CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 387: SHAVING BALD AGAIN

Song Chengguang looked aggrieved, pursing his thin lips as he gazed at Xu Xiuxiu for quite a while: "Fatty said I am Shi Yu’s wife, but Chengguang is a boy, not a girl." The boy, not yet five years old, felt his self-esteem had been infringed upon for the first time in his life.

Wife? Man?

"Even so, Chengguang, it’s still not a reason for you to hit someone," Xu Xiuxiu said earnestly, gently pulling Song Chengguang to sit on the sofa while he stood rigidly in front of her: "Moreover, you took Little Huang with you. You scared the other kids, and you even let Little Huang get hurt. Little Huang is in pain, and you didn’t notice because you were only thinking about yourself. So, do you think you did the right thing?" Xu Xiuxiu spoke and gestured for Song Chengguang to glance at Little Huang whimpering on the floor.

Song Chengguang turned his head for a quick look at Little Huang on the floor. It was obvious that he felt guilty, but he stubbornly refused to get any closer, even though he was young. In fact, he was of age to discern right from wrong; he knew that fighting today was not right, but he did it anyway. He had braced himself psychologically, but now, being candidly called out by Xu Xiuxiu, he seemed somewhat incapable of fully accepting it.

"I’m sorry, Mom, Chengguang will not fight anymore," Song Chengguang pitifully promised, his small frame stiff as could be.

"Chengguang, the person you should be apologizing to isn’t Mom. You should say sorry to Fatty. He was beaten up by you and Shi Yu. You should also apologize to the group of kids that Little Huang scared and to Little Huang, who got hurt because of your impulsiveness and willfulness. Do you understand?" Xu Xiuxiu pointed out who Song Chengguang needed to apologize to, and she wasn’t just talking—she truly intended to have Song Chengguang apologize.

"I understand," Song Chengguang replied with a bit of a sob in his voice, his head bowed. The tears welling up in his eyes didn’t fall, clearly showing that he was much braver compared to before: "I will apologize to Fatty, to the kids, and to Little Huang."

"Good, Chengguang. To apologize properly is what good children do," Xu Xiuxiu nodded her head: "Even though you are still a child, I always tell myself not to expect too much from you. But, Chengguang, children must keep their promises too. You must follow through with what you’ve said and committed to me. That’s mom’s basic expectation of you!" said Xu Xiuxiu as she reached out to tousle Song Chengguang’s messy hair.

Song Chengguang had a strong sense of cleanliness and cared a lot about his appearance. His hair was always neatly in place, but today, with a busted lip, dirty cheeks, and disheveled hair, it was a state he hadn’t been in before.

"Mhm," Song Chengguang continued to nod, still looking downcast.

"So if you understand, then you should know that Mom is going to punish you for fighting today. Are you willing to accept your punishment?" Xu Xiuxiu asked softly.

"Mhm," Song Chengguang looked up, nodding firmly.

"The punishment is to shave your head, you know!" Xu Xiuxiu asked again.

Knowing Song Chengguang’s stubborn feelings about his hair, Xu Xiuxiu’s question carried a slightly playful tone. She genuinely feared that her son might collapse into tears once he heard the punishment. But Song Chengguang was much stronger than she had imagined. Upon hearing the words about shaving his head, his face was full of shock, but after reflecting for a moment, he still looked up seriously and nodded to Xu Xiuxiu.

"If you’ve done something wrong, you need to be punished. I’m willing to shave my head," Song Chengguang said firmly, clenching his fist.

"You’re such a good boy," Xu Xiuxiu said comfortingly as she gently stroked Song Chengguang’s head. To make sure Song Chengguang wouldn’t secretly feel upset about his hair, she added reassuring words, "Actually, Chengguang with a shaved head looks very manly!"

Xu Xiuxiu was telling the truth. If Song Chengguang had a shaved head, he wouldn’t look as delicate and would appear much more masculine. The bullies definitely wouldn’t tease him anymore by calling him Shi Yu’s little wife.

"Really?" Song Chengguang asked with a face full of doubt.

"Really," Xu Xiuxiu confirmed with a nod.

"Okay, let’s shave it off, right now," Song Chengguang said, convinced by Xu Xiuxiu, and now seemed even more eager than Xu Xiuxiu herself.

"Alright, but there’s no need to rush out just yet," Xu Xiuxiu said as she straightened her clothes. She didn’t immediately take Song Chengguang out for a haircut. Instead, she took him to the bathroom to wash up and applied medicine to his scraped lips. Only after Song Chengguang had finished his breakfast did she decide to head out.

During this time, Song Yuanhuan had been standing with his face to the wall as punishment, crying silently in his heart. When he saw that the mother and son were ready to leave, he started to lose his composure, "Dear, before you go out, could you please issue an order to end my punishment?" Song Yuanhuan stood up straight, his voice carrying a hint of flattery.

Xu Xiuxiu turned to look at Song Yuanhuan for a while and finally broke into a smile, "Alright, go and have your breakfast. And take good care of the twins at home. I’m going to take Chengguang out for a haircut, and tonight we’ll all go together to apologize to those children’s families."

"Understood, Chief," Song Yuanhuan immediately replied solemnly, nodding his head, "I promise to complete the task you’ve assigned."

Thanks to Song Chengguang’s cooperation, the haircut went smoothly, albeit feeling like torture for him, but this time it wasn’t accompanied by the desperate crying and struggling as before. Song Chengguang emerged looking like a brand-new little monk.

"Mom, does Chengguang look manly?" After the haircut, Song Chengguang, looking at the mirror and seeing his shiny bald head, touched it with his hand, then turned around with a disheartened look to ask Xu Xiuxiu.

"Mm-hmm," Xu Xiuxiu nodded affirmatively, "Especially, especially handsome."

"Then Chengguang will shave his head from now on!" Song Chengguang said with a laugh upon hearing this, seemingly quite pleased with his new look, "No more hair from now on. I want to be just like Dad, handsome with a shaved head too." Song Chengguang felt he should take after his dad in this regard.

Xu Xiuxiu was a little surprised by how well Song Chengguang accepted it, but hearing his words, she still nodded in satisfaction. It was better for him to be willing to get a haircut rather than have it feel like being forced onto the execution ground each time.

Because Song Chengguang and Shi Yu, together with Little Huang, made five other kids cry, Xu Xiuxiu took this matter very seriously. Planning to take Song Chengguang to personally apologize to those children, she made a detour to Yuan Shixiang’s clothing store after Chengguang’s haircut. By that time, Yuan Shixiang should have already been informed about the fight involving Shi Yu, and just in time for the opening hours of the store, indeed, when Xu Xiuxiu and Song Chengguang arrived, Yuan Shixiang was just standing at the entrance to open the store.

"Shixiang," Xu Xiuxiu said as she walked in with Song Chengguang, calling her softly from behind.