent his time running between the Marquis Mansion and his own home. Only the Grand Dowager worried about whether he had eaten or not.

"We... we should go back and eat," Sheng tugged on Xing’s clothes and glanced at Fourth Master Xiao. Following Sheng’s cue, Xing responded to Xiqiu: "Fourth Aunt, we should head back, the assignments from our teacher aren’t done yet." Saying this, he stood up and seemed to solicit Fourth Master Xiao’s input: "Fourth Uncle, we’re heading back now..."

Xiqiu let go of Zhi, came over to look at the two, unsure whether to insist, and turned to Fourth Master Xiao. Fourth Master Xiao, feeling Xiqiu’s gaze on him, gently cleared his throat and said, "Just stay and eat here. Remember to have someone inform your grandmother." With that, he stood up and looked at Xiqiu, "I’m going to the outer courtyard. You don’t have to wait for me tonight."

Xiqiu followed Fourth Master Xiao to the door: "Then I’ll have the kitchen prepare some dishes to send over to the outer courtyard!" Fourth Master Xiao gave a slight nod, took one last look at Zhi, and then left.

Sheng let out a sigh of relief with a ’whoosh,’ while Xing also secretly relaxed. Min looked at Xiqiu and curiously asked, "Mother, do we have guests coming over tonight?"

"Yes," Xiqiu replied with a smile, "Lord Han will be coming." Then she looked at Xing and Sheng, "Look at you three, all sweaty. Go wash up quickly."

The three followed Chunliu to the backyard for washing, while Xiqiu turned to help Zhi change clothes, wiping the dirt off his head. Zhi asked curiously, "Mom, are my brothers afraid of Dad?"

"Hmm?" Xiqiu asked with a smile, "Why do you think the three of them are afraid of their father?"

Zhi thought seriously for a moment, then replied, "Big brother and second brother were really tense; big brother even stammered when he spoke." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Xiqiu chuckled, pinching Zhi’s little nose: "Then is Zhi afraid of father?" Zhi shook his head at the question, "No, Dad is really nice."

Xiqiu laughed, helping him change his clothes. Zhi suddenly recalled something and said, "Oh no, the sparrow hasn’t been brought inside; it must be cold." Saying this, he hurriedly ran out to fetch the birdcage, placed it on the ground, and squatted down to look at the sparrow: "Are you still cold?"

The lively sparrow, uncomfortable in the cage, had been exhausted from the morning’s activity, and now drooped its head, unresponsive to Zhi’s attempts to amuse it. Zhi showed a frightened expression and looked at Xiqiu asking, "Mom, is it dead?" Saying this, he wanted to open the cage to check the sparrow.

"Let me see!" Before Xiqiu could speak, Sheng ran over, squatting with Zhi, looking down at the sparrow. After a while, he shook his head and said, "It probably won’t make it, better let it go!"

Hearing this, Zhi waved his hand, "No, it hasn’t played with me yet." Continuing to shake the cage, Xing and Min walked in, and Xing grabbed his hand, "Stop shaking it, or it’ll really die."

"Let it go," Xing frowned, pity in his expression, "If we let it out, it won’t suffer so much."

Zhi pouted: "It was hard for me and Qi Shan and Qi Yu to catch it," looking unhappy. "Let’s let it rest for a bit; maybe it’s just tired and will recover after resting."

Xing sighed and looked at Min, who smiled and stepped in, saying, "It’s been resting for a while. Let it out for some exercise. If you didn’t go out and play all day, wouldn’t you be anxious?"

"No!" Zhi held the birdcage close, not even looking at his brothers, and ran out the door, leaving Sheng puzzled as he watched him go, asking, "What’s he doing?"