Chapter 945: Educating the Children (Extra Chapter 2 for Alliance Leader Moonlight Soda)

Ye Ye Yaohua also said very seriously, "Who lets such a small child play with fire? And dare to burn a female classmate's hair? Your audacity is too great. You may be playful as usual, but your nature is too bad."

Ye Chenghe tucked his neck in even tighter.

"Go back and tell your father and mother to discipline you properly. Playing with fire to burn a female classmate's braid at such a young age—what will you be like when you grow up?"

Ye Yaodong suddenly felt that the children in his family were making too much of a scene. They had everything other children didn't, and not just one thing; they had everything the children envied and wanted.

They were all getting a bit swollen-headed. They really needed to be disciplined properly, or else they would become even more unruly when they grew up, even more rebellious, and prone to going astray.

Tonight when we get back, I'll confiscate all their toys and equipment. They can only play on weekends; on normal days, playing is not allowed.

Playing with things kills ambition. With so many good things in hand, don't even think about studying properly.

This incident today has also served as a wake-up call for me. I can't buy them toys anymore, nor spoil them like this.

On the surface, being good to them and doting on them is actually harming them.

Children in other families are just barely getting off subsistence, while they already possess "luxuries" that ordinary children cannot have.

Ye Chenghe used to be naughty, yes, but not this unruly. At most, he was a bit silly. Now that he's become the village's child king, he's swollen-headed, dares to play with anything bad, and has picked up bad habits.

When they reached the open ground, the other students had already run away, leaving only his family's group of children, their faces flushed red and heads covered in sweat from playing.

Ye Yaodong also said to them seriously, "Ye Chenghe deliberately burned the hair of the female classmate in front of him during class, which is why the teacher kept him behind. The circumstances were too egregious. Did any of you do something like this?"

Everyone shook their heads collectively.

"The teacher said that if it happens again, you'll be directly expelled. Because while being naughty and playing around is one thing, you cannot bully female classmates, especially by playing with fire."

"You're half-grown children, yet you brought a box of matches to school. What do you think you're doing? Are you preparing to burn down the school? You burned a female classmate's hair; what if you actually burned her? What will you use to compensate?"

"When we get back, your mother will skin you alive, take off your pants, and beat you."

Ye Ye Yaohua also said, "None of you are to imitate him. Playing with fire at such a young age—what will you be like when you grow up? If you hurt someone, it won't be something that can be brushed off with 'the child is still small and naughty.' If I find out any of you are bullying classmates, I'll break your hands when you get back."

Ye Chenghe lowered his head even lower.

"Alright, the sun is about to set. Hurry back. When you get back, tell your eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law to educate you properly. You're too disobedient. In a moment, all these toys will be confiscated; you can only play on weekends."

A chorus of wails instantly erupted from everyone.

"It's not our fault, Dad..."

"Yeah... one person takes responsibility for their own actions..."

"Shut up. You've all been very disobedient these past few months. You played crazy all summer and haven't recovered yet. If you keep playing like this, next year you'll just have to go home and herd sheep."

"Herding sheep is fine then."

Ye Yaodong gave Ye Chenghu a sharp rap on the head. "If you don't go to school, you won't even be able to count how many sheep you're herding. Be serious. You could score a hundred points last semester. If you can't score ninety this semester, you won't get to play with your toys either. Confiscated for the whole semester."

"Ah~"

"Ye Ye Chenghai too. Where did you put your head? I told you to go home and find your parents, but you only cared about playing yourself. How old are you? Still so greedy for play. You forget the tasks assigned to you the moment you turn around. Is life too good for you now?"

Ye Ye Chenghai smiled sheepishly. "I was wrong, Third Uncle."

"What's the use of apologizing to me? Go back and get beaten together."

Ye Ye Chenghai's shoulders instantly slumped.

The whole group of children also hung their heads in dejection. They had only played for the first day, and now they were being confiscated.

Ye Yaodong and Ye Ye Yaohua each pushed a bicycle; neither allowed the children to ride, making them walk back instead.

Behind them trailed a line, all looking like defeated roosters.

After entering the village, the village children saw them and actively ran over to greet them, but they had no mood to pay attention.

The treasures are gone; what's the point of playing anymore?

The three sisters-in-law at home had been waiting for so long without seeing anyone that they had already started cursing at the door. They had already grabbed whips in advance. Seeing them return, they cursed even louder and swung the whips.

Ye Ye Yaohua also told Ye Ye Dasao about Ye Chenghe's incident. This made her so angry she forgot to beat the other two.

She immediately took off his pants and beat him.

Ye Chenghe's calves had already started trembling with fear, but he knew he had caused trouble. Normally, when beaten, he would jump around and dodge, but this time he didn't dare dodge at all. He stood there and took the beating straight on, crying with tears and snot streaming down his face, saying he was wrong.

Ye Yaodong hurriedly reminded her that Ye Ye Chenghai also needed to be beaten; he had played so much he forgot to call for his parents.

Ye Ye Chenghai was on the verge of tears. Seeing that his father and mother were truly angry this time, glaring at him like tigers, he didn't dare dodge either and quickly admitted his mistake.

The other children knew that Ye Chenghe's circumstances today were extremely egregious, so they also obediently took their beatings.

Children have their own sense of crisis in their hearts; they have a scale in their hearts to measure danger. They know for themselves when they can joke and play around, and when they must obediently take a beating.

After Ye Yaodong handed the children over to Lin Lin Xiuqing for discipline, he confiscated his own two children's roller skates. He then went to the room to confiscate their bicycles, but he couldn't find them no matter how hard he looked.

When he came out and asked, he learned that they had cunningly hidden them around the sacks used for packing dried fish.

"Very good, very smart. Just in time, I'm sending all the dried fish to the city tomorrow. I'll give them to people to buy dried fish and send them little car toys."

"No, Dad! I hid them by the sacks against the wall, stuffed quite deep inside. Look for them again. Don't give them to others. Confiscate them first."

"I hid them on the ground, under the sacks of dried fish."

Ye Yaodong couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. They really knew how to hide things.

Fortunately, they weren't stupid enough to hide them inside the sacks. If they went to school and he loaded all the goods onto the truck to transport to the city, and the scales weighed hundreds of jin, where would they go to find them?

After searching and confiscating all the toys, Lin Lin Xiuqing was also tired from beating them. She made them stand in the corner and forbade them from eating.

For dinner, only the couple, Ye Ye Xiaoxi, and the old lady ate first.

It's nothing for children to miss a meal. Besides, later the old lady will naturally feel sorry for her great-grandchildren and make something for them to eat.

While Ye's father and mother were beating the children earlier, they had already gone next door to help educate them.

After they finished eating, the two of them returned and said that Ye Ye Yaopeng and Ye Ye Dasao hadn't eaten either. They had taken the children, along with the mooncakes and toys bought from home, and gone next door to apologize in person.

"It's all because you spoil the children all day long. They've all been spoiled like this. Buying this and that all day. No more buying from now on. You don't even know to come back for meals."

This time, Ye Yaodong didn't dare talk back and obediently apologized as well.

"I was wrong, Mother. Next time, I won't buy them this and that again."

He should just buy things for himself and his wife. Let the children play in the sand; it saves them from having such an excessive sense of superiority.

Ye Mu glanced at him, it was rare to see him admit his mistake.

"Also, about that scholarship and financial aid matter, the village committee went to negotiate with the school principal this afternoon. The principal was also very pleased. I heard it's already been announced, and they'll have the teachers visit tomorrow the children who dropped out this semester and last semester."

"That's good, just let the village committee handle it with the school."

"You're going to the city tomorrow, right?"

"Mm."

"It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival too. Why not close up shop for two days and let the in-laws come back to celebrate? They've never stopped working. It's a holiday after all, it wouldn't be right to be away from home."

Ye Yaodong nodded. "I have that plan. This trip I'll deliver more goods, and on the way back pick up my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Let's see if my brothers-in-law are willing to come back. If they are, I'll pick everyone up in one trip. Money can always be earned; when it's time for a holiday, take the holiday; when it's time to rest, take the rest."

"Exactly. You still need to rest during the holidays. You normally never rest. Your brothers-in-law still run that breakfast shop, getting up in the early hours of the morning, working most of the day. If they never rest, people will wear themselves out."

"Mm."

Lin Lin Xiuqing's heart stirred a little hearing this. "How about I go with you tomorrow? So they won't be reluctant to rest just to earn money. I'll go take a look too. I've never been, I don't even know which way our own shop's front door faces."

"Sure, if you don't have anything going on, then let's go together. Leave in the morning, come back in the afternoon. I'll take you around the city, see what you want to buy for the holiday, you pick some things."

"Nothing much to buy, we have everything at home. I just want to go take a look."

Ye Mu also said: "Then don't bring Little Jiu, leave her at home for your dad to watch, let him play with her."

"That's fine too."

"Dad, did you take my bike out yet…" Ye Chenghu stood pressed against the corner of the wall, saying weakly.

Ye Yaodong glanced at him, not answering his words. "Stand up straight for me. Both shoulders open and pressed against the wall, your butt against it too, heels against the wall too. Both hands straight down together, palms pressed against your thighs."

He said one instruction, the two children followed along doing it, their figures immediately ramrod straight.

"From now on, standing as punishment must meet this standard. Got it?"

"Got it."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi curiously just watched with her eyes.

Ye Yaodong patted her head. "Your brothers are too naughty. You have to be good in the future, sensible, obedient. Got it?"

"Got it! Good good… not good… hit hit!"

She blurted out two words at a time, her pronunciation babyish, but you could just barely make out what she was saying.

"Mm, if you're good there are rewards, if you're naughty you get hit."

"Want doll!"

"Already starting to ask for rewards? Eat your rice first."

Lin Lin Xiuqing asked him again, "If you're taking your motorcycle to the province to be repaired the day after tomorrow, if you call tomorrow to make an appointment, will there be enough time? Going there will take a day or two, right?"

"I'll see how it goes. I won't be free tomorrow morning. I'll call when I get back early tomorrow afternoon, or I'll go after Mid-Autumn Festival."

Running around these past couple days, if I don't send it for repair the day after tomorrow, I can just rest a day. Sending it after Mid-Autumn Festival is fine too.

It's been sitting at home this long anyway, one or two more days won't matter. I'll call tomorrow afternoon first, make an appointment and see what they say.

"Can it even be repaired? Don't go messing around for nothing, Bai Yong Gong, running back and forth to the province is such a hassle. You can't even take the train, carrying this big lump, you can only take a tractor trip."

"Still have to try. If it can be repaired, that's a huge win. If it can't, then I'll give up."

"Fussing…"