Chapter 46: Punishment – A Stir-Fry of Bamboo Shoots and Meat

Outside the door, a man stood facing Lu Zhanlin, just slightly shorter than him.

This man was none other than Zhao Tie Wu, the partner of Zheng Yue’e.

Today, their two sons had caused a serious incident. What could’ve been brushed off as childish roughhousing took on a very different weight — because Lu Zhanlin had seen it with his own eyes.

No matter what, Lu Yuanbao was Lu Zhanlin’s son. The father and son had only just reunited, and now his child was beaten — where would that leave Commander Lu’s dignity?

Though Zhao Tiewu wasn’t in the same regiment as Lu Zhanlin and held only the rank of company commander, if he wanted a promotion, he’d eventually need Lu Zhanlin’s endorsement.

So with Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan’s violent behavior, what they jeopardized was Zhao Tiewu’s future.

That’s why the moment Chu Yue heard a man’s voice outside earlier, she guessed it was likely Zhao Tiewu.

And he hadn’t come alone — he had dragged along his two sons, one in each hand. The anger on his face was like “hate iron for not becoming steel.” Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan were so frightened, they didn’t even dare make a sound.

“Commander Lu, I’ve heard everything from my wife about this afternoon. It’s all her fault for spoiling these two brats, letting them run wild with no discipline. This whole thing is on us. I’m truly sorry. Commander Lu, your son wasn’t injured, was he?”

Zhao Tiewu deliberately omitted the part where Lu Yuanbao had fought back and hit his sons as well, focusing only on apologizing.

Lu Zhanlin didn’t spare him any courtesy and replied plainly, “Yuanbao has a few bruises.”

Zhao Tiewu had no way to gracefully retreat, and his face turned increasingly awkward. He kept bowing and apologizing, then suddenly turned toward his two sons and shouted angrily:

“You two little punks! Stand up straight! I haven’t had time to keep an eye on you, and now you’re completely out of control — you even dared to hit Commander Lu’s son! You must have a death wish. Just wait, I’m going to teach you a lesson right now!”

Zhao Tiewu roared, and in one swift motion, he yanked down Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan’s cotton pants, exposing their bare little butts.

He had a bamboo stick in hand, and without hesitation, he started spanking them hard.

Swish!

The sound of the bamboo cutting through the air was clear and sharp — each strike landed heavily, with no mercy.

Instantly, Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan broke out into loud, wailing sobs — pitiful, miserable, completely devastated.

From Chu Yue and Lu Yuanbao’s angle inside the house, they couldn’t see the boys’ tear-streaked faces. All they could see, in the dim light, were two white, bare bottoms trembling in the cold winter night air.

Chu Yue watched for a few seconds, then ultimately decided to cover Lu Yuanbao’s eyes, shielding him from the sight.

She was curious, yes — but she didn’t enjoy such brutal scenes.

Now that Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan had gotten their punishment, only one target remained — the true instigator, Li Jinhua.

Chu Yue didn’t say anything on the surface, but in her heart, she remembered everything with absolute clarity.
She never let a grudge go unpunished.

With his eyes covered, Lu Yuanbao’s ears grew even more sensitive. He could hear the cries of Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan from outside the window… and he could hear Chu Yue’s heartbeat close to his ear.

Chu Yue whispered to him,
“See that? This is what happens when you do something wrong. Children must be punished too, just like anyone else.”

Lu Yuanbao’s ears twitched. He thought deeply for a moment.

Chu Yue, thinking he had been frightened, closed the window and led him back to the table to continue eating.

But — a little wolf cub is still a little wolf cub.
Chu Yue’s instincts for reading people were never wrong.

Just as she let go of him, Lu Yuanbao tugged on the corner of her shirt, looking up to ask:

“If I do something wrong… will you hit me too?”

Now that was an interesting question — and it came right after he had personally witnessed Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan being punished.

Chu Yue didn’t answer directly. Instead, she asked him a question in return:

“Do you want me to hit you… or not hit you?”

If it were an ordinary child being asked that kind of question, they’d surely shake their head immediately—desperate for a promise never to be hit again.

But Lu Yuanbao thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.

“You’d better hit me.”

Chu Yue asked curiously,

“Why do you want me to hit you?”

“If you hit me, that means you’re taking care of me. Before, only my mom would take care of me. No one else cared.”

It was rare for Lu Yuanbao to say so many words in one go. But behind each syllable was the unspoken insecurity the little boy had kept buried deep in his heart.

Chu Yue gently patted his head.

“Your dad and I will both take care of you.”

That was what she said, though in her mind, Chu Yue couldn’t quite picture what it would look like if Lu Zhanlin ever had to discipline a child.

Outside the house.

As Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan cried and wailed, Zheng Yue’e, who had been hiding not far away, finally couldn’t take it anymore and rushed out anxiously.

“Why are you really hitting the children?! Stop! They’re still so young—how can they handle this? Please stop! They already know they were wrong! Please, no more!
Commander Lu, we were wrong!”

Before speaking, Zhao Wenwu glanced at Lu Zhanlin’s expression. Seeing his impassive face, completely unmoved, Zhao understood.

He immediately shoved Zheng Yue’e aside.

“Too much coddling ruins the child! I’m beating them today for their own good! If they learn discipline now, they won’t make big mistakes later!”

He continued to spank Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan mercilessly, each strike landing hard on their little butts.

After about ten blows, Lu Zhanlin finally spoke.

“Commander Zhao, it gets chilly up in the mountains at night. You’d better take the kids home now.”

With that signal, Zheng Yue’e quickly rushed over, scooping up both Zhao Tieniu and Zhao Tiedan in her arms. She didn’t forget to repeatedly thank Lu Zhanlin:

“Thank you, Commander Lu. Thank you. Tieniu and Tiedan won’t make mistakes again.”

Zhao Wenwu also gave his thanks, and the couple hurriedly left with their children in tow.

Lu Zhanlin closed the door and walked back into the house, only to find Chu Yue and Lu Yuanbao still sitting in their seats, like they had never moved, quietly waiting for him to return.

In truth, with Lu Zhanlin’s sharp hearing, he had heard their footsteps sneaking away earlier.

But Chu Yue pretended to be oblivious and asked,

“Who was it?”

Lu Zhanlin played along with her act.

“It was Commander Zhao…”

---

Later that evening, after dinner, it was originally Lu Yuanbao’s job to do the dishes, but Lu Zhanlin took over instead.

While he washed the dishes, Chu Yue took Lu Yuanbao into the bathroom. By now, the boy had spent enough time with her to know she liked cleanliness—she’d bathe every day if she could.

In the countryside, heating water with firewood was considered wasteful—most families only bathed once every ten days or so.

But Lu Yuanbao had rolled around in the dirt earlier, so he’d already braced himself for a bath.
So when Chu Yue asked him to take off his clothes, he stripped down without hesitation, completely bare.

He turned his head to check out his butt—it was still whole and intact.

“Yuanbao, scoot back a little. I’m adding hot water.”

Chu Yue gave him a reminder, then poured hot water into the large red basin. Steam billowed up, filling the small bathroom. Then, she lowered Lu Yuanbao into the basin.

The water splashed noisily, and he took a thorough, satisfying hot bath, coming out fresh and clean.