Brad spent five days in the barracks before he wanted to go home and rest.

Every winter was the time when the vicious steppe people repeatedly violated the border, which made him spend a lot of effort to finalize the revised regulations with his staff.

Today he wanted to go home to spend time with his youngest grandson, with whom he had not had a chance to have a good relationship since the day he first arrived.

Since the child was diagnosed with a birth defect, the estrangement, intentionally or unintentionally, still made him, a grandfather, feel a little guilty.

Naturally, he will not owe it materially, but he does not have much spiritual care, and even rarely mentions it in private, so it is no wonder that his subordinates and servants at home will have some faint speculation and discussion.

Brad knew all of this, but didn't bother to explain it.

Fortunately, Matthew and his family have gathered together this year, and he will live in Gaokan City for more than a month, and he still has a chance to make up for this family relationship.

He felt that when they first met, the child was still a little nervous, and it might be his weather-beaten serious face that was to blame.

Brad touched his face and smiled inwardly, anyone who has been in the army for 60 years will have such a face.

He went into the study and listened to the servant's report, where his little grandson was reading at the moment.

The lights were on, but the huge study was as silent and empty as ever, and he found no sign of his grandson.

Just as he was about to turn to go out, a few books on the table caught his attention in the afterglow.

It turned out that he was hiding here, and when he turned to the front of the sofa, Brad noticed a small figure curled up in the far corner of the sofa, and the child appeared smaller compared to the wide sofa.

Brad looked at his grandson silently, his entire upper body obscured by a huge book, and only a little of his white blonde hair was exposed.

It could be seen that he was reading so intently that he didn't even hear the sound of his own heavy footsteps.

It's a good thing to be able to read, Brad thought, and I'm afraid this kid will have a hard time taking the path of joining the army in the future.

Perhaps, it would be nice to be a scholar.

The Snape family hasn't had a real scholar in nearly a hundred years, and those who spend their family's money to live happily in an academy in the imperial capital are not counted.

This is also one of the reasons why he married his eldest daughter to the Lawrence family, it can't really be a reckless family.

Almost instantly, Brad's mind had a map out of the path Phil might take in the future.

And the little protagonist, who still buried his head in the book, was at a loss for Brad's thoughts, and was completely unaware that there was another person around him.

"Can you read that?" said Brad, breaking the silence.

As Phil was reading happily, Hupole was raving about a sticky delicacy wrapped in leaves, and although he didn't know if it was a rice dumpling, his saliva couldn't help but overflow.

"Ahh

"Hehe, can you understand?" Brad asked again, amused by his grandson's goofy appearance.

Once upon a time, he also liked to tease his eldest grandson Bruce to talk, but the mouth of the stinky boy ......

Brad was flooded with bad memories.

The little grandson in front of him seemed to be a little silent and not good at words, but he was still taught by Catherine to be very polite.

"80% of the way, you can guess the content based on the context if you don't understand it. Phil finally saw who the old man in front of him was, put down the book, stood up, and replied obediently.

"What do you mean?" Brad didn't understand.

"It's eighty percent. Phil replied, "Isn't there a 100-point system in the Imperial Army?" and how can data aggregation and efficiency statistics be accurate?

"Sit down next to me. Brad beckoned.

Phil came up to Brad, picked up the teapot prepared on the table, poured Brad a cup, and placed it in front of him before sitting down again.

"How many words do you recognize?"

"About ninety and a half of the common words in the lingua franca, rare words, mainly learned the part related to the Ward language. ”

With the ethereal fragrance of tea, the grandfather and grandson talked slowly.

Both of them seemed accustomed to short and straightforward language, the communication was very efficient, and the atmosphere seemed warm, as if the embarrassment caused by the previous nearly eight years of estrangement had been diluted a lot.

Brad was surprised that the little fat grandson in front of him looked quite smart.

Whether it is the ability to organize language or the ability to learn words, children at this age are outstanding.

Somewhat curious, Brad slowly ramps up the difficulty of communication and asks Phil what he thinks of the books he reads.

The result amazed him, for some of the obvious need for life experience and experience to obtain, this grandson understood quite profoundly, and the answer was also very specific and complete, not a question and answer, but even the subsequent derivation of two or three are considered very clearly.

The most important thing is that there is no jerkiness and ostentation of ordinary children in the enlightenment period, as if he has read these books many times, and his expression has always been very flat and calm.

Brad's interest in his little grandson is getting bigger and bigger, and he is more and more sure of the idea just now, this is indeed a good seedling for learning.

If he can be admitted to a higher school such as the Imperial Capital Academy or the Theological Research Society in the future, then the Snape family will also have a real scholar, and then it will be interesting to see what those who laugh at the Snape family for being reckless will be.

Especially that shameless Blazer.

Before he knew it, a smile crept up the corners of Brad's mouth, and even if his face was full of furrows, he could see that his mood was quite pleasant.

Phil was not as calm as Brad imagined at this time, as the thickest thigh in the family, his grandfather was testing his own knowledge, and as a grandson, of course he would be cautious.

Not for himself, but for Catherine.

And while answering, he secretly noticed Brad's face and controlled his words.

At this time, we can neither appear ignorant and naïve, nor speak amazingly, everything should follow a certain scale.

When dealing with a general, a veteran who has lived in the army for decades, the answer and narration should be as short and plain as possible, rather than flowery and empty rhetoric.

Sure enough, judging from the current situation, the effect is still good.

This habit of observing words and colors seems to have become his instinct.

Brad would never have thought that the little person in front of him had the soul of an adult hidden in his heart.

He was a little happy that he didn't realize that the encounter that happened in the study today was not like a family fun between grandparents and grandchildren, but like his subordinates reporting to him on military affairs or interviewing new officers.

Brad felt that he was becoming more and more fond of this little grandson with white blonde hair, and even felt a little tired of seeing each other.

It was the inadvertent neglect after that disappointment that gave him the opportunity to learn that this grandson was so good after nearly eight years.

It's a pity that he's sick.

Brad rubbed his calloused hands against Phil's head, a hint of regret and affection in his eyes.

In the ensuing time, one wants to make up for his regrets and show his love, and the other wants to gain the favor of the other party and hug his big thick legs in the future.

The conversation between the old and the young is getting smoother and smoother, and the atmosphere is getting better and better.

In the end, it was Patton's butler's reminder that made the unsatisfied grandfather and grandson aware of the hunger in their stomachs, and Brad took Phil's hand with a smile and went downstairs to eat.

For the next two days, Brad did not return to the barracks at all, but just asked his subordinates to summarize the contents of the general's report every day and send it to their home for processing.

In the morning, it was the time for the grandfather and grandson to communicate cordially.

In the afternoon, it was his time to take charge of military affairs.

For a while, the huge study in the Wild Lion Castle became the most efficient place in the home, and it was very popular.

Not to mention how Brad felt, just a few days of communication gave Phil a deeper and more concrete understanding of this still somewhat unfamiliar world and country.

The first is the state.

Among the dozens of countries on the Ancestral Road, the Waldersmann Empire can rank among the top five in terms of area and comprehensive national strength, but it can only rank in the top 20 in terms of population.

This is mainly due to the vast size of the country and the relatively low fertility rate of the Ward people.

Slow growth, and even a serious imbalance in the number of people and the ratio of men to women in some years, have become a bottleneck for the development of this old empire.