Chapter 149 Pouring Cold Water
While cursing, she subtly pulled him behind her, using her body to separate Shen Cuifen and Lu Zhongshun.
"Hey, Mulan! Children don't know any better, why are you yelling at them! Can't you just reason with them? It's not like they stole or robbed us, it's just a bunch of flowers, is it worth chasing them with a stick?"
Song Qiaoying quickly stepped in front, her arms outstretched like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
Shen Cuifen's child is a real headache. He's been like this since he was little, speaking softly and walking slowly.
He never ran around the mountains fighting with the wild kids in the village.
Why does it always look so soft and limp? It stands there like a bean sprout.
He sways a couple of times when the wind blows, he doesn't look like a boy at all.
Other people's children, after school they throw their schoolbags down and either catch grasshoppers or chase dragonflies.
But he was different. After school, instead of going home, he would take a long detour to the peach orchard on the mountainside. When he came back, he would always be holding a bunch of pink flowers in his arms, smiling foolishly. I don't know what he was after.
Song Qiaoying was puzzled, and her brows furrowed more and more.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became, fearing that the child would grow up to be like Liu Ershu from the village.
She wore a faded blue cotton jacket all day long, sat on a small stool by the door, head down, embroidering lotus pillowcases with a needle, humming a little tune that was neither male nor female.
They don't do any work during the day, they just tend to the flowers and plants, and do mending.
The villagers often laughed at him behind his back, gossiping that he was born into the wrong family.
He's a man, but he lives like a woman.
In Song Qiaoying's view, a boy should be robust and loud to be considered successful.
How can you bring flowers home every day, with a mind as delicate as an embroiderer?
"Mom! Don't stop me!"
Shen Cuifen stomped her foot, her cheeks flushed with anger.
"I'm going to teach him a lesson today! I'll show him he can't do things so recklessly! We don't have enough firewood at home, and he's wasting time picking flowers. Can flowers be eaten? Can they be used to make soup?"
Shen Cuifen, holding a thin twig, angrily tried to walk around it.
As a result, the grandson and grandmother, one dodging and the other blocking, played a game of "eagle catching chicks" like they were acting.
Lu Zhongshun hunched his neck, put his hands in front of him, and backed away while trying to ease the atmosphere with a grin.
Song Qiaoying stood in the middle with her arms outstretched, like a wall between her grandson and daughter.
But both of them were clumsy, and just as Shen Cuifen was about to grab the person, Lu Zhongshun hurriedly began to explain.
"Grandma! Don't hit me! I really didn't steal these flowers! Er Gou took me to pick them on the mountain! They're wild peach blossoms, they just grow randomly in the mountains!"
Just to pick these few flowers.
Those few pink and white wild peach blossoms were still lying in the side pocket of his schoolbag, the edges of the petals already somewhat wilted.
They were lying there quietly, but now they have become the source of trouble.
Shen Cuifen's hand, which was holding up a branch, froze in mid-air.
Her arm hung there, trembling slightly, her eyes gradually shifting from anger to shock.
She stared at her grandson's flushed face, her lips moved, but she didn't immediately deliver the blow.
"Even if it wasn't stolen, it's still unacceptable! Why are you wandering around in the mountains instead of going straight home after school?"
"It's spring now, so it's good that the snakes and rats haven't come out yet. But what if it were summer, and venomous snakes came out of their holes? What if you got bitten?"
As she spoke, the image of her son being bitten by a snake and taken to the hospital years ago flashed before her eyes.
Blood-soaked ankles, swollen and purple calves, and the heart-wrenching cries of that night.
"Even without insects or snakes, what if someone falls from a tree? Who's responsible if they get hurt?"
She suddenly remembered her past life.
Lu Zhongshun was injured after falling from a tree and developed a hernia.
That day, he quietly climbed the old peach tree on the hillside behind the village to pick fruit. No one saw him slip and fall, and no one heard the muffled groan he made when he landed.
But at that time he didn't say a word, only that he was crying from the pain, so Shen Cuifen didn't think much of it.
She assumed it was just the child being affectionate, applied some herbal ointment, and let him continue working.
Who could have imagined that the fall would sow the seeds of future problems, which, over time, eventually took a toll on his health?
He only revealed it unintentionally when he ran away from home later.
On a cold winter night, he sobbed softly on the phone.
"Mom, it's not that I don't want to come back... I'm just afraid you'll be sad if you know I'm sick."
At that moment, Shen Cuifen felt as if her heart was being torn apart.
Therefore, he deserved to be beaten!
No matter how much it hurts, she cannot let history repeat itself.
In this life, she is determined to protect him under her wings.
Even if he doesn't understand for the time being, we must protect him from all possible disasters.
Even though they caused trouble because they were playing around, they blamed all the mistakes on the adults.
She wasn't unaware of her child's rebellious nature.
But she knew all too well that if she indulged them today, it could lead to an irreparable tragedy tomorrow.
Upon hearing this, Song Qiaoying also felt that it made sense.
She stood in the courtyard, the wind ruffling the white hair at her temples.
Hearing his daughter's words, his brows furrowed more and more.
As someone who has been through it all, she understands better than anyone how dangerous it can be for children to be playful.
Kids this age are prone to getting into trouble.
If you really encounter any danger, it will be too late to regret it.
She thought of the child in the next village who broke his leg while trying to steal a bird's nest, and the boy who drowned three miles away while fishing in the river, and a chill ran down her spine.
Give him a good beating so he'll remember it and won't dare to run around like that again.
She finally made up her mind, her face darkened, and her eyes became more stern.
Sometimes you have to be tough when it comes to educating children.
I'd rather be met with a chorus of curses now than be filled with tears and lamentations later.
She immediately let go and pulled Shen Zhongshun out from behind.
She gripped her grandson's arm firmly and pulled him forcefully, pushing him directly in front of Shen Cuifen.
"Mulan, hit her! She deserves it! She won't learn if she's not hit!"
Shen Zhongshun was completely dumbfounded.
Just a moment ago she was protecting her maternal grandmother, how come she suddenly sided with her maternal grandmother?
He stood there, frozen, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him, chilling him to the bone.
"Today I'm going to teach you a lesson and make you correct this bad habit!"
Shen Cuifen gritted her teeth and said those words one by one.
As she spoke, she raised a branch and lashed it at him.
The thin branch drew an arc in the air, whistling through the wind as it approached.
Although it may not be enough to hurt someone, it is enough to make someone remember the taste of pain.
Shen Zhongshun turned pale with fright, his eyes filled with guilt.
His body instinctively shrank back, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and tears welled up in his eyes.
He knew that he had really gotten himself into big trouble this time, and there was no escaping it.
"Don't hit me! I really didn't mean to make you angry! I've seen you looking downcast these past few days, and it makes me really sad. Er Gou from the village said that women, no matter how old they are, actually like flowers and plants, and seeing pretty flowers makes them happy... That's why I begged him for so long to take me up the mountain to find some pretty wildflowers."
"I just wanted to cheer you up! I don't want to see you looking so gloomy every day. I was thinking that if I could pick a pretty bouquet of flowers for you, maybe you could smile... even just a glance would be nice!"
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