Penalty

On the first day of school, Man Bao was called by the parents.

Even the sick Qian family hurried out of the room, and with the help of Xiao Qian, they rushed to the school.

The Bai family also arrived quickly.

The old master Bai had been called by the parents many times in the past year. He knew that his son had a bad reputation in school, and he was aware that his son was always the one who initiated fights. So, he was not in a hurry.

But when he heard that Bai Shanbao was also involved in the fight, he couldn't sit still. Bai Shanbao was different from his son. He was a precious child.

The old master Bai didn't dare to delay, so he quickly notified his sister-in-law and younger siblings, and the entire Bai family arrived in full force.

The two families met at the school gate.

One side was dressed in silk and satin, while the other was in plain clothes, but they both had the same anxious look on their faces.

In terms of numbers, both sides were evenly matched.

But now, neither side paid attention to the other. Qian and another middle-aged lady hurried to Mr. Zhuang's residence.

Xiao Qian supported Qian, and they met the other lady at the door. Although Qian was anxious, she still stopped to let the other lady go first.

The other lady also paused. Upon seeing Qian's gesture, she didn't hesitate to let her daughter-in-law go first and hurried inside.

In the courtyard, four children stood in a row, while Mr. Zhuang sat angrily on a chair without saying a word.

The two families observed their children standing upright and occasionally exchanging glances, so they understood that there wasn't a significant issue. Both sets of mothers-in-law, whether they arrived first or later, breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, they both ignored their children and went to apologize to Mr. Zhuang.

When children fight in school, even if they don't know the reason, they feel ashamed.

Upon noticing their courtesy, Mr. Zhuang softened his expression slightly and gestured towards the four children, stating, "These four children, except for the second child, are my students." They fought outside the school, which means I haven't taught them well enough. Today, I have gathered both families here to discuss the education of your children and to inform you that I will be providing special attention to these three children in the future. Parents should also have a clear understanding of rewards and punishments.

Yesterday, when Mr. Zhuang visited the Bai family, he saw Bai Shanbao. At that time, Liu's mother-in-law had also seen Mr. Zhuang and had agreed to let Bai Shanbao go to school with him. So, strictly speaking, Bai Shanbao was also Mr. Zhuang's student.

Liu's mother-in-law glanced at the little girl next to her grandson and recognized her as Zhou Man, Mr. Zhuang's disciple. Yesterday, Mr. Zhuang went to the Bai family to enroll them.

Liu's mother-in-law naturally didn't believe that her grandson would fight with such a gentle little girl. She glanced at Bai Erlang and Er Tuo and asked, "Mr." Zhuang, do you know why the children fought?

Mr. Zhuang was obviously already angry, but he couldn't help but get even angrier when she asked. He placed the stone in his hand on the stone table and calmly stated, "For this stone."

Everyone stared at the stone but couldn't see anything special about it. Weren't there stones everywhere on the road?

Mr. Bai confronted Bai Erlang for the first time, slapped him on the head, and angrily said, "I told you to study well. Why are you touching stones?" Just for a stone, you fought with your cousin?

Bai Erlang covered his head and said, "I didn't fight with him. I was helping him." I don't care about this stinky stone. There are many better ones in my room!

Mr. Bai then looked at Er Tuo, who was the one who fought with Shanbao.

Seeing that Er Tuo was almost the same size as Shanbao, but being a rural child, he must be stronger. He couldn't help but worry that Shanbao might be injured. If so, his sister-in-law would probably cry her eyes out.

Liu's mother-in-law was also a little worried, but with Mr. Zhuang present, she couldn't do anything. However, his daughter-in-law, Zheng, couldn't help it. She pulled Bai Shanbao over and asked, "Shanbao, where are you injured?"

Man Bao, who was standing next to him, made a face at him. He had tears in his eyes, but when he saw that Shanbao wanted to cry, he immediately stopped. He glared back fiercely, seeking support from his grandmother and mother, and even tried to push Man Bao.

Xiao Qian quickly pulled Man Bao away and held him in her arms.

So, the adults from both families faced each other.

Er Tuo, who was being stared at by Mr. Bai, was very scared. He turned to see his father and immediately buried his head in his arms, crying, "Dad, I didn't fight with him. He hit me!"

Bai Shanbao also turned to look at Er Tuo and mimicked Man Bao's expression, saying, "You loser!"

He turned to his mother and complained, "Mom, it wasn't him who hit me, it was her!"

Everyone followed his finger and saw Man Bao, and fell silent for a moment.

Mr. Zhuang added, "Bai Shan fought with Er Tuo, and then Man Bao fought with Bai Shan." Er Tuo wanted to help, so Bai Cheng fought with him. None of the four children were left out.

Mr. Zhuang said, "I think the children are just too energetic. Er Tuo, I will take you back and teach you well." Bai Cheng, you have to write twenty Chinese characters tonight. Bai Shan and Man Bao, each of you has to write ten big characters. "I will check them tomorrow."

Bai Cheng was not satisfied. "Teacher, why do I have to write more than them?"

"Because you are older than them." Not only did you fail to advise them during their fight, but you also encouraged and joined them. Do you think you should be punished?

"But it shouldn't be heavier than theirs."

Mr. Zhuang said calmly, "Twenty-five big characters."

Mr. Bai glared at his son, and Bai Erlang could only lower his head.

After discovering that Man Bao had fought with Bai Shanbao, Liu and Zheng felt embarrassed. They looked at Man Bao, who was obviously shorter and thinner than Shanbao, and smiled apologetically. They hugged Bai Shanbao but didn't mention the injury.

Xiao Qian quietly touched Man Bao, and he seemed to feel ticklish, giggling and dodging.

Both Qian and Xiao Qian, who were observing, breathed a sigh of relief. The child didn't seem to be injured.

The parents from both families accepted the punishment for their children. Additionally, the Bai family's parents had Bai Erlang and Bai Shanbao apologize to Er Tuo and Man Bao.

There was no way around it. Bai Erlang was older than Er Tuo, and Bai Shanbao was not only older than Man Bao but also a boy fighting with a girl. The Bai family felt that their children had taken advantage of the situation.

Moreover, the reason for the fight was such a trivial matter as fighting over a stone.

But not to mention Bai Erlang, even Bai Shanbao refused to back down and even snorted at Man Bao.

Man Bao also didn't back down and glared back at him. Unable to see the children admit their mistakes, the Bai family's parents quickly apologized to the Qian family with a smile and then pulled their children away.

They planned to have their children apologize later.