Little Taotie blinked, eyes flickering: "I... I ca up with the idea."
"Ha!"
Chen Zi was furious: "A real hero you are!"
Little Taotie hung her head, feeling guilty.
"Speak the truth!"
"It’s , it really is ."
Her own skin was thick, she wasn’t afraid of a beating, but Little Jinzi and Xiao Lingzhi were afraid of pain, so she was willing to take all the bla herself.
Little Taotie spoke once more, firmly: "It was all ! I forced them into it!"
Chen Zi pinched his brow, sowhat helpless.
He believed he understood Zaizai, and this wasn’t sothing Zaizai would start.
Yet this little girl insisted on taking the bla.
"Fine, let’s say it was you. Want to know your punishnt?"
Little Taotie pursed her lips, turned around, sticking out her rear, looking as if facing death: "Hit ."
Chen Zi: "..."
Outside the door, the Island Master let out a goose-like laugh upon hearing this.
Teacher Beibei, helpless: "Go easy."
The Island Master shrugged: "They were going to find out anyway."
The Island Master swaggered in, smiling: "What punishnt, what punishnt, kids are small and don’t know better, being a little mischievous is normal, isn’t it? Here on this island, not the Hua Country, hitting kids is illegal, are you sure you want to hit them?"
Chen Zi, annoyed: "When did I say I was going to hit any kids!"
Little Taotie blinked, "You’re not hitting ?"
She let out a small breath of relief, her lips secretly curving upwards.
Great! I’m not getting hit!
I’m taking all the bla, I’m the culprit, and if I’m not getting hit, then Xiao Lingzhi and Little Jinzi shouldn’t be either, right?
Chen Zi noticed the little girl sneaking a laugh, feeling a bit vexed, yet also helpless.
The Island Master held Little Taotie’s small hand, smiling: "You could have just co to the bar to find , why the need for the three of you to stack Arhats? You were at the bottom, the hardest position, was it tiring?"
Little Taotie, feeling cared for, imdiately poured out her complaints: "And dancing too, it’s a bit hard to grasp, a bit tiring, and it was stifling and not well-ventilated..."
Chen Zi saw the two chatting, feeling helpless.
Teacher Beibei smiled and asked: "Want to step outside for so air?"
Chen Zi glared at him, but followed him out anyway.
The night sea breeze carried a faint salty scent.
"Little Taotie has changed a lot."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zi frowned at him.
Teacher Beibei chuckled: "Compared to the last ti we fild together, she’s much more lively and cheerful this ti."
Chen Zi remained silent.
"Actually, isn’t this great?" Teacher Beibei raised an eyebrow. "Soone to laugh, go crazy, make mischief with — such a childhood is joyful and worth rembering."
Chen Zi sighed deeply as a gust of sea wind blew in.
"Do you know about her past?"
Teacher Beibei nodded: "I didn’t know initially, but later looked into it. After all, I was going to bring her to the treasure, needed to spend ten days with her, initially just wanted to know her likes, what foods she enjoyed. Upon finding out about her past, I was shocked, astonished, then angry, and eventually thankful."
"Thankful that she saved her big brother, and thankful that her big brother saved her and adopted her."
"I dread to think, whether without this mutual rescue, she would have ended up as tragically as those children deceased abroad by the heartless agency."
Chen Zi listened quietly, after a while, lightly sighing: "If I could have t her earlier, she wouldn’t have starved or froze, wouldn’t have been beaten or scolded, would have had a better childhood."
"Actually, it’s not too late now. Although these three kids together cause quite a ruckus, Little Taotie is happy."
"I’m assured about Xiao Lingzhi, but Little Jinzi..." Chen Zi hesitated: "After all, she’s new."
"You insist on pointing out the culprit, do you think Little Jinzi ca up with the idea? Without Little Jinzi, just Little Taotie and Xiao Lingzhi might not have done these things?"
"Previously, before Xiao Lingzhi arrived, Little Jinzi had already taken her to the casino. Whether it’s a casino or a bar, it’s not where kids should be. Little Jinzi is too wild, perhaps due to educational differences between the two countries; she acts on impulse and curiosity. Without her, Little Taotie and Xiao Lingzhi would be more restrained."
"Is acting on impulse a bad thing? Actually, I’ve always felt that Hua Country’s education is sowhat suffocating kids’ curiosity." Teacher Beibei hesitated, but spoke: "Adults intervene too much, once I saw one child drawing on a wall, another child saw it and did the sa, one was from Hua Country, the other a child from Canada, the Hua Country parents imdiately saying ’you can’t, you mustn’t do that...’"
Teacher Beibei looked at Chen Zi aningfully, "Perhaps, often you think it’s because you care deeply, so there’s criticism, but admittedly that’s interfering with children’s freedom, and this is partly why Hua Country struggles to surpass in the arts field abroad, because from an early age, so much inspiration and creativity are stifled in the bud, too many voices say no, you can’t do this, can’t do that."
Chen Zi listened quietly, after a long ti, he softly asked: "Overseas’ overly indulgent education, though it doesn’t destroy children’s curiosity and creativity, it also leads to many reckless, gun-toting criminals, right?"
Teacher Beibei was taken aback, then laughed: "True, there’s both pros and cons to everything. I say this only because choosing friends is Little Taotie’s freedom. You can’t stop her from befriending people like Little Jinzi just because she isn’t perfect or has shortcomings. In the future, she will still have to face all kinds of people alone; today’s prevention is rely an avoidance, it doesn’t change the future, it might lead to misjudgnts. Knowing diverse people in childhood is better than not recognizing them when older."
"Perhaps... you’re right."
Chen Zi actually doesn’t wish for Little Taotie to involve much with Little Jinzi.
Indeed, he tends to intervene.
If Little Taotie said today that Little Jinzi was the mastermind, Chen Zi would tell her to stay away from Little Jinzi, then show the video to Little Jinzi, who might think Little Taotie betrayed her and would also distance herself from Little Taotie.
Quietly distancing would be the best outco.
But Teacher Beibei saw through his thoughts, and despite his rough appearance, Teacher Beibei has a subtle mind.
...
Jin Yishan stood before Little Jinzi, towering over and scolding her.
Little Jinzi sat on the bench, hands obediently placed on knees, sitting upright, not daring to move.
"Ha, growing skills, ssing around on your own is one thing, but coming up with ideas to involve Little Taotie and Xiao Lingzhi too!"
"I..." Little Jinzi wanted to deny it, to say it wasn’t her idea.
But on second thought, it seed she couldn’t sleep and suggested going to the bar for insights.
Little Jinzi, feeling aggrieved: "It’s because I heard big sis was going, I was curious, I wanted to see too!"
"The plan to go to Hua Country is canceled; return to H country once the program ends." Jin Yishan spoke harshly.
Little Jinzi wailed: "I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, I even made arrangents with Sister Little Taotie! Sister Xiao Lingzhi even introduced to a play! I want to go to Hua Country! Big sis, I was wrong, won’t ss around again, really, I beg you..."
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