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Chapter 46: “Patient”

Mrs. Bai and Luo Jiangyuan were also alarmed. Mrs. Bai’s eyes were still filled with worry, and she looked at her son more. Luo Jiangyuan, on the other hand, sat on the sofa and looked at Mi Yang with a hint of curiosity. She had been staying here for a while and had always thought that Mi Yang was well-behaved and sensible. She had never seen this child speak loudly to anyone. How could he get “revenge”?

The little Ji Bai’an beside them couldn’t help but gesture and tell everyone what had happened. In the end, he sighed with emotion, “That’s great. I also want someone to fight for me like that. So cool!”

Luo Jiangyuan was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. She lightly tapped him on the head. “Using words incorrectly again. Is that how you describe it?”

The little Ji Bai’an’s eyes were sparkling as he looked at Mi Yang, full of expectation.

Bai Luochuan had been listening seriously from the beginning, his expression serious, and his eyes were also on Mi Yang. On the contrary, Mi Yang stood there very properly, not at all like the little military strategist who had commanded a group fight.

After hearing the story, Mrs. Bai had already turned her gaze to Mi Yang. She had received a higher education and would usually be angry in such a situation. But if Mi Yang hadn’t taken the group of children to their door to demand justice, it would have been difficult for them as adults to go and argue. Hearing about it now, she also felt a sense of relief.

The old Mr. Bai had only heard half of the story on the way. Now, after hearing the whole thing, he was also very serious. He was relieved to find that his own child had not suffered a loss. Especially when he heard Mi Yang scare the child, he couldn’t help but shake his head and smile. “That sounds like something Luochuan would say.”

Mrs. Bai also smiled. “Dad, you don’t know. Yangyang is very honest. He’s been following Luochuan since he was a child. Luochuan must have taught him these things. He learned to speak by following Luochuan when he was little.”

Bai Luochuan was a little proud and nodded. “That’s true.”

Mrs. Bai was so angry she laughed and tapped him on the head. “You’re proud of it!”

The old Mr. Bai chuckled and asked Mi Yang, “Did you learn to speak from Luochuan?”

Mi Yang: “…Yes.”

The old Mr. Bai said with a chuckle, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Let Grandpa ask you. You only fed him a handful of mud. Why did you scare the little boy?”

Mi Yang said, “Because his mouth was stinky and unclean. And I scared him, and he was scared, which means he knew it was dangerous.” He said as he thought. He had been so angry at the time that he hadn’t thought much about it. Now, when he was talking about it, he had to try hard to think of how to explain it. “My dad said that sometimes when you can’t find clean water in the wild, you can use lime to disinfect and filter it. But you must not get it directly on your body, or it will be very dangerous. I wanted to teach him a lesson, but my parents said I can’t hurt other children… Grandpa Bai, did I do the right thing?”

“You did the right thing.” The old Mr. Bai smiled and nodded. “Mi Zehai has taught you well. Children these days should be like you. The children from our field army district must know this kind of basic knowledge of the wild.”

Old Bai had joined the army with a gun at the age of twelve. In those years, an eight-year-old child could already be used as half an adult. He had suffered all kinds of hardships and didn’t spoil the children in his family much. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken his grandson to the mountains for training. It was just that he believed Bai Luochuan would fight, but for the always gentle Mi Yang to suddenly erupt, it surprised him a little. After the surprise, there was a bit more affection.

He was reasonable, didn’t cause trouble, but also would not suffer a loss on principle. He was really a good child.

The old Mr. Bai usually thought his grandson had a rash personality, but now, seeing Mi Yang, he felt that Mi Yang was a very good whetstone. The two of them could grind against each other and complement each other just right.

With this in mind, his gaze on Mi Yang softened a lot. He took out a fountain pen from his pocket and handed it to him. “Take it. This is your reward for today.”

Mrs. Bai whispered from the side, “Dad, is it right to reward them for fighting…”

Before she could finish, the old Mr. Bai waved his hand. “I’m in charge here. Whoever is right and does well, I will reward them. The people of our Bai family can endure hardships, but we will never suffer a loss!”

Mi Yang hesitated for a moment, then took the fountain pen. In return, the old Mr. Bai’s rough, large hand ruffled his head vigorously, and the old man’s hearty laughter filled the air above his head.

Mi Yang looked up and asked, “Grandpa Bai, Li Mao said my dad was injured and in the hospital. What happened to my dad?”

The old Mr. Bai pondered for a moment and didn’t hide it from him. “Yangyang, you’re a big boy now, so Grandpa will tell you. Your dad was slightly injured during a live-fire training exercise. The shrapnel has been removed, and his condition has stabilized. Your mom is at the hospital taking care of him now. He can start rehabilitation in about a month.” The old man patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t worry, it’s not serious now. If you want to go and see them, Grandpa can send a car to take you there. Do you want to go?”

Mi Yang thought about it seriously for a while, then still shook his head. “Forget it. I won’t be of much help if I go. I’ll just wait at home for them to come back.”

The old Mr. Bai was very gratified and stroked his little head. “You’re a good boy.”

When Mi Yang went upstairs, he was still a little worried in his heart. This was something he hadn’t experienced in his previous life, so he didn’t know how serious his dad’s injury was. But from the tone of Cheng Qing’s voice on the phone last time, and the old Mr. Bai’s comforting tone this time, it seemed that the dangerous period had already passed.

Mi Yang sighed. He felt that it wasn’t easy for his dad to get by in the army.

After the small group fight today, the adults at home didn’t let the few children go out to play. Bai Luochuan had to rest, and Mi Yang sat beside him to keep him company. The little Ji Bai’an wanted to come over, but he was unceremoniously kicked out by the young master Bai. The young master Bai narrowed his eyes. “I’m not used to having other people in my bedroom.”

Ji Bai’an squeezed at the door, looking in. “Then what about Mi Yang? He’s already in, and he’s even sleeping in there!”

Bai Luochuan said, “He’s not an outsider.”

Ji Bai’an still wanted to squeeze in. “I’m not either… Cousin, just let me in. I won’t talk. Can’t I just sit there?”

Bai Luochuan said, “Then will you be obedient?”

Ji Bai’an immediately said, “I’ll be obedient!”

Bai Luochuan said coldly, “Then let go of the door now and take a step back.”

The little Ji Bai’an actually let go of the doorknob and took a small step back. Before he could react, the wooden door in front of him slammed shut with a “bang.”

Ji Bai’an scratched at the door outside. The young master Bai pretended not to hear and lay on the small bed, closing his eyes to rest. Mi Yang glanced at the door, then also imitated him and flipped through a storybook, trying to find an interesting story to read to him.

Bai Luochuan couldn’t lie still as he listened to him flipping through the book. He turned on his side and deliberately asked him, “How did you learn to fight with people today?”

Mi Yang looked down at his book and said, “Because he threw lime at you. It was so dangerous, so I got angry.”

Bai Luochuan became happy.

He lay there, pleased with himself for a while, then reached out and pulled Mi Yang closer to look at his eyes. Mi Yang knelt on the side of the bed and looked up for a while. His pupils were black and white, not red. It looked like he was fine.

Bai Luochuan stared at him without blinking and said seriously, “Do many people say that about you?”

Mi Yang didn’t understand. “Huh?”

Bai Luochuan said, “You play with me, and they say things about you. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Mi Yang shook his head. “No, it’s just their family. Besides, it’s not a big deal.”

Bai Luochuan looked at him for a while, then said proudly, “Because I was hurt, that’s the big deal, right?”

Mi Yang: “?? ”

Bai Luochuan chuckled and, after laughing to himself for a while, he began to use his patient status to order Mi Yang around. “I want to hear the fifth story. You read it to me.”

Mi Yang said, “But we read it yesterday.”

Bai Luochuan wrinkled his nose and snorted. “I don’t care. I just want to hear this one.”

Mi Yang then flipped to that page and read it to him. Bai Luochuan had a very good memory and had even memorized some parts. He could even hear it when Mi Yang misread a word or two and would point it out with his eyes closed. Mi Yang was so angry he laughed and pushed the book to him. “You can recite it yourself. I’m not reading anymore.”

Bai Luochuan rolled onto Mi Yang’s small pillow and also started to laugh. His eyelashes were very long, casting a small, thick shadow. He closed his eyes and said lazily, “Then don’t read. Get two glasses of juice, and we’ll drink them together. I’m thirsty from reciting.”

In the evening, Bai Jingrong returned.

Mrs. Bai didn’t mention this matter at the dinner table. It was only when they went back to the bedroom that she slowly told him about it. The Luo family also had a protective nature. They didn’t say much outside, but in the bedroom, in front of her husband, she couldn’t help but say a few words. Besides the fault of the Li family, the remaining worry was about her son’s studies.

Mrs. Bai sat at her dressing table, combing her hair. “This won’t do for Luochuan. This environment is very unfavorable for a child’s learning. I’m worried he won’t be able to keep up when he goes to Shanghai in the future.” She frowned. “I used to think that elementary school would be fine, and that if he needed to catch up on any schoolwork, it wouldn’t be too late to start in middle school. And we’ve also hired Mr. Wei to teach him, so he’s not worse off than the children in other places. But now…”

Bai Jingrong had always been a man of few words. He just looked up at his wife, his gaze gentle. “You want to transfer Luochuan to another school, right?”

Mrs. Bai sat there and sighed, then looked up at her husband. “Luochuan can’t stay here anymore.”

Bai Jingrong said, “Let’s take this slowly. We still have to work on Dad’s side.”

Mrs. Bai bit her lip and nodded.

Mi Yang became famous after one fight. The children in the compound had all more or less participated, and not a single one said a bad word about Mi Yang. Instead, they were all imitating the unreasonable behavior of the Li family’s child. When their own children said this, the parents also had an opinion of the Li family. Especially since Mi Yang was an outstanding student who had skipped a grade, and Mi Zehai and his wife had also made a good impression over the years. They already had a preconceived notion in their minds, and now they were even more biased towards Mi Yang.

Regimental Commander Li’s days were not easy. Although no one deliberately tripped him up, it was inevitable that he would be held to a stricter standard on some daily matters. His professional ability was average, and he was so busy that he was overwhelmed. Let alone being promoted another rank, he was grateful that he hadn’t been demoted. Not long after, he was sent to the grassroots level due to a mistake at work. After a few years of decline, he was transferred to a local post and slowly disappeared from the news.