vstars Chapter 232 Uncle 6, Father wants to drown me
Chapter 232 Uncle 6, Father wants to drown me
It has to be said that the Fourteenth Prince's vitality is truly as tenacious as a cockroach. After being double-teamed by Emperor Kangxi and Consort De, with such a serious injury on his back, he was already lively and energetic again in just a few days.
"Sixth Brother, why are you digging a hole in this beautiful garden? It's ruining the beauty."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhuo looked up and glared at the Fourteenth Prince who had spoken. No, do you think I did this for someone else? Did I know that digging a hole in such a beautiful garden would ruin the aesthetics? But what could I do? Who told me to be so unlucky as to have a troublemaker like you as my younger brother? So I have to follow you around and clean up your messes.
"Alright, your back wound hasn't fully healed yet. Go find a place to lie down. I don't want to see you right now. Do you think I want to do this? It's only because of what you did to Hongxi, Hongyu, Hongqing, and Honghui that they're so afraid of water now. I have to think of a way to help them overcome their psychological trauma."
When this matter was mentioned, Fourteenth Prince felt only one thing in his heart—guilt. He didn't dare to argue with Yinzhuo. He obediently pulled up a chair and sat down not far from Yinzhuo. His back injury hadn't fully healed, so he couldn't lean against the chair back. His upright posture made him look like he was being tortured rather than resting from a distance.
Given Yinzhuo's current status, if he wanted to build a pond in his Shufeng Pavilion, the people in the Imperial Household Department would naturally not dare to neglect him. In just a few days, the pond was built according to Yinzhuo's requirements.
Now that the pond had been repaired, Yinzhuo was determined not to let it sit idle. After the servants cleaned the pond and filled it with water, he sent someone to invite the four young families, Hongxi, Hongyu, Honghui, and Hongqing, along with their fathers, over.
"Sixth Uncle, can I not go down? My legs go weak whenever I see water."
As soon as Hongyu said this, the other little ones immediately chimed in. Yinzhuo glanced at the group of people who were looking at him with worried expressions, but didn't say anything. Instead, he took the lead and went into the pool. He swam around in the pool for a few hours before waving to Hongxi, Hongyu, and the others.
"Look, it doesn't seem so scary, does it? Uncle Liu knows you were frightened before and are now terrified of going into the water, but like I said, it's precisely because of this fear that we're trying to overcome it, isn't it? Are you going to never go near water again? Uncle Liu is a very good swimmer. Even if something happens after you come in, I can pull you out immediately. I will definitely not let you drown. If you're still worried, aren't your fathers here? Uncle Liu can let them come in too. Is that alright?"
Unlike Yinzhuo's kind words of persuasion, Yinti was impatient. Seeing his son fidgeting and thinking but refusing to move, he became anxious, took a few steps forward, picked up Hongyu, walked to the edge of the pond, and threw him in.
“What kind of man acts like this, all fussy and hesitant? My son, Yinti, is not like this. Don’t worry, your sixth uncle isn’t exaggerating at all. He taught your ninth, thirteenth, and fourteenth uncles how to swim. Hongyu, you better learn well. We can’t leave such a big weakness on our bodies…”
Hongyu didn't hear a word of what Yinti said. He was already afraid of water, and being suddenly thrown into it by his father amplified his fear many times over. Once in the water, he couldn't hear or feel anything, only two words remained—splashing. Yinzuo knew his elder brother had a quick temper, but he didn't expect him to be this quick-tempered. This was his own son, and he really didn't hold back when he got going.
"Hongyu, don't be afraid, your sixth uncle is here. Calm down first. Come on, follow your sixth uncle's instructions. Relax and take a deep breath..."
Seeing Hongyu thrashing about aimlessly in the pool, Yinzhuo quickly swam over to him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into his arms. Hongyu was just like any other drowning person; his first reaction upon grabbing something was to cling to it desperately. It was only because the pool wasn't deep and Yinzhuo was a good swimmer that his small frame could have supported Hongyu.
"Waaaaah... Sixth Uncle, Father wants to drown me..."
Yinzhuo comforted Hongyu for a while, and Hongyu's emotions finally calmed down. After the child came to his senses, his first reaction was to hug his sixth uncle and wail loudly, while also accusing his heartless and cruel father. Yinzhuo was also very helpless, because he really didn't know how to defend his elder brother. After all, what he did just now was hardly that of a kind father, so it was no wonder that the child felt that his father wanted to drown him.
"Stop talking nonsense. Now that you're in the water, you should study properly. Xiao Liu, tear him off your body. Hong Yu, hold back your tears. What kind of boy is it to cry like this?"
In this era, strict fathers and kind mothers were valued. In Hongyu's heart, the authority of his father, Yinti, was like an insurmountable mountain. So even though he was afraid, he still obediently held back his tears when he heard his father's words. Yinzuo coaxed and comforted him for a while before he slowly let go of Yinzuo's hands.
"Alright, don't be afraid. Uncle Liu is here for you. You just need to follow my orders, and I promise you, you'll learn to swim very soon."
Hongyu trusted his sixth uncle, Yinzuo, and nodded in agreement. Next came Yinzuo's teaching session. Compared to his previous method of kicking Yintang, the thirteenth, and the fourteenth into the pool, Yinzuo was now much gentler. He first explained the techniques for swimming to Hongyu, and then led him in practice. At first, Hongyu was too nervous and afraid to make any big movements, but as time went on, his fear gradually subsided, and he began to experience the joy of playing in the water.
"Sixth Uncle, I want you to let go of my hand and practice by yourself, but you can't be too far away from me, otherwise I'm afraid I'll need to drink water again."
Yinzhuo naturally wouldn't refuse Hongyu's request, since he was hoping that Hongyu could motivate the little ones on the shore to go into the water. So, as Hongyu asked, he let go of his hand that was protecting him, stood beside him and watched him struggle on his own, only reaching out to help him up each time he was about to sink, making sure he didn't drink too much.
Yinzhuo's trick worked. What child doesn't love playing in the water? Even Yinxi, who was naturally afraid of water, couldn't help but go to the water's edge when he was little. Seeing Hongyu splashing around in the water for so long without any problems, the other little ones, Hongxi, Hongqing, and Honghui, couldn't resist either.
"Sixth Uncle, after you've finished teaching Hongyu, could you teach us too?"