Chapter 31

Zhao Xiaohua looked at Meng Yao in disbelief, but Meng Yao remained expressionless.

“You’re not my mother. My mother would never treat me like this!” Zhao Xiaohua cried.

Meng Yao sneered. “Do you think I wanted to be your mother?”

Who would be willing to give up their air conditioning, computers, and mobile phones to come to this era if they had any other choice?

“When you do something wrong, you must admit it and correct yourself, not run away. You’ll surely say that Xiaoshu agreed to this, but did he know it’d hurt this much?” Meng Yao said mercilessly.

“I only said a few words to you, yet you’re already crying and making a fuss. Don’t be so selfish, Xiaohua!”

Zhao Xiaoshu was nervous. He looked at Meng Yao, then at Zhao Xiaohua. “Mother, it doesn’t hurt that much.”

Meng Yao took a deep breath. “Xiaoshu, are you stupid? You don’t even know what it feels like if your joints get dislocated, yet you were going to practice with Xiaohua? Did you stop to think about what would happen to your arm if I hadn’t come back today? It would’ve just gone on hurting. Did you know you could get disabled if your arm stays dislocated for too long?”

Zhao Xiaoshu did not reply, while Zhao Xiaohua wailed continuously, “Mother, I was wrong. I know I was. I won’t do it again.”

Zhao Xiaoshu did not know his arm would become disabled if he didn’t get it fixed in time. He thought it would be reversible.

“Even if you apologize, you shouldn’t be apologizing to me. It was Xiaoshu who suffered,” Meng Yao said.

“Xiaoshu, I’m sorry. Please forgive me,” Zhao Xiaohua said as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

“Xiaohua, don’t cry. I’m not angry with you,” Zhao Xiaoshu said. His mother had reattached his arm, and most of the pain had subsided.

Zhao Xiaohua wiped away her tears, gritted her teeth, and turned to Meng Yao. “Mother, you can pull my arm.”

Zhao Xiaoshu pleaded for mercy, but Meng Yao was unwilling to let Zhao Xiaohua off the hook. Meng Yao ruthlessly pulled at Zhao Xiaohua’s arm.

Zhao Xiaohua would never learn if she didn’t experience how painful it was.

Meng Yao pulled Zhao Xiaohua’s arm out of its socket without hesitation. Zhao Xiaohua bit her lips hard to suppress her cries. Zhao Xiaoshu could hold back his tears, so Zhao Xiaohua thought the least she could do was suppress hers.

“Endure it for half an hour, and I’ll reattach it for you later,” Meng Yao proclaimed.

However, Zhao Xiaoshu could not bear to see his twin sister like that. “Mother, Xiaohua has already learned her lesson. Let’s not wait that long!”

Zhao Xiaohua was in so much pain that her face started trembling. Meng Yao thought she could remain indifferent, but when she saw Zhao Xiaohua’s pained expression, she instantly let down her guard.

“Since Xiaoshu interceded, I won’t argue with you. If there’s a next time, no matter who pleads for mercy, it won’t work.” Meng Yao tried her best to seem cold. Then she reattached Xiaohua’s arm.

The excruciating pain lessened, and Zhao Xiaohua looked at Zhao Xiaoshu gratefully. Then she obediently replied, “Mother, I understand what I did wrong. There will be no next time.”

Meng Yao pulled Zhao Xiaohua into her arms. “It’s not that I’m cruel, but Xiaoshu is your brother. I birthed you two as twins, so you should be closest to each other. I hope the two of you will love each other. I don’t want you to think that Xiaoshu is unimportant because I previously ignored him.”

Zhao Xiaohua was embarrassed that her mother read her thoughts so clearly. Zhao Xiaohua could ask her twin brother to practice with her without restraint despite knowing how painful it was to dislocate one’s joints because she thought her mother would not blame her.

However, it seemed that Meng Yao started treating the twins equally. No, Meng Yao treated Zhao Xiaoshu better because she caused Zhao Xiaoshu a lot of pain while Zhao Xiaohua had only been in pain for a short while.

“Don’t think I forgive you because I don’t want you to suffer. Xiaoshu pleaded for you, so I showed you mercy, ” Meng Yao emphasized.

Zhao Xiaohua replied honestly, “I will treat Xiaoshu better now, Mother.”

Only then did Meng Yao nod in satisfaction. She should be strict as a parent. She would have a headache if her children became unruly.

…

Meng Yao took Zhao Xiaoshu’s measurements as he stood there stiffly.

“Are you truly going to make me new clothes, Mother?” Zhao Xiaoshu asked in disbelief.

“Then what? Do you think those colors would match me?” Zhao Xiaohua sneered.

“Xiaohua, your skin is so fair and clean. You’d look good in any color,” Zhao Xiaoshu said in a severe tone.

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be so glib.” Zhao Xiaohua laughed. “Don’t worry, Xiaoshu. I won’t forget you if I receive any good things in the future. I never realized you were so good at buttering people up?”

“I’m not buttering you up. I’m just telling the truth. Your face is round and plump. It’s so fair and ample, just like the steamed buns Mother makes, ” Zhao Xiaoshu said seriously.

Meng Yao’s hand trembled, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhao Xiaoshu was so naive.

Zhao Xiaohua’s smile froze. She gritted her teeth and cried, “Zhao! Xiao! Shu!”

Zhao Xiaoshu did not understand what was going on. His big eyes filled with innocence. “W-What’s wrong, Xiaohua?”

Meng Yao was beside herself in laughter. Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaohua had a glum look on her face, and Zhao Xiaoshu was puzzled.

“Mother, Xiaoshu did it on purpose,” Zhao Xiaohua whined.

Zhao Xiaoshu asked, “What did I do on purpose?”

Meng Yao stopped laughing. “Xiaoshu, it’s not right to describe your sister as a steamed bun. It doesn’t sound very nice.”

Zhao Xiaoshu was dumbfounded. “But they do look similar. What’s wrong with being a steamed bun? Steamed buns taste so good. I love them!”

Zhao Xiaohua was on the verge of tears. She was just a little chubby, so how did she look like a big white bun?

“Why you…” Zhao Xiaohua held back her words. They were as dry as cornbread.

“Whatever. From now on, you’re not allowed to say that I look like a bun!” Zhao Xiaohua said fiercely. “If I hear you say that again, I’ll beat you up even if Mother tries to stop me!”

Zhao Xiaoshu felt aggrieved, but he still nodded obediently. “All right, I won’t say that anymore.”

“Xiaoshu, Xiaohua just is a little girl. All little girls like to be called beautiful,” Meng Yao explained to Zhao Xiaoshu, “If you want to praise her, you can say that her eyes and nose are pretty. Even though your sister is a little chubby right now, you can say she has the face of a porcelain doll. You should study more to use better words to describe others.”

Zhao Xiaoshu committed it to memory. As long as he studied hard, he could learn more words to praise his sister and make her happy.

After taking Zhao Xiaoshu’s measurements, Meng Yao took Zhao Xiaohua’s.

“Mother, I don’t want any clothes just yet. You can make them for me after I’ve lost some weight.” Zhao Xiaohua had a stubborn look in her eyes.

“Take it slow. It’s not an urgent matter,” Meng Yao said.

“It is. It’s very urgent,” Zhao Xiaohua said. Her brother had subconsciously described her as a steamed bun. In the eyes of outsiders, she was one. The people of Glittering Pavilion even called her a pig.

Zhao Xiaohua gritted her teeth. “I must slim down as quickly as possible. I must!”

To slim down, Zhao Xiaohua had to be determined.

Meng Yao smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll help you.”