Chapter 367: Bizarre Mother and Son
"Sister Lan, I've helped you out again, how are you going to thank me?" Hao Jian said with a playful grin.
"Call me Ruo Lan!" Ruo Lan said unhappily, she had told him countless times not to use formal titles, but Hao Jian just couldn't remember.
"Alright, Ruo Lan," Hao Jian said helplessly.
Only then did Ruo Lan smile contentedly and said, "I'll make you some old fire turkey soup tonight!"
"Mommy! Daddy!" Just then, Little Tongtong walked out from the kindergarten and waved at Hao Jian and Ruo Lan.
Seeing that Hao Jian was also there, the little girl became excited and waved vigorously at Hao Jian.
"Alright, let's go home for dinner," Hao Jian said as he held Tongtong's hand, feeling a warm satisfaction with the life he had and was grateful to have.
"I don't want to go home for dinner, I want to eat at McDonald's," Tongtong said in a whiny tone.
"What's so good about that junk food, we're not eating it," Hao Jian flatly refused, as he had no love for that junk stuff.
"No, I want to eat at McDonald's!" Tongtong insisted stubbornly, as children tend to love these junk foods for their novelty.
Hao Jian and Ruo Lan exchanged a resigned smile and agreed to the little girl's wish, taking her to McDonald's.
"I'll go to the restroom for a moment." Once inside the McDonald's, Ruo Lan told Hao Jian.
"Okay, you go ahead, I'll order," Hao Jian gestured with his hand, then found a seat with Tongtong and instructed her, "Little girl, you wait here for me, Daddy will be back soon, okay?"
"Okay!" Little Tongtong, holding a teddy bear Hao Jian had just bought for her, nodded obediently.
Hao Jian then went to line up, but shortly after he left, a kid from the next table, Big Head, came over, staring at the teddy bear in Tongtong's hands for a while before saying, "Give me the bear!"
"Why should I give it to you? My daddy bought this for me!" Tongtong huffed angrily, pouting her lips, naturally not willing to give up her toy so easily.
"If you don't give it to me, I will hit you!" Big Head raised his fist threateningly at Tongtong, wanting the toy she held.
Back in kindergarten, he was used to taking whatever he wanted by force, so now seeing the toy in Tongtong's hand, he decided to act immediately.
"Even if you hit me, I won't give it!" Tongtong hugged her teddy bear tightly, looking fearfully at Big Head.
Seeing that Tongtong dared to disobey him, Big Head was immediately infuriated and swung his fist at Tongtong's face!
A child's punch might not be very powerful, but it still hurt when it hit Tongtong's face.
Tongtong immediately burst into tears, partly because of the pain and partly because she felt wronged.
As soon as Hao Jian heard Tongtong crying, he hurriedly ran over, and when he saw her crying her heart out, he was momentarily stunned.
Hao Jian quickly picked her up and asked with concern, "Little girl, what happened? Why are you crying?"
"He hit me! He wants to take my toy!" Tongtong pointed at Big Head, looking miserable.
Seeing Hao Jian, the parent, show up, Big Head stepped back a little, seeming somewhat guilty and frightened.
"Hmm?" Hao Jian looked towards Big Head, but seeing that he was just a child, he felt a bit conflicted, as he obviously couldn't just hit the kid.
"I'm sorry, kids are like that sometimes." At that moment, a middle-aged woman adorned in gold and silver came over and apologized to Hao Jian with some embarrassment. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire
Hao Jian responded coldly, "Watch your own child!"
Though he couldn't do much to Big Head, he could certainly express his displeasure to this middle-aged woman.
This middle-aged woman couldn't even keep an eye on her child, causing her to hurt his daughter. How could Hao Jian not be angry?
"Yes, yes, yes." The middle-aged woman hastily agreed, then took her son away.
Hao Jian still looked visibly unsettled as he slowly put Tongtong down, and just then Ruo Lan came back. Seeing Tongtong crying, she couldn't help but ask, "What happened to her?"
"A little friend just bullied her, you stay with her now, I'll go order," Hao Jian explained.
Ruo Lan nodded, not taking it too seriously, and took Tongtong onto her lap, "Come on, Tongtong, don't cry, Mommy's here to comfort you."
Ruo Lan just saw it as a minor scuffle between children, as it's not uncommon for kids to have such conflicts. She thought the matter would settle down, but little did she know, Big Head would soon return.
Big Head glanced at Ruo Lan, hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed the stuffed toy from Tongtong's hands and turned to run!
"Don't steal my toy, it's mine! Give it back to me!" Tongtong was so upset she started crying again.
Ruo Lan was also shocked; she hadn't expected Big Head to dare to steal Tongtong's toy right in front of her. He really had some nerve, didn't he even care about the presence of adults?
This Fatty was indeed frightening, but he only feared men, not women.
"What's the matter with you?" Ruo Lan immediately scolded Big Head.
"Pah!" Big Head glanced at Ruo Lan, and suddenly spit on her face, his arrogance knew no bounds.
That was the last straw for Ruo Lan who stood up, pushed Big Head, knocked him to the ground, and scolded, "Whose child is this? Does no one discipline him?"
Just then, a middle-aged woman who heard the commotion came running over. Seeing her child pushed to the ground, she couldn't help but show her anger.
"Why did you push my child?" the middle-aged woman yelled aggressively.
"Don't you see what your child just did? He stole my daughter's toy and spit on my face. Are you blind?" Ruo Lan wiped her face while she berated the middle-aged woman.
"He's just a child who doesn't know better. Do you really need to make such a big deal out of it?" the middle-aged woman argued, showing no signs of apology but suggesting Ruo Lan was making a mountain out of a molehill.
The customers in the restaurant who were placing orders watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but look puzzled.
"He doesn't know better? So he can spit on people's faces and steal things? It's all about how the parents educate their children!" Ruo Lan hummed angrily, emboldened by Hao Jian's presence, "Why haven't I seen my daughter stealing your son's toys or spitting on your face?"
The onlookers laughed at her words, casting mocking glances at the middle-aged woman.
The middle-aged woman's expression became embarrassed, yet she stubbornly retorted, "How I educate my child is my business, and it's not your place to interfere. You're making a fuss about children fighting; I can't comprehend how narrow-minded you are, but I guess that's typical of poorer people."
When the middle-aged woman noticed that Ruo Lan didn't wear any decent jewelry, she felt a certain disdain.
Unable to outreason Ruo Lan, she resorted to talking nonsense!
"How you educate your child is indeed your business, but only if it doesn't affect others, and right now, it clearly is affecting us," Hao Jian said, carrying a tray of food over.
"I've already apologized, what more do you want?" the middle-aged woman asked impatiently.
"We don't want your apology since your words are as good as flatulence!" Hao Jian scoffed as the middle-aged woman had promised to keep an eye on her son, yet he continued to cause trouble.
Hao Jian picked up Tongtong and then told her with a smile, "Spit on her face!"
Tongtong thought for a moment, then did exactly as instructed, spitting on the middle-aged woman's face.
The middle-aged woman exploded in rage, screaming, "You little brat, how dare you spit on my face?"
"Don't overreact, she's just a child!" Hao Jian quipped sarcastically.
The middle-aged woman was momentarily stunned, then yelled, "Are those the same? You're deliberately teaching your child this, but I never taught my child to do that."
"You didn't? So your son just naturally knows how to steal and spit on people? Hao Jian mocked, as it was clear the behaviour was the result of the middle-aged woman's indulgence.
Hao Jian looked at Big Head and mocked, "So, according to you, your son is naturally a thug and a bandit!"
"That... that was an accident!" the middle-aged woman argued unconvincingly.
"An accident? Then this is an accident too!" Hao Jian cradled Tongtong's cheek and leisurely said, "We never expected that a meal could introduce us to such absurd characters like you and your son!"
Then, Hao Jian handed Tongtong her water bottle, "Tongtong, if he dares to try stealing your toy again, use this to hit him, aim for his head, understand?"
"Hmm, Tongtong understands!" Tongtong nodded.
Upon hearing Hao Jian, the middle-aged woman quickly pulled Big Head to her side, frustratedly said, "Who teaches their child like that? Are you even fit to be a parent?"
"If you don't properly discipline your child, then I have to teach my own, right? As for whether I am fit to be a parent, I don't think you're qualified to judge," Hao Jian looked at the middle-aged woman contemptuously, as she was hardly a qualified parent herself yet dared to lecture others.
Onlookers also couldn't help but show disdain, clearly finding the middle-aged woman's words ridiculous.
They didn't think Hao Jian was wrong. After all, Big Head kept attacking other children. Who could stand that? Hao Jian was even considered patient; if it had been someone else among them, they might have slapped the middle-aged woman or even taught Big Head a lesson themselves.