Chapter 149 One Man, Twenty Strikes
The rest of the journey went smoothly, especially after we came down the mountain and saw the thriving, intact rice paddies. The joy of the harvest that had been suppressed in my heart burst forth instantly.
Captain Zhao Mancang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Go home and eat first. After you finish eating, go straight to the commune dam to distribute the fish and meat!"
It was already noon, and everyone was hungry after climbing the mountain for half a day. So, they excitedly and happily headed home so they could finish their meal as soon as possible and start dividing up the fish and meat.
Helian Jiao rode a sika deer ahead of the others, with Chen Erbao following closely behind.
But what's meant to happen will happen eventually. As soon as they entered the house, they saw their mother holding their precious baby with a look of heartache and lingering fear. But the moment she saw the three of them, her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and she shouted sternly, "Kneel down!"
The three brothers knelt down with a "plop," each with their heads down, not daring to look at her dark face, already prepared to be scolded mercilessly by their mother.
"You, the three of you—"
However, Ma Xiulian was too frightened and angry to utter a curse; her chest heaved violently, clearly indicating that she was extremely angry.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhaodi quickly said, "Mom, you can scold and beat the three of them all, but please don't hurt yourself."
She was furious when she heard her son's words. Three grown men had actually abandoned their precious little girl and run away to save their own lives!
Zhao Mei looked at her little niece with a face full of pity, thinking that Chen Jianye, as a father, was really a scoundrel. Even if his daughter couldn't compare to his son, she was still his own flesh and blood.
Li Chunhua, however, was completely unconvinced, feeling that her man had done nothing wrong and that only a fool would risk his life to save a worthless woman.
Fortunately, he knew he couldn't say such despicable things, and he just silently regretted that the brat hadn't actually been eaten by the big bear.
Helian Jiao, the person directly involved, didn't feel anything at all. But seeing her grandmother so angry, she gently patted her grandmother's chest with her chubby little hands and said, "Grandma, don't be angry, don't be angry. The bear can't eat me!"
To the little princess, the three Chen brothers were just people living in the same house, at most related by blood. In addition, they were also relatives that her grandparents valued, so she didn't mind them drinking some soup when she ate meat.
But it was absolutely impossible for her to be angry or upset because they abandoned her to save their lives; the little princess didn't care at all.
But Ma Xiulian was angry and furious!
I'm so angry I could explode!
Her precious child was so well-behaved, so young, so filial and sensible—how could they bear to leave her alone to face a ferocious and terrifying bear?!
The fear and dread she felt far outweighed her anger and rage. The thought that her precious eyeball had almost been lost sent chills down her spine.
Looking at his wife's red, watery eyes, Chen Dazhu stood up with a thick wooden stick in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Take off your clothes, twenty strokes each."
Upon hearing this, Li Chunhua exclaimed in disbelief, "Father, twenty strokes are too much!"
These days, men beat children with deadly force; one blow leaves a red welt, the kind that burns painfully.
And that brat came back perfectly fine, didn't she?!
Chen Dazhu immediately gave her a gloomy look. His sinister and terrifying gaze made Li Chunhua's scalp tingle, and she immediately lowered her head and dared not utter a sound.
(End of this chapter)
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