TFS – Chapter 58 The Children

_{I am changing brother Ming and Brother Xui and others too Ge’er from this chapter.}

_{Edited on 3rd September 2025}

Now the scene became lively. All the children and parents involved in the fight had arrived, along with villagers who came to watch the commotion. Some children who had been playing on the back hill also saw Qin’s boy dragging others toward Er Mao and Ah Lin’s house and brought their parents along. In their minds, they believed they were standing up for justice—children, too, have their own sense of fairness.

Initially, Qian Defu felt a pang of sorrow seeing Sun Ge’er’s sad and distressed expression. He thought it was necessary to establish his authority as a man in front of the child, to show that he could be a dependable father figure, and to encourage the child to start calling him “Father” sooner. However, when Tang Chunming appeared with little Ah Lin and Er Mao—especially leading the white horse that had been dyed gray—his expression turned rather complicated.

Sun Ge’er’s boy, surnamed Qin and nicknamed Goudan, looked beaten black and blue. But both Er Mao and little Ah Lin were covered in mud, their faces gray and dirty. Moreover, the horse wasn’t a cheap animal. If it had been injured, this would be more than just a matter of paying a hefty sum. Therefore, determining who was responsible for this fight was no simple matter.

Initially, Zhang Xiu was furious upon hearing that his child had been in a fight. Ever since following Ming Ge’er to learn to read and Feng’s boy to practice martial arts, Er Mao had been involved in fewer troubles with the village boys. Hearing that his child was fighting again and had even injured another child, Zhang Xiu had intended to spank Er Mao and make him apologize to the other family. But when he saw the sorry state of the two children and the condition of the little horse, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word of reproach.

As soon as Er Mao noticed that his mother didn’t intend to spank him, he grew bolder and angrily pointed at Qin Goudan, shouting, “We all said we wouldn’t let him play, but he still came to snatch our horse. He even pushed Ah Lin and wanted to whip Xiaoyun. That’s why I hit him! It’s all his fault!”

“Bad guy! Beat the bad guy!” Ah Lin joined in the accusations, glaring at the boy with hostility. To him, Xiaoyun, whom they had raised, was like family. Anyone who bullied Xiaoyun was a bad person, and Ah Lin took on the role of Xiaoyun’s protector.

“I just wanted to play! Why wouldn’t you let me? And animals are meant to be whipped! If it wouldn’t let me ride it, I was going to whip it!” Qin Goudan bared his teeth and glared like a little wolf, as if ready to pounce and bite Er Mao and Ah Lin. However, since he couldn’t win the fight, he acted fearless, relying on the adults behind him. He even pulled Qian Defu into the argument. “Uncle, don’t you agree?”

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone on Tang Chunming’s side darkened. Even Elder He, who was usually the most tolerant of younger generations, frowned. What kind of nonsense was this child spouting? Is this how adults were educating their children? Setting aside the deep affection Ah Lin and the others had for Xiaoyun, in a farming family, livestock was deeply valued and cherished.

The adults who came to watch didn’t agree either. What did he mean by “animals are meant to be whipped”? Who in their right mind would whip their livestock harshly? Could it be that Qian Defu and Sun Ge’er were teaching their child this way? No wonder Er Mao and Ah Lin were so upset.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Sun Ge’er inwardly groaned. This child’s stubborn streak had surfaced again—he always insisted on doing what he was told not to. But now, his words had provoked public anger, and Sun Ge’er had no choice but to reprimand his son.

Qian Defu hadn’t expected the child to say such things. The boy had only been with them a few days, so it was impossible that he’d been taught this way. Sensing the unfriendly gazes of the onlookers, Qian Defu became anxious and grabbed Qin Goudan’s arm. “Goudan, horses have tempers too. You can’t just whip them…”

But before he could finish, the boy’s temper flared even worse. He turned to glare at Qian Defu and shrieked, “You said you’d be good to me, that you’d take care of me! Is this how you’re good to me? I want to play with the horse! Will you let me or not? Are you going to help me or not?”

“You…” Qian Defu was not a patient man—his history of domestic violence was proof of that. Seeing the boy twisting and even kicking at him, he began to lose his temper. How could a child be so unruly and disobedient? But then he thought of the promise he’d made, and how much Sun Ge’er cared for the boy. He forced himself to suppress his anger and tried to coax him. “Let’s go home first. Uncle will buy you some candy, okay?”

“Liar! You’re a big liar! And so is Mother—liars, both of you! Hmph!”

Before Qian Defu could react, the boy suddenly bit down on his wrist. With a yelp of pain, Qian Defu cried out in front of everyone. The child’s teeth had nearly torn a chunk of flesh from his wrist, leaving a bloody bite mark.

Sun Ge’er, panicking, stomped his foot and threw the handkerchief he was holding at Qian Defu. “Cover it up quickly! I’ll go find Goudan. Who knows where he’s run off to now!”

In the chaos, the family dashed off without so much as an apology to Zhang Xiu or Tang Chunming. Qian Defu, deeply embarrassed, felt like he’d made a fool of himself. He had come to defend his stepson, but instead, he’d lost face yet again—just like the last time, in front of Tang Chunming’s house. He wanted nothing more than to cover his face and vanish on the spot.

After a long moment, Zhang Xiu finally found his voice. “What kind of people are they?”

Tang Chunming frowned. “That child really has a wolfish nature. Best to avoid getting involved with him. Er Mao, Ah Lin—if something like this happens again, go find an adult right away. Understand?” He couldn’t help but feel relieved that Er Mao had won the fight today. Otherwise, he didn’t even want to imagine what might’ve happened if Ah Lin or Er Mao had been bitten like that.

“I’m not afraid of him!” Er Mao declared confidently, emboldened by his victory over the troublemaker.

Zhang Xiu, annoyed, knocked him lightly on the head. “Listen to your godmother! If you don’t, I won’t let you take the little horse out to play anymore.”

“Fine, I get it,” Er Mao muttered, reluctantly agreeing. But in his heart, he thought, If that kid dares to bully Xiaoyun or Ah Lin again, I’ll fight him!

Li Feng picked up Ah Lin and said to Tang Chunming, “The matters in the county are almost settled. I won’t have to travel as much anymore, so I’ll keep an eye on things at home. Don’t worry.” Li Feng was concerned about the boy’s wolf-like behavior. He didn’t want Ah Lin to get hurt. Er Mao was less of a concern—he was a strong boy and had been training in martial arts, so he had an edge over children his age.

After exchanging a few words with the villagers who’d come to watch, Tang Chunming closed the courtyard gate and brought Er Mao inside. They planned to heat water for a bath to clean themselves up. However, the two children insisted on cleaning Xiaoyun, the little horse, first before washing themselves. They didn’t let Li Feng help, showing a strong sense of responsibility. Seeing that the children weren’t dwelling too much on the earlier incident, Tang Chunming let them do as they pleased.

When Da Mao returned, the children were still busy cleaning the horse. Hearing that the Qin Goudan had caused trouble, Da Mao joined them. The three children huddled together, whispering about something in a hushed but determined tone.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiu was stoking the fire to heat the water and muttered, “I never thought that child would be like this. So many people saw what happened today—it’ll spread quickly. Who’d let their children play with a kid like that? He’s even worse than Zhao Jiadong used to be.”

These days, Zhao Jiadong didn’t dare approach Da Mao, Er Mao, or Ah Lin anymore. On the few occasions they crossed paths, Zhao Jiadong would avoid them entirely.

Zhang Xiu didn’t know that Zhao Jiadong wasn’t staying away because he didn’t want to approach, but because he was terrified. That day, Li Feng had looked like a god of death, breaking Huang Sidog’s leg with one swift stomp. Zhao Jiadong, hiding in the crowd and sneaking a look, was so scared he almost wet his pants. Even today, when he saw Qin Goudan clashing with Er Mao and the others, he only dared to watch from afar. In the past, if he’d seen someone bullying Ah Lin, he’d have run up to join in the bullying without a second thought.

“I really don’t know how that child’s personality turned out this way, but if he tries to bully my children, I won’t let him off lightly.” What did it matter whether he was just a child or if there was some reason behind his personality? None of that had anything to do with him. The people responsible for raising him that way were the ones to blame—nobody else was obligated to put up with it.

“Exactly. That’s why I didn’t blame Er Mao for what he did today. I’ll tell you, since Sun Ge’er just got married, let’s not even talk about his personality. With a child like that, the Qian family will never have a moment of peace.” Zhang Xiu shook his head as he spoke.

Tang Chunming smirked. Today, Qian Defu’s behavior had only deepened his disdain for the man. He had known men like this in the village in his past life, men who were prone to domestic violence. But such men, to put it bluntly, were often bullies only at home, while being spineless cowards outside.

After heating up the water, Tang Chunming gave all three children, including Da Mao, a thorough bath. Hugging Ah Lin, he kissed him repeatedly. Ah Lin’s behavior today had truly surprised him, and he felt proud—this was his son, after all.

Ah Lin, on the other hand, became shy. But in his heart, he was happy. He clung to his mother’s neck, refusing to let go. Meanwhile, Ah Sen sat in his father’s arms, sucking on his fingers and staring at them enviously.

After dinner, when Da Mao and Er Mao had gone home and everyone else, including the two children and the Elder He, had gone to bed, Li Feng brought Tang Chunming to the new house to show him what he had brought back from the county. Among the items were two new wedding outfits.

Li Feng, mindful of Tang Chunming’s past identity, had chosen long robes instead of dresses for their wedding attire. The styles were nearly identical, though the robe for Tang Chunming was more fitted, with more vibrant and intricate embroidery. Li Feng’s robe was a deep red, while Tang Chunming’s was bright red. Li Feng’s robe featured a majestic eagle, while Tang Chunming’s had a traditional auspicious bird.

“What a waste. We’re only going to wear these once, yet so much silver was spent on them. But the embroidery is truly exquisite,” Tang Chunming said as he ran his hand over the wedding robe laid out before him.

Li Feng didn’t mind that Tang Chunming’s first reaction was to talk about money. He chuckled foolishly. “As long as you like it, Ming Ge’er. Money is meant to be spent.”

“Look at you, all pleased with yourself.” Tang Chunming gave Li Feng a sidelong glance. This man was losing his tough exterior, becoming more down-to-earth as time went on. That one glance made Li Feng’s heart melt. Overcome with warmth, he struggled to restrain himself from crossing any lines. He suggested they try on the robes to see if any adjustments were needed before sending them back to the county or letting Tang Chunming make alterations himself.

In truth, Tang Chunming was just as delighted. His heart bubbled over with joy, even more so than Li Feng’s. In his past life, even if he had found someone he liked, their relationship would have been a secret, without the opportunity to publicly receive the blessings of friends and family. Watching others get married back then had filled him with envy and heartache. But in this life, he had the chance to wear a wedding robe and marry someone he loved. His expression was no less silly than Li Feng’s.

As he watched Li Feng carefully decorate their new home piece by piece, Tang Chunming’s anticipation for the future grew stronger.

The next day, Tang Chunming encountered Sun Ge’er and his son again. Sun Ge’er said he had brought his son to apologize.

“Ming Ge’er, I’m so sorry. This child was spoiled by me because he grew up without a father. Yesterday, after we got home, I scolded him, and he knows he was wrong now. Goudan, hurry up and apologize to Aunt Ming and Lin Ge’er. You’re so big already—if you bully younger kids, who will want to play with you in the future?”

Tang Chunming wasn’t enthusiastic about dealing with this mother and son duo. Looking at the six-year-old boy in front of him, the stubbornness in his eyes was unmistakable. He didn’t know how Sun Ge’er had managed to convince him to come and apologize, but Tang Chunming could tell the boy didn’t think he was wrong in the slightest. Play together? Tang Chunming wouldn’t dream of letting Ah Lin associate with a child like that.

Shen Fulang had heard about the children’s conflict and came by early to check on Ah Lin. He adored the sweet and obedient little Ge’er and worried he might have been seriously bullied. Arriving just in time to see Sun Ge’er’s visit, he spoke up where Ming Ge’er might have held back. “We’re all mothers, and none of us want to see our children bullied. Especially since Ah Lin is a Ge’er, Qin Goudan, you can’t behave like this again. A man’s role is to protect Ge’ers.”

Qin Goudan suddenly raised his head and asked, “If I apologize, can I play with the little horse?”

Shen Fulang glanced at Sun Ge’er. What kind of reasoning had he used with the boy? Had he promised that apologizing would let him play with the little horse? Sun Ge’er glared at his son, frustrated that he wasn’t sticking to what they’d discussed at home.

Shen Fulang asked, “If you can’t play with the little horse, does that mean you won’t apologize?”

“It’s not like that…” Sun Ge’er hastily tried to explain.

“Why can’t I play with it? I didn’t do anything wrong!” Qin Goudan interrupted his mother before he could finish.

Tang Chunming couldn’t help but laugh out of anger. “So this is what you call an apology? Is my family at fault here? Were my kids playing in their own mountain, minding their own business, only to somehow end up causing trouble? Did I spend dozens of taels on a little horse just to let others whip it? Forget it—don’t bring your unwilling child to apologize again. In the end, it just looks like we’re bullying others. I can’t control other people’s children, but I can decide who my own child interacts with and how our things are used.”

After saying this, Tang Chunming turned around and went back into the house, ignoring the tearful Sun Ge’er. It was laughable—it truly felt like he was the one bullying others. This was the first time he’d encountered someone so exasperating.

“Shen Fulang, I… I didn’t mean it that way… It’s all my fault…” Sun Ge’er, with reddened eyes, tried in vain to defend himself.

“Then what do you expect Ming Ge’er to do?” Shen Fulang replied irritably. “Should he let your son play with the family’s horse? How about you go back and teach your son properly first? Otherwise, families with livestock in the village will all have to keep their distance from your boy.” As the wife of the village head, Shen Fulang didn’t mince words. In his eyes, it was entirely the fault of the adults for failing to properly discipline the child.

“Bad people! You’re all bad people! Not letting me play is bad! Scolding my mother is bad too!” Unexpectedly, the boy beside them suddenly rushed out, spit on Shen Fulang, and began shouting. His feral and aggressive demeanor made Shen Fulang want to slap him.

Sun Ge’er quickly pulled his son away, dragging him out while saying, “I’m sorry, Shen Fulang. He’s still young. I’ll teach him slowly at home… It’s my fault his father passed away early… Goudan, stop making a fuss…”

Shen Fulang looked at his soiled clothes with disgust, seething with anger. “What kind of people are these? So, they raise a child this way, and we can’t even say a word about it? Our village has never had a kid like this. No wonder Qin Family Village was so eager to pass him off to them.” It was likely that the boy had been just as disliked there, prompting his relatives to get rid of him quickly. Shen Fulang hurried to borrow a brush and some water from Tang Chunming to clean up, intending to change clothes when he got home.

“I think having a kid like that is just asking for trouble,” Tang Chunming said, frowning while pouring water for Shen Fulang. If he were also a kid, things would be simpler—just beat him until he submitted. But as an adult now, that approach wouldn’t work, and it made him worry for his own child.

But the matter didn’t end there. After Shen Fulang left Tang Chunming’s house, people came to ask him what had happened. They wanted to know if Sun Ge’er and his son had been bullied at Tang’s place—otherwise, why would they leave crying?

Hearing this, Shen Fulang became furious. “So, Sun Ge’er didn’t explain anything? And this is what people are saying?”

“Shen Fulang, don’t get upset. We don’t know the full story yet. But I don’t believe Ming Ge’er would do something like that. And besides, quite a few people saw how fierce that boy was yesterday. He’s like a wild wolf cub—so aggressive.”

“This situation really is ridiculous. Luckily, I was there today; otherwise, Ming Ge’er wouldn’t be able to explain himself. Their so-called apology was outrageous! They said that if they couldn’t play with the horse, they wouldn’t apologize. Ming Ge’er can’t afford to deal with a child like that, so of course, he’d want to avoid him. And I also spoke up about it, but what did I get? That boy spat on me!” Shen Fulang raised his voice, his anger clear. “If I hadn’t been there, people would’ve started spreading rumors about Ming Ge’er bullying their family.”

The person listening was startled and quickly tried to console Shen Fulang. “Don’t be angry. Everyone misunderstood the situation. But really, what kind of people are these? Instead of properly disciplining their child, they cry and make it seem like they’re the victims. It’s absurd.”

Thanks to Shen Fulang’s words, the rumors about Tang Chunming were nipped in the bud before they could spread. Previously, some people had claimed that Tang Chunming looked down on his fellow villagers because he had money, and this view had gained some traction. But after hearing Shen Fulang’s version of events, those critics went quiet. People began to wonder what kind of upbringing could produce a child who would spit on others. Perhaps the parents were to blame for failing to teach him properly.

Some even sympathized with Sun Ge’er, saying it was tough for a ge’er to raise a son alone. They speculated that the child simply didn’t understand and caused his mother grief. Others sympathized with Qian Defu, now the boy’s stepfather, who was caught in a difficult position. He couldn’t discipline the boy too harshly or too gently. After all, the boy had even bitten Qian Defu so hard one day that it drew blood.

“What’s there to sympathize with? He brought this on himself by insisting on marrying that ge’er, even though his parents were against it. Didn’t he know what kind of kid he was getting involved with? Ha! He was just completely infatuated with the ge’er, that’s all,” someone scoffed.

“Exactly. What if this kid bullies someone else’s child? Then his mother shows up crying—what are we supposed to do? Instead of crying, why not properly discipline the boy? If he doesn’t listen, then beat him until he does! A child like that is nothing but trouble,” said another ge’er who also had children. They sympathized with Ming Ge’er and his predicament. Was it really wrong to own a horse? The world wasn’t supposed to work like this.

Word of this reached Tang Chunming and Li Feng. Li Feng was exasperated, muttering that fighting on the battlefield would be far easier than dealing with this nonsense. Meanwhile, Tang Chunming noticed Da Mao and Er Mao whispering to each other. When he called them over to ask what they were discussing, it turned out they were plotting how to teach the Qin Goudan a lesson.

Tang Chunming scolded them. “Er Mao, you’re such a fool. If you’re going to fight, you should at least do it smartly. Beating someone up and leaving them black and blue only makes it obvious that you’re at fault. How are we adults supposed to stand up for you then? If you’re going to fight, do it cleanly so they can’t blame you for anything.”

“He started it! And besides, he’s bigger than me, but he couldn’t even win,” Er Mao said proudly. He had already told his brother that they should ambush the boy and give him another beating, but his brother had disagreed, which led to their argument.

Elder He chuckled to himself on the side. He had already understood Ming Ge’er’s point from his earlier words. In matters like these, it wasn’t appropriate for adults to get involved—it was better to let the children resolve things themselves. But how they resolved it required some finesse.

Li Feng thought for a moment and quickly caught onto Ming Ge’er’s idea as well. After all, he had been a child once too. He walked up and knocked lightly on Er Mao’s head. “Did I teach you martial arts so you could go around fighting and showing off? If you do this again, you’d better give up practicing martial arts and focus on studying. I’m not teaching you to be some reckless brute, leaving behind such obvious evidence.”

Er Mao, feeling indignant, tried to argue with Uncle Feng. He insisted he hadn’t gone around picking fights—he was just defending himself. Otherwise, he and Ah Lin would’ve been the ones bullied. Da Mao, however, grasped the adults’ meaning. Seeing that Er Mao was still flustered and red-faced trying to explain, he quickly dragged him away to the back to whisper in his ear.

Over the next few days, while Li Feng was training the two boys in martial arts, he would seemingly offhandedly point out the weak spots on the human body and demonstrate how to strike so that it caused pain without leaving visible marks. Of course, to the boys, this all seemed unintentional, but Tang Chunming and Elder He, who were watching from the side, could barely hold in their laughter. It was as if Li Feng were outright teaching the boys how to deal with other kids without leaving any evidence behind.

Zhang Xiu had initially been worried that Er Mao might get into another fight. If not for Tang Chunming saving some proof the last time, the situation might have been twisted to make Er Mao seem like the aggressor, no matter how justified he was. But after Tang Chunming whispered a few words to him, Zhang Xiu decided to let it go. Fine, it was better to let the kids handle things themselves. The adults couldn’t always be cleaning up their messes.