Chu Xia ignores Hei Gouzi's mother. She shielded Cen Huai'an, turned around, and asked him, "An'an, can you tell Mom what happened?"
When he was dragged over by Hei Gouzi's mother by his collar, his clean and tidy clothes became dirty, his face still had blood marks from being scratched, his eyes were wrapped in tears, and he was stubbornly pursing his lips, dying to keep the tears from falling.
As soon as Chu Xia asked, the tears couldn't be held back any longer. He pointed at Hei Gouzi with a crying voice and anger, saying, "He called me a xiǎo pò làn, a liar, and said my clothes were stolen! I'm not a liar, and I'm not a thief!"
He didn't want to cry; he didn't want to seem weak, so he desperately wiped his face with his hands and turned his head to the side, not wanting others to see him cry.
Chu Xia wraps her arms around him, letting him lie against her, and said to Hei Gouzi's mother, "I believe my son; ask your son if he insulted mine. My son's clothes were bought by me, and he went out to play after having a meal. If your son didn't insult him, he wouldn't have bitten yours."
They all lived in the same residential area; who do not know who. Hei Gouzi's mother was known for spoiling her son excessively.
She was also known for being hot-tempered, and didn't easily back down.
Hearing Chu Xia's words, she pointed at Chu Xia's nose and cursed, "You're so poor; can you keep the money? Can you afford to buy clothes? Cut the crap; I don't care about all that. The fact is,my son was beaten by your son; pay for it!"
"Pay for what?" Chu Xia replied calmly. "I haven't even mentioned the scratches on my son's face. What if his handsome face gets a scar? How much will you compensate for that? And, do you even know how much this outfit my son is wearing cost? Look at this, it's all torn up. It's brand new; how can you pay for it? And as for whether I can hold onto money or not, what's it to you? Are you so eager for my money that you're thinking of stealing it when no one's around? Oh my, our residential complex might have a real thief soon."
Chu Xia pointed at Hei Gouzi's mother in surprise, and the people around them laughed at Hei Gouzi's mother for making a big deal out of it.
Children fighting was normal, as long as there was no malicious intent. Adults usually didn't interfere; otherwise, neighborly relations would be strained.
But Hei Gouzi's mother wasn't one to let things go and insisted on monetary compensation. Both kids were injured, so who should pay who? It's so funny that people are losing teeth!
Hei Gouzi's mother was left embarrassed and angry by Chu Xia's comments and started using foul language and curses.
Dealing with someone like her in a shouting match was impossible; she had become unreasonable.
Chu Xia's face turned pale, and she suddenly covered her chest with one hand. Tears streamed down her face, making her look pitiful and helpless.
"Woo~ You're bullying me too much. My husband is not at home, so you're bullying the mother and child, finding an excuse to extort money. If we don't pay, you resort to name-calling and cursing. Is there no justice left in this world? Zhengnian, you've gone to contribute to the country, but your wife and son are being bullied to death. I'm going to find the head of the labor union, the secretary, and the factory manager. I won't believe there's no one to reason with in the entire Textile Mill No. 3. Woo~"
She sobbed while speaking, and her tears couldn't stop falling. When she looked at the foul-mouthed shrewd opposite her, who insisted on the compensation money, everyone's opinion quickly shifted.
While crying, Chu Xia pulled her son and started to walk downstairs.
The surrounding neighbors quickly stopped her and began to rebuke Hei Gouzi's mother, "Enough is enough! Can't you see you're not acting like a mother? Your language is so offensive, and there are so many children listening!"
"That's right. Children fighting is not a common thing, and besides, it was Hei Gouzi who insulted first. An'an also got hurt. You're completely in the wrong for insisting on money, and it's unacceptable."
"Chu Xia's husband is a soldier serving our country. We all live in the same residential building, and instead of helping, you're bullying others. Do you really want us to call the head of the labor union to give you a good talk?"
When Hei Gouzi's mother heard that the union chairman was going to be called over, she pulled her son over and said with a stern face, "I...I didn't say I really wanted it, ah."
Then she quickly rubbed oil on her soles and ran away.
Others began to comfort Chu Xia, telling her not to take it to heart and that Hei Gouzi's mother was an unreasonable shrewd. In the future, she should just ignore her.
Chu Xia still had tears on her face, and while sobbing, she said, "Even if she's unreasonable, you can't bully people like this! Her son insulted mine, and she wanted to come to our home and scold us. If I'm soft today, will she continue to bully us, mother and son?
"No, no," everyone said hurriedly. "We will all help you. If she dares to come to your door again, we'll help you scold her!"
"Right!" Sister Li chimed in. "If she dares to come back, I'll be the first to come up and scold her!"
Chu Xia thanked them with gratitude; it was more than enough for her.
But, even so, she planned to see if the head of the labor union would come to visit her tomorrow to understand the situation. Maybe he would have a word with Hei Gouzi's mother.
If not, she didn't mind running to the labor union to cry again.
Everyone knows that Cen Zhengnian is a soldier, but Chu Xia knows more about him. He's an important researcher affiliated with the National Defense Institute and is under protection by the state.
Such a status is kept confidential from the outside world, and if Chu Xia hadn't received the contents of the book, she wouldn't have known about it.
Although the factory manager wasn't clear about what Cen Zhengnian exactly did in the military, he had received instructions to treat Cen Zhengnian's family well and not to let anyone bully them.
The original owner's and Cen Huai'an's situation was a family matter, and the labor union operated under the factory manager's leadership. Chu Xia hadn't reported the issue, so they could only advise her to take care of herself and her son first, as there was nothing else they could do.
After all, it was someone's family matter, and Chu Xia didn't ask for the labor union's help. Cen Huai'an does not know anything, and he didn't appear to be abused, except for his shabby clothes. There was no reason for them to intervene.
As for reporting to the factory manager, that was even less likely. The factory manager was busy, and it wasn't a significant matter. They also didn't know the background of Chu Xia and An'an, so unless Chu Xia sought their assistance, they wouldn't get involved.
However, if Chu Xia were to be mistreated by outsiders or if she herself came and requested help, then the labor union would undoubtedly support her, especially when she was in the right.
After taking Cen Huai'an inside, Chu Xia first drank a mouthful of the herbal medicine that was already getting cold, then squatted down to inspect the wounds on his body.
Luckily, both of them were children, and their injuries weren't severe, just scratches from fingernails.
Even so, when Chu Xia applied red antiseptic to Cen Huai'an's wounds, she didn't smile, and she didn't look at him.
Cen Huai'an knew she was angry. The antiseptic stung a bit, but he didn't make a sound, gritting his teeth and enduring it.
"Does it hurt?"
Cen Huai'an nodded and then shook his head.
Chu Xia put away the antiseptic, sat on a stool, and looked down at Cen Huai'an. It was the first time she had seen him so well-behaved in front of her.
She gave a snort and said, "Are you stupid? There are so many ways to seek revenge, but you chose the worst one, killing the enemy a thousand times but damaging yourself eight hundred times."
Cen Huai'an didn't understand the meaning of the last sentence his mother said, but he understood that she thought he was foolish for fighting.
"He insulted me," Cen Huai'an felt his heart was unbearable; it was clearly Hei Gouzi who had insulted him first. What was wrong with him hitting him?
"Why are you feeling wronged? I'm not scolding you for fighting; I'm scolding you for fighting and getting hurt," Chu Xia clarified.