Chapter 174: Chapter 173: The Birthday Boy Who Thought He Was Forgotten
The day of the banquet finally arrived. Before the sun had fully risen, the Li residence was already busy.
The servants in the kitchen were preparing light meals. The servants that Li Xinyue and Fan Ruyin brought over were very helpful. Thanks to them, Li Jain only needed to focus on the complicated dishes.
The lanterns outside the courtyard were already lit, giving the whole resident a festive feeling. The flowers were being arranged carefully, and their stands were freshened with spiritual water. The tables were being dressed with the table cloth.
Li Jain checked the final preparation list, made sure the birthday clothes were laid out, and instructed the servants about the dishes that needed to be prepared first. But before doing anything else, he decided to wake the twins and wish them a happy birthday.
No matter how busy the banquet became, he still wanted to be the first person to wish them a happy birthday.
Li Zhang’s room was closer. Li Jain walked over and quietly pushed the door open carefully.
The room was still dim. Li Zhang was lying on the bed with his back facing the door, and the blanket was pulled up to his shoulders.
Li jain’s expression softened. The little guy had been acting strangely these past few days.
Normally, Li Zhang would be one of the first children to wake up when he heard movement in the house. He would rush out to ask what was for breakfast, complain about training, tease his brothers, and somehow find a way to make the whole courtyard noisy every morning.
But recently, he has become more quiet. He no longer jokes around and spent most of his time training seriously. He stopped clinging to Li Jain, it was as if he had grown overnight.
At first, Li Jain thought that perhaps he was simply trying to improve himself because he had heard about the banquet preparations. But now that he thought about it carefully, something had indeed felt wrong.
Li Jain walked closer to the bed and gently woke him: "Zhang, wake up."
Li Zhang suddenly sat up. His movements were so quick that Li Jain was startled. It took a moment for Li Zhang to be aware of his surroundings, he was a bit surprised when he saw Li Jain.
"Good morning, Father." Li Zhang said and got off the bed immediately and reached for his training clothes.
Li Jain was puzzled by his action, the happy birthday he wanted to say was stuck in his throat.
"What are you doing?" Li Jain couldn’t help but ask.
"I’m going to train. I didn’t mean to oversleep."
Li Jain blinked: "It’s still early, you can sleep a little longer."
Li Jain said gently, but Li Zhang shook his head:
"I am already awake.There is no reason to sleep anymore."
Li Jain looked at him carefully. The little guy’s tone sounded calm, but something was wrong. He did not look at Li Jain directly and his hands were clenched by his side as if he was trying very hard to suppress something.
Li Jain sat beside him on the bed: "Why are you suddenly in such a hurry to train?" he asked softly.
Li Zhang lowered his head and was silent for a while. Then, after what felt like forever, he finally said: "It’s because I’m a slow learner that makes Father worry."
Li Jain frowned, his uneasiness these days was about to come true.
Li Zhang continued in a low voice: "I’m far behind my brothers. Eldest brother learns everything quickly. Second brother is also talented and is good at dealing with people. Third brother is smart and responsible. Sheng Sheng studies, and works very hard. Xuan Xuan is learning refining now. Even Xin Xin can draw inscriptions and heal people. I’m the only one with nothing special."
His hands tightened around the bedsheet:
" I only know how to run around and cause trouble. I have to train harder. If I don’t catch up soon, Father might not want me anymore."
Li Jain was completely speechless. His chest felt heavy, and he didn’t know what to say for a moment.
"Xiao Zhang, that’s not true. Why would you think that?" He reached out and held Li Zhang’s shoulders.
Li Zhang: "But Father has been avoiding me these days."
Li Jain froze: Right he has been avoiding him
Li Zhang finally raised his head, his eyes were like a frightened pup which made Li Jain’s heart ache.
"Whenever I get close to Father, you tell me to go train," Li Zhang said: "When I try to sit with you, you say I should practice. When I wanted to talk to you, you were busy with the others. Then when I went out to train, I could hear everyone inside laughing and talking. Even when I tried to get involved, everyone was busy with their own things."
Li Jain opened his mouth, but Li Zhang continued quickly.
"I thought Father was tired of me being too noisy. I know I talk too much and play around a lot.
I don’t like to study, I don’t understand things as quickly as Cheng, and I’m not as calm as Eldest Brother either. But I can change."
The child’s voice began to shake.
"I can train harder and stop bothering everyone. I can be quieter and more obedient. Father does not have to worry about me anymore."
Li Jain felt like someone had pressed tightly against his heart. He finally understood;
These past few days, he had avoided spending too much time with Li Zhang because he was afraid he would accidentally reveal the birthday surprise.
He was not good at lying to his children. Every time Li Zhang came over and acted spoiled, Li Jain worried that one careless sentence would ruin the banquet. So he only used training as an excuse to send him off.
Who would have thought that Li Zhang would understand it this way? Li Jain’s heart ached so much that he could barely breathe.
He had been so focused on keeping the birthday banquet a surprise that he had not realized his own actions were hurting the child.
A Li Zhang who did not run around, laugh loudly, did not make trouble, and did not drag his brothers into strange situations was not Li Zhang at all.
No matter how brave he acted, he was still only a child who turned eleven today.
Li Jain could not endure it anymore. He pulled Li Zhang into his arms:
"Xiao Zhang, listen to Daddy. The reason I kept sending you away was not because you were troublesome. It’s because Daddy was preparing a surprise for you and Cheng’er."
Li Jain rubbed his back gently and continued: "Today is your birthday. Father, your brothers, Aunt Xinyue, Uncle Liu, and everyone else have been preparing the banquet for you and Cheng’er. That’s why everyone has been acting strange."
Li Zhang slowly lifted his head with a blank expression: "A birthday banquet?" he asked.
Li Jain nodded: "Yes. Your birthday banquet. Everything happening in the house is for you and Cheng’er. Daddy was afraid that if you stayed too close, you would notice. Daddy is not good at lying, so I kept sending you away to train. "
Li Zhang stared at him for a long time, then his face crumpled. He tried to hold back his tears.
But at this moment, all his effort disappeared. He buried his face into Li Jain’s shoulder and cried until he could barely breathe.
The thought that Father did not like him had terrified him. Now that he knew the truth, the fear that had been pressing on his heart finally rushed out all at once. He had been trying to act strong, telling himself that if Father truly did not want him, he would simply train harder and become better.
His breaths became uneven, and the tears came out so quickly that he could barely speak.
"Father..." Li Zhang choked out. "I thought... I thought you didn’t like me anymore."
"Daddy could never dislike you. It’s all Daddy’s fault for not thinking things through."
Li Jain picked him up and held him in his arms. Li Zhang was not light anymore, but Li Jain did not care. He sat back down on the bed with the child in his lap and patiently patted his back.
"You do not have to become like anyone else. You are Xiao Zhang, very special and unique. That’s enough."
Li Zhang cried harder. Li Jain lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to his hair.
It took a very long time for Li Zhang to calm down.
By the time his breathing became steady again, his face was red, and his eyes were swollen. He looked embarrassed, but at least none of his brothers were there to see him. That made him feel slightly better.
He stayed in Li Jain’s arms and did not seem willing to get down. Li Jain did not force him, he only continued smoothing his hair gently.
Li Jain had learned a very painful lesson. This whole arrangement had been a bad idea. Surprises were not worth making children feel abandoned, unfortunately, he found out too late.
He silently promised himself that he would never do something like this again.
After resting for a while, Li Zhang suddenly seems to remember something important.
He lifted his head and looked at Li Jain: "Father."
"Yes?"
"Today is my birthday and we are hosting a banquet. There’s going to be tons of guests, I need to look my best." He quickly got off Li Jain and put his training gears away.
Li Zhang stood in front of the mirror and touched his hair with concern: "My eyes are swollen and my hair’s a mess. What if people think I’m not handsome enough on such an important day?"
Li Jain watched him move around the room in a panic and did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Just a moment ago, he had been crying so hard that he could barely breathe. Now, he was worried about whether he would look presentable in front of guests.
Li Zhang turned back toward his father: "Father, you should go get busy. I also have a lot to do. Let’s not waste precious moments."
Li Jain stood up and walked over to straighten his hair: "Alright, Daddy will go get busy. Happy birthday, Xiao Zhang."
Li Zhang’s eyes brightened. This time, when he smiled, it was the familiar bright and lively smile that belonged to him alone.
"Thank you, Father."
Li Cheng, who was standing outside the door, silently wiped away his tears. Although he knew his father would never abandon them, the more time passed the more doubtful he became. Luckily, it was just a harmless trick.
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