Chapter 32 Calling Parents

Li Shaoer and Zhou Xiaomeng's incident caused a big commotion.

The principal and teachers of the academy were all alarmed.

Su Zhizhi and Gu Qingning were called in by Principal Liu and Master Qiu for questioning, asking why there was a snake in the room?

Su Zhizhi felt sorry that the snacks she had prepared for Abao were gone, and said regretfully:

"I found this snake in Che's bookcase. I don't know where it came from."

Liu Shan's heart skipped a beat:

"The snake in Xue Che's bookcase?"

So Xue Che was called over again.

Xue Che truthfully recounted the process of Su Zhizhi finding the snake in his bookcase and taking it away.

After a while, Zhou Xiaomeng, with a pale face, also came.

She bandaged her snake-bitten hand.

Fortunately, the snake was not poisonous, but the bite was very painful.

Shanzhang Liu asked Zhou Xiaomeng sternly:

"Why are you in Su Zhizhi and Gu Qingning's room?"

Zhou Xiaomeng was still reeling from the snake bite, stumbling over her words.

“I…I…”

She wanted to see Li Shaoer, but Li Shaoer was still lying unconscious in the living quarters.

Zhou Xiaomeng turned her head and saw Su Zhizhi's bright and beautiful face.

She remembered that Su Zhizhi had said last time that there were tigers, snakes and other creatures in her village, any one of which could kill her.

She thought Su Zhizhi was just threatening, but she didn't expect a snake to really bite her.

Su Zhizhi "friendly" reminded her classmates:

"A child who tells lies will be bitten on the butt by a tiger."

An image emerged in Zhou Xiaomeng's mind. The snake in her hand turned into a tiger, opening its bloody mouth towards her.

She took two steps back with fear in her eyes, her hands covering her buttocks.

"I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth... Li Shaoer asked me to put her jade pendant in Su Zhizhi and Gu Qingning's room..."

Zhou Xiaomeng told Li Shaoer all of her ideas.

After hearing this, Principal Liu and Master Qiu's expressions grew worse.

“Nonsense!”

Liu Shanchang was so angry that his beard flew off his chest.

"My Mingde Academy is a place for learning and cultivating virtue. How could you be so vicious and bully our classmates?"

The next morning, Principal Liu sent someone to notify the families of several students and invite their parents over.

When Hao Ren and Wu Yingniang heard that Su Zhizhi and Xue Che had gotten into trouble in the academy, they both came to the academy.

"Master Liu, my name is Hao Ren, and I am Zhizhi's father." Hao Ren stood in front of Master Liu and raised his hand to salute.

When Shanzhang Liu saw the visitor before, he found him to be of handsome appearance, with graceful and upright manners, standing like a pine or bamboo.

If he wasn't wearing the repeatedly washed cloth, it would be hard to believe that he was the village chief of a remote mountain village.

But on the other hand, when you think about the two children, Su Zhizhi and Xue Che, it seems very reasonable.

Such a smart and beautiful child seems to deserve such a magnanimous elder.

Shanzhang Liu asked Hao Ren and his wife to sit down, with a puzzled look on his face:

"Village Chief Hao, Madam Hao, please take a seat. Village Chief Hao claims to be Su Zhizhi's father?"

Hao Ren knew what Shanzhang Liu was asking and explained humbly:

"Zhizhi is my late sister's child. We raised him under my husband and I's name, hence his surname, Su."

Since the other parents had not arrived yet, Hao Ren drank tea and chatted with Principal Liu in his study.

Shanzhang Liu discovered that although Village Chief Hao claimed that he had not read much, he was very insightful and knowledgeable.

Whether the two were talking about scriptures, calligraphy and paintings, or customs and human nature, Village Chief Hao always had something to say.

Talking with him is like being bathed in spring breeze.

Although Mrs. Hao's speech was a bit rough, her mind and vision were broader than many men.

Shanzhang Liu nodded repeatedly, "No wonder your village has frequently contributed to the security of Xunzhou. If everyone in your village were like you two, your village would surely be a paradise on earth."

Hao Ren and his wife smiled but said nothing.

After they chatted for a while, the mothers of Li Shaoer, Zhou Xiaomeng and Gu Qingning also came.

Liu Shanchangjiu recounted what happened yesterday, including what Zhou Xiaomeng said was instructed by Li Shaoer.

Zhou Xiaomeng's mother came to the academy and ran into Zhou Xiaomeng. She was furious and dragged her daughter over:

"You're such a spendthrift! Your family paid for you to go to school, and you shamelessly do these filthy things!"

Mrs. Zhou is the wife of a merchant. She runs a small dry goods shop at home, which is very down-to-earth.

She glanced at the jeweled Madam Li beside her and spat fiercely:

"This damned girl did something so filthy that she dared to frame the daughter of the Chief Secretary. I'll skin her alive when I get home!"

Zhou Xiaomeng knew she would be beaten when she got home, so she cried:

"Mom, I didn't frame you. It was really Li Shaoer who gave me the jade and asked me to..."

Bang! Madam Zhou slapped her daughter, knocking Zhou Xiaomeng to the ground:

"You pig-brained fool! You picked up a nobleman's jade from nowhere, threw it away, and now you dare to drag the nobleman down with you! Have you lost yourself in studying?"

How could she not understand that her daughter did not lie, but they could not afford to offend the Li family, so they had to take the blame.

Zhou Xiaomeng huddled on the ground, hugging her knees and crying:

"Mom, I..."

"Shut your dog mouth! Go and apologize to the Madam Changshi!" Madam Zhou suppressed her heartache and pretended to hit him again.

Zhou Xiaomeng had no choice but to get up and trembled as she walked to Madam Li:

"Madam Li... I was wrong. I picked up Li Shao'er's jade and framed her..."

She didn't finish her words and burst into tears out of grievance.

She suddenly remembered the time when Gu Qingning was wrongly accused and had her right and wrong twisted in front of the teacher, but she felt powerless and unable to speak out.

"alright."

Mrs. Li sat in the guest seat and slowly took a sip of tea. The gold hairpin on her head looked old-fashioned but was made of heavy, solid gold.

She adjusted the hairpin on her bun and spoke lightly:

"In the final analysis, it was our Shao'er who lost the jade himself, and then accidentally got entangled by a snake, so he suffered misfortune for no reason."

"It's just the kids playing around, nothing serious. I'm going to take her back today and give her a good lesson. I'm going to make sure she doesn't get into bad company at the academy."

Li Shaoer is not Madam Li's biological daughter, and Madam Li didn't want to come.

But something happened in the academy. Li Shao'er fainted and I heard he still hasn't woken up. The master of the house was too busy to take care of these things, so an elder from the house had to come.

The concubine is not allowed to come on stage, so only she, the mistress, can do it.

After all, it concerns the reputation of the Li family. Even if she doesn't like Li Shaoer, she still has to put on a good show.

Gu Qingning's mother, Madam Gu, was already wiping away tears:

"Is my Qing Ning frightened again?"

Mrs. Gu looked very similar to Gu Qingning when she cried. Her willow-shaped eyebrows were furrowed together, and when her tears fell, it was like a misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River.

She heard her child say that he was bullied by classmates at school, but she was powerless to do anything.

She thought about letting her child go home and stop studying more than once, but her parents-in-law did not allow it, and there was nothing she could do.

In comparison, Hao Ren and Wu Yingniang were the calmest.

But it just looked calm.

The knuckles of Hao Ren's fingers, which were holding the teacup, were white and the veins were bulging.

Wu Yingniang's hands were on the chair handles at her sides.

She didn't want to hold the chair, she actually wanted to hold her spear, but she didn't have it with her today.

They didn't expect that such a thing would happen just ten days after sending the child here.

What if Zhizhi and Ache were bitten by a snake?

What if Zhizhi is really wrongly accused of stealing the jade?

The couple looked at each other, seeing the anger rising in each other's eyes, and then hiding it in an instant.

Wu Yingniang asked, "Headmaster Liu, have you found out how the snake appeared in A-Che's bookcase?"

Shanzhang Liu shook his head: "Not yet."

Wu Yingniang had an idea in her mind.

Okay, that's better.

Then even if the person who released the snake was disabled or died, no one would connect it to this matter.

Hao Ren looked at the domineering Madam Li:

"May I ask if Madam Li's husband is Li Changshi of Xunzhou?"

As soon as Mrs. Li came in, she couldn't help but glance at the handsome and elegant Hao Ren.

When Hao Ren spoke to her, she subconsciously sat up straighter and her voice softened.

"Li Qiong, the Xunzhou Chief Clerk, is my husband. For the sake of our Li family, please don't dwell on this little matter. It's not worth damaging the harmony among our classmates."

"That's what Madam Li said."

Hao Ren rubbed his fingertips and lowered his eyes to hide the sharp edge in his eyes.

Li Qiong, the Chief Clerk of Xunzhou.

He took note.