An'an sobbed intermittently in her father's arms. Even after they got home, she still wouldn't let go. Song Qing, who had just recovered from his initial shock, glanced at her and went inside.
The house was quiet. Lu Yang held the person in his arms and stood in the middle of the yard. Lu Ronghui wiped away her tears and, after seeing her sister-in-law and brother's expressions, silently walked into the house. Poor An'an was still holding her father. When she turned around, she found that her mother was gone and was a little confused.
She was terrified today and was at that clingy stage. If her mother hadn't been carrying her and making it difficult to walk the mountain path, she definitely wouldn't have let go.
"...Where is Mom?"
Her little face was red from crying, and she kept sobbing. She looked so pitiful.
Lu Yang turned his head slightly, hardened his heart, and decided that if he didn't teach her a lesson today, she would be scared to death if she did it again at such a young age.
Lu Yang didn't even dare to think about what he and Song Qing would do if something really happened. Now that they've been found, he felt relieved, though he frowned.
An'an, perched on her father's shoulder, realized that not only was her mother gone, but her aunt was also nowhere to be seen.
"..."
Before she could figure out what to buy, a deafening wail suddenly came from next door. An'an was very familiar with this; Zhuangzhuang had been crying like this all day, and the sound reminded An'an of the mountains.
It was so quiet. The trees were almost reaching the sky. There were only the four of them. It was as if a man-eating monster was hiding deep in the forest. The occasional sounds were the sounds of the monster drooling.
As the eldest, her forcing herself not to cry didn't mean she wasn't afraid, although she eventually couldn't help but cry along with everyone else.
An'an pricked up her ears, while Zhuangzhuang's cries were the loudest, one after another.
"Woo woo woo"
"Speak up! Do you dare to go up the mountain on your own again?! If you don't find anyone this time, you'll be bear food on the mountain when it gets dark!"
Zhuangzhuang ran around the yard sobbing. Zhao Qin was always gentle, unlike her husband's strictness. She was more indulgent towards the two children. Zhuangzhuang and Suisui rarely saw their mother get angry. Usually, it was their father who disciplined them.
This time, Zhao Qin didn't even wait for her husband to make a move. After returning home and seeing the two children crying so miserably, she turned her head, hardened her heart, grabbed a stick, and started hitting them.
Zhuangzhuang is the older brother. After being shocked by the blows Zhao Qin delivered, his legs burned with pain, and he quickly ran around the yard.
"Mother……"
"Who started this?! Do they know they were wrong?! Do they dare to do it again?!"
Zhuangzhuang cried so hard he could barely breathe, while Suisui stood there dumbfounded, afraid to utter a sound, lest the stick fall on her. Zhuangzhuang kept begging for mercy, but besides his mother, there was only his more stern father in the yard, and no one could save him.
Sui Sui tried to curl up into a ball, not daring to act cute or beg for mercy. Her father crossed his arms and took the stick from her after she was panting heavily and had no strength left. Zhuang Zhuang almost threw a tantrum and rolled on the ground begging for mercy.
However, he knew this trick wouldn't work on his father, and that doing so would only make his father angrier.
"You went up the mountain by yourself with your younger sister. Your parents have emphasized the dangers of the mountain countless times, but you've ignored them. Today, we're going to teach you a lesson!"
Zhuangzhuang cried miserably, but Zhao Qin did not show favoritism. After catching her breath, she also beat her daughter. The two of them cried in the yard. Zhuangzhuang was still wailing that he would tell his grandfather. When Zhao Qin heard this, she went over and twisted his ear with a cold smile.
The two children's cries carried outside, and the children on several streets dared not utter a sound, fearing that their own parents would also start beating them.
"Now you know fear? If you run up the mountain like them, I'll hang you up and beat you. Do you know that the bears on the mountain also hang people on trees and tear them apart to eat? This will give you a taste of what it's like beforehand."
These kids are being used as a warning to others; soon, An'an's crying could be heard from Song Qing's house as well.
From the moment An'an heard Zhuangzhuang crying, she bit her lip and looked at her father cautiously. Lu Yang remained unmoved this time, put her on the ground, and went to the kitchen to get a rattan cane.
With wide eyes in disbelief, Lu Yang had just taken out the rattan cane when Song Qing came out, arms crossed, watching coldly. An An pouted, knowing her mother was angry and no one was taking care of her, and burst into tears.
Lu Yang froze for a moment, “…”
He hasn't even started fighting yet.
Song Qing snorted, "Don't play the victim. How many times have we told you not to go up the mountain by yourself? This time you've gotten so bold, not only did you go by yourself but you also brought your friends. Do you know how worried the adults are? What will your parents do if something happens to you?"
The thought of not being able to find Renxin in the afternoon made her feel like she was in mid-air; if she hadn't held her breath, she would have collapsed on the mountain.
She never imagined she would be like this if something happened to her daughter. The two of them had always relied on each other. An'an accompanied her through countless difficult days. When she first became a mother, although her mother helped her, those days would have been even more difficult if it weren't for that little bundle of joy.
In their past life, the two of them stayed alone in Ancheng. She was afraid when she came to an unfamiliar place, but she still followed her mother carefully without complaining once, just because she was afraid that Song Qing would worry.
An'an is her life.
"Waaaaah, An'an knows she was wrong..."
She burst into tears, and thinking about how the children had suffered on the mountain and how they had now admitted their mistakes, Lu Yang found it hard to bring himself to punish them.
Song Qing, with a stern face, stepped forward, took the rattan cane from his hand, grabbed him, pressed him against her lap, and began to beat him on the buttocks.
At this point, it's pointless to investigate who started it. Those who made the same mistake should be punished together. Lu Yang turned his head away, unable to bear watching. Song Qing slapped her bottom hard again and again, and An An started crying loudly, trying to awaken her parents' love.
After realizing it was useless, she tried to endure it, but her mother's beatings hurt too much, and she couldn't bear it anymore. In the end, her voice became hoarse. Song Qing pulled her up and asked, "Do you know what you did wrong? Will you dare to do it again?"
An'an sobbed, and when she noticed that her mother's expression wasn't so serious anymore, she cautiously moved closer, nestled in her mother's arms, and nodded, "...I won't do it again."
Lu Yang, who was in the middle of the courtyard, was initially feeling sorry for An'an. But when he saw that An'an didn't hold a grudge at all and went straight to hug Song Qing, he felt a little sad. In the past, he would always discipline his daughter when she made mistakes, and An'an would hold a grudge against him for days afterward, no matter how much he tried to be submissive, she would just refuse to talk to him.
He thought An'an was angry and criticizing her, but now he realizes that An'an was being personal and not about the issue. No matter how much her mother criticizes or lectures her, An'an doesn't hold grudges.
The crying from both sides only stopped after dark.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
