Arguing with the Master, Slapping the Parent. Don’t Bully My Son Again, Otherwise
One sentence left the old master feeling suffocated and tight in his chest.
He had never seen such a foul-mouthed little fellow, sharp-toothed and full of filthy talk!
Yet, not knowing how to rebut, he could only widen his eyes to the limit, wishing he could glare Jiang Queyun right out of the room.
Jiang Queyun met his gaze without the slightest flinching. “As a man of letters, everyone respects you as a master, yet you can’t even manage to be impartial. Standing right here, a person like you is simply misleading the youth! Do you feel comfortable hearing these words? Since you’re uncomfortable, by what right do you expect my child to think that being insulted means he shouldn’t fight back?”
Jiang Queyun’s eyes widened even more than the master’s. After spitting out those words, his chest heaved violently, clearly having been pushed past his limit.
Verbal violence was violence, too.
Ugly words were like dull knives, slashing away slice by slice at the softest, most fragile parts of a person.
It was never a trivial matter.
“You. But physical violence is still wrong!” The master’s fingers were trembling with rage.
“I didn’t say it was right, but how on earth could he resort to violence for no reason?” Jiang Queyun shot him a glare, then squatted down to look at Lu Yu. “Don’t be afraid. Tell the master, how did Wang Xiaohu bully you?”
A spring of water welled up in the corners of Lu Yu’s eyes, threatening to spill over at any second.
With a slight choke in his voice, he said, “That day I brought something delicious. I told them you made it, but he didn’t believe me. He said I didn’t have a mom, that I was a wild child, and that even if my mom died, you would die too.”
“That’s right! Wang Xiaohu has always cursed at us like that!” Yang Duozhi didn’t have a father either, so he hurried to back him up. “He also called Yu Xiaopang a meat maggot! He’s the meat maggot! He’s so ugly!”
“He’s ugly.” Yu Xiaopang started sniffing and sobbing.
Jiang Queyun felt a sudden sting in the bridge of his nose and pulled Lu Yu into his arms, patting him gently on the back. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to protect you now.”
He stood up and looked at the master. “Did you hear that? When a child speaks such malicious words, do you still think it’s a minor matter? My child threw punches to defend me and his friends, and in my eyes, he couldn’t be braver.”
The skin around Lu Yu’s already reddened eyes brimmed with tears. Looking at that slender figure standing up to the master with reason and strength, he finally experienced what it felt like to be protected.
It was a feeling different from his father’s.
It was like a soft spring breeze, the gentle morning light, warm, yet not the least bit oppressive.
Knowing he was in the wrong, the master could only let out a heavy sigh. “This matter. This matter is my fault!”
He never expected that Wang Xiaohu, young as he was, could utter such filth.
Seeing him admit his mistake, Jiang Queyun’s expression softened just a fraction. This was the only private school within a radius of ten li; he had no intention of making Lu Yu leave this place, so he knew when to quit while he was ahead.
Since the master had apologized to Lu Yu’s step-father, Wang Xiaohu realized no one was going to shield him now. He instantly let out a howl, crying at the top of his lungs as he bolted toward the door, screaming that he was going home to find his mother.
Jiang Queyun took a deep breath. Bickering with the master was one thing, but Wang Xiaohu’s parents probably weren’t decent people either.
“You. You should go!” Lu Yu tugged at his clothes, his small face etched with worry. “Wang Xiaohu’s mom is super fierce.”
“Can she be fiercer than me?” Jiang Queyun snorted.
The original owner had a notorious reputation for being vicious; otherwise, Wang Xiaohu wouldn’t have dared say those horrible things, operating entirely on the assumption that Lu Yu had no one to back him up.
Lu Yu tilted his small head and thought carefully. It seemed the troublemaker really wasn’t as fierce as the rumors said, after all, nobody in their village had ever gossiped about that!
Shanzao Village wasn’t far, and Wang Xiaohu had barely stepped out of the private school before someone dragged him back home. Before long, Wang Xiaohu’s mother stormed over in a fury.
“What is the meaning of this? Who bullied my son?!” Wu Xiuxia started shouting at the top of her lungs before she even crossed the threshold. Upon entering and spotting Jiang Queyun, her thick brows instantly knitted together. “I see you’re a young whippersnapper. What gives you the right to bully my kid?”
Jiang Queyun lowered his gaze to look at her plump figure, his voice ringing out clearly. “It was your son whose mouth was full of curses, and now you won’t even let me demand justice?”
Wu Xiuxia sneered. “My foot! You’re just a step-husband who was married in later. What qualifications do you have to ask for justice? Apologize right now and maybe this can be settled, or else you’ll regret it!”
“I don’t need you to make me regret anything; I’m already good-looking enough as it is.” Jiang Queyun smiled indifferently. “I don’t know what kind of regret you can bring me, but since I don’t farm the fields and I don’t do hard labor, I’ve got plenty of time to stake out your son on his way to school. Feel free to try me!”
This was a blatant threat.
If someone backed down on their momentum here, they would only end up being stepped on and bullied.
Wu Xiuxia had naturally heard of Jiang Queyun; the fellow was a total rascal. Word was that Beihe Village was thoroughly sick of him, yet nobody had managed to drive him out yet. Since so many people in Beihe Village couldn’t do a thing against him, what could she probably do?!
Upon this realization, Wu Xiuxia pivoted and landed a kick straight on Wang Xiaohu’s backside, roaring, “You stinky brat, all you know is how to cause trouble for your old lady! See if I don’t beat you to death!”
With that, she landed a few more kicks for good measure.
Yet even as she kicked him, she kept stealing anxious glances at Jiang Queyun’s expression, her petty scheming glaringly obvious.
Jiang Queyun, however, simply crossed his arms and remained entirely unmoved.
If Wu Xiuxia were genuinely punishing the child, he naturally would have had to step in with a few words about how kids made mistakes, but this fake, put-on act wouldn’t teach Wang Xiaohu a single lesson no matter how many times she kicked him.
“You don’t need to put on a show for me. My son and his friends were bullied by Wang Xiaohu, and by every standard of reason, they are owed an apology. What’s a few kicks? If I decide to intercept him behind your back, it won’t just be a few kicks to settle it!” Jiang Queyun spoke with a chilling ruthlessness.
You only truly understand children once you’ve raised them yourself.
Even if there were occasional frictions and annoyances, they were still kids you raised, and the bond was extraordinary.
If someone else bullied them, that made it doubly unacceptable.
Wu Xiuxia’s yellowish teeth nearly ground to dust. She swung her hand and dealt Wang Xiaohu a resounding slap across the face, roaring, “Hurry up and apologize! Don’t force your old lady to keep hitting you!”
Naturally, she felt bad for her child.
Yet getting beaten once by herself versus getting targeted endlessly by someone else, she could still tell the difference in stakes.
Wang Xiaohu had never taken a slap to the face before; the strike left him utterly stunned. Swallowing back his tears, he turned toward them and forced out an apology. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bullied you. Hiccup.”
“Should we forgive him?” Jiang Queyun asked.
“I don’t know.” Lu Yu said in a very small voice.
He didn’t want to forgive Wang Xiaohu, but the other party had already apologized. Refusing to forgive felt like a bad thing to do.
Jiang Queyun stated flatly, “Then that means we don’t forgive.”
Wu Xiuxia immediately flew into a rage. “Are you playing games with me? My son already apologized, so why won’t you forgive him? Are you? Ah!”
Jiang Queyun raised his hand and slapped her across the face, then immediately beamed with a bright smile. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hit you. Please forgive me, okay?”
The old master shrank back in terror, terrified that he might be the next one to get hammered.
The few children stared in utter bewilderment, huddling together in a tight cluster.
Wu Xiuxia clutched her face, completely at a loss for words. She couldn’t win an argument against him, she couldn’t win a fight against him, and even her shouting voice wasn’t as loud as his. This was sheer bullying!
“I don’t care how you discipline your child, but don’t you ever dare bully my son again, or I’ll take care of you right along with him!” Jiang Queyun’s face turned dark, the look he cast at Wu Xiuxia radiating a bone-chilling frost.
The usually overbearing and unreasonable Wu Xiuxia shuddered violently from head to toe, lacking the courage to utter another syllable. She scooped up Wang Xiaohu and fled in a panicked scramble.
Only after they rushed out did Wang Xiaohu’s earth-shattering wails echo back.
The room fell into an instant silence.
The villagers were far too busy with farmwork to spare leisure time for watching children, so the kids were mostly left to run wild, just like the ones who used to hang around with Wang Xiaohu.
Even the fiercest among them, Wang Xiaohu, had just been disciplined like that. Terrified out of their wits, the remaining boys shuffled over to Lu Yu and the others, apologizing through tear-streaked faces, clearly frightened half to death by Jiang Queyun.
“Don’t let me catch you bullying anyone from now on, or I’ll sort you out every single time I see you!” Jiang Queyun put on a fierce face to scare them.
The children nodded like pounding pestles, as obedient as quails.
Having made his point, continuing to hound them would only make him look unreasonable as an adult, so he told them to disperse.
Jiang Queyun turned toward the cowering master and said softly, “I respect you as a teacher of letters, and since you’ve apologized, I’ll forgive you. I hope the master can remain fair and impartial from now on.”
“Yes, yes, yes, of course, of course.” The master nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Queyun took a deep breath, bowed to him, and turned to walk out.
Out in the small corridor courtyard, Lu Yu and his little companions were still standing and waiting for him, their small faces still marked with lingering concern.
“Why haven’t you gone back to class yet?” Jiang Queyun pinched Lu Yu’s little cheek. “If anything like this happens again in the future, tell your family. Don’t be afraid, and don’t let a couple of scares keep you from opening your mouth.”
“It’s too much trouble.” Lu Yu lowered his head. Their family wasn’t particularly wealthy; if something went wrong, apologies and compensations were bound to follow. His dad had work in town, and the troublemaker had to take care of the house. How could they add to the burden?
Jiang Queyun thought for a moment and comforted him. “How could that be? You are never a trouble, and nothing that happens to you is a trivial hassle.”
At this, not just Lu Yu, but even Yang Duozhi and Yu Xiaopang started crying.
This was the first time anyone had ever said such words to them. Even though it wasn’t specifically addressed to them, their hearts felt so warm inside.
Jiang Queyun couldn’t help the corners of his eyes curving upward. You shouldn’t blame any child who didn’t dare speak up; perhaps the pressure they bore seemed insignificant to outsiders, but in their own worlds, it had already reached the absolute limit.
“Can you go back to class with peace of mind now?” Jiang Queyun tweaked Lu Yu’s ear. Pretty children always tempted people to give their cheeks a little pinch.
“I know, but what about Dad.” Lu Yu looked a bit nervous; he didn’t want to get scolded again.
Jiang Queyun chuckled softly. “With me here, you can rest easy.”
Lu Yu looked up at him. He truly couldn’t understand why the smile hanging on that consistently pretty face felt so radically different from before.
Yet this simple sentence was etched into his memory year after year.
From that day on, he never called him a troublemaker again.
“I’m heading back to class.”
He blurted it out in a rush, turned on his heel, and ran off with a blushing face.
That single phrase scattered in the wind, Little Dad, brought a faint flush to Jiang Queyun’s cheeks.
Call him cold-blooded, call him selfish.
Aside from the shyness, a surging wave of triumph bloomed from the depths of his heart.
This was Lu Hanbai’s son. Having such a massive shift in perspective toward him would prove immensely beneficial for his path ahead!
Jiang Queyun returned home in high spirits, dancing and gesticulating as he recounted his heroic exploits of the day to Lu Hanbai, only to look up and find the man staring straight at him.
He frowned slightly and protested, “Hey! I’m talking to you!”
The corners of Lu Hanbai’s lips curved upward slightly, the amusement in his eyes spilling over completely.