As Liu Sanniu spoke, her face immediately flushed red. "I did not! Cousin, you're talking nonsense." After that, she stamped her foot and ran off, her two braided pigtails swinging.
Seeing her third sister leave, Liu Si'niu bid Zhang Liunian farewell and chased after her, "Third sister, wait for me!"
Zhang Liunian smiled, watching his two cousins' retreating backs. He decided to go to the two factories tomorrow to settle the accounts.
He wanted to calculate precisely how much money he had and how he would acquire more in the future.
While he was lost in thought, he heard Hua Bao crying his heart out the moment he returned home. Zhang Liunian put down his wallet and stepped forward to ask, "What's wrong? What happened to Hua Bao?"
"Daddy."
Hua Bao, who was being comforted by Zhao Zhijie and Jiang Qingqing, stopped crying as soon as she heard her father's voice. She immediately rushed out of Zhao Zhijie's arms and shot into Zhang Liunian's embrace like a cannonball.
Zhang Liunian reached out to catch her, lifting her up. He stood up and said, "How did my Hua Bao cry into such a little kitten? Daddy's heart aches so much."
"Daddy..." Hua Bao looked at Zhang Liunian wiping her tears, her eyes involuntarily reddening again. But she didn't speak, instead burying her face into Zhang Liunian's neck, falling silent.
Seeing that she didn't want to talk, Zhang Liunian looked at Zhao Zhijie. "Uncle Zhao, what happened to Hua Bao?"
Zhao Zhijie looked bewildered. "Alas, I don't know.
When I went to pick her up from home just now, she was just puffing out her cheeks. After we got home, she started crying. We kept asking her what happened, but she wouldn't say anything, she just cried. It worried us to death.
Since you're back now, hurry and ask her what happened!"
For the first time, Zhao Zhijie found a child's silence more worrying than their speaking.
After hearing this, Zhang Liunian looked at the little one in his arms and asked, "Can Hua Bao tell Daddy why she's crying? Were you bullied at school?"
Seeing her most formidable Daddy ask about it, Hua Bao immediately blurted out, "Daddy, Little Tuanzi grabbed my hair and pulled my clothes.
I didn't let him pull, but he insisted. Later, we started fighting.
But I didn't win against him, and I felt like I embarrassed Daddy, so I was so upset?
Daddy, you are such a powerful person, and I am Daddy's daughter, so I should be powerful too, but I'm not powerful..."
As the little one spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, as if she had done something wrong.
"Pfft!"
After hearing her daughter's account, Jiang Qingqing couldn't help but burst into laughter.
No matter how much she thought about it, she never imagined that her daughter would come back crying because of her husband's reputation.
Zhang Liunian was also amused and speechless by Hua Bao's words. He rubbed her little face and said, "No, Hua Bao is very powerful. You didn't embarrass Daddy at all. On the contrary, you brought glory to Daddy.
Because Hua Bao knew to fight back when bullied, just this alone is very powerful. Daddy is happy for you.
However, in the future, when we fight back, we also need to learn to think. If you can win, fight back. If you can't win, we'll find another way."
Hua Bao cupped her chin and put on a thoughtful expression, her little eyebrows almost tied into a knot. Finally, as if she had figured something out, she said with sudden enlightenment, "I understand. Next time I meet Little Tuanzi, I won't fight him. I'll pull down his pants, and then when he's pulling them up, I'll hit him. Then I'm sure I'll be able to win."
"..."
Zhang Liunian and the other two were stunned. Jiang Qingqing cast a reproachful glance at her husband, her eyes conveying, "Look what you've turned our daughter into?"
Zhang Liunian raised his eyebrows and replied, "Very good. At least she's learning to think. Not bad, she's indeed his daughter."
"Hua Bao is very smart," Zhang Liunian encouraged.
Jiang Qingqing rolled her eyes and said nothing.
Zhao Zhijie suddenly burst into laughter, repeatedly saying, "She's truly my granddaughter. Her little brain is so good."
Seeing that her idea had received her father's affirmation, Hua Bao proudly puffed out her chest.
Zhang Liunian stroked her little face and then examined her body. Upon noticing a red mark on her arm, his expression suddenly turned cold. "Little Tuanzi from the Cai family dared to hit my Hua Bao? I'm going to go find them and settle this right now."
Zhao Zhijie immediately chimed in, "I'll go with you." How dare they bully his granddaughter! Even if they were acquaintances, it wouldn't do.
"Isn't that a bit much? It's just children playing." Jiang Qingqing, seeing that they seemed to be heading for a fight, quickly grabbed Zhang Liunian, not wanting him to leave.
Zhang Liunian clasped her small hand back and comforted her, "Don't worry, it won't escalate out of control. But we must stand up for our Hua Bao, so no one thinks Hua Bao is a child without protection."
"That's right. We can't let the old Cai family step all over Hua Bao. If they dare to hit Hua Bao now, who knows what they'll do later," Zhao Zhijie also felt that Hua Bao's dignity was very important and they had to get justice.
Jiang Qingqing, unable to resist the combined force, could only watch helplessly as the two big men, carrying Hua Bao, went to cause trouble for a child.
Jiang Qingqing supported her forehead and sat down. Zhang Guihua, who had overheard from the kitchen doorway, smiled and turned to go cook.
"Liunian? Why are you here? Are you looking for us for something?" Before they even reached the old Cai family's house, the two adults and child encountered Grandpa Tang, who was returning with some meat.
"No, we were just passing by." Zhang Liunian stopped, thinking to himself, is this old Cai family really behind the Tang family?
Zhao Zhijie also hadn't expected to run into an acquaintance on the way, and moreover, it was one of Zhang Liunian's acquaintances.
"What are you going to do? And you're bringing your daughter?" Grandpa Tang had been helping Zhang Liunian watch his shop recently. The wages were good, and he was in good spirits, now having the leisure to care about others.
"My Hua Bao attends the kindergarten at the machine factory, and she was bullied by someone called Little Tuanzi. I plan to take her to reason with them and seek justice," Zhang Liunian explained the situation in general terms.
After hearing this, Grandpa Tang's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He had heard that Zhang Liunian doted on his daughter, but he didn't realize it was to this extent. It was just children playing, and he was making such a fuss. This man was truly a doting father without question.
But he had just mentioned Little Tuanzi, wasn't that the little grandson of the old Cai family behind their house?
"Isn't that old Cai's little grandson? He really is a handful. He climbs on roofs to take tiles and goes into ditches to catch fish. He can do anything. If you say he bullies people, it's quite possible. That child is very mischievous," Grandpa Tang said, listing the Cai family's youngest grandson's exploits as if he were reciting them by heart.
Zhang Liunian and Zhao Zhijie exchanged a look. They had come to the right place. If they hadn't come, the other party would have surely continued to bully their Hua Bao.
"If he's so naughty, then it's even more important for their adults to educate him properly, so he doesn't bully my Hua Bao again," Zhang Liunian's resolve strengthened after hearing Grandpa Tang's words.
"Let's go, I'll accompany you to see. That brat's name is misleading. His name sounds soft, but his disposition is very naughty," Grandpa Tang said, then called out towards his house. He handed his bicycle and meat to his son and took Zhang Liunian to the old Cai family's residence.
When they arrived, the old Cai family was eating. However, due to the large number of people, the dining table resembled a battleground, with everyone grabbing and snatching, making food fly everywhere. The youngest boy, Little Tuanzi, was even smearing rice onto his brother's face.