Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Where Did the Rumors Co From? Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Where Did the Rumors Co From? “Xiao Su, why have I recently heard that you… you’ve been unkind to the Fang siblings?”
Sister Hong and Mrs. Feng ca over today to arrange to go grocery shopping with Su ixi, and after much hesitation, Mrs. Feng finally brought up the matter.
Su ixi was still in the dark, because taking care of the two children had indeed been hard work lately; each day, she had to think about preparing delicious dinners for the children and also check their howork at night.
“Who said that?” Su ixi asked the sa question.
Sister Feng said, “It’s been spreading all around the neighborhood. I heard it last night while I was dancing at the cultural center. I don’t know who started it, but the things they’re saying sound awful.”
Su ixi asked, “What did they say?”
“Did you make the two kids do chores, like taking out the trash and stuff?”
Su ixi thought for a mont, “Yes, there is such a thing. Is it against the rules to have the children do chores? I think household chores should be instilled from a young age. No one can escape them. Sister Hong, Mrs. Feng, do you really believe that I’m the kind of person who mistreats children?”
Sister Hong hastily said, “Of course, I don’t believe that.”
Mrs. Feng also said, “Neither do I.”
But, the rumors were indeed spreading within the neighborhood.
Su ixi didn’t rush to get angry.
In fact, silently finding out who started it was easy; just quietly focus, and the person would eventually start flitting about suspiciously.
Sure enough, that afternoon, when Fang Xia and Fang Shuai ca back, they were followed by Bao Min.
Bao Min called out “Sister Su” as soon as she arrived.
She didn’t call her “Sister Su” nor “Miss Su” or follow Mrs. Feng and the others in calling her Ah Xi, but just Sister Su, making Su ixi feel old.
“Sister Su, I ca today to talk about the children. As their head teacher, I wanted to make a ho visit to understand the kids’ situation at ho.”
Su ixi was cooking at the ti.
Bao Min looked at the egg and chives that Su ixi was stir-frying in the wok, and her expression instantly took on a look of surprise, “Is this what you’re feeding the kids? Isn’t there any at?”
Su ixi lifted the lid of the pressure cooker next to her, revealing a whole pig’s front leg stewing inside. It was a Guangdong-style ginger vinegar trotter that was very appetizing to look at.
Bao Min now had nothing to criticize about, with at and eggs accounted for, along with a bowl of green vegetables that had yet to be stir-fried.
Su ixi instructed Fang Shuai, “Xiao Shuai, go take a shower first, then co to eat.”
Fang Xia then offered, “Aunt Su, let help you serve the rice.”
Then Fang Xia went to get the bowls.
Su ixi asked Bao Min, “Teacher Bao, have you eaten? Why don’t you eat with us?”
Bao Min glanced over the dishes on the table, “No need, I already prepared food at ho. I’ll just head back after the ho visit.”
“Does Teacher Bao often make ho visits to the students’ houses?” Su ixi asked.
“No, not often, it’s just that Fang Xia and Fang Shuai are a bit special.”
Su ixi then jokingly asked, “So do you have to visit them every month?”
Bao Min was montarily stunned, “No, of course not. It’s just that I heard so things about their ti at your ho, Sister Su. Maybe we could step outside for a chat.”
Su ixi had a clear grasp of the situation in her heart.
Still, she wanted to see what Bao Min really had to say.
She took off her apron and instructed Fang Xia, “Xiao Xia, once your brother is done with his shower, you start eating with him, okay? Aunt Su and Teacher Bao will chat for a bit.”
Fang Xia obligingly agreed.
Su ixi and Bao Min walked out to the garden.
“Sister Su, I’ve heard so rumors that you frequently have the siblings doing household chores. While it’s true that these are skills they should learn from a young age, they are still kids. After school, they also have howork to do and relatively less ti.”
Su ixi crossed her arms and asked with a smile, “Then what do you think I should do, Teacher Bao?”
“Just lighten their chores a bit; otherwise, people outside are talking about you, and it’s not good for your reputation.”
Su ixi stared at Bao Min, who was initially a bit guilty, but quickly tried to feign composure.
Su ixi laughed and continued to question Bao Min, “Are rumors always true? Why don’t you ask the children if they find their chores too heavy?”
“When children are under soone else’s roof, there are many things they might not feel comfortable speaking about.”
“So that ans I have to take the bla for this regardless?”
“Not at all, it’s not about bla. It’s just about correcting what is right and encouraging improvent where needed, right?”
Su ixi then said, “Thank you, Teacher Bao, for caring so much about the children. Have you seen a film recently? It’s called ‘Guarantee Your Safety.’ It’s about a person who doggedly tracks down the perpetrator of a rumor. In the end, they found the person who started the rumor. Here in the Military District, it would be easy to check this information. If I ask Gu Wei to send out a few reconnaissance soldiers to look into it, they would definitely be able to find out. Then I wouldn’t have to take the bla for this, right?”
Bao Min’s face showed a sign of guilt, “You don’t need to involve the military in such matters. The People’s Army isn’t ant to do these kinds of things.”
“The People’s Army is there to protect the safety of our citizens’ lives. Haven’t you seen the news about people who were harassed by rumors to the point where they committed suicide?”
Bao Min grew even more guilty, her face reddening.
“Sister Su, let’s just drop this matter. If I hear anyone else saying such things, I’ll set them straight. I’ll tell them I’ve done a ho visit, and how well you treat the children.”
Su ixi smiled, “Then I must thank Teacher Bao. You better head ho for your al. It’s getting late and your food will get cold. I won’t see you out.”
Bao Min sheepishly left the premises.
Once outside, she was extrely annoyed with herself for being so inept and getting scared off by Su ixi in a few sentences.
And from the way Su ixi looked at her, it seed as if she knew that Bao Min was the source of the rumors!
She didn’t dare let the rumors continue to spread.
Before the ho visit today, she deliberately ca when everyone would be busy cooking, so that the other idle Military Wives would know about her visit.
A teacher’s ho visit is a serious matter.
It would confirm the rumors of the past few days.
Now, after the ho visit, she had no choice but to spread the good news of how well Su ixi treated the children.
…
“Aunt Su, what did Teacher Bao say to you?” Fang Shuai nervously asked during the al.
He was worried because of so mischief at school; during the physical education class assembly, he hadn’t arrived on ti since he was enjoying a ga of soccer with his classmates.
Su ixi tapped him on the forehead, “Teacher Bao? She ca to praise you, saying that both of you have made a lot of progress recently and wanted to know what thods I used. I told her it was all down to your own initiative and nothing to do with .”
Fang Shuai heaved a sigh of relief.
Fang Xia said to her brother, “If you’ve done nothing wrong, you won’t fear ghosts knocking at your door at midnight!”
“I wasn’t scared at all, but I really have improved lately, scoring 100% in math twice in a row.”
Su ixi couldn’t help but praise him again.
However, she still needed to take so asures to clear up her neighbors’ perceptions due to the rumors.
“Fang Xia, aren’t you preparing for your birthday? Invite so of your close classmates to co over to our place, and I’ll prepare a birthday party for you.”
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