After dinner, Shen Xuanrun's dark fairy tale lessons began.
In the cozy, adorable little princess's bedroom, soft light spilled down. Little Xinxin lay obediently in bed, hugging a bunny plush and quietly waiting for her brother to tell her a story.
"Once upon a time, there was a cute little girl named Little Red Riding Hood. One day, she went to visit her grandmother. When Little Red Riding Hood arrived at her grandmother's house, she knocked, but no one came to open the door, so she pushed it open and went inside."
"Brother, I remember something happened in the forest before Little Red Riding Hood reached her grandmother's house, didn't it?" Little Xinxin looked puzzled.
"You've already heard all that, Xinxin. I'll tell you what happened afterward." Shen Xuanrun smiled gently, like a sheep in wolf's clothing.
"But inside the room wasn't her grandmother. It was a wolf that had been sleeping all along. There was also lots of blood and scraps of clothing on the floor. The wolf had eaten her grandmother, and Little Red Riding Hood was very sad."
Little Xinxin: ⊙﹏⊙ Brother, I'm still just a little kid. Could you make it less bloody?
"Little Red Riding Hood wanted to save her granny, so she slit open the wolf's belly while it slept. But her grandmother was already beyond saving."
"Brother, but I remember her grandmother was saved in the story?" Little Xinxin asked in confusion.
"Xinxin, that was all a lie to fool you children. If someone were still alive after being eaten by a wolf, that would be a horror story."
...Actually, brother, the story you're telling right now is pretty scary too, Little Xinxin thought silently.
"Little Red Riding Hood buried her grandmother and cried for quite a while. She left that sorrowful place and never returned."
Waaah, poor Little Red Riding Hood! Mr. Wolf ate her grandmother, and she couldn't even save her. Little Xinxin thought sadly, shedding two crystal-clear tears.
Shen Xuanrun continued, "And so, at a certain market: 'Mister, mister, I want to sell a wolf pelt!' 'Where did you get that wolf pelt, little girl?' 'I killed a wolf!' 'How impressive! Keep up the good work!' 'Yes, I will.'"
Shen Xuanrun vividly imitated Little Red Riding Hood's happy voice.
Little Xinxin: ... Brother, please give me back my tears.
"Little Xinxin, can you guess what this story teaches us?"
"I can't guess, brother," Little Xinxin said, puzzled.
Shen Xuanrun brushed the little female lead's nose with his finger and said, "Even when something very sad happens, we shouldn't just keep grieving and crying. We need to know how to turn the predicament before us into adversity. We have to be strong."
"Let me tell you the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs next," Shen Xuanrun said, looking at Little Xinxin's little face, which showed no sign of sleepiness.
"One day, Snow White left the palace and came to a forest behind it. She discovered many strange things in the forest and decided to investigate. Snow White crossed the forest and found a dwarf cottage. Looking at the dwarf cottage before her, Snow White exclaimed in surprise, 'So this is the legendary dwarf cottage! It looks so strange!'"
Listening to this strange opening, Little Xinxin no longer wanted to ask any questions.
"Snow White gradually grew curious about this strange-looking cottage. How could there be such a strange cottage in this world? I have to go inside and take a good look. Snow White lifted her skirt and walked through the grass, slowly approaching the dwarf cottage's door. She knocked lightly and said softly, 'Is anyone there?' But no one answered her. After a while, Snow White knocked again and found that the door opened on its own. She pushed it open and continued asking, 'Sorry to intrude. Is anyone home?'
The moment Snow White pushed open the door, she was stunned, because all the dwarfs inside were eating huge mouthfuls of instant noodles. There were instant noodles from every country and every region, and most importantly, the entire room was filled with instant noodles. When the dwarfs inside saw that a guest had come to their cottage, they said to Snow White, 'Who's there? Are you here for the instant noodle party too?'"
Little Xinxin was stunned too, and asked in confusion, "Brother, why were they eating instant noodles?"
Shen Xuanrun patted her little head. "Because they were very poor and couldn't afford expensive things, so they could only eat instant noodles. Eating too many instant noodles was precisely why they couldn't grow tall. All the houses they built were very short dwarf cottages, and they couldn't build tall houses either."
"Snow White entered the dwarf cottage, and the seven dwarfs all surrounded her. The dwarfs tugged on Snow White's ears and said mischievously, 'Are you really Snow White? Such a big head and such a big face-is that what Snow White looks like?' Snow White had already fallen into despair. She sighed and said, 'Yes, I'm Snow White. Are you the seven dwarfs?'
The dwarfs hurriedly lined up and said to Snow White in unison, 'No, we're the nine dwarfs!' Snow White pointed at them and said, 'But why are there only seven when I count you?'
One dwarf pointed at the instant noodles behind them and said, 'There used to be nine, but one choked to death on instant noodles two days ago, and another cried herself to death because she didn't have a boyfriend. See, they're both buried in there.' Snow White broke down."
Little Xinxin broke down too.
Shen Xuanrun looked at Little Xinxin with a gentle expression and asked, "Little Xinxin, did you learn anything from this story?"
Little Xinxin looked miserable. "I don't think so, brother."
Shen Xuanrun said gently, "That's all right. I'll tell you what I learned. Don't completely trust what you see in front of you. The seven dwarfs you see might actually be nine, with another two beneath the pile of instant noodles."
Little Xinxin: T_T Brother, you tell stories very well, but please don't tell any next time.
"So, Xinxin, you need to use your own judgment. Don't casually believe what you see in front of you or casually believe what other people say. Think for yourself before making a decision." Shen Xuanrun silently hoped that, in the future, the female lead wouldn't fall out with the little male lead after hearing a few divisive remarks from the vicious supporting female character, and that she could have her own thoughts and ideas.
Little Xinxin solemnly agreed.
Looking at Little Xinxin, who seemed full of energy, Shen Xuanrun asked, "Are you still not sleepy, Xinxin? Would you like me to tell you two more little stories?"
Little Xinxin immediately tucked herself entirely beneath the covers and shouted, "Brother, I'm so sleepy! I'm going to sleep. Good night, brother!"
Brother, if you tell me two more, I won't be sleeping tonight. T_T
That evening, Old Master Shen called to ask how Little Xinxin's day had gone and whether she was happy.
Shen Xuanrun walked out of Little Xinxin's bedroom, completely composed. "I told her the fairy tales she loves, Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. She was very happy listening to them, and she's already asleep."
The old master went to bed feeling completely reassured too.
The little female lead: I wasn't, I didn't, I don't like those stories! T_T