African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 121: Chapter 116: The Joy of Family

Prince Constantine nodded with satisfaction: ”Not bad, listening to me won’t do you any harm. As time goes by, you’ll naturally understand the truth in my words.”

Prince Constantine never imagined his son might stir up trouble by mingling in others’ affairs.

...

Soon, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the school district. Yes, this area is now known as the school district.

This year, Ernst has expanded the school facilities to accommodate orphans from Paraguay and the German regions.

Initially, Ernst hadn’t expected so many orphans from Germany, and now the Heixinggen schools have truly become orphanages.

Altogether, nearly twenty thousand orphans are being taken in by the schools established by the Heixinggen royal family.

It’s worth noting that the entire population of Heixinggen is only a few tens of thousands, and now it has become the largest orphanage in Germany.

With the increase in Paraguayan orphans, Ernst has had to set up dedicated schools to teach these Paraguayan children German.

As for the Far East orphans at the Heixinggen Military Academy, many are older, mostly teenagers, primarily trained for colonial translation roles.

Of course, there are some younger ones, but they attend ordinary German schools instead of the military academy.

Currently, Heixinggen is constructing and expanding four schools, with ten buildings completed, including teaching blocks and dormitories.

The Heixinggen Military Academy primarily serves the older orphans, while the other three schools educate the younger ones.

The Heixinggen Military Academy, as a fast-track school, undertakes secondary education functions, with many students who aren’t particularly outstanding being directly dispatched to East African colonies upon graduation.

The earlier batches were fine, mostly sixteen or seventeen-year-olds who appeared quite mature for their age, so placing them in East Africa and society wasn’t abrupt.

However, the current students at the Heixinggen Military Academy are increasingly younger, many graduating at only fifteen or sixteen years old.

The younger they are, the easier it is to mold their minds, but the cost of nurturing them is quite high. They need to be at least fifteen or sixteen to graduate, meaning Ernst needs to support some orphans for at least ten years, given that some are only five or six years old now.

As for the even younger ones, Ernst has arranged for families in the East African colonies to adopt them, with the colonial government providing subsidies and supervision.

...

”Come, little one, say ’hello grandpa,’ and grandpa will give you the candy, alright?”

”Hello, grandpa!”

”Ah, so well-behaved!” Constantine chuckled, holding a little child and peeling the candy wrapper to hand it to the child’s mouth.

The surrounding children looked on enviously, their eyes betraying a hint of worry as some discreetly swallowed their saliva, which made Constantine feel a pang of compassion.

”Children! If you all say ’hello, grandpa,’ I’ll share all these candies with you. How does that sound?”

But no one dared to come forward.

Constantine understood these children’s fear of strangers, so he pulled one little child over and asked kindly, ”Do you like candy, little friend?”

The little child nodded timidly.

”If you like candy, then why don’t you call me grandpa, and I’ll give you this candy, alright?”

”Okay,” the little child said in a childish voice, ”grandpa.”

”Ah, well-behaved!” So the little one received the candy too. Constantine told the surrounding children, ”See, grandpa keeps his promises. As long as you call me grandpa, I’ll give you these candies.”

”Grandpa, grandpa...” The children, long tempted by the candy, couldn’t resist any longer and began to speak.

Constantine gleefully started handing out candies to the children.

This was the lower grade class of the Heixinggen school, filled with five or six-year-old little ones.

”Ernst, stop standing there grinning like a fool, come over and give me a hand,” Constantine said to Ernst.

”Yes, sir, father!” Ernst saluted comically and then started distributing candies to the children.

...

Heixinggen Military Academy.

”Hello, Principal!”

At the Heixinggen Military Academy, as a military institution, students are naturally older, around fifteen or sixteen years old.

Clearly, Constantine can’t treat these students like the little ones he just encountered.

”Hello, students! First, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. I haven’t brought anything particularly valuable today, just prepared some candies. Class monitor, why don’t you distribute them to everyone?”

”Thank you, Principal!” Everyone said; courtesy is a required discipline at the Heixinggen Military Academy, and one must express gratitude when receiving gifts.

”Alright.” Ernst nodded with satisfaction and exited the classroom, heading to the next class.

In truth, Ernst is only a year or two older than these children, but with his status, he appears quite authoritative.

Initially, when Ernst taught the first batch of Heixinggen students, he was even younger than some of them, but his demeanor, cultivated from two lifetimes and noble education, made him seem like an adult in his twenties or thirties.

...

After distributing the gifts, evening had fallen, and Constantine and Ernst needed to return.

As the carriage rattled on the cobblestone road, Constantine said to Ernst, ”Seeing these adorable children reminds me of you when you were little. So small, bouncing around like a little monkey. Back then, I worried whether the Heixinggen royal family would fall apart under your restless energy. But gradually, you’ve grown into a young adult, with a calm personality and bold ideas. Now, I realize my worries were unfounded.”

”Father, rest assured, the family’s interests are my utmost priority. I uphold this at all times, and the future of the Heixinggen royal family will surely be bright,” Ernst said to Prince Constantine.

”I know that. Still, you should strive to have a few chubby grandsons with Karina. Only with a thriving family can the family’s legacy flourish. This is a lesson from the Heixinggen family, and I hope your generation doesn’t repeat the past mistakes. Look at the most prominent families in Europe; they vanish from history when there are no successors,” Constantine sternly advised.

”I understand this principle too, father, rest assured,” Ernst replied earnestly.

Seeing that Ernst did not brush him off, Constantine nodded in satisfaction, sometimes finding it unbelievable.

Ernst’s mindset sometimes doesn’t resemble that of a young man but instead seems traditional and conservative like his own. Yet, he wasn’t like this in his youth—he only became steadier in middle age.

However, Ernst is different. Though he socializes with friends and peers, he remains highly disciplined and has a strong sense of ambition.

Of course, many of Ernst’s peers are mostly making their way in military camps, where they are naturally disciplined, but once out in society, their true nature shows. When holidays come, young soldiers can often be seen frequenting bars and dance halls.