Cherishing the Past

Mr. Bai also felt sorry for Bai Erlang, thinking that the two brothers had been beaten again. He had someone take him down to wash and check his body, while asking the servant who brought the child back.

The other two classmates who returned with Bai Erlang were also escorted to bathe and change clothes.

The servant knelt directly on the ground and recounted everything he had seen in detail.

Mr. Bai's face grew colder and more sullen. When Mrs. Bai and the other ladies arrived, they didn't know how to face Mrs. Liu.

Fortunately, Mrs. Liu remained composed and comforted Mr. Bai and his mother, saying, "Children are always mischievous. They are similar in age, so this is normal."

What's normal about that?

If it were just a regular fight or argument, it would be one thing, but this child was trying to provoke a fight!

Mr. Bai was very angry and stormed into his second son's courtyard.

Upon seeing his expression, Mrs. Bai was very frightened and quickly assisted her mother-in-law.

Mrs. Bai couldn't even comfort Mrs. Liu. She immediately went after them, shouting from behind, "Just give him a light spanking, don't hurt the child too badly..."

As Mrs. Liu hurried to catch up, they heard Bai Erlang crying and screaming.

Mrs. Bai was so scared that she almost sat down, and Mrs. Liu, indifferent, went after them, shouting, "Bai Li, if you hurt the child, we won't be able to stay here with you!"

As Mr. Bai spanked his son on his lap, he angrily scolded him and then threw him to the ground, saying, "Cry." "If you don't cry to death today, then I'll be the one who's killed by you."

Mrs. Liu quickly covered Bai Erlang, who was crying in pain, with a blanket. He had been caught by Mr. Bai while he was in the middle of bathing. As a result, the handprint on his buttocks was particularly prominent, and it appeared to be the most severe injury on his body.

Mrs. Liu held the crying Bai Erlang and said to Mr. Bai, "When you were seven or eight, were you not mischievous? Did your mother and I beat you like this?" Children need to be taught effectively, and your disciplinary approach could potentially ruin even the best child!

"Let him beat him!" Mrs. Bai finally managed to support her daughter-in-law's hand. Leaning against the door frame, she gasped, "Let him beat him." "If he beats him to death, it will be the end of it." When the time comes, let him live alone in this house. Little sister, I'm leaving with you. We won't stay here and burden his eyes.

Mrs. Liu scolded angrily, "My sister, he doesn't know how to teach children; you should teach him. What's the point of being angry with him?"

Mrs. Liu patted Bai Erlang and noticed that his bottom was swollen, but it wasn't a serious issue. She was afraid that the child would be frightened and develop a high fever at night, which could be life-threatening.

She instructed Mrs. Bai, "Stop crying." Your mother-in-law is old; you should take charge more. Please have the servants bring some clothes to change the child. Prepare a soothing soup. Don't scare the child.

Mrs. Bai, who had raised two children herself, also knew this, and quickly had her daughter-in-law follow Mrs. Liu's instructions.

Not only were the other two children given calming soup and sent back with care, but Bai Shanbao's group also received the same treatment.

The chaotic Bai family finally quieted down.

Only then did Mrs. Liu wearily say to Mr. Bai, "We should also send some compensation to the Zhou family; I heard their little girl was also injured."

Mr. Bai nodded repeatedly and then turned to instruct the steward.

The two children had been brought together. Bai Erlang had just been beaten, and his eyes were still a little red. Bai Shanbao also knew that he had been beaten. He pretended to be obedient but kept sneaking glances at the other person. When the adults weren't paying attention, he gave him a mocking look.

Bai Erlang was very angry and glared at him when the adults weren't looking.

But how could the adults not notice?

Seeing that the two children still hadn't learned to get along, the adults were all a bit silent.

Mrs. Liu thought to herself that she had to hurry up and build the house. It would be best to move out before the New Year. Perhaps if the two children were far apart, their relationship wouldn't be so tense.

Mrs. Bai also sighed. After Mrs. Liu and her daughter-in-law took Bai Shanbao back to rest, she said to her son, "You and Qilang used to get along well, like real brothers." Why is it that in this generation, people can't seem to get along and instead fight like roosters?

"When Qilang returns, encourage him to bond with Shanbao."

Mrs. Bai couldn't help but say, "Qilang is much older than Shanbao." The two children should not fight, but is he no longer suitable for studying at the school? Didn't you say you wanted to find a way to get him into the county school?

"He still has to pass the exam to get in." Master Zhuang, who graduated from the prefectural school, is the one I want to provide guidance to Qilang.

Mrs. Bai didn't quite understand why her mother-in-law and husband insisted on their children getting along with Bai Shan. After all, he was just a child.

Mrs. Bai's mother-in-law could tell from her daughter-in-law's downcast eyes that she wasn't very happy since Mrs. Liu and her son moved in with Bai Shan.

Mrs. Bai's mother-in-law sighed and said to Mr. Bai, "Your younger brother is gone, and your aunt and her children are now alone." They are being bullied by the clan, and the only one they can rely on now is you. "Our family's relationship is naturally different from others."

These words were not just for Mr. Bai but also for Mrs. Bai. She continued, "Your father attended the clan school; he was considered a country bumpkin." Although he belonged to the Bai family, his blood relation to the main branch was distant. "If it weren't for your grandfather's competence in managing the family business and donating a significant amount of money to the clan school, your father wouldn't have been able to study in Longzhou."

Mrs. Bai's mother-in-law patted her grandson's head and continued to say to Mr. Bai, "Even so, he was often bullied." At that time, it was your fifth uncle who took care of him.

Mr. Bai's face turned red, and he knelt down, saying, "Mother, rest assured, I will take good care of my aunt and raise Shanbao as if he were my own son."

Mrs. Bai's mother-in-law pulled her aside and said, "That's not what I meant."

What did you mean?

Mrs. Bai's mother-in-law still looked at him and said, "Our families' relationship, you know, but the children may not know." "If you don't say anything, they might think your aunt and her children are here to cause trouble."

Finally, Mrs. Bai's mother-in-law looked at Mrs. Bai and her grandson and said, "Back then, your grandfather and your fifth uncle were good friends, but it's a pity that your grandfather didn't study as well as your fifth uncle." He only became a county magistrate and had a bad temper. "If an official scolded him, he would simply resign and return to the countryside to farm."

Mrs. Bai: She also knew about this, and now there are people in the county who say that her grandfather was a passionate man.