My Emperor Father Can Read Minds
Chapter 64

Regarding the matter of having a corner-digging worker near him, Wei Yu was completely unaware.

After having breakfast, he went to the Eighth Prince’s mansion next door.

He had planned to go into the palace later with Eighth Brother to thank the Emperor, but upon arrival, Wei Yu learned that Liu Chanyi was actually living at Eighth Brother’s residence.

In the pavilion, Wei Yu sat below, staring at the child crouching in the grass for quite a while before finally asking Eighth Brother.

“Is this cousin from the Liu family really a fool?”

If someone else had asked if a child was a fool in front of the person’s cousin, they would have been kicked out by now, but fortunately, Eighth Prince didn’t mind.

After all, in terms of both bloodline and relationship, Wei Yu was his closest brother.

“The Liu family says he’s a bit simple, but I don’t think so.”

Eighth Prince said, “That child came to my mansion and became particularly fond of my little garden. Since there’s plenty of empty space in my mansion, I let him stay for a while. Over the past days, I often see him staying in the garden. Although he’s usually quiet and doesn’t speak much, whenever I ask him something, he answers me.”

“Rarely does he speak in such a clear and logical manner, it doesn’t seem like a fool…” Eighth Prince frowned and glanced at Wei Yu. “I actually think he’s more intelligent than most children.”

Wei Yu asked, “…What did you ask him?”

Every time he asked, the child answered, so why didn’t he answer before when Wei Yu asked?

That was discrimination.

He despised the child for discriminating.

Eighth Prince looked innocent. “I didn’t ask much. I just asked him what he was looking at and why he liked watching ants and bugs, asking if he wanted me to put them in a cup.”

Wei Yu: ….

Now he understood.

It seemed that when he asked the child about other things, it didn’t work. The only thing that got a response was asking about what the child was paying attention to.

Wei Yu stood up, patted his Eighth Brother’s shoulder. “Thanks, Eighth Brother.”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

Wei Yu walked towards Liu Chanyi and waved at Eighth Prince behind him. “I’m going to play with your cousin and his bugs.”

Eighth Prince was speechless.

Though he said he was going to play with bugs, once he got closer and saw Liu Chanyi holding a caterpillar in his palm, Wei Yu couldn’t help but rub his arm.

Fear and disgust didn’t distinguish between genders.

Wei Yu had no problem handling snakes or grasshoppers, but caterpillars, soft and squishy like that, were a whole other story. No thank you.

Crouching beside Liu Chanyi, Wei Yu glanced at the child’s side profile and asked, “Why aren’t you watching ants today? Didn’t you say ants are strong? Do you want to know why?”

Wei Yu saw the child blink.

Then, Liu Chanyi turned his head, his dark eyes staring at him.

“Two days ago, it rained at night. The ants from the previous place disappeared, and I want to know why.”

Two questions, two answers.

Wei Yu nodded, indicating he understood, and then began explaining to the child why the ants had disappeared.

“Actually, ants are animals that can sense whether it’s going to rain. Before it rains, they can feel the humidity in the air increasing, so they move to a dry and safe place…”

“After it rains, because of the weather changes, such as when it rains, the soil absorbs the water and releases its heat, which causes the temperature of the soil to decrease…”

Wei Yu explained the reason as simply as possible, using terms he thought the child could understand.

But, many things that hadn’t been learned couldn’t be understood even if explained simply.

It wasn’t something that could be taught by just saying 1, 2, 3, 4. There were unfamiliar terms, new ways of thinking, and the wisdom gained by generations of exploration.

“Did you understand?” Wei Yu asked.

Liu Chanyi didn’t understand.

He frowned tightly, pressing his lips together and shook his head vigorously at Wei Yu.

Wei Yu scratched his chin and sighed. “Ah, I said it in the simplest way, and you still don’t get it. What can I do?”

He seemed frustrated, occasionally glancing at Liu Chanyi.

That look vividly portrayed what it meant to say a child couldn’t be taught.

Then, the child became anxious and stopped pretending to be mute. He turned his body and grabbed Wei Yu’s robes, his face full of urgency.

“Teach me, I’ll learn!”

“Huh? Teach you?”

Wei Yu pretended to look him up and down, acting as if it was difficult. “But I don’t like quiet people. You don’t talk to others, so if you learn with the others, won’t others think we’re bullying you? And you’re too stupid.”

Liu Chanyi became more anxious, but he just clenched Wei Yu’s robe tightly without saying anything.

The child’s face, round like a bun, was furrowed with obvious distress.

Wei Yu wasn’t in a hurry. He leisurely sighed.

“Ah, it’s not easy to find a good teacher nowadays. Money is just an outside thing, and the fee is secondary. The real problem is whether the teacher can teach what you want to learn. Tsk tsk, so hard…”

Sneaking a glance at the child, whose expression had softened, Wei Yu pretended to stand up to leave.

“I… I’ll speak!”

Afraid that Wei Yu was leaving, the anxious child immediately grabbed his robes with both hands.

So, Wei Yu watched as the child, still holding the caterpillar, pressed it against his clothes.

Wei Yu: !!!

“You, you, you, let go! The bug is getting on my clothes!”

Liu Chanyi was momentarily stunned and looked down at his hand.

“…”

After some chaotic moments, the result ended with the caterpillar turning into mush and sticking to Wei Yu’s clothes.

On the small lawn, Liu Chanyi stood in front of Wei Yu, looking at him eagerly.

“I’ll speak, you teach me, I’m not stupid.”

Wei Yu sighed and looked at him without speaking.

He knew the child wasn’t stupid. If he were, he wouldn’t need to coax him, right? Wasn’t it enough to have a silly Xiao Anzi around?

They had agreed to make gunpowder and cannons for the old man. Wei Yu didn’t want to do it himself, so he could only teach others who were good at physics. Those who had an interest in it and were talented would learn faster.

Liu Chanyi was young, had this talent, and the Liu family was now fallen. The only support left was Eighth Brother, so it was perfect for Liu Chanyi to take on this foundation for physics.

Wei Yu didn’t have any rigid views on who could be a teacher.

He wasn’t a stubborn person, and in this era where scholars were valued, it was all about who had the knowledge. If he couldn’t humble himself to learn from Liu Chanyi, then those who wanted to learn physics would just be average.

It was better to teach orphans and beggars from the start.

After all, the one who would be tired wouldn’t be him!

Right now, Wei Yu was doing this just to establish an agreement to help the child adjust some habits.

In scientific research, one should have the spirit of working hard on one’s own, but more often, it’s about collective wisdom.

Being able to communicate and discuss with others normally, humbling oneself, and not being too proud, would allow Liu Chanyi to interact better with people in the future.

Since Wei Yu had chosen Liu Chanyi, he didn’t want to see the child isolated by others or isolate others himself in the future…

Hmm?

Is this considered as gaslighting?