Teaching the Son

Mr. Zhuang sent the Bai family to retrieve Bai Cheng and Bai Shan, leaving Man Bao behind.

He returned to the house and grabbed a stack of paper for Man Bao, instructing, "Submit the written punishment by tomorrow." He added, "If you engage in another fight, the consequences won't be limited to just writing lines."

Man Bao obediently agreed, but did not consider writing a punishment, as it was a common practice during their studies.

The Qian family repeatedly apologized to Mr. Zhuang and took the two children back.

As the Liu family walked away, they turned back and saw the Zhou family surrounding Man Bao and Qian Shi as they walked back.

Zheng Shi turned back and couldn't help but comment, "They have so many family members."

"Indeed," Mr. Bai said, "They have six sons, not the most born in Qili Village, but the most able to stand, so their family is the most prosperous."

Liu Shi glanced at Man Bao, who was holding Qian Shi, and said, "How can their family send a daughter to school?"

Mr. Bai smiled and said, "Their family doesn't have the money for education, but this little girl is smart." Mr. Zhuang likes her, so he took her as a disciple and enrolled her in school. They don't have to pay tuition, and even the books are copied by Mr. Zhuang. I heard that when they became disciples, Mr. Zhuang also gave their family a set of writing materials, which is considered fair.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Shi said, "It's harder for rural families."

Liu Shi, however, said, "That means this child is not only smart but also obedient, a child worthy of love." Otherwise, Mr. Zhuang wouldn't be so fond of her.

She then looked at her grandson again, her face darkened, and said to him, "The Zhou family's young lady is younger than you, and she's a girl. How could you hit her?"

Bai Shan Bao felt wronged and raised his arm, saying, "She hit me first, she even bit me."

Zheng Shi hurriedly rolled up his sleeve. Upon seeing his smooth and unmarked arm, he withdrew his hand and looked at his mother-in-law.

Liu Shi's face darkened even more as he asked, "Where did she bite you?"

Although there were no marks on his arm, Bai Shan Bao still felt the sensation. He pointed to a spot and said, "Here!"

Liu Shi couldn't help but lightly tap the table and say, "Shan Bao, your grandmother taught you not to lie!"

Bai Shan Bao was stunned, burst into tears, and cried, "I didn't lie." She did bite me. Don't believe me? Go ask her. She was the one who hit me first. She even ambushed me. "She's the real villain!"

Meanwhile, Qian Shi was also reprimanding Man Bao. She had checked and found that Man Bao was not injured, so she could scold her with peace of mind.

"You are a girl." "When you have conflicts with others, you should reason with them." "Why did you resort to violence?"

Man Bao said, "She was hitting Er Tou."

"Even so, you should have separated them first, and then asked who was right and wrong." How could you resort to violence? "They are guests; coming to our village is a sign of respect." "Bullying others is disrespectful," Qian Shi said with a stern expression. "How have I taught you since you were young?" We should be courteous. In front of Mr. Zhuang, not only did you not apologize, but you also made faces at him. Is this how I taught you?

Man Bao felt a little aggrieved, and her eyes started to turn red.

Qian Shi turned away and said, "You don't need to cry in front of me." "Go contemplate it in front of the wall, whether what I said is right or not."

Qian Shi wiped her tears and said, "I sent you to school to learn to be sensible. As a girl, you cannot earn money by showcasing your knowledge, nor can you participate in the imperial examination." Why did I send you to school? Isn't it to make you more knowledgeable and sensible? If you attend school to learn how to fight, you might as well return home early, and you are prohibited from eavesdropping on the school in the future.

Tears streamed down Man Bao's face, and he felt extremely uncomfortable. She hugged her mother's legs and cried, "Mom, I know I was wrong." Please don't cry, don't be angry.

Qian Shi turned her head and remained silent.

Man Bao cried breathlessly, "I really know I was wrong." Please don't ignore me. I will apologize to him tomorrow.

Qian Shi's expression softened a bit.

Outside, Mrs. Feng grabbed Er Tou's ear and scolded him, "I asked you to pick up your little aunt, but you ended up fighting with someone over a stone." Are you itching for trouble?

Little Qian Shi scolded Da Tou, "I assigned you a task, but you were lazy and made your little brother do it. He's only a few years old, and you made him go pick up your young aunt." It was lucky that your young aunt wasn't hurt. What if she had encountered an older child?

Soon, there was a lot of wailing and howling outside as Da Tou and Er Tou were both being beaten.

In the evening, the three children who had made mistakes were squatting in the kitchen, boiling water.

As a punishment, they had to boil hot water tonight.

Of course, Man Bao, who had never been in the kitchen, didn't know how to do it. Da Tou was in charge of making the fire, Er Tou was watching over it, and Man Bao was sitting on the side, lost in thought.

In fact, she was chatting with the system, seeking confirmation that she had indeed made a mistake.

The system had read many educational books and, taking on the roles of Man Bao and Er Tou, it was indeed wrong for Man Bao, as an elder, to handle the situation where Er Tou was being beaten.

After hearing the system's confirmation, Man Bao slumped her shoulders. "Then I'll apologize to him tomorrow." "Do you think he will forgive me if I give him some candy?"

The system said, "Giving gifts should be something the other person likes." "Perhaps you can ask the other person tomorrow."

Upon exiting the system, Man Bao was convinced of his righteousness. He immediately noticed Da Tou and Er Tou looking dejected.

Man Bao had already figured it out. She was always a good child who corrected her mistakes. Since she had made up her mind, there was nothing to be sad about, so her spirits lifted again.

Seeing her nephews so down, she peeled two candies and stuffed them into their mouths, comforting them, "It's okay, tomorrow your mothers will forget about this." "Don't be sad."

Da Tou and Er Tou were surprised to receive a candy, and, naturally, they were no longer sad. They perked up and whispered to Man Bao, "Don't worry, tomorrow we'll find a secluded place and help you get back at him."

Man Bao was not happy. "So you haven't realized your mistake yet." "Give me back the candy, and I won't ask for any more."

Da Tou and Er Tou, with the candy in their mouths, were stunned for a moment. Then, they immediately crunched the candy and said to Man Bao, "We've already eaten it."

Man Bao was angry. "Spit it out!"

Da Tou and Er Tou chewed quickly, then opened their mouths to show Man Bao that there was no candy left.

Man Bao said, "I won't give you any more candy in the future."

Da Tou was quick-witted and said, "We acknowledge our mistake. We will refrain from fighting in the future, and we will not seek out that child."

Man Bao reluctantly forgave them.

On the other hand, Mrs. Liu was forcing Bai Shan Bao to kneel on the ground, wiping away her tears, and saying, "You have always been clever since you were young. I had hoped that you would inherit your father's aspirations and be able to study to bring honor to our ancestors in the future." But what about you? You have lost your ambition and don't even understand basic etiquette. Fighting is wrong in itself, let alone hitting a young lady. Not only did you fail to admit your mistake in front of Mr. Zhuang, but you also made faces at him.