School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

Li Hengzhong shook his head hastily, saying, "No, no, you've misunderstood. Xiao Han hasn't done anything wrong, it's just that he didn't go to school today, so we came to check on the situation?"

"Wasn't he sent by the school to be an exchange student?" Mother Xiao asked anxiously.

"Not at all!" Liu Jinmei shook her head and said, "Our school doesn't have any exchange student programs. Besides, it wouldn't be possible to have such activities in the senior year.

Mother Xiao was stunned for a moment, and her expression suddenly changed, "How could this be?"

"What exactly is going on?" Li Hengzhong asked urgently.

"I don't know. He just told me there was an exchange program at school, and that he needed to go to the provincial city for two or three days." Mother Xiao became visibly upset, her face a picture of astonishment. "This child, he... he actually lied to me. He deceived me."

"What?" Li Hengzhong and Liu Jinmei and the others were dumbfounded. Xiao Han had actually sneaked out and skipped school too. This... this was too bold, wasn't it?

"Principal, what should we do?" Liu Jinmei asked anxiously.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Maybe, let's wait until he gets back?" Li Hengzhong suggested.

"That's all we can do." Liu Jinmei nodded, looking at Mother Xiao, "How about this, when Xiao Han returns, we'll discuss this matter with him then."

"Teacher Liu, is there really no exchange program?" Mother Xiao still couldn't believe that Xiao Han would deceive her. From his childhood to adulthood, Xiao Han had never lied to her or kept anything from her. Xiao Han was a sensible child, very respectful and obedient towards her. And now, he had lied to her.

Watching Principal Li and the others leave, Mother Xiao's heart suddenly sank into a pit of ice.

A group of people gathered noisily in front of Xiao's house.

"What's with Xiao Han?"

"Such an obedient child, why is he suddenly being so disobedient?"

"Sigh..."

Many people crowded together, chattering endlessly.

The neighbors' word cut deep into Mother Xiao's heart. People always talk too much. Mother Xiao had to endure immense pressure alone. She bit her lip, trying hard not to let her tears fall. Since her husband's death, she had never shed tears, but this time she did.

Her son was her only hope and support. Now that her son was grown, he had started to deceive her. She had trusted him completely. Before he left, she had worried about him being uncomfortable on the trip, so she prepared motion sickness medicine for him; afraid he might need money in the provincial city, she even gave him more than a thousand in cash. But all of this turned out to be a deception.

As the neighbors dispersed, leaving Mother Xiao alone at the scene, she felt very sad and miserable. On the dining table, a dish of pickled vegetables and a dish of fermented bean curd looked particularly glaring. The pot of warm rice also gradually became cold.

......

At the airport, an aircraft from Eastern Airlines arriving from Pearl River landed slowly at LJ City airport.

Xiao Han and Li Dapang got off the plane, and by the time they disembarked, it was already half-past three in the afternoon.

"Xiao Han, heading home?" asked Li Dapang.

"Of course, heading home," Xiao Han nodded, saying, "Where else would I go?"

"But it's Thursday today, how will you explain being home?" Li Dapang asked curiously.

"Don't worry, I've already taken care of that." Xiao Han said, "My mom won't say anything!"

"Alright then!" Li Dapang nodded, saying, "I'll go get the motorcycle and then I'll take you home."

Li Dapang rode the motorcycle with Xiao Han directly to the downtown area.

Arriving at Fuxing Community.

"Xiao Han, you're back?" Old Liu hurriedly waved hello.

"Oh, I'm back," Xiao Han nodded, saying, "Old Liu, playing chess?"

"Yeah." Old Liu nodded, saying, "Hurry home, where have you been running wild this time?"

"Heh heh…" Xiao Han didn't say anything, just headed straight for his house.

Yet, Xiao Han suddenly had an ominous premonition that made him uncomfortable. Because he could feel it wasn't quite right. Along the way, many people were giving him strange looks. Xiao Han was very baffled and puzzled, what was going on? Why was everyone looking at him as if he were a thief? Could he have done something wrong?

Or could it be because he left school too early today?

At that thought, Xiao Han breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he approached the entrance of his house, Xiao Han immediately saw Mother Xiao sitting under the old locust tree at the front. She sat on a grinding stone, leaning against the old locust tree, her gaze fixed on the distant intersection. She seemed like a Wangfushi, earnestly hoping for her husband to return home early.

Mother Xiao had lost her husband, leaving only her son, who was all her hope. And now, this hope had broken her heart.

"Mom, you…" Xiao Han walked over and asked, "Why didn't you go to work?"

"You're back?" Mother Xiao asked blandly.

She had been sitting here all morning and afternoon. She would wait here for her son to come back. When her son returned, she would stand up. If her son didn't return, she would never stand up again.

"Mmm," Xiao Han nodded.

Just as Xiao Han was about to walk inside, suddenly a crisp voice sounded from behind, "Kneel!"

"Mom?" Xiao Han was stunned.

"You kneel down for me!" Mother Xiao suddenly shouted angrily.

Thud...

Xiao Han did not hesitate, and immediately knelt down after the second call. He didn't ask for reasons.

"Do you know why I asked you to kneel?" Mother Xiao asked.

"I..." Xiao Han clenched his teeth. His mind was racing. At this moment, he had realized the truth had been exposed, but he could only accept the outcome. He knelt on the concrete floor, head down, without saying a word.

"Why did you lie to me?" tears streamed down Mother Xiao's cheeks; her body trembled, her face turned pale.

"Mom, I... I didn't lie to you!" Xiao Han shook his head.

"You dare to lie still, you dare to lie!" Mother Xiao trembled with fury. She turned around, fetched a rattan stick from inside the house, and harshly lashed it across Xiao Han's back.

Smack!

The rattan struck Xiao Han's back.

Hisss...

Xiao Han sharply inhaled from the pain, which made him tremble all over.

"Little Xiao, stop hitting him, the child can't take this kind of torment." Old Liu had followed Xiao Han to see the commotion, but never expected Mother Xiao to actually get serious. Previously, Mother Xiao had always been extremely loving towards Xiao Han. Not to mention hitting, she wouldn't even bear to scold him.

After all, Xiao Han was her flesh and blood, her only hope. Even when Xiao Han came last in his exams, Mother Xiao never scolded him.

But today, she got serious with Xiao Han.

"Indeed, stop hitting him." An old lady nearby quickly said, "Kids make mistakes, right? Besides, Xiao Han is usually so obedient. It's rare for him to make a mistake, don't take it too seriously."

Many neighbors were trying to persuade her.

But Mother Xiao would not listen.

Smack smack smack!

Three more strikes, and Xiao Han's jacket was torn by the thorny rattan, his back flesh and blood muddled immediately.

Xiao Han was in tears from the pain, having never suffered like this before. Today, he was beaten until his skin was torn and flesh burst by this thorny rattan. Xiao Han knew his mother's fury, as well as her pain. Being deceived by her only son felt like all her hopes and reliance had collapsed.

Since his father had passed away, his mother had relied solely on him. Xiao Han also knew that he was everything to her, her entire world, and also her emotional support. Now that this support was shaken, how could she not be angry? Xiao Han clenched his teeth as he endured this pain, knowing that everything he had done was for his mother, for their home, but he had to bear all this pain.

"Do you realize your mistake?" Mother Xiao said through gritted teeth.

"I do!" Xiao Han nodded.

"Why did you lie to me!" Mother Xiao raised the rattan stick and fiercely struck down, continuing to cry and scold, "You deceiver, you deceiver, after all these years of careful nurturing, all these years of meticulous education. And you still lied to me!"

Xiao Han closed his eyes, enduring the intense pain as each sharp spike traced lines of flesh and blood on his skin. He could feel his pain, the type that felt like being torn apart. He was almost breaking down.

"Mom, I was wrong," Xiao Han said, head down.

Mother Xiao strove to control her own pain, suppressing the tears streaming down her face. This pain constantly tormented her heart. If not for Principal Li and others coming to their doorstep, she would have never known Xiao Han had lied to her. This realization made her think deeply, whether this was the first time Xiao Han had deceived her or if there were more undiscovered occasions.

"Tell me, where did you go wrong?" Mother Xiao stopped her actions, her hair disheveled, body trembling. She stood in front of Xiao Han, saying, "If you don't clarify today, I won't let you in this door. You won't be a child of the Xiao family for the rest of your life!"

Fury, roaring!

This was the manifestation of a mother's extreme disappointment. Any mother treasures and cherishes her child immensely. She would absolutely not resort to such violence, such bloodshed.

Xiao Han had already understood inside that he had disappointed his mother, that she had utterly lost hope in him. When a mother loses hope, she loses everything. When the last bit of hope fades away, she despairs.

"I shouldn't have skipped school," Xiao Han said through clenched teeth.

"No!" Mother Xiao shook her head, saying, "You are wrong."

Smack!

Another lash went down, then she said, "Reflect properly on where you truly went wrong!"

"I shouldn't have lied to you!" Xiao Han hurriedly said.

[PS: Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, wishing all families around the world a reunion and everyone a happy New Year's Eve.]