Chapter 56 – 055: A Stern Lesson
Slap! Slap!
Mother Xiao raised the whip and lashed down fiercely. Two strikes later, Xiao Han felt as though his back wasn’t his own. He clenched his teeth tightly as sweats began to bead on his forehead. At this mont, he absolutely couldn’t scream in pain. Nor could he continue to anger his mother. It would be better to let her vent.
“Right, you shouldn’t have lied to ,” Mother Xiao said with a livid face, “You can neglect your studies, skip classes, even fail to attend school, or be the last in exams. You are still the son I am proud of inside. But you deceived , you are a liar, and there’s no child like you in Xiao’s family!”
“Mom, I was wrong,” Xiao Han said hastily.
“Acknowledging your mistake now is useless!” Mother Xiao said through gritted teeth, “From now on, you’re no longer a mber of Xiao’s family, nor are you my son, Li Hongi’s son!”
“Mom, I was wrong, I really was wrong,” Xiao Han cried out urgently.
“Get out!” Mother Xiao was almost fainting from anger.
After cursing, Mother Xiao threw the blood-stained whip aside and turned to walk into the house.
Xiao Han was panicked and quickly ran after his mother.
Bang!
The door of the house slamd shut, hitting Xiao Han right on the nose. He was dumbfounded instantly.
“Mom, please open the door,” Xiao Han felt an ache in his heart. He knew he had deeply hurt his mother with his actions. Otherwise, she would not have done such a thing. His mother had always doted on him. And today, to think she was actually kicking him out was sothing unimaginable.
Xiao Han stood at the door and shouted, “Mom, I was wrong, please open the door, you can hit or scold , but please don’t be angry…”
A group of neighbors watched with great sorrow.
This mother and son had depended on each other. The mother was kind, the son was good, though the family was poor, they should have been happy. But now, things had turned out like this.
At this mont, Old Liu couldn’t watch any longer, he hurried over and took Xiao Han’s hand, saying, “Xiao Han, get up. Your mom is just angry for now. She’ll calm down later. It’s cold outside, and your clothes are torn, co sit in my house for a while.”
“No!” Xiao Han shook his head, saying, “I can’t leave. I have to apologize to my mom!”
“But, your mom is really angry right now.”
“Exactly, you should co back later instead of just standing here.”
A group of neighbors began to persuade him. Alas, Xiao Han was as stubborn as they co. No matter what anyone said, he refused to leave. He turned and walked back to the door, stopping five steps away before he knelt down heavily.
Thud!
A man’s knees have their own gold, and Xiao Han understood this. However, a man can kneel to the heavens, the earth, and his parents.
Xiao Han needed to apologize; he knew it was the only way to sowhat ease his mother’s heart. Similarly, it was the only way to lighten the guilt in his own heart. Little did he know that Mother Xiao was also struggling inside the house.
Being deceived by her son was a deep pain in the heart for a mother.
Mother Xiao stood blankly in front of Father Xiao’s morial portrait, her hand chanically wiping off the dust from it.
“Jian Guo, I’m sorry,” Mother Xiao burst into tears as soon as she spoke, “It’s my fault. I didn’t educate our child well. It’s my incompetence that has made our child turn out this way…”
She rambled inside the house. anwhile, Xiao Han knelt alone outside, unyielding to persuasion, refusing to stand up.
“Xiao Han, get up. Stop kneeling.”
“Really, it’s freezing out here. You’ll harm your body if you freeze!”
“Co on, get up, child!”
Many old n and won felt sorry for Xiao Han; he was usually such a well-behaved person. Although he had made a mistake, surely it wasn’t so bad? If Xiao Han being dishonest ant being driven out by his mother, what would happen to those truly naughty children? Wouldn’t they all end up facing firing squads?
“Grandpas, grandmas, please go ho,” Xiao Han wiped his tears and said, “I’ll just kneel here until my mom forgives . I’ll stand up when she forgives .”
“And if she doesn’t forgive you?” soone asked.
“Then I’ll never stand up!” Xiao Han said determinedly.
“Ah, child, why must you do this?” Old Liu said helplessly, “After all, you are your mother’s flesh and blood. She is just angry right now, that’s why she’s acting this way. She will forgive you eventually.”
“You don’t need to persuade anymore,” Xiao Han shook his head, “I am not going to stand up.”
Seeing this, the people around didn’t know how else to persuade him.
“Everyone disperse, everyone please disperse,” Old Liu could only ask everyone to leave. After all, what did it look like to gather here? It was a family matter, and having a crowd spectating was utterly inappropriate.
“Disperse, disperse!” the crowd echoed in agreent.
Shortly thereafter, the crowd promptly dispersed. Xiao Han knelt alone on the concrete ground.
It was late November, bitterly cold. Today’s temperature was very low, with the air only at freezing point. Even wearing a thick down jacket, one could still feel the piercing cold wind. Xiao Han’s clothes were not thick, and his back was lacerated by thorns, leaving fuzzy traces of flesh and blood—a terrifying sight.
When the wind blew, his blood had already frozen, his back alternately felt as if bone-piercing ice and burning flas were assaulting him.
Kneeling on the ground, Xiao Han felt his body becoming heavy.
Mother Xiao did not care about what was happening outside at all. Internally, she was still harboring anger, extrely furious and upset. She wished to never see Xiao Han again. She stayed inside the house for a long ti. Mother Xiao spoke many words to her husband’s portrait, voicing much of her suffering.
Being a widow with a child for years, suffering from bullying, and facing constant troubles at work. With terrifying supervisors and scheming colleagues, she was always in strife. All the while, she was not only preserving her job but also dealing with those who would take advantage of her, endangering her at any mont.
Having struggled to raise her son, to now be deceived by him was utterly distressing. This was likely an unforgivable act that would last a lifeti.
On the dining table, a dish of pickled vegetables, one of fuyu (fernted bean curd), and a plate of cold rice. Cold as ice, just like the chill in Mother Xiao’s heart, resembling the harsh winter of the twelfth lunar month.
Xiao Han continued to kneel outside the house.
It was unclear how long he had been kneeling, ti just kept ticking away every second. It brought an unbearable sense of heartache and pain.
By six in the evening, the sky darkened. The pitch-black sky suddenly began to flutter with what seed like cotton-like snowflakes.
“Wow, it’s snowing.”
“It really is snowing.”
People passing by lifted their heads to glance at the pitch-black sky, and then, like vast clouds of cotton, the snow began to fall. In bunches and clusters.
Old Liu, with a pipe in his mouth, stood at the front door, his eyes filled with concern as he watched the heavy snow falling outside.
“Old man, why are you standing there instead of eating?”
“Ah, I wonder how that Xiao kid is doing!” Old Liu glanced at his wife and said, “You know how stubborn i Hua can be; I guess she won’t forgive Xiao Han anyti soon. Do you think Xiao Han is still kneeling outside?”
“Well…” His wife hesitated, then said, “How could he? Xiao Han isn’t foolish; who wouldn’t seek shelter in such heavy snow?”
“But, I tell you, the boy is as stubborn as his mother,” Old Liu said helplessly. “If those two are both being stubborn, won’t that be troubleso?”
“Let’s eat first,” his wife urged quickly. “The food is getting cold, and it’s freezing out.”
“Alright, let’s eat first!” Old Liu decided not to think about it any longer.
However, today’s al didn’t seem to suit his taste. After a few bites, as Old Liu noticed the snow outside getting heavier, he quickly stood up, saying, “No, I have to go check on Xiao Han. What if sothing bad happens to him?”
With that, Old Liu quickly grabbed his military coat, put the pipe in his mouth, and thrust his hands into the coat’s sleeves. He briskly walked out into the heavy snowstorm.
“Old man, you haven’t finished your al!” his wife called out urgently.
Unfortunately, her voice was soon buried in the howling wind and snow.
In just half an hour, the ground had already accumulated a considerable amount of snow. Old Liu trudged through the snow towards Xiao’s family’s house. If it continued to snow all night, it might accumulate up to half a foot. Old Liu’s pace was not slow; in fact, he walked rather quickly.
Sinking deep with each step, then shallower.
The sky was very dark, and Old Liu, wrapped in his military coat, held a dim flashlight in his hand.
Finally reaching the entrance to Xiao’s house, Old Liu shone his flashlight towards the distance. From afar, he didn’t spot Xiao Han, after all, if he were kneeling sowhere, he would probably be very visible.
Seeing no one, Old Liu sighed in relief, just as he was about to walk back. He hesitated for a mont but decided to enter Xiao’s house to see the situation inside. He didn’t know whether Xiao Han had gone ho or left the place. It would be fine if he were ho, but if he had left, that would be troubleso.
Old Liu walked slowly towards Xiao’s house, puzzled by the fact that the house was pitch black with not a single light on. Could it be… Thinking this, Old Liu quickened his steps.
Ouch…
Suddenly, Old Liu stepped on sothing and fell down.
“What is this?” Old Liu was stunned.
He hurriedly got up, and with snow flying all around, whatever was on the ground was already covered by the snowflakes. Old Liu quickly dug through the snow with his hands and discovered that what was hidden underneath was a person. Xiao Han’s entire body was lying on the ground, tightly wrapped in snow.
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