Lu Demin glanced at his son, shook his head, and signaled him to speak less.
"I'm glad you're okay." Lu Demin patted Wanqing's shoulder soothingly, bent down and picked up Bai An, and walked towards home, "Let's go home and eat first."
"Bai An hasn't eaten all day." Wanqing followed Lu Demin and looked at Bai An's thin face. She said distressedly, "Mom will cook for you right away when we get home."
Bai An still had a bloated belly, but it was not easy to talk about the situation right now, so he just nodded.
When Lu Jinan saw Bai An nod, he thought that Bai An had not eaten much all day, and his anger subsided a little.
Wanqing was cooking in the kitchen, and Lu Demin was helping her.
Bai An sat in front of Lu Jinan, looking at each other face to face.
"Do you know you're wrong?" Lu Jinan was holding something like a wooden stick in his hand and shaking it up and down in front of Bai An with a cold look in his eyes.
Bai An's eyes followed the wooden bar as it swayed up and down.
With a "pop", Lu Jinan hit his palm with a wooden stick, making a loud sound.
...
...
"Bai An, are you listening carefully?" Lu Jinan stared at Bai An, his eyes seemed to contain a storm, but his voice was exceptionally gentle.
This contrast made Bai An feel a little scared. He lowered his head and whispered, "I know I was wrong."
When Lu Jinan heard Bai An's apology, he just tilted his head, moved the wooden stick in his hand to Bai An's hand, tapped it gently, and asked again: "What's wrong?"
Bai An's palms were hit again and again by the wooden stick, making her scalp numb. She looked towards the kitchen for help.
Lu Jinan looked down and chuckled, "Don't even think about looking for my parents. If you do something wrong, I will punish you even in front of my parents."
Lu Jinan's serious look made Bai An know that he was not joking, so he had to whisper under his pressure: "I made a mistake by running out to play without telling you, and making you worry for so long."
"It seems you know where you are wrong." Lu Jinan tapped Bai An's hand and continued, "Stretch out your hand."
Hearing this, Bai An looked up in shock and said, "Didn't you admit your mistake? Why are you still fighting?"
Lu Jinan gently tapped Bai An's hand, which had not yet been extended, and said, "Did I say that I won't hit you after you admit your mistake?"
"Besides." Lu Jinan glanced at her and said, "Since you know this is wrong, you still make mistakes. Your crime is even more serious."
"Hit me 10 times."
Bai An looked at the thin wooden stick and couldn't help but feel scared. This kind of thin wooden stick would hurt the most. In order to avoid being hit, he had to shout loudly: "If you dare to hit me, I will call my parents over."
Hearing Bai An's immature threat, Lu Jinan chuckled, "Every time you yell, I'll give you 10 slaps. When my parents are not around, I won't give you any less."
"You can yell."
Bai An's face was full of disbelief. He pointed a trembling hand at him and kept saying, "You, you, you."
"No more of you." Lu Jinan carefully spread out Bai An's hand, pointing at him, "The sooner we finish, the sooner it'll be over."
The sound of the wooden stick swinging down was like a sharp blade cutting through the air, making a rustling sound. Bai An watched helplessly as the wooden stick hit his hand again and again, and his white and tender palm instantly became red and swollen.
"It hurts so much." Bai An covered his swollen palm and choked up, "I just went out for a day, and my parents didn't beat me, but you beat me."
Although you were only out for one day, can you understand how we felt when we couldn't find you?
Lu Jinan reached out his hand and lifted up Bai An's face, letting her look at him. "Bai An, you know that there are people in this world who specifically go to the village to capture children."
"Chop off their hands, break their legs, scratch their faces, and make them beg on the streets, or sell them to men who can't find wives."
"Then do you know why they came to the village to catch children?" Lu Jinan looked into Bai An's eyes and said seriously, "Because in this world, the lives of the poor are worthless."
Hearing these words, Bai An was a little stunned. She couldn't believe that these words came out of Lu Jinan's mouth.
“There are already a few fewer children in the village.”
"What?" Bai An asked in surprise, "How come I don't know?"
Lu Jinan did not answer Bai An's question, but just held her gently in his arms.
"It's time to eat." Wanqing walked into the room with the meal in her hand. She looked at the brother and sister hugging each other in front of her, her eyes curved, and she said gently, "You two have such a good relationship. Bai An, your brother was very worried when he saw that you didn't come home today."
"So Bai An, tell us where you are going next time, otherwise we will be worried like today."
Lu Demin also came in with food, and responded to Wanqing's words: "Bai An, your mother is right. You should come back earlier when you go out to play."
Bai An wiped the tears and snot from being beaten with the wooden stick onto Lu Jinan's clothes, raised his head and said, "I won't do this again in the future."
Wanqing sat next to Bai An, looked at Bai An's eyes which were obviously crying, and comforted her: "Don't cry, everything will be fine."
Lu Demin nodded and said, "There has been some unrest in the village recently. Bai An, be careful when you go out. Don't walk on remote roads. Go with your friends and come back early at night."
"Okay." Wanqing said to Lu Demin, "Let's eat first. Bai An hasn't eaten for a day. Let her eat first."
Lu Demin sighed and put a piece of food in Bai An's bowl.
Bai An looked at the food in the bowl, thought for a moment and said, "Dad, I want to go to school."
Lu Jinan, who was originally eating, raised his head and looked at Bai An with dark eyes, and it was unknown what he was thinking.
"Why?" Lu Demin said, "Nowadays, students in school are all working instead of learning knowledge. Why don't you let your brother teach you?"
Bai An glanced at Lu Jinan and met his eyes.
He wouldn't think that I have to go to school because he just hit me and I'm holding a grudge against him.
Bai An paused and said, "All the children in the village go to school, except my brother and I."
"You remind me of this." Lu Demin turned to discuss with Wanqing, "Indeed, the village chief has approached me many times, asking Bai An and Jin An to go to school, but I always evaded him."
"This is not a solution. We originally came from the city to the countryside, so we should not treat them specially." Wanqing said while holding Lu Demin's hand with some concern: "It's abnormal to have new things in the house every day. What if the villagers notice our family and find out about this?"
Everyone in Bai An's family knew that the things they picked up were not normal, but they accepted it because of their selfishness.
Everyone has selfish desires. So what would the villagers think if they knew that their daily necessities were picked up.
"Bai An, wait until the next school term starts, and then you can go with Cui Ju."
"Jin'an, are you going?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
