At that thought, his heart skipped a beat.
"Xiao Shu, did you bully Xiao Bao?" Zhao Tianhai actually had a simple thought, if an apology was needed, it should be made promptly.
Their family was building a new house, and Laosan came to help.
But Laosan had been meddling on the sly, like when carrying something heavy on his side he’d inexplicably trip and fall or even once slipped directly into the sand.
Even if he was clumsy, he wouldn’t fall into the sand on his own.
Don’t think he didn’t know that Laosan had some tricks up his sleeve.
Every time Laosan came over to help, he wished that Laosan wouldn’t come at all.
Laosan had gone off to a far place again, and if he came back this time to find out that the children had caused trouble at home, could this year still be a good one?
"I didn’t." Xiao Shu, raising his little head, tried not to let himself cry. His mother had pulled him out to apologize to Xiao Bao and the others. And as soon as Dad returned, his first words were to assume he had bullied Xiao Bao.
"Second Uncle, Xiao Shu broke our toy, you see...."
Which family in the village would be willing to buy toys? A few marbles could keep a group of children entertained for half a day.
"Sister-in-law, you see, they are just children...." Zhao Tianhai said thickly, only hoping that Laosan’s Wife wouldn’t dwell on other matters.
"When you do something wrong, you must bravely admit your mistakes. Second Brother has also been educated, you should know this principle."
One sentence blocked his explanation.
"Apologize..." Zhao Tianhai yelled directly at Xiao Shu, looking as if he would hit him if he didn’t apologize.
Da Shu’s mother wanted to stop him, but thinking of the five yuan, she kept quiet.
Xiao Shu apologized through tears, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, waah waah..." He cried out and ran back to the room where he had been hiding, but the sobbing didn’t stop.
Yun Xiaoxiao remained unperturbed, instead looking at Da Shu’s mother and Zhao Tianhai, "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, this time Xiao Shu broke Da Bao and their toy. Considering the fact that Da Bao’s father and Second Brother are brothers, I won’t ask for compensation. But if there’s a next time, no matter the cost, I will make you pay. If they want to play together, they shouldn’t snatch things; this habit needs to be taught correctly."
Da Shu’s mother and Zhao Tianhai’s faces turned alternatively green and white.
"It’s getting late, we’ll head back first, no need to see us off."
"Let’s go, back home."
Yun Xiaoxiao left with a group of children in tow.
Once they had left, Zhao Tianhai’s face instantly soured, and he started griping to his wife, "This Educated Youth Yun and Laosan have had many wives, and she’s learned a lot from Laosan, showing us no respect at all."
"And Xiao Shu too, if he can’t play with them, he just breaks the toy. You don’t know that in Laosan’s family, one egg is worth more than gold to us."
"Mom, they didn’t compensate?"
Yun Xiaoxiao looked at them, "Bring it back, let me see if it can be fixed?"
"Auntie, can it be repaired?"
The other children touched it during playtime; this thing looked quite expensive at a glance.
"I’ll try and see, you all go back first. If it’s fixed, Da Bao and the others will bring the toy to play with you."
After mother and sons got home, Yun Xiaoxiao sent them off to write.
She took the Rubik’s Cube Fragments back to her room, fitted them together, and had to admit, the material of the Rubik’s Cube was good; it could still be assembled.
"Look, Mom has fixed it for you, but be more careful this time. If it breaks again, I don’t know if I can fix it."
"Mom, you really fixed it."
That night, another heavy snow fell, especially big, and when Yun Xiaoxiao got up and opened the door, she saw that everything outside had turned into a vast expanse of white, as if in a world of ice and snow.