As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Dongqiang sprang up from his seat, his elbow causing his textbook to slip to the ground, but he didn't bother to pick it up and rushed towards Fang Yu in three steps.
When Wei Dong suddenly stood up, his knee slammed into the desk leg with a "bang." Before his right foot had fully stepped out, the tip of his shoe hooked onto the chair leg, causing the wooden chair to tilt forward and almost fall over.
Zhiyuan quickly followed, and the three figures soon squeezed together next to Fang Yu's desk, their heads huddled together. "The pencil case is small, so it can't be seen when it's hidden in her clothes."
Fang Dongqiang slapped his forehead. "He got away with it again. Fang Yu, go tell the teacher, Zhiyuan, Weidong, let's think carefully about who went out just now. Oh, let's look in the classroom first."
Fang Yu brought over their homeroom teacher, Teacher Feng. The teacher asked everyone to find their own desks and classrooms, but none of them were available.
“Professor Feng, we are also investigating this matter,” Fang Dongqiang said, raising his hand.
"Oh?" Teacher Feng, the homeroom teacher, looked at her with surprise. "How did you conduct the investigation?"
"Wei Dong, Zhi Yuan, you two stand up and speak too." Wei Dong stood up abruptly, while Zhi Yuan, a little shy, slowly stood up as well, lifting his shoulders.
"We..." Fang Dongqiang felt it wasn't appropriate to discuss their plan in front of the whole class. "Teacher Feng, can we not talk about it in the classroom?"
"Ha, alright! You three, come out with me."
Once outside the classroom, Fang Dongqiang told the homeroom teacher about their plan in detail.
"You're quite thoughtful, aren't you? But next time, you should tell the teacher first if anything happens." Teacher Feng thought for a moment and said, "Tell me about all the students you saw leaving the classroom at noon."
The teacher walked into the classroom. "Class, whoever took Fang Yu's pencil case, if you voluntarily go and retrieve it and hand it to me, I can find you without revealing your name to the whole class. If that's considered theft, I'll call the police to come and take you away." Teacher Feng's eyes darted among the people she suspected, observing their expressions.
The students exclaimed "Wow!" as if they were all looking forward to a good show, waiting for the police to come and arrest the person.
“Some of my classmates are watching, and we can find out, but I hope you will come forward and tell me yourself.” Teacher Feng set another trap for the student who took the pencil case.
During the last class in the afternoon, Teacher Feng came over with Fang Yu's pencil case. "Fang Yu, this student knows she was wrong. She said she will never take your things again, and the teacher has also criticized her."
"Teacher Feng, who is he?" Fang Yu asked curiously.
"The teacher also promised her that he wouldn't mention his name in class."
"Oh!" Fang Yu had no choice but to put away her pencil case.
"Teacher Feng, is this the person we've seen before?" Fang Dongqiang was eager to know if the list he and Wei Dongzhi provided during their stakeout had helped solve the case.
"Dongqiang, regardless of whether you've seen the person or not, I want to praise the three of you for being brave, resourceful, and proactive in helping your classmates. In the future, if you need anything, you should tell me first. Understand? Classmates, let's give the three of you a round of applause."
Applause rang out in the classroom, but Fang Dongqiang felt a bit bored. He hadn't caught the person on the spot and didn't even know who it was.
On the way home from school, Fang Dongqiang and several boys ran ahead, while Fang Yu and Hua Hua walked together. "Fang Yu, did you catch this person?" Hua Hua also wanted to know the result.
"I know who it was. She took my pencil case and hid it again today. The teacher said she won't take it again, but she won't reveal her name in class."
"Oh, thank goodness, the pencil case was found. Otherwise, your mom would have scolded you when you got home tonight."
"Why are you scolding me?" Fang Yu asked curiously.
"Won't your mom scold you if you lose something?" Fang Huahua retorted.
"I'm upset about losing my things, so why would my mom scold me again?"
"Oh!" Fang Huahua lowered her head, kicking at the pebbles, thinking about how her grandma had scolded her for a long time after she lost an eraser. "Fang Yu, your mom is so good!"
“I also think my mom is great,” Fang Yu said, tilting her head.
Fang Yu was more sensible than the others. She leaned close to Fang Huahua's ear and said, "Huahua, have you heard? People in the village are saying that your mom, my mom, and Dongqiang's mom are... are crazy. I don't think my mom is."
“I also think my mom isn’t like that. When it’s just me and my mom, she’ll say a few words to me,” Fang Huahua said softly. “She doesn’t say a word when my grandma is around.”
"Oh, I don't have a grandmother. I don't know what my mother would be like if I did?" Fang Yu glanced at Fang Dongqiang in front of her. "What does Dongqiang think of his mother?"
"I don't know him." Fang Huahua shook her head.
"Dongqiang, Fang Dongqiang!" Fang Yu shouted loudly.
"Dongqiang, the girl is calling you." Several boys immediately started teasing.
“She’s in the same class as us. She’s busy, so she probably doesn’t know what kind of homework it is.” Fang Dongqiang stopped and waited for Fang Yu and the others.
"Dongqiang, what do you think of your mother?" Fang Yu asked directly.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Do you know that the villagers say your mother, my mother, and Hua Hua's mother are crazy?"
"No matter what kind of person she is, she is still my mother. My second aunt and my other aunt have both told me that my mother used to be very smart. She was carrying my younger brother to deliver an umbrella to my maternal grandparents when she accidentally fell into the river. Her brother, who is my uncle, was swept away by the water. She was very sad, and then she was so sad that she got sick, and that's how she ended up. My maternal grandma also told me that I should study hard so that I can protect my mother in the future. No one can bully my mother, and I can't despise my mother."
Fang Yu looked at Fang Huahua, "Huahua, do you know why your mother is like this?"
Fang Huahua shook her head. "I don't know. I don't have an aunt, and no one told me. What about you?"
“I don’t think my mom is wrong. Why would others say that? She’s just a little fierce sometimes and likes to argue with others, but that’s not crazy. It’s her way of protecting herself,” my mom said.
When they reached the section of road belonging to their village, Fang Shugen's mother called from the field, "Huahua, school's out, take your little brother home."
"I'll also go check if my parents are in the fields," Fang Yu said.
"I'm going to find my grandparents too!" Fang Dongqiang spread his arms wide, pretending to fly an airplane, and ran towards the field.
That night, Fang Huahua slept with Huamei, and she couldn't help but ask, "Mom, why are you like this?"
"ah?"
Why do they say you're crazy?
Hua Mei was taken aback, then hugged Fang Hua Hua, saying, "It's good that Hua Hua is good, Hua Hua is good."
Fang Huahua, still confused, kept asking, "Mom, why?"
Hua Mei thought about that moonlit night, her mother and another man naked from the waist down, the man choking her almost to death. She touched her neck, feeling like she really couldn't breathe. And, and, the daughter who was taken away... Ah, where is her daughter now? Daughter, has my daughter eaten enough? It's cold, is she dressed warmly enough? Thinking of all this, Hua Mei burst into tears.
Hua Mei called out "Nan, Nan" to Fang Hua Hua, who thought she was being called. "Mom, I'm here. Don't be afraid. I won't ask anymore, I won't ask anymore."
Fang Huahua was a little scared when she saw Hua Mei like this.
When Fang Yu got home, she told Yu Jihong that her clothes and pencil case were missing.
Upon hearing this, Yu Jihong's expression immediately turned serious. "Fang Yu, she's deliberately targeting you. Have you had any unpleasant experiences with your classmates?"
"No, I haven't argued with any classmates since first grade. I get along well with everyone."
"Everything is fine. It must be that some classmate is envious of you, jealous of you, and is doing something underhanded behind your back." Yu Jihong's eyes turned cold.
"Teacher Feng said she promised she would never take my things again. She didn't announce her name in class, so I don't know who she is."
“Yes, Fang Yu,” Yu Jihong held her daughter’s hand, “If someone bullies you, don’t be afraid. As long as we don’t hurt anyone, if someone provokes us, we should boldly fight back and make them think that you are easy to bully. They will bully you again next time. If you can’t handle it, no matter what it is, tell Mom. Mom will always stand on your side and will help you.”
Speaking of this, she remembered when she was pregnant with Fang Yu and gave birth to Fang Yu, her mother scolded her, her father slapped her, and the pointing fingers of outsiders felt like needles pricking her body.
She knew she was wrong, but it was too late for regrets. No one around her understood or helped her. In her helplessness, she chose to feign madness to protect herself. Everyone can understand what a madwoman does.
Fang Yu also asked about this matter. "Mom, Dongqiang, Huahua, and I all talked about it today..." Fang Yu hesitated whether to say it or not.
"What did you talk about? It's okay, just tell your mom anything, it's alright, I'm your mom," Yu Jihong encouraged.
"They're talking about why our mom is crazy, oh, why people say she's crazy. Dongqiang's aunt told him why his mom is like this. Huahua and I both said we didn't know. Mom, I don't think you are crazy. It's just that other people don't know. You argued with them, and they said that about you. They're just talking nonsense, right?"
“Fang Yu, Mom…” Yu Jihong’s heart clenched. She had thought many times about whether to tell Fang Yu about it in the future. How should she tell her? When Fang Yu grows up, should she tell her who her biological father is? Although Yu Jihong doesn’t know where he is now, if she tells him, will Fang Yu go to look for him? What about Fang Yu’s third brother?
Unexpectedly, Fang Yu asked about this matter now. She looked outside and saw Fang San Di and the uncle next door chatting at the door.
“Daughter,” Yu Jihong stroked Fang Yu’s hair, “Mom, well, you’re still young, and some things are a bit complicated to explain. When you grow up, Mom will tell you slowly.”
"Mom, I'm in second grade now. You can talk to me in a way I can understand." Fang Yu's eyes were serious.
Yu Jihong frowned and said against her will, "Yes, people talk badly about me behind my back. I don't want them to talk, so I argue with them. Then they falsely accuse me, saying I'm crazy. I just ignore those people."
“I knew it! You’re not like Dongqiang’s mom and Huahua’s mom. That’s just people talking nonsense.” Fang Yu happily raised her head.
“Yes, they’re just talking nonsense. Go do your homework.” Yu Jihong sat beside her daughter, hoping she would grow up quickly, but also worried about whether she should talk to her about it when she got older, and what the consequences would be.
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