The domestic quarrels of Liu Yi and Zhao Xiulan were one thing, but Zhong Qing hadn’t forgotten the injustice Xiao An had suffered.
“Hey you!” Zhao Xiulan was about to lash out, only to meet the cold eyes of Zhong Qing and Pei Yanshen.
She had always thought Zhong Qing was difficult, but now Zhao Xiulan finally understood.
You can’t sleep two families under one blanket.
And Pei Yanshen wasn’t any better than Zhong Qing—just pampering her!
Frustrated with no outlet, Zhao Xiulan took it out on Liu Yaozu, slapping him on the head. “Didn’t you hear me? Say it again!”
Liu Yaozu felt utterly wronged.
He had lost the pen, just smashed it with his own hands, and now he was forced to apologize—while being scolded on top of it!
“Sorry! Waaaahhh!” he cried at the top of his lungs.
This time, his voice was certainly loud.
Zhong Qing looked at Pei Leyan seriously. “Xiao An, do you accept his apology? Apologizing is the right thing for him to do, but you can choose whether or not to forgive.”
Pei Leyan hesitated, conflicted, then nodded.
Receiving an apology, with both Zhong Qing and Pei Yanshen backing him up, was already a surprise.
Seeing Xiao An nod, Zhong Qing decided there was no need to keep arguing with Zhao Xiulan.
Before leaving, Liu Yi, with a grim expression, said apologetically, “Another day, I’ll personally visit to apologize properly.”
The pen incident was settled, yet Zhong Qing couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something else was about to happen.
Pei Yanshen asked, “Teacher Fang, what did you mean about the school fees just now?”
Here it comes.
Teacher Fang didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Pei Leyan. “Xiao An, go back to your classroom first.”
The sound of Xiao An’s footsteps faded, and Teacher Fang turned to Zhong Qing and Pei Yanshen, weighing her words.
“Captain Pei, the school has always trusted you. When your family had an urgent need, you withdrew the school fees, and we agreed.
But these fees have now been delayed for months. Zhao Xiulan is right—this isn’t fair to the other parents, and it could make Xiao An uneasy at school.”
Pei Yanshen was stunned. “Withdraw school fees?”
Teacher Fang looked at Pei Yanshen, then at Zhong Qing, completely bewildered.
“Wasn’t this something you, Comrade Zhong Qing, handled before? You said it was urgent at home… did you not discuss it with him?”
Pei Yanshen turned sharply toward Zhong Qing, eyes filled with disbelief and deep exhaustion.
Zhong Qing was equally dumbfounded.
She remembered.
Everything came back at once.
Previously, Pei Yanshen had always handed his salary over to her, so naturally, she had been responsible for the school fees.
But who was Zhong Qing back then?
A cruel, scheming woman!
Married into the Pei family in the northwest, she felt she had suffered immense grievances.
Pei Yanshen’s money should have been hers to spend—why should she pay the school fees?
Even if the fees weren’t much.
In fact, they had argued over this once before.
That’s why Pei Yanshen had prepaid the school fees, letting the school deduct them directly from his salary.
But Zhong Qing had found an excuse to withdraw the money anyway.
And he only remembered now.
Because for the former Zhong Qing, it had been a trivial, self-evident matter.
She didn’t care.
The Pei family owed her.
Pei Yanshen remained silent for a long moment, not even glancing at Zhong Qing.
It seemed nothing she could do would surprise him anymore.
He rubbed his temples wearily. “Sorry for troubling the school. I’ll settle the fees as soon as possible—by tomorrow at the latest.”
Pei Yanshen’s credibility was unquestionable. Teacher Fang felt reassured.
Seeing the tension, Teacher Fang tried to smooth things over. “It’s okay. Every family has difficulties. This is a good chance to resolve the issue.”
Zhong Qing reached into her bag, planning to use her space to withdraw money immediately and solve the problem.
Luckily, she had brought her bag because she came to deliver lunch.
Then she suddenly remembered—she hadn’t even delivered Xiao An’s lunch yet, thanks to Liu Yaozu and Zhao Xiulan’s interruption.
A faint sound came from the door.
A familiar edge of clothing flickered by.
Pei Yanshen jumped to his feet.
Zhong Qing’s heart skipped a beat. “Xiao An?” she called out.
She realized Teacher Fang had deliberately sent Pei Leyan back to the classroom to keep him away.
The school fee matter was for the adults to handle, not the child.
But Xiao An must have been standing by the door for a while, hearing parts of the argument.
By the time Pei Yanshen ran out, Xiao An had vanished.
Zhong Qing immediately got up and headed to the classroom.
But Xiao An wasn’t there either.
Lin Wenjuan, who had just finished eating with Cheng Cheng, looked puzzled when Zhong Qing asked again about Pei Leyan’s whereabouts.
“Xiao An? I just saw him and told him to get lunch from you. He didn’t go?”
Pei Yanshen and Teacher Fang searched the kindergarten, but there was no sign of Xiao An.
Xiao An was missing.
Teacher Fang’s forehead broke out in sweat, yet she forced herself to stay calm and reassure the parents.
“Don’t worry. Xiao An isn’t the type to make people panic. Check the places he usually likes to go, and we’ll have the school help search too.”
Pei Yanshen frowned, analyzing rationally. “Home, neighbors nearby, the public activity room, and the small playground.”
Teacher Fang nodded and naturally turned to Zhong Qing.
Zhong Qing couldn’t speak.
She had never fully understood Xiao An.
“…I’ll go home and check.”
Pei Yanshen took a deep breath. “If something happens to Xiao An, our agreement ends here.”
He shouldn’t have trusted that Zhong Qing could truly help Xiao An improve.
Without hesitation, Pei Yanshen strode off.
Zhong Qing knew it was useless to argue. The priority now was to find Xiao An.
She quickly grabbed some money from her space and hurriedly handed it to Teacher Fang. “School fees!”
Before Teacher Fang could react, Zhong Qing ran out.
On her way home, she kept hoping to see Xiao An at home.
But he wasn’t there.
With three pairs of anxious eyes watching, Zhong Qing took a deep breath, gently set aside Pei Leyu, and didn’t hide the truth.
The more people helping, the faster they could find Xiao An.
Pei Yi and Pei Mu were pale with fear.
Zhong Qing swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to stay calm. “I’m sorry. Xiao An ran off because of me—it’s my fault. But the priority now is to find him. Please help me. I don’t know many places he might go.”