Chapter 83: Busy Farming Season
Meanwhile, Zhao Zhitong had no idea about what had just happened; she was at home, concerned about whether her grandmother and two aunts had been injured.
Visibly, her grandmother and aunts were a mess; even Sun Mei’s clothes were disheveled, and their hair was a disaster. They looked quite pitiful. However, they didn’t seem to have any actual injuries, just some red marks on Aunt’s face where Xiao Wang had scratched her, though the skin wasn’t broken.
It was Mrs. Wang who had really gotten the worst of it, receiving several solid slaps from Zhao Guifen that caused her face to swell. Zhao Guifen was quite proud of this.
But Sun Mei was worried. Scuffles and arguments among women in the rural streets were all too common here. Her daughter, now four and a half years old, loved to imitate people and had just witnessed family elders fighting.
So, while tidying her clothes, Sun Mei took the opportunity to educate Zhao Zhitong, telling her not to learn such things. Zhao Guifen dismissed this. Instead, she encouraged her granddaughter to learn, saying, "I think it’s a good thing if she learns."
She pulled Zhao Zhitong close and said, "Tongtong, your Grandma wants you to know you can’t be weak. If those foul-mouthed bad people try to bully you, you should slap them right back until they don’t dare bully you anymore!"
Zhao Zhitong’s eyes sparkled. She waved her little fists in the air, exclaiming in her childlike voice, "Don’t worry, Grandma! No one can bully me! I’m tough!"
"That’s right!" Zhao Guifen gloated with the air of someone who had just won a battle. "There’s no reason for my granddaughter to be bullied!"
Nearby, Sun Mei wanted to cover her eyes, worrying they were raising a bully. Is this the difference between generations in how they educate their children?
But she didn’t argue with her mother directly, as it would only confuse Zhao Zhitong about whose teachings to follow, and that wouldn’t be good for the child. So, after her grandmother left, Sun Mei called Zhao Zhitong to her side and asked earnestly, "Tongtong, do you remember what Mom told you before about using reason to persuade people?"