Became a vicious male mother

283

Li Hetai had a fight with the other children. The two of them were roughhousing and one of them was punished by being made to stand in the corner. Was this roughhousing normal?

Do you know why they're fighting?

Gu Xinglan suddenly felt a strong urge to visit Li Hetai.

But the person on the sofa was already fast asleep.

"Liu Feizhou, sleep here, you'll get a stiff neck tomorrow."

"Um... I haven't taken a shower yet..." the person on the sofa mumbled unconsciously.

He had just unbuttoned Liu Feizhou's coat when Liu Feizhou suddenly groaned in pain.

The white shirt underneath had a clearly visible bamboo whip.

Why would the Li family's family rules be applied to Liu Feizhou? Gu Xinglan sighed and picked up the medicine box to treat Liu Feizhou's whip wounds.

If an outsider gets such a severe beating for making a mistake, what about Li Hetai? Where is this punishment of standing in the corner?

Is it a cold, damp cellar, or a sweltering sauna? Or perhaps underwater? Or in the mud, or in a pigsty or sheepfold?

With her thoughts wandering uncontrollably, Gu Xinglan felt more and more that she should find an opportunity to meet Li Hetai.

The next day he went to find Li Yuan.

Li Yuan had a separate small courtyard, located between the main branch and the collateral branches' territories.

When six o'clock came, he even brought a few fresh pears with him.

The warm sunlight shone on the gate of the small courtyard. Gu Xinglan held a small bamboo basket in her left arm and hesitantly knocked on the door twice with her right hand.

"Come in."

An aged voice came from inside.

Gu Xinglan pushed open the wooden door.

The elderly man inside was slowly moving his body, practicing Tai Chi, with his eyes closed.

Not wanting to disturb him, he closed the door and found a stool to sit on.

The elderly man practicing Tai Chi had a firm footwork. When he threw a punch, he slightly raised his eyelids, locked his gaze on the person on the bench, glanced at them, and then closed them again.

The fight lasted for half an hour, until they were drenched in sweat. Li Yuan let out a long breath and calmed down.

"What wind blew you here?"

He hadn't seen Gu Xinglan since she went to work in the outer courtyard, and in the blink of an eye, almost two months had passed.

"The steward gave me a lot of pears, and I specially picked out a few that were big and fragrant to come and see you." Gu Xinglan placed the bamboo basket on her lap and looked at the old man with a smile on her face.

The old man stroked his beard a couple of times and smiled slightly, "A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken is up to no good. Just say what you have to say."

"I want to go work with Liu Feizhou."

"He's a teacher, what are you doing following him?"

"I can also teach classes; the mental health of children cannot be ignored."

"You understand psychology?"

Gu Xinglan nodded.

He wasn't very confident about teaching, but his professional skills were definitely up to par; he could assure Li Yuan with his confidence.

"Little one, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I can't make that decision."

Hearing Li Yuan say this, Gu Xinglan's eyes slowly dimmed, looking quite regretful, with a sense of loss like a good horse dying in its stall.

"I can't keep eating the Li family's food for free, can I?" Gu Xinglan looked up after a long while and said with an embarrassed smile.

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Want to see Li Hetai?"

He nodded quickly and handed the bamboo basket to the old man.

"I've practically watched Li Hetai grow up, and it's been almost two months since we last met. I miss him terribly."

The old man took the bamboo basket containing pears, and Gu Xinglan successfully made her way to the Li family's private school with a broom.

You can only admire it from afar; you can't get close.

After two days of work, he hadn't seen a single person, let alone Li Hetai.

Is anyone really here?

Yesterday there was a heavy rain, which scattered ginkgo leaves everywhere.

The broom creaked and groaned as Gu Xinglan swept the floor, her mood sinking with each sweep.

The rustling of leaves mingled with the sound of hurried footsteps.

The boys looked around, sometimes quickening their pace, sometimes stiffening like stones, their eyes darting around.

"We're almost there. I came to check it out a few days ago. There are no servants cleaning here."

"You'd better be serious, or we'll all be punished if we get caught."

"Don't worry! I've found out about the servants there. I heard they're raising pigs in the outer courtyard, so there's definitely no one there!"

The child at the front was full of confidence, talking to someone with his head turned back, completely unaware of the road ahead, until his face was thoroughly touched by that fragrant warmth.

The boy froze on the spot.

"Skipping class?" Gu Xinglan asked, her hands behind her back, a half-smile on her face.

The boy in her arms moved his lips, his eyes widened, and in less than two seconds, he cried out in a terrified voice, "Run!"

Several people screamed and ran away in all directions.

Is he really that terrifying? Why are you so scared, like you've seen a ghost? Gu Xinglan looked at the fleeing figures with a strange expression.

"Hey!" a boy hiding behind the artificial hill shouted.

The boy only showed half his face, his cheeks flushed as he looked at him, with a hint of embarrassment and anger.

"You! Get me a pair of pants right now!"

Gu Xinglan stood silently in place.

"Urinating or defecating indiscriminately is not allowed here. Also, I will be in charge of this area from now on. If I see you skipping class again, it won't be as simple as just letting you go."

So much to talk.

Li Shengwa, hiding behind the artificial hill, gritted his teeth.

The group said there was no one here, and they had finally managed to take advantage of the patrol's absence. If they missed this opportunity, they would have to wait until next week. He had been holding it in for several hours and had no choice but to relieve himself here, only to find that everyone had run away. He was so scared that he accidentally wet his pants.

And now, this maid is deliberately trying to embarrass him.

Unable to find suitable trousers, Gu Xinglan did find a janitor's coat in the storeroom.

It seems Li Yuan was right.

Indeed, many boys will escape.

He actually hoped that Li Hetai could escape here, and perhaps they could use this place as a meeting point.

When the long gown was taken out, there was no one behind the artificial hill. Gu Xinglan noticed that the pile of ginkgo leaves had been trampled into several holes.

It seems the boy who was hiding in the artificial hill has already escaped by climbing over the wall.

He had no choice but to pick up the broom and clean up the pile of trampled leaves again.

The next few days were quiet.

When Liu Feizhou heard about the place he was cleaning, he shook his head. "Your place is far from the teaching area. If you really want to see people, you might as well sneak in."

He immediately shook his head upon hearing this.

Did they have a death wish to sneak in? If they were discovered, they might get a few lashes from the bamboo cane.

After the rain, the sky clears and white clouds drift by. After the autumn rain, all the fruit on the trees has gone moldy and is inedible.

The stewards of the pigsties and sheepfolds still kept in touch with him, and when passing by a neighboring family's yard, they would have their servants bring over fresh pears.

The manager said that once this batch of fruit was given out, there would be none left. The rains of the past few weeks had soaked all the fruit, herbs, and rice, causing them to become damp, moldy, smelly, and rotten.

It's a real shame.

The pears were big, sweet, and juicy; one pear could keep you full for several hours.

Gu Xinglan sat in a bamboo chair, basking in the sun, holding a pear and chewing on it.

"Mr. Gu."

A few people in yellow coats came around the corner. He quickly put the pears on his back and stood at attention instantly.

No one has been coming over these days, so after sweeping the floor, he just lazes around reading, sleeping, and eating.

Now that someone has suddenly come over, Gu Xinglan is flustered and embarrassed, her face showing the awkwardness of being caught slacking off.