Chapter 89: Should They Endure It?

Jing Xi recalled Liu Jianchang’s movements when he left earlier—it really did seem like he was trying to suppress his emotions.

When it comes to family, especially children, how many parents can truly stay calm?

Sure enough, Liu Jianchang, who had gone out to “buy something,” took quite a while before returning with Xiao Jie. His face was slightly flushed, likely from realizing that his true intentions had been seen through, making him feel a little embarrassed.

In his hands, he carried a bag of candy.

A while later, the doctor and nurse came by again to check on Liu Yan and Liu Chun. They reassured everyone that there were no major issues but advised them to go home and rest for a few days. If no complications arose, they could return to school. They also provided a medical report and prescribed some medication.

On the way home, Liu Jianchang remained silent the entire time.

Only Xiao Jie occasionally said a few words. Since there wasn’t enough space in the car, Liang Chen and Jing Xi took the bus to Fucha Village.

When they arrived home, they found that Zhang Rui had already returned.

However, the moment she saw Liu Yan and Liu Chun stepping out of the car, she immediately dropped the spatula she had been using to cook.

“What happened?! Were you bullied at school?!”

At the sight of their mother, Liu Yan and Liu Chun nearly burst into tears again.

Jing Xi quickly helped Liu Chun into the house to rest. “Auntie, it’s a long story. Let’s go inside and talk. Liu Chun needs to lie down for now.”

Zhang Rui was nearly frantic, but seeing the condition of her daughters, she knew this wasn’t just some minor incident.

Everyone quickly entered the house.

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen left to find Jin Fu and Chen Cheng.

Once Liu Yan and Liu Chun were settled, Zhang Rui couldn’t wait any longer.

“What exactly happened?” she demanded.

Liu Yan took a deep breath and recounted the entire incident.

After listening, Zhang Rui immediately grabbed a kitchen knife.

“That bastard! He dared to hit my daughters?! I’ll fight him to the death!”

“Auntie, calm down!”

“Wife! Calm down!”

“I can’t calm down! Lao Liu, let go of me! Grab the knife—we’ll go together!”

Liu Jianchang had already regained his composure by this point. He signaled Jing Xi to hold Zhang Rui back and quickly took the knife from her hands.

“Think about our daughter’s university entrance exams!” he reminded her.

His words hit the key point.

Zhang Rui’s grip loosened, allowing Liu Jianchang to take the knife away.

However, she was still shaking with rage.

Jing Xi patted her back gently, soothing her for a long while before she finally calmed down.

Liu Yan quickly stepped forward. “Mom, please don’t go. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just retake the year—it’s not a big deal!”

“My dear girl…” Zhang Rui hugged Liu Yan tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Then she went into the room to check on Liu Chun, who was also crying.

Her heart ached even more.

“Tomorrow, your father and I will go to the school. If it comes to it, we’ll transfer you both! If that doesn’t work, we’ll just have Yan’er take an extended leave and study at home. There’s not much time left anyway, and her foundation is strong. Even without school, she’ll still do well!”

Liu Jianchang nodded. “Yes, that’s right!”

Liu Yan agreed. “It’ll be fine! As long as you both believe in me, I can do it! This is nothing!”

Jing Xi watched the family discuss their plans and silently slipped out of the room.

She couldn’t understand—why weren’t they calling the police?

Was it really that common for teachers to hit students during this time period?

It seemed so.

But to this extent? This severe?

She remembered that when she was a child, if a teacher dared to hit a student, the parents would rush to the school overnight, and the school would deal with the teacher immediately.

But no matter what, she wasn’t part of the Liu family, so her opinion didn’t really matter.

She would help when needed—that was all.

Jing Xi sat outside the courtyard when suddenly, Zhang Rui’s furious voice rang out:

“That bastard Kong Yu! He even dared to steal your meat buns?! Just wait until Yan’er finishes her exams—I’ll find some young men to teach him a lesson!”

“Mom!” The sisters spoke in unison.

Zhang Rui huffed, “This matter can’t just be forgotten. We’re enduring this for now, just so Yan’er can focus on her exams.”

“Kong Zhigang is still part of the school leadership. If he really tries to pull some strings, there’s not much we can do. It’s just one more month—Yan’er will be taking her exams soon! For now, we’ll just have to put up with it!”

“That’s right. But once the exams are over, we need to make sure he faces consequences. He absolutely cannot stay in that director’s position any longer.”

Liu Yan and Liu Chun had no objections.

The conversation ended quickly.

The next day, Zhang Rui and Liu Jianchang went to the school together, while Jing Xi stayed home to help take care of the sisters.

Liu Chun was still dizzy and couldn’t even sit up.

Seeing her in such a state made Jing Xi feel awful, so she poured a cup of water from her flask and gave it to Liu Chun. After drinking it, she felt much better.

The water caught Liu Chun’s curiosity. “Xiao Jing, why does the water from your flask always taste better than the water at home? And drinking it feels so refreshing.”

Jing Xi chuckled. “Does it? Maybe it’s just your imagination.”

“No, I really think your water tastes better! It’s a little sweet—not like our home’s water, which always has a white residue after boiling and a weird taste.”

“Maybe it’s because I let it settle before drinking?”

Liu Chun looked curious. “Settle? Xiao Jing, can you be the one to boil our water from now on?”

Jing Xi nodded. “Sure!”

“That’s great! Every time I see you cook, you always use water from your flask, and the food tastes different—better! Even your steamed buns taste different from regular ones!”

Jing Xi laughed. “You make it sound like my water is some kind of rare treasure!”

Liu Chun nodded seriously. “Maybe it is, Xiao Jing! Everyone has their little secrets. Maybe your water comes from some hidden spring in the mountains, and you’ve been keeping it a secret from me!”

Jing Xi burst into laughter.

Looks like she’d have to find a way to mix some of her water into the Liu family’s supply. Not too much—just two ladles per vat would be enough.

Liu Jianchang and Zhang Rui didn’t return until after lunch.

Although they told Liu Yan and Liu Chun that everything went smoothly, Jing Xi could tell from their expressions that something had happened.

When the couple went to eat, she quietly followed them.

After a long round of questioning, Zhang Rui finally spilled the truth:

“That bastard Kong Zhigang actually demanded we pay compensation! He said if we didn’t, he wouldn’t approve the leave for the kids!”

Jing Xi frowned. “Compensation?”

“He claimed that Liu Chun’s two slaps traumatized Kong Yu. Since Kong Yu already has a mental condition, if he gets too agitated, he might just drop dead. So we had to pay for his ‘emotional distress’!”

Jing Xi was furious. “Auntie, did you actually pay him? How much did he ask for?”

Zhang Rui scoffed, “I gave him thirty. Not much, so we just let it go. If it weren’t for the fact that Liu Chun needs to transfer schools, would I have given him a single cent? I’d have given him thirty slaps instead—beat him to death!”