Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s

Part 100 Xiaohan was beaten

His gaze fell on Sinian.

Sinian's mouth twitched slightly as she greeted, "Hello, Mr. Wang. I'm Sinian, Xiaohan's mother."

A hint of surprise flickered in Mr. Wang's eyes, then he remembered something, looking somewhat embarrassed as he nodded, "Hello, I'm Wang Jianguo, Xiaohan's homeroom teacher."

He was actually quite familiar with the situation at the 周's. During a previous parent-teacher conference for Zhou Yuedong, a woman claiming to be their stepmother had attended. Mr. Wang not only taught this class but also Zhou Yuedong's class. Zhou Yuedong excelled academically and was intelligent, so the teachers paid a lot of attention to him. When that woman came for the parent-teacher conference, Zhou Yuedong looked visibly upset. Upon investigation, it was found out she was his stepmother. Although somewhat surprised, it was someone else's private matter, so he didn't say anything. Until one day, there was a rumor spreading in school that Zhou Yuedong's younger brother had been poisoned by his stepmother. The rumor caused quite a stir. Fortunately, the child was fine and was rescued. The woman was also arrested. He had breathed a sigh of relief then. He didn't expect to encounter a similar situation now, but unlike the previous two children's fearful reactions, Zhou Yuehan seemed to like the person in front of him. He nodded slightly, "You came at the right time. I want to talk to you about Xiaodong and Xiaohan's situation at school."

"Xiaohan, go out and play," Mr. Wang said.

Zhou Yuehan's face tightened. Without even thinking, he knew the teacher must be talking about his academic performance. He nervously glanced at Sinian and didn't let go of her hand. Sinian patted his head and said, "Go play." Only then did Zhou Yuehan turn around dejectedly and leave.

Mr. Wang didn't want to tell the parents in front of the child that his academic performance was poor, fearing it would discourage him. That's why he sent Zhou Yuehan away. But indeed, Zhou Yuehan's grades were not good. They were even considered poor. He lacked patience and concentration, always easily distracted. While his brother consistently ranked first in academics, Zhou Yuehan consistently ranked last. Mr. Wang felt he was a very intelligent child but lacked focus, with his attention not on academics. That's why he wanted to talk to Sinian. Who Sinian was, he naturally understood.

Children are unpredictable and without supervision, naturally, they won't make an effort to study. Unlike Zhou Yuedong, who was instilled with the idea of studying hard by his parents, and since Zhou Yueshen didn't pay much attention, he didn't take it seriously. Although Zhou Yuedong tries to discipline him, he's too soft-hearted toward his younger brother. Sinian also understands the importance of education in this era, but she won't force her children to study. They should learn based on their happiness, that's what she wants. However, before they could sort things out, they heard a commotion from the other side. A little girl hurried over to report, "Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang, come quick, Zhou Yuehan and Zhu Youcai are fighting!" Upon hearing this, Mr. Wang's expression changed dramatically, "What? Where? Take me to see." Sinian's face also changed upon hearing that Zhou Yuehan was fighting with someone, and she quickly followed.

In the back of the classroom, two children were rolling on the ground, pinching and biting each other. A group of kids gathered around, occasionally exclaiming, "Stop fighting!" "The teacher is coming!" Sinian followed closely behind and saw Zhou Yuehan riding on another child about the same age, pulling his hair with an angry expression on his little face. Mr. Wang quickly approached and pulled the two children apart. "What's going on with you two? Stand properly!" With a stern reprimand, he finally brought the two impulsive children back to their senses. When Sinian approached, she immediately noticed the red nail marks on Xiao Laoer's cheeks, deep enough to draw blood. Sinian's expression immediately soured as she looked at the tearful Xiao Laoer and asked, "What happened, Xiaohan?" The little girl who had brought them over explained, "It was Zhu Youcai. Earlier, when Xiaohan was sharing snacks with us, he didn't give any to Zhu Youcai. So Zhu Youcai came over and started cursing Xiaohan, saying that the snacks Xiaohan gave us were poisoned, and that Xiaohan's mom was trying to poison him. He told everyone not to play with Xiaohan. When Xiaohan scolded him, he knocked over Xiaohan's lunchbox and then they started fighting." Zhou Yuehan didn't expect Zhu Youcai to be so outrageous. When he knocked over his lunchbox, Zhou Yuehan pushed him in anger, and Zhu Youcai punched him in the face and scratched him hard, leaving bloody marks all over his face.

After the little girl finished speaking, Zhou Yuehan looked at Sinian with tears in his eyes, crying, "Mom, it hurts." Sinian was furious and quickly pulled out tissues from her bag to wipe the bloodstains on his face. Zhou Yuehan immediately felt relieved as the burning pain on his face eased a bit. "You! Who hit you? Show yourself!" At that moment, a middle-aged woman hurried over, looking at her son with a swollen and bruised face, shouting in distress. The woman was wearing a floral long-sleeved shirt, gray pants, and a pair of delicate leather shoes. Her hair was neatly tied up, giving her an air of sophistication that didn't seem like someone from an ordinary family. Sinian felt that this woman looked familiar. After careful consideration, she realized that she was a saleswoman at the cooperative store. She had been there before, and remembered her haughty demeanor. People working at the cooperative store had prestigious jobs in those days, so it wasn't uncommon for them to have arrogant attitudes. No wonder this kid called Zhu Youcai dressed differently from the other children. "Auntie, Zhou Yuehan hit me..." Seeing his family arrive, Zhu Youcai pointed at Zhou Yuehan and burst into tears. The people around looked at Zhu Youcai and his grandmother, their faces filled with fear. Everyone in the neighborhood knew who the wealthy families were, and who held positions of power. Zhu Youcai's grandfather was the secretary of the village committee, and his grandmother was a saleswoman at the cooperative store in the market.

Many families often tried to please Zhu Youcai, and they didn't hesitate to encourage their own children to build a good relationship with him. Zhu Youcai, relying on his family's wealth and power, had always been very arrogant at school. He frequently bullied other students, snatching their snacks and candies, pulling girls' hair, and so on. Despite all these incidents, people dared not speak up or confront him, fearing retaliation, and thus they remained silent. This silence only emboldened Zhu Youcai further. Previously, he often bullied Zhou Yuehan, mocking him as a motherless bastard. Zhou Yuehan had always endured it, but this time Zhu Youcai had gone too far. Not only did he spill the lunchbox prepared by Zhou Yuehan's mother, but he also insulted his mother, accusing her of being a poison-wielding witch who wanted to kill him.