Chapter 94 Children Fighting
As the sun gradually slanted westward, Lu Mingyue and Xia Qinghe, along with Yaoyao and Mingming, waited for half a day under the old locust tree at the school gate.
Yao Yao stood on tiptoe, her little hands tightly gripping Mingming's, her eyes fixed on the iron gate at the school entrance.
Suddenly, the school bell rang out from the school. Yao Yao immediately straightened up and shook Mingming's arm.
"Brother Mingming, the bell is ringing! My brother is coming out!"
Mingming nodded in agreement, and the two of them moved closer, peering through the iron gate's railing.
But as children gradually streamed in from school, wave after wave of figures carrying schoolbags passed by, Leilei was nowhere to be seen.
Yao Yao's smile faded, and her little mouth pouted slightly: "Why haven't I seen my brother yet?"
Mingming frowned and stood on tiptoe to look closely: "Let's wait a little longer, maybe Brother Leilei has been called away by the teacher."
Even so, he unconsciously tightened his grip on Yao Yao's hand.
Lu Mingyue patted Yao Yao's head and gently comforted her, "Don't worry, Lei Lei is probably packing his schoolbag. Let's wait a little longer."
But she couldn't help but look into the campus, and a question quietly began to form in her mind.
Xia Qinghe chimed in, "If Yao Yao is getting impatient, how about Auntie tells you a story? Once it's over, Lei Lei will definitely come out."
Yao Yao shook her head, still holding Mingming's hand as she stood guard at the door, her little face full of anxiety, her eyes hoping that the familiar figure would appear soon.
The bell rang for a long time, and just as Yao Yao was about to burst into tears, Lei Lei's figure finally appeared in sight.
The little figure, who was usually so lively and energetic, was now drooping its head, its shoulders slumped, kicking pebbles on the road, looking utterly listless.
"Leilei!" Lu Mingyue called out.
Leilei suddenly looked up and saw his family under the locust tree. His eyes lit up instantly, and he quickened his pace.
But as soon as he got close, his initial excitement faded, and he lowered his head again, clutching his backpack strap.
Lu Mingyue squatted down and gently touched his cheek: "What's wrong? Did you get upset at school?"
Yao Yao also came closer, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Brother, are you unhappy?"
Lei Lei pursed his lips, and after a long while, he stammered, "Mom, I... I got into a fight at school."
His voice trailed off, “The teacher said that my parents need to come to school tomorrow.”
After saying that, he lowered his head even further, and even the tips of his ears turned red, as if he was afraid that Lu Mingyue would be angry.
Xia Qinghe quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Boys are bound to bump into things sometimes, let's ask what happened first."
Lu Mingyue didn't immediately scold him. Instead, she took Lei Lei's hand and helped him brush the dust off his trousers: "Tell me, what happened? Did someone bully you, or did you start it?"
Leilei held Lu Mingyue's hand and whispered the story to her.
It turned out that his deskmate had stolen his new pencil, and the two started shoving each other during the argument.
As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Lu Mingyue's expression, afraid of being scolded.
After listening to Lei Lei's words, Lu Mingyue reached out and ruffled his hair. Her tone was gentle, without a trace of blame: "Silly child, it's not your fault, but it's never right to hit someone."
She gently straightened Leilei's wrinkled collar. "Don't hang your head. I'll go to school with you tomorrow and talk to your teachers and classmates. We'll resolve this matter."
Leilei suddenly looked up, the disappointment in his eyes had faded somewhat, but he was still a little uneasy: "Mom, will the teacher scold you?"
"No, it won't happen." Lu Mingyue took his hand and pulled Yao Yao over. "Teacher knows you didn't do it on purpose. Let's talk things out and get along well with your classmates in the future."
Yao Yao also shook Lei Lei's arm: "Brother, don't be afraid, I'll go to school with you!"
Mingming nodded in agreement, "I'll go too, and I'll tell the teacher that the student who took the pencil first."
Seeing the two little ones looking so serious, Leilei's tense lips finally relaxed, and he hummed softly.
Xia Qinghe smiled and helped Leilei carry his schoolbag: "That's more like it, it's no big deal. Come on, come home with Auntie, I'll have your mom cook you an egg tonight to help you recover your energy."
As the group walked towards the family compound, Lei Lei, though still a little reserved, gradually became more at ease holding Lu Mingyue's hand, and his steps became much lighter.
I had only taken a few steps toward the family compound when I saw Huo Zheng running quickly from the intersection, his military trousers still covered in dust.
"Leilei, Mingyue."
Huo Zheng stopped, panting, first patting Lei Lei's head, then looking at Lu Mingyue with a tone full of apology, "There was a last-minute mission at the camp that delayed me, so I'm late and have kept you waiting."
Seeing his father looking travel-worn, Lei Lei's anxiety finally subsided.
Now that his mother and sister are by his side, and his father has come too, he's not afraid to go to school tomorrow.
He let go of Lu Mingyue's hand, threw himself into Huo Zheng's arms, and said in a muffled voice, "Dad, I got into a fight at school today, and Mom has to go to school with me tomorrow."
Huo Zheng paused for a moment, then patted him on the back and looked at Lu Mingyue: "It's okay, if I can free up some time tomorrow, I'll go with you."
Lu Mingyue smiled and nodded, watching the father and son embrace, and then glanced at Yao Yao and Mingming skipping along beside her. Her steps also became lighter.
Leilei nestled in Huo Zheng's arms, secretly glancing at Lu Mingyue beside him. His heart felt warm and cozy. With his mother protecting him and his father by his side, even the most difficult things didn't seem so scary anymore.
After dinner, Lu Mingyue put the mended schoolbag on the table and moved a small stool for Leilei to sit in front of her.
Huo Zheng brought over two glasses of warm water, handing one to Lu Mingyue and the other to Lei Lei.
He pulled up a chair and sat opposite the father and son, tapping the table lightly with his fingertips: "Come on, tell Dad what happened at school today?"
Leilei held his water cup, his little brows furrowing again, but unlike during the day, he didn't flinch. He quietly recounted how his deskmate had snatched his pencil and how the two of them had pushed each other.
"I was just angry that he took my things, so I pushed him."
After saying that, he secretly glanced at Lu Mingyue. Seeing that his parents weren't angry, he continued, "Later, the teacher came in and said that no matter who started it, fighting is wrong and that their parents should be called."
After listening, Huo Zheng didn't rush to speak. Instead, he picked up the pencil on the table and handed it back to Lei Lei: "This pencil is your treasure. It's understandable that you're angry that someone took it."
But think about it, if you told him this was mine, and if he liked it, you could ask his family to buy him one too, then you wouldn't have to lift a finger, right?
Lu Mingyue nodded in agreement and reached out to tidy up Leilei's stray hairs: "Just like when you and Yaoyao fight over candy, I never let you fight. Instead, I let you share it, right? It's the same with classmates. Talking things out is much more effective than resorting to violence."
Leilei gripped his pencil and nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
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