Chapter 2256
Ruan Jiaojiao naturally didn’t believe it, so she lifted the quilt, rolled up his pant leg to look at his calf. At this sight, she took a sharp inhale.
"How did it get bruised?" Ruan Jiaojiao was extremely distressed.
"It’s nothing, it’ll fade in a few days." Duan Xi.
"How did it happen? Clearly, it was fine in the morning..." Her voice paused, and she instantly guessed a possibility: "Was it my dad who hit you?"
Duan Xi didn’t speak, but the meaning was obvious.
Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t expect that Ruan Jianguo would actually hit Duan Xi. Over the years, apart from her second brother Ruan Jie occasionally getting beaten, Ruan Jianguo hadn’t hit anyone else even once. Despite his many complaints about Duan Xi, he had never actually laid a hand on him before.
Ruan Jiaojiao felt both heartache and guilt. She hadn’t helped speak up earlier purposely, but she really didn’t expect Ruan Jianguo to have the heart to do it. She climbed out of bed and ran downstairs, rummaging through boxes and cabinets to find some bruise ointment.
Ruan Jianguo was sitting on the sofa watching TV at the time; she didn’t even call out to him.
"Sweetheart?" Ruan Jianguo called out, watching his precious daughter darting back and forth in front of him without even glancing his way, somewhat uncertainly called out.
Ruan Jiaojiao passed by him as if she hadn’t seen him and ran to the kitchen to call out to Ruanlin, who was cooking: "Grandma, where’s the bruise ointment?"
"Sweetheart, did you get hurt?" Ruan Jianguo was startled.
Ruanlin, also concerned, looked at her: "Where did you get hurt?" As she said this, she placed the spatula on the table and used her apron to wipe her hands, going to fetch the medicine.
Ruan Jiaojiao followed her, explaining: "It’s Xi brother who got injured, his leg is all purple." When she said this, she also glanced somewhat sorrowfully at Ruan Jianguo, who was wandering nearby.
Ruanlin had already found the medicine and handed it to Ruan Jiaojiao.
Ruan Jiaojiao took the medicine and thumped upstairs, ignoring Ruan Jianguo, who felt quite wronged.
Ruan Jianguo used to be a bona fide farmer. Although he hadn’t worked the fields recently, his physical strength hadn’t diminished. So when he swung that stick down, it was truly powerful. Although it didn’t injure the bone, it did cause Duan Xi’s calf to become a purple-blue mess, looking quite dreadful after applying the ointment.
When he came down for dinner with his pants rolled up, Ruanlin saw it too and was shaken, turning her head to scold Ruan Jianguo: "Look at you! How could you hit so hard? What if the child gets seriously injured!"
"Is the bone unharmed? Should we go to the hospital to check?" Shu Jiao asked from the side, her tone caring, while her gaze also sent a reproachful glance at Ruan Jianguo.
Ruan Jianguo felt very frustrated, but mostly wronged because when he raised the stick and charged forward, no one stopped him. He thought they consented. How did it turn into all blaming him now?!
Faced with the reproachful gaze of three family authorities, Ruan Jianguo felt so frustrated he couldn’t eat. He dropped his bowl and chopsticks and left.
However, none of the three authorities inside paid him any attention; they were all focused on Duan Xi.
Standing at the door, with no one calling for him, Ruan Jianguo felt even more stifled, resolutely walked out the door!
Then stood at the main entrance, hearing the laughter emanating from inside, feeling the icy cold wind descending on him, making him shiver — from the cold, and from anger.
He felt he was willing to be irreconcilable with Duan Xi!
Of course, before becoming irreconcilable, he needed to preserve his life. So within ten minutes, he slunk back inside, hugging his arms.