CHAPTER 283: CHAPTER 256: LET’S ELOPE, PART 2

"Jun Chao is only seven, he doesn’t understand anything. This little girl should let him have his way!"

"That’s why I had Qing’er apologize to him."

Zhu Lan moved her mouth but was at a loss for words.

Su Xiaomeng pulled over Du Qing, who was still a bit resistant. She didn’t force her but just patted her small shoulder and looked at Zhu Lan, "Qing’er is older than Chao Chao, so she should give way to him. Regardless, hitting is wrong, but as a mother, you should understand that Qing’er is only nine."

"Are you teaching me how to be a mother?"

"I’m just telling you that some unpleasantness between kids is normal. If parents always jump in, if parents always immediately say, ’Find someone to stand up for him...’"

Su Xiaomeng tugged at her lips, "Then I’m afraid when this child grows up, they’ll always be looking for someone to stand up for them..."

Su Xiaomeng squatted down again and looked at Yin Junchao, "Chao Chao, you don’t want to be a sissy, do you?"

"I, I’m definitely not a sissy!"

Yin Junchao pouted.

"But if you can’t get what you want and start hitting people, that’s what a sissy does."

Here, Su Xiaomeng sincerely apologized to herself in her heart for "blackening" the term "sissy."

Yin Junchao furrowed his brows, "Auntie, aren’t you going to scold them for me?"

"If you admit you’re a sissy, auntie will scold them for you."

"Uh..."

Yin Junchao hesitated, inadvertently catching a glimpse of Du Qian’s disdainful expression, and immediately said, "I’m not a sissy!"

"Then what is Chao Chao? Is he a man?"

Su Xiaomeng asked again.

"Of course, he is!"

Yin Junchao puffed out his chest. Even though the reality was questionable, he sure had the momentum!

Su Xiaomeng chuckled lightly, "But real men protect girls and don’t make them cry."

Yin Junchao fell silent, seemingly pondering whether what auntie said was true. His big eyes sneakily glanced at Du Qing, whose eyes were red from crying...

His small mouth moved, uncertain of what to say.

"The little sister apologized to you earlier because she pushed you, so shouldn’t you apologize to her too?"

"Why, why should I?"

Yin Junchao didn’t understand. How did it become his turn to apologize?

"A real man doesn’t snatch a girl’s snack, doesn’t call a girl ugly, or use words like ’bumpkin.’ Only sissies say those things."

Yin Junchao was somewhat bewildered. So, by this logic... it seemed he really was a sissy...

Zhu Lan stood there, her face alternating between white and black, wanting to take Junchao away but not daring to make any move.

Those eyes, how could they be so intimidating...

"Well...little sister, I’m sorry...I’ll protect you from now on, okay?"

As Yin Junchao said this, Zhu Lan’s face turned red with embarrassment!

"Chao—"

"Zhu Lan, isn’t it better if the kids sort out their own conflicts?"

Yin Shixiu said casually, causing Zhu Lan to swallow all her words.

But deep down, she was very unconvinced. Su Xiaomeng coaxed with one sentence, deceived with another, and this counts as letting the kids resolve it themselves?

Du Qing wiped her tears. She was somewhat perplexed.

Why did this brat apologize to her?

Whose side is Sister Meng Meng on?

"Little sister?"

"...Oh. Got it."

Du Qing sniffed, thinking, well, he’s two years younger than her after all, so she could be magnanimous and not hold it against him.

"Heh heh! Mom, the little sister smiled..."

Yin Junchao’s eyelashes still hung with unshed tears. At this moment, he pointed at Du Qing’s slightly pouted lips, the faint smile at the corners of her eyes, and was amazed.

Zhu Lan’s face remained darkened.

She asked Su Xiaomeng irritably, "Little Aunt, are you satisfied now? Can I take Chao Chao back to the room to rest?"

"You shouldn’t ask me this. Chao Chao doesn’t understand things, but you as a mother shouldn’t be clueless. Among kids, there’s no right or wrong, but adults should know better. Without even asking what happened, you scolded Qing’er and Xiao Qian; you should ask them if they’ve forgiven you."

"Su Xiaomeng, don’t overstep your boundaries!"

"I think the one overstepping is you?"

Yin Shixiu looked at Zhu Lan, this ungrateful foolish woman, who was tiresome in her stupidity.

"It’s the first time I’ve seen a niece-in-law talk to her little aunt like this."

Yin Shixiu’s expression turned cold, "Today is the wedding of me and your little aunt. You don’t know how to downplay things? Your little aunt gives you face, letting the kids resolve it privately, but you seem intent on blowing it up. What, do you want to ruin my event?!"

Zhu Lan was taken aback by Yin Shixiu’s cold rebuke, feeling a coldness spread through her body.

"A nine-year-old girl knows to apologize when she does something wrong or says something wrong, and you, an adult nearing thirty, don’t?"

"In this case, it seems I should mention to Mom and Dad that if the Yin Family’s kids continue to be educated by someone like you, who knows what they’ll become when they grow up!"

Upon hearing this from Yin Shixiu, Zhu Lan was dumbfounded, her heart shook...

Did Yin Shixiu mean... he wanted to separate her from her son?

"Mom..."

Yin Junchao blinked and looked at Zhu Lan, mumbling.

Zhu Lan glanced at her son, then at the little girl... swallowed and said, "Sorry, Aunt didn’t understand the situation..."

Du Qing pouted, seeming to think for quite a while before reluctantly nodding, "Oh, it’s okay..."

Zhu Lan pursed her lips tightly, took her son’s hand, and turned around...

"Ah!"

Yin Junchao stopped walking, ran in front of Du Qian, looked up at Du Qian, took a deep breath, "I’m not a sissy!!"

Du Qian raised an eyebrow; the handsome face showed a hint of a smile.

After Yin Junchao left, Du Qian muttered, "Shorty, obviously a mama’s boy, and he thinks he’s a real man..."

Though it was Du Qing and Yin Junchao who were in conflict, no one expected that after this incident, a grudge was formed in Yin Junchao’s heart against Du Qian!

Seeing Zhu Lan take Yin Junchao away, Su Xiaomeng finally lowered herself to look at Du Qing, pouting, "Waaa... my dear Qing’er was wronged..."

Du Qing frowned, "Sister Meng Meng, you scared me just now!"

"Did I? Hahaha!"

Du Qing gave her a look, "Sister Meng Meng, I think you’ve turned bad..."

Su Xiaomeng took her little hand and went upstairs, saying as they walked, "I shouldn’t have been so stern with you, scaring you, but Qing’er, hitting is indeed wrong, and he’s actually younger than you; giving in a bit isn’t a loss, you know?"

"I’m just not happy with him saying that about me and my brother. Where do I look rustic? These clothes are new ones Mom bought before we came!"

"He called you rustic, so you’re rustic?"

"Of course not!"

"Then that’s settled, my Qing’er is the most stylish!"

Du Qing blushed, snuggling up to Su Xiaomeng as they walked halfway, suddenly stopping again, frowning, "Sister Meng Meng, promise me, don’t be so stern with me again..."

Remembering Su Xiaomeng’s harsh expression earlier, Du Qing felt a chill down her spine.

Turns out Sister Meng Meng’s sternness can be so frightening.

"Uh, you just don’t do anything wrong! It’s not worth it for me to be stern with you, it’ll just cause wrinkles..."

Du Qing blinked, "I won’t keep making mistakes..."

Su Xiaomeng smiled, she and Yin Shixiu sent Du Qing and Du Qian back to their aunt and uncle’s room, briefly explained what had happened, and then returned to their room with Yin Shixiu.

While changing clothes, Yin Shixiu said, "You actually scared me too."

Su Xiaomeng’s eyes brightened, she couldn’t help but smile, "Really? Hahaha!"

Yin Shixiu didn’t know what she was so pleased about, he walked to her, "Your little scheming, I give it a full score."

Su Xiaomeng grinned, "Oh stop it, you’re flattering me. If the kids can settle things on their own, without yelling or ruining my voice, why not just—"

"Ah..."

Before Su Xiaomeng could finish her sentence, she was silenced with a kiss.