Chapter 11

Gu Huaisheng just sat there quietly and looked at him, his eyes cold. After saying that, he didn't seem to want to speak again, still looking as if it had nothing to do with him. Even the words just now didn't seem to come from his mouth.

However, the coldness he exudes cannot be ignored.

Song Xuan'an immediately determined that Master Gu, who was aloof from worldly desires and never showed off his wealth, did not like him.

He was not a very sensitive person, but he could still easily sense the malicious aura emanating from him.

He began to recall when he had offended him, but it didn't seem like he had.

The only thing that could be considered an offense to him was taking Jiang Jingchun around?

Finally, Jiang Runchu on the side spoke first, breaking the strange atmosphere between the two.

He frowned and walked up to Song Xuan'an, saying, "Okay, this is our Jiang family's family affair. Mr. Song should go back first. If it's too late, I'm afraid Mrs. Song will be worried too."

The intention to drive away the guests is already very obvious.

Song Xuan'an came to the Jiang family today with Madam Song, but Madam Song already knew about his sneaking out, otherwise she would not have left alone.

Song Xuan'an was not worried about what was happening at home, he was more worried about Jiang Jingchun.

He wanted to say something, but when he looked at Jiang Runchu who was frowning in front of him, he thought of another thing.

By the way, no brother would like another man to take his sister away and run around. Jiang Runchu would not like it, and Gu Huaisheng is also Jiang Jingchun's brother, so Gu Huaisheng's hostility may come from this.

But Song Xuan'an didn't want to leave, he stubbornly didn't move. Jiang Runchu frowned and wanted to speak, but he heard an unexpected cry of pain from outside.

Several people fell silent and looked outside.

It was Jiang Jingchun who was hit by Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan slapped her hand many times in a row, and the "pa pa" sound made her eyebrows jump. Li tried to persuade him, but Jiang Nan was so angry that she couldn't stop him.

"Just hit him twice, why do you have to do this!" The beatings on Jiang Jingchun's body hurt Li's heart. She couldn't hold Jiang Nan back and was so angry that tears were about to come out.

This iron plate is used to punish people, but he was so cruel. Did he want to destroy her? !

Jiang Nan waved her off and said, "Just scold her and hit her a few times! You always want to do everything well. You've made her useless. Since you can't take care of her, I, as her father, won't hit her anymore. I'll just let her go out and embarrass the Jiang family in the future."

Jiang Jingchun was beaten, but she did not dare to hide, for fear of making her father even angrier. She did not even dare to cry out loud. Apart from that cry of pain, she could only shrink her head and sob bitterly.

The delicate palm soon turned red.

But she also said: "This is my fault alone, father, please don't blame mother..."

Jiang Jingchun didn't want Li to continue watching, and she was also afraid that the noise would disturb the old lady who was resting in the house. She turned her head and said to Li, "It's getting late, mother, go back and rest first. I'll be fine, don't worry about me..."

When he said this, he was clearly still sobbing in pain, but he still said he was fine.

Li refused to leave, so Jiang Nan forced someone to drag her away. Li's cries gradually faded away, and the place suddenly became much quieter.

Gu Huailang had never seen such a scene before. He was so scared that he shrank behind Mrs. Gu, not daring to say a word, his little hands tightly grasping his mother's clothes.

Anyone who saw this scene would feel heartbroken. Even Jiang Runchu, who had always disliked his sister, couldn't stand it anymore. He hesitated whether to go up and persuade her to stop.

Song Xuan'an on the side couldn't stand it anymore, so he went out first. But before he took a few steps, he suddenly heard Gu Huaisheng's voice coming from behind him.

"Now that you are in the past, you are hitting more than just your hands."

Gu Huaisheng had already stood up, and his voice was a little cold, sounding a little like a warning. Song Xuanan didn't dare to move for a moment, but before he could react, Gu Huaisheng turned around and said to Jiang Runchu, "Send him out first."

There was no point for Song Xuan'an to continue staying here. Since he refused to leave, he could only let someone take him out.

Jiang Runchu nodded, and then walked to Song Xuanan with a sullen face. He said, "Let's go, Mr. Song."

Although Song Xuan'an was reluctant to leave, he had no choice but to follow Jiang Runchu and leave through the side door. Just as he was about to step out into the darkness, he turned back for some unknown reason.

He found that Gu Huaisheng was heading in the direction of Jiang Jingchun and the others.

It rained a few times a while ago. It is late spring and the water vapor is thick. At midnight, the wind seems to be a bit humid, and the sticky feeling makes people feel inexplicably dry.

Gu Huaisheng walked up to Jiang Nan. He glanced at Jiang Jingchun's palm, which had been beaten to a bloody mess.

He said, "Uncle, if you continue to hit me, my hand will be useless."

There was no emotion in the voice; it just sounded like a simple reminder.

Jiang Nan had seen it, of course, but he still refused to calm down. Gu Huaisheng could see that he still had no intention of giving up, so he continued, "It's true that she was wrong and deserves to be punished, but we should be careful about the degree of reward and punishment. Uncle has punished and beaten her*, and it seems that my cousin has realized her mistake. If he continues to beat her, I'm afraid she won't be able to recover."

There should be a limit to rewards and punishments. Even if you make a mistake, the punishment should not be this way.

What he meant was that Jiang Nan had gone too far in beating him.

Seeing that Jiang Nan was still trying to argue, Mrs. Gu came over and said, "Brother, you really can't keep fighting."

She pulled Jiang Jingchun again and said to her, "Hurry up and tell your father that you know you were wrong and promise not to do it again next time."

Jiang Jingchun's hand hurt so much that she didn't dare to be stubborn anymore. After being beaten like this, she really knew she was wrong.

After hearing what Mrs. Gu said, she cried, "Dad, I really know I was wrong. I will never run around again next time."

Mrs. Gu immediately winked at Gu Huaisheng, asking him to take Jiang Jingchun away first, and she went up to hold Jiang Nan back, "She is a child, and you are an adult. Look, the child knows she is wrong, why are you still arguing with her?"

By the time Jiang Nan reacted, Gu Huaisheng had already left with his men.

*

The moonlight was like frost, the clouds were thin and the mist was light. Things had gotten so chaotic until now, almost three in the morning, and there was no sound of anyone.

The two walked on the road, Gu Huaisheng walked in front, Jiang Jingchun followed behind him, and the two walked like this, neither of them spoke first. In the silent night, besides the sound of their footsteps, there was only the sound of Jiang Jingchun sobbing.

The wound hurt so much that her palm was itchy. Jiang Jingchun couldn't bear it anymore and couldn't help but put her beaten palm to her mouth and licked it gently with her tongue.

The smell of blood filled the tip of her tongue, a strong smell of rust permeated her mouth, her palms were licked, waves of stinging pain came one after another, and her eyebrows were twisted into a knot in pain.

However, the itchy feeling of flesh and blood being torn apart did indeed dissipate a little.

The footsteps in front suddenly stopped. Jiang Jingchun looked up and saw Gu Huaisheng staring at her.

She was caught licking the wound secretly, and she looked a little embarrassed and put her hand down awkwardly.

Gu Huaisheng looked at her and suddenly asked, "Does it hurt?"

Under the clear moonlight, Gu Huaisheng's pupils appear even deeper.

Jiang Jingchun didn't expect him to ask this and was stunned for a moment. But after she came to her senses, she thought of other things in her mind.

She thought that her cousin didn't like children, and he must dislike children who cried out in pain, and even more so, children who cried.

Besides, she was the one who made the mistake first, so she deserved to be beaten.

This is what her grandmother taught her. If you make a mistake, you will be punished. It is a matter of course and there is nothing to say about it.

Jiang Jingchun was in so much pain that she was almost dying, but she still shook her head and said, "It doesn't hurt."

The night wind blew, and her hair was blown up and stuck to her cheek. Her eye sockets were still misty and the corners of her eyes were red, just like the wilted peach trees on the roadside that were wet by the rain, lifeless... but charming.

The rain that fell a few days ago washed the Jiang family clean from top to bottom. The floating dust was washed away, but there was still a smell of dust in the air on the road.

Hearing her say it didn't hurt, Gu Huai seemed to chuckle, and the laugh that came out of his throat was a little low.

Even after it's become like this, you still say it doesn't hurt.

Gu Huaisheng frowned, "You don't even say it hurts, what's the point of lying?"

He thought he understood the child's psychology well enough, just like Gu Huailang, he knew what he was thinking before the child even opened his mouth. In his eyes, Jiang Jingchun should be no different from Gu Huailang, but now he didn't understand, she was in so much pain, but she still said she didn't feel any pain.

However, he did not want to wait for Jiang Jingchun's answer, nor was he interested in analyzing the reason. Seeing that she was hesitant and did not dare to speak, he did not force her and turned away.

"Let's go. I've asked someone to call the court doctor over."

The two went to the front hall, where the court doctor was already waiting.

After looking at Jiang Jingchun's palm, the doctor sighed and shook his head. He didn't know which master could be so cruel, wanting to beat the person's bones and flesh out in one piece.

He asked the maid to fetch some hot water, and then began to treat Jiang Jingchun's wounds.

The palm of her hand was badly injured, and it was excruciatingly painful when touched. Seeing Gu Huaisheng beside her, Jiang Jingchun tried hard not to make a sound. She bit her lips until they were about to break, but she didn't make a sound.

At the third drum beat it was so quiet that even the gadflies and leeches should have ceased making any sound, yet she endured it with such pain.

Gu Huaisheng turned around, and then the curtains sounded, and he went outside.

After he left, Jiang Jingchun in the room could no longer bear it and started crying because she couldn't stand the pain. She could still hold it back at first, but later she lost all her mind due to the pain and cried more and more loudly.

Even Gu Huaisheng who was outside the room heard her voice.

His eyes unconsciously fell on the windowsill, where crying sounds came from.

I don't know how long it took before the noise inside gradually disappeared. The court doctor came out of the room and told Jiang Jing about changing the dressing. But Gu Huaisheng still asked again, intending to tell the maid beside her later.

The court doctor said goodbye, and Gu Huaisheng went into the house.

Jiang Jingchun's hand had been bandaged. She was sitting on a chair with her head down, not saying anything. It was unknown what she was thinking about. There was only one candle burning in the front hall, and the light shone on her side face. Because she was absent-minded, her eyes looked a little empty.

Gu Huaisheng walked up to her.

A shadow covered his eyes, and Jiang Jingchun looked up at him.

"Does it hurt?" He had asked her outside just now, but now he added, "Those who lie are not good children."

But somehow these words touched Jiang Jingchun. After she understood what Gu Huaisheng said, she seemed to have some annoyance in her eyes, and even the piercing pain in her palm was forgotten.

She held up her hand, which was wrapped in three layers of clothes, and showed it to Gu Huaisheng.

She asked him, "Cousin thinks I'm a child, like Xiao Long?"

Without waiting for Gu Huaisheng to speak, she continued, "No, that's not the case. If Xiaolang became like this, he would definitely cry and look for his mother. He would, but I wouldn't."

"So cousin, I'm really not a child anymore."

"Stop treating me like a kid, okay?"