Chapter 54 : Dad, please stop hitting my brother!

Now that the political commissar had spoken, Jiang Fengqin had no choice but to nod, even if she was unwilling.  

The key issue was that Zhou Tingyue’s new wife was a tough one, she would rather fight than argue, which made Jiang Fengqin a little afraid of her!  

She hadn’t even spat out all the dirt in her mouth yet, and she was already feeling nauseous!  

—

Zhou Tingyue stepped into the house and was relieved to see that Song Shiwei and the four children were all fine.  

“What’s going on?”  

Song Shiwei saw him return and motioned for him to sit down.  

But her eyes remained fixed on Zhou Cheng.  

“If there’s something you find difficult to tell me, you can tell your father. Now that they’ve come to our house, if you don’t explain clearly, your father and I won’t know what really happened!”  

Zhou Cheng lifted his head, glanced at Zhou Tingyue who was looking serious and then pressed his lips together, still refusing to speak.  

Seeing that he remained silent, Zhou Tingyue started growing impatient.  

“Zhou Cheng, if you still see me as your father, tell me where you put the thing you found. Let’s return it to its owner!”  

But Zhou Cheng still said nothing.  

Next to him, Zhou Lin was visibly anxious.  

He opened his mouth to speak but then swallowed the words back down.  

His brother had told him, this must not be revealed!  

At that moment, Political Commissar Liu entered the house.  

Looking at Zhou Tingyue and Song Shiwei sitting down, and Zhou Cheng standing there with his head lowered, he curled his lips slightly, walked forward, patted Zhou Cheng on the shoulder, and said sincerely, “This matter needs to be made clear. Do you know that if you’re labeled a thief, it could ruin your entire life?”  

As he spoke, he waved to Zhou Tingyue and Song Shiwei.  

“Come on, let’s talk outside.”  

Feeling somewhat disappointed with Zhou Cheng, Zhou Tingyue grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out.  

Song Shiwei followed closely behind.  

Zhou Lin was still worried, so he took his younger siblings and followed as well.  

—

By now, a crowd had gathered outside.  

All the neighbors who had heard the commotion had come out to see what was happening.  

Jiang Fengqin, upon seeing Zhou Cheng and Song Shiwei step outside, immediately shouted angrily, “I don’t care! You must return my wheel today, no matter what! Since the political commissar is here, let him be a witness! Tell me, did this little thief steal my wheel?”  

Political Commissar Liu waved his hand.  

“Don’t call him a thief. Didn’t the child already say he didn’t steal it? He took it because he thought your family didn’t want it. Now that everything is out in the open, let him explain himself and return it to you. It’s just a small matter, there’s no need to turn it into a big deal. We all live in the same compound, and as military families, we should maintain our dignity.”  

Jiang Fengqin snickered when she heard this.  

“Alright, alright! I’ll listen to the political commissar. A big leader always knows how to say the right things! As long as he gives me back my wheel, this matter is settled!”  

Since she had agreed, the onlookers breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Zhou Cheng.  

Zhou Tingyue also eyed him.  

“Come on, where’s the wheel?”  

Zhou Cheng bit his lower lip and said nothing.  

Zhou Tingyue’s patience wore thin.  

“What’s the matter with you? Did you really steal it?”  

Song Shiwei quickly pulled his sleeve, trying to calm him down.  

Just then, Zhou Cheng suddenly lifted his head, his eyes red, and shouted, “I didn’t steal it! I’m not a thief!”  

“Then why don’t you bring out the wheel? Tell me, where did you put it?”  

Zhou Cheng lowered his head and muttered, “I… I sold it.”  

As soon as he said that, Jiang Fengqin erupted.  

“Unbelievable! You actually sold my wheel? My poor, poor wheel!!”

Hearing this, she sat down on the ground and started crying again.  

Political Commissar Liu’s face darkened.  

“Zhou Cheng, how much did you sell the wheel for? Just return the money to the owner!”  

But Jiang Fengqin refused.  

“Political Commissar, that won’t do! What if he only gives me a few cents, saying that’s all he got? I don’t want money I just want my wheel! Today, you have to get justice for me!”  

Zhou Tingyue’s expression hardened.  

“Tell me, where did you sell it? How much did you sell it for?”  

But Zhou Cheng remained silent, like a gourd with its mouth sealed shut.  

The crowd began whispering among themselves.  

Zhou Tingyue grew increasingly anxious and furious.  

In his anger, he grabbed a carrying pole from the side and struck Zhou Cheng with it.  

Song Shiwei gasped and rushed to stop him, but Zhou Tingyue was too fast.  

With a loud “smack!”, the carrying pole struck Zhou Cheng’s back hard.  

He staggered forward from the impact.  

The onlookers collectively sucked in a breath. Even Jiang Fengqin, who had been the loudest just moments ago, was stunned into silence.  

Political Commissar Liu quickly stepped forward to intervene.  

“Tingyue, what are you doing?! You’ll seriously hurt him!”  

But Zhou Tingyue was truly enraged.  

Did this kid not realize the severity of the situation? If this incident got out of hand, he might carry the label of a thief for the rest of his life!  

Song Shiwei knew exactly what he was thinking, but she also believed the child must have his reasons.  

Her eyes turned red with distress.  

She rushed over to help Zhou Cheng up.  

But before she could, Zhou Tingyue grabbed her arm, his gaze still fixed on the hunched figure before him.  

“Zhou Cheng, if you don’t speak up today, I’ll keep hitting you until you do!”  

Zhou Cheng clenched his lips tightly, his eyes bloodshot, but he still refused to utter a word.  

Zhou Tingyue’s face darkened further.  

“Smack!”  

The carrying pole came down hard on Zhou Cheng’s calf.  

With a groan, Zhou Cheng dropped to his knees in pain.  

Sun Meimei and Jian Qiu wiped away their tears.  

“Enough, Tingyue! Stop hitting him!”  

“Yeah, it’s just a wheel do you really need to beat him like this?”  

The crowd echoed their pleas, even Jiang Fengqin, who had been making a scene earlier, shrank back.  

She muttered, “If it really doesn’t work, just give me the money back… I won’t ask for much, ten or twenty dollars will do.”  

Political Commissar Liu shot her a sharp glare.  

What a troublemaker. Was her broken wheel really worth ten or twenty dollars? She was just throwing oil onto the fire!  

Song Shiwei’s heart ached as she looked at Zhou Cheng, who was kneeling on the ground, drenched in sweat from the pain. Tears welled up in her eyes.  

“Tingyue, please, stop hitting him! I believe Zhou Cheng must have his reasons. Can’t you just listen to what he has to say? If you keep hitting him, you’ll seriously injure him!”  

But Zhou Tingyue knew his son’s temperament he was stubborn to the core. If he didn’t force it out of him, he would never speak.  

He lifted the carrying pole high again.  

If this blow landed, Zhou Cheng wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for at least ten days.  

Just as the pole was about to come crashing down  

A desperate cry rang out:  

“Wait!”  

Everyone turned their heads.  

Zhou Lin was already in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.  

With a loud plop, he dropped to his knees in front of Zhou Tingyue.  

“Dad, please don’t hit my brother anymore! I know how much he sold it for! I know where the money is! Please, just stop hitting him!”