When Yu Yue saw her posture, her eyes suddenly sharpened, carrying a hint of authority.
That look was like magic, gradually frightening away Chaochao's pent-up emotions.
The mouth that had been pouting just moments before slowly relaxed and closed, leaving behind a pitiful little face that was both heartbreaking and amusing.
Yu Yue briefly recounted what had just happened. In short, this incident was not Mao Dan's fault at all; it was Chao Chao who, seeing that others were not leaving and were continuing to play, decided not to leave either.
They even convinced Maodan that he only needed to go back before the adults came home.
The adults need to finish up in the fields and won't be back quickly; the key is to take advantage of the time difference.
Xie Yan didn't say anything after hearing this, but just looked at Chaochao and asked, "Where did you play when it rained?"
After observing carefully and finding that her father didn't seem angry, Chaochao truthfully replied, "Under the big willow tree on the other side of the riverbank."
Xie Yan: "!!!!"
Good heavens! A big willow tree and a riverbank—do these kids know nothing about fear?!
Originally, Xie Yan had planned to reason with the child, but upon seeing this, she gave up and resorted to the most primitive way of educating the child: making up stories to scare him.
Of course, the thank-you banquet was different from those of the parents.
He won't use old stories passed down through generations, since those stories have lost their credibility in the minds of children after being heard so many times.
He knew his child was exceptionally intelligent and that ordinary stories were easily found to be flawed by the child, making them impossible to scare.
So he took a different approach, directly incorporating real-life cases to create stories, hoping to guide children's behavior in this way.
He looked at the child seriously and asked, "Do you know why your mother hit you?"
Chaochao nodded, "I know, I wanted my brother to cover for me when I didn't go home on rainy days."
Xie Yan nodded, picked up the child, and asked, "Do you know why your mother beats you when you don't come home on rainy days?"
Chaochao stared at her father with wide, aggrieved eyes. She had been beaten and suffered so much, and her father still asked her questions!
Just as she was about to try to get away with it by acting cute, she saw Xie Yan's serious expression, giving her no chance to escape. She immediately became obedient, lowered her head and thought for a moment, "I'll get wet in the rain!"
But Xie Yan still didn't speak. Chao Chao's mind raced again, "Getting caught in the rain will make you catch a cold!"
Xie Yan nodded, but his expression remained unchanged. "Getting caught in the rain and catching a cold are minor issues. As you know, your father is skilled in medicine. One bowl of medicine will cure your cold. So getting caught in the rain is not the key reason why you got beaten."
Seeing that he had confused the children, Xie Yan continued, "Want to know what the key to your beating is?"
The child nodded.
Xie Yan was pleased with Chaochao's understanding, then changed his tone and said sadly, "Do you know? With the heavy rain, the river rises. The place where you were playing is now completely submerged."
"Dad had a childhood playmate (made up), who was playing by the river on a rainy day when the rising river swept him away, boohoo~, and by the time the adults found him again, he had already drowned."
After saying that, Xie Yan even pretended to cry, looking very sad.
Chaochao opened her eyes wide, both scared and disbelieving, because the river was perfectly fine when she left.
Xie Yan didn't argue, but instead looked up at Chaochao, "Don't you believe me?"
Chao Chao nodded hesitantly.
Xie Yan sighed, wishing he had a cell phone so he could find a video to show this guy.
But there are ways to make do even without a cell phone. Xie Yan asked again, "When you left, did the river water become muddy?"
Chaochao thought for a moment, and it seemed that the water wasn't as clear as it had been when she first arrived that afternoon. "Yes."
Xie Yan patted her head. "The river has become muddy because water carrying mud from upstream has flowed into it."
"This is just the beginning. Look how heavy the rain is outside!"
Chaochao glanced outside; it was not just big, it was incredibly big, and she could no longer see the outside scenery clearly.
Xie Yan gently picked up the child and walked to the eaves.
The buckets placed under the eaves were already full of rainwater.
However, the rainwater continued to pour down from the eaves, forming glistening columns that flowed into the bucket.
The splashing water playfully leaped over the edge of the bucket and landed on the ground under the eaves.
Xie Yan took a step forward, but seeing the splashing water, she pulled it back.
He and his child stood quietly at the doorway, gazing together at the misty rain outside, as if time had slowed down at that moment.
Xie Yan's voice was gentle and pleasant, without a trace of lecturing, as if she were telling a story, "Look, with such heavy rain, where does all the rainwater go?"
Chaochao watched as the water in her yard flowed out through a special water hole next to the gate.
He pointed outside, "It flowed outside."
Xie Yan nodded, "You know we also have a canal outside, and the water doesn't stay in front of our house. All the water flows through the canal into the river below."
"Just like our family, all the water in our village flows into the river like this. Do you think the river will ever be the same again?"
Chaochao shook his head.
Seeing that she understood, Xie Yan asked, "Then tell me, will the river rise to the place where you were just playing?"
After thinking about it, Chaochao realized that it was indeed possible.
Xie Yan continued, "If you still don't believe me, wait until the rain stops, and I'll take you to the riverbank to see for yourself."
Chaochao was actually half-believing and half-doubting. She couldn't imagine how much water it would take to pickle the fruit under the big willow tree, which was quite far from the river.
Xie Yan smiled. The rain was heavy this time, and the river must have reached the big willow tree. As soon as the rain stopped, he would take the little girl to see it, not giving the river a chance to recover.
That wasn't all. After talking about the river, Xie Yan started explaining the story of the tree struck by lightning, "Chaochao, do you know? The river isn't the most dangerous thing."
He paused here, his acting skills kicking in again. Because of the foundation he had built last time, this time his emotions were even more intense, and he also gave his wife, who was listening to the story, a wink.
Yu Yue was listening to Xie Yan tell a story when she saw the look he gave her and realized that she was needed to be his straight man.
He quickly asked with great concern, "What's wrong? Did you think of something bad?"
Chaochao was also very worried. She hugged Xie Yan's neck and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Daddy, what's wrong? Did Chaochao make you angry?"
"Don't be sad. Tell Chaochao, and she will correct herself."
Xie Yan suppressed the urge to laugh, sighed, and looked very sad. "Originally, I didn't want to recall this matter, but for Chaochao's safety, I can force myself to be strong."
Yu Yuehui suppressed a smile and patted Xie Yan's shoulder in a perfunctory manner to offer comfort.
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