Chapter 277 Did you fall or did your mom hit you?

Chapter 277: Did You Fall, or Did Your Mom Hit You?

Was Fatty really picked up? (Note: "Fatty" is a nickname.)

This was even an "inside scoop" that Auntie Zhong, who usually knows everything, couldn’t uncover, otherwise she would have said it long ago.

Mo Jiazhe's colleague is named Li Kuan, a tanned and solid young man who looks particularly honest. The type who clearly wouldn’t lie.

"Why are you looking at me? Didn't you all know?" Li Kuan scratched the back of his head and asked.

Mo Jiazhe said irritably, "How should we know? Forget it, that's not the point, let’s go in and see what's going on."

Chenchen, with his short legs, tugged on Mo Jiazhe's sleeve, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Mo Jiazhe squeezed his little chubby hand: "You can't go in, it's okay, the adults will handle it. You kids go on and play."

"Bro, Fatty's mom was really beating Fatty really hard just now, she couldn’t hear us at all, I suspect—"

Uncle Mu tapped his own temple, "She’s got something wrong up here."

Li Kuan nodded again: "She does have something wrong up there."

Everyone looked at him in unison: "Huh??"

Li Kuan looked at everyone speechlessly: "Isn’t it clear? She was like this when she was an educated youth in the village, often zoned out, impossible to rouse."

Mo Jiazhe: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about it now, let's go in and see how Fatty is doing. He's not crying anymore, let’s hope he’s okay. You kids, scram!"

After saying that, Mo Jiazhe stepped forward to knock on the door: "Is anyone there? We’re with the neighborhood watch, mind opening the door?"

The children wouldn't leave; they just ran to hide in the alley nearby, their little heads poking out one after another.

No matter how much Mo Jiazhe waved them off, they just wouldn’t leave.

Mo Jiazhe had no choice but to shield them a bit, ensuring that Li Qiuju wouldn't see them when she came out.

Not long after, with a creak, the door to Fatty’s house opened.

Li Qiuju calmly opened the door: "What’s this about?"

"We received a report that your child was crying hysterically, we're here to check the situation," Mo Jiazhe said.

Li Qiuju retorted: "Don’t you have anything better to do than interfere with a few swats on the kid’s behind?"

Mo Jiazhe didn't want to argue with her: "If there’s a report, there’s an investigation. We’re on the clock, we’ve got to file a report. Just let us check on the child."

Just when Mo Jiazhe thought Li Qiuju would strongly oppose, she surprised them by stepping aside to let them in.

"Come in."

Mo Jiazhe and Li Kuan exchanged glances.

Li Kuan walked in, while Mo Jiazhe made a hand gesture behind his back, signaling the children to pull their heads back.

Uncle Mu received the signal and quickly had his little friends hide.

After Mo Jiazhe and the others went in, Li Qiuju indeed poked her head out to glance around.

Some meddlesome neighbor must have caused trouble; her hand was swollen and red, and if she found out who it was, she’d definitely give them an earful.

Seeing no one around, she closed the door.

Mo Jiazhe walked into the yard, which was relatively tidy. Chubby had stopped crying and was lying on a bench, contentedly munching on an egg.

If not for his puffy eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, and damp eyelashes, you’d never guess he’d been bawling his eyes out earlier.

"Are you Li Dafu? Your nickname is Chubby, right?" Mo Jiazhe gently crouched down and asked him.

Chubby nodded vaguely, "Yes."

"Did your mom just spank you?" Mo Jiazhe asked again.

Chubby instinctively glanced at Li Qiuju.

Mo Jiazhe also looked at her, expecting her to give Chubby some kind of hint, but Li Qiuju didn’t even glance at Chubby.

She cut in and answered for him, "Yes, I did. He was being too naughty, so I spanked him. It’s still swollen now. Got any more questions? Or do I need your okay to discipline my own kid?"

Mo Jiazhe: "..."

"Kids are young, and as a parent, you’ve got to be careful with discipline. A light spanking as a warning is none of our business.

But if you hit him so hard he can’t even move, and his body is seriously injured, we have the right to detain you."

Li Qiuju sneered, "Officer, weren’t you ever hit by your parents when you were a child? Did you call the cops on them and have them locked up?"

Mo Jiazhe: "..." He and Uncle Mu got beaten plenty growing up, and even now, Director Zhong would occasionally hit him, though never too hard—just a light smack to show she was mad.

"Discipline needs to be measured. The person who reported you said you were beating the life out of him, causing serious harm, which warrants detention."

Li Qiuju: "What’s ‘serious’ supposed to mean?" She pointed at Chubby, "Is this serious?"

"Chubby, do you know why you got spanked?" Li Qiuju suddenly asked.

Chubby nodded while munching on the egg, "I know."

Li Qiuju: "Will you dare to do it again?"

Chubby: "No! I want another egg!"

Li Qiuju shot him a cold look and, in front of Mo Jiazhe and the others, went into the kitchen to fetch another egg and handed it to Chubby:

"Tell them if I was right to teach you a lesson. Did I hurt you?"

Chubby wiped the tears off his chubby face with his hand, grinning as he took the egg:

"Yes, yes, yes! After a spanking, I get eggs and meat. I don’t mind getting hit, and I don’t mind the pain!"

Mo Jiazhe: "..."

This was a classic case of the carrot and the stick. Was this kind of education really effective?

"Chubby, can you get up now?" Mo Jiazhe asked.

Chubby shook his head, "No, my mom broke my leg yesterday..."

"That was you tripping on your own," Li Qiuju interrupted him.

Fatty remembered the delicious chicken leg he ate yesterday and licked his lips: "Yes, yes, I fell by myself!"

Mo Jiazhe and Li Kuan exchanged glances.

"Fatty, tell us the truth. Did you fall, or did your mom hit you?"

Fatty had a mouthful of egg yolk; he had taken too big a bite and was choking, frantically pointing at his mouth.

Li Qiuju shot him a cold glance and handed him some water.

Fatty couldn't drink water well while lying down and wanted to turn over. But the wooden bench lost balance, and he, along with the enamel mug, fell to the ground.

Fatty's swollen buttocks hit the ground, and the pain made him vomit the egg, bursting into tears.

Mo Jiazhe rushed to help him up, while Li Kuan blocked Li Qiuju's path.

Mo Jiazhe took the opportunity to pull down Fatty's pants, and what he saw inside was horrifying, even for a grown man like him...