His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 14

Kong Guoguo—Radiant

Kong Xunwen spread the washed and briefly steamed honeysuckle flowers on a winnowing basket he had found at home. The basket had been washed and dried yesterday before they went to pick the flowers.

Qiu Zhijie still hadn’t left. Not knowing what Kong Xunwen was planning to do, he simply followed along.

Kong Xunwen chose to ignore him completely.

“Kong Guoguo! Kong Guoguo!”

Suddenly, a somewhat unfamiliar child’s voice came from the courtyard entrance. The voice was distant but loud.

It sounded urgent. Although Kong Xunwen didn’t know who it was, he quickly placed the winnowing basket in a spot he had chosen earlier—a place where the sun wouldn’t directly hit it—and hurried toward the courtyard gate.

Qiu Zhijie, who was behind him, followed suit.

As soon as Kong Xunwen opened the gate, a small figure rushed toward him, crashing straight into his arms before he could even see the face clearly.

It wasn’t until the child looked up that Kong Xunwen recognized a familiar face—Yezi, Liu Chengye. He was thin and was one of the members of that small group.

However, Yezi hadn’t often spoken to him before, so he didn’t quite remember the child’s voice.

Before Kong Xunwen could ask what was wrong, Yezi urgently tugged at his clothes, pulling him outside.

Kong Xunwen decided to follow, seeing how anxious the child was. “Let’s walk and you can tell me as we go.”

He remembered the person still in the yard, turned his head, and saw that the person had already caught up. He turned back and listened as the child began chattering away.

This was the first time he had heard Yezi speak so much.

“Aunt Yu and Little Boss are there. Aunt Yu is so, so angry. She keeps yelling at Little Boss. Little Boss is blocking her, not letting Pangpang, Little Bai, or Ni’er stand in front. I secretly ran out. Aunt Yu…” Yezi spoke quickly, but surprisingly, his articulation was quite clear.

It hadn’t been long, so Kong Xunwen still remembered Aunt Yu, whom he had met right after returning to the village.

After listening, he summarized the situation: Aunt Yu, who was looking after the children, was extremely angry about something and was scolding the small group. Not only that, she threatened to punish them and seemed ready to use physical force, so Yezi had secretly run over to find him.

He frowned and quickened his pace.

Yezi walked too slowly. Just as Kong Xunwen was about to bend down to pick the child up, another pair of hands lifted Yezi instead. He turned his head and saw that it was indeed Qiu Zhijie, who had been following them.

The child, covered in dust for some unknown reason, was very reserved in Qiu Zhijie’s arms, curled up and looking exceptionally stiff.

Qiu Zhijie’s posture while holding the child was also a bit stiff; it was clear neither of them was very comfortable.

Kong Xunwen still wanted to take Yezi, but he saw Qiu Zhijie adjust his grip and then speed up. Kong Xunwen had no choice but to follow behind.

Yezi pointed the way. Today, they weren’t under the big tree where they first met.

Rushing along, they soon heard familiar voices accompanied by the sound of children wailing. Kong Xunwen quickly ran ahead. Qiu Zhijie, slowed down by carrying the child, lagged slightly behind.

He saw Liu Tingfang standing at the very front, arms spread wide like she had been the first time they met, shielding the children behind her like a protective hen guarding her chicks. Her small face was set with stubbornness.

Behind her stood Pangpang, clutching Little Boss’s clothes and crying loudly, along with Ni’er and Little Bai, whose eyes were filled with tears.

Facing the children was Aunt Yu, whose expression was ugly and somewhat menacing. She had her hand clamped onto Liu Tingfang’s arm, and the force looked completely unrestrained.

“You little brat, still blocking me! Want to play the hero, do you?! I’ll let you! I’ll let you!”

Liu Tingfang bit her lip, enduring the pain without making a sound, but her face showed how much it hurt; her lips were pressed white.

Little Bai reached out to block the spot being pinched, shouting through sobs, “I’ll tell my grandpa!”

“Tell your grandpa?” Aunt Yu sneered. “See if he can even get up now! Maybe he’ll be in the ground in a few days!”

Little Bai shook his head. “No way! My grandpa will live for a long time!”

Ni’er and Pangpang cried even louder, unable to speak, but they kept trying to push Aunt Yu away in between sobs.

Pangpang mumbled, “I’ll tell my grandma and grandpa!”

Aunt Yu stopped her actions and laughed. “Go ahead, see if they listen to you or me. I told you before, these injuries were all self-inflicted, did you hear me?!”

Pangpang whimpered timidly, then nodded.

Liu Tingfang pushed Pangpang back, remaining silent, but her gaze toward Aunt Yu was fierce, like a small wolf.

“What are you looking at? You worthless little brat, a money-losing burden!” Aunt Yu spat, then pinched Liu Tingfang again. “Let’s see if you dare talk about my son again.”

“How could my son be inferior to that guy surnamed Kong?”

“I’ll take all of you away and sell you one day. Then we’ll see if you still have time to poke your nose into other people’s business!”

She muttered to herself and turned her back, walking toward her spot, completely disregarding the children behind her.

Kong Xunwen’s steps were light but quick. He approached Little Boss, crouched down, and rolled up her sleeve to look at the spot where she had been pinched.

It was a patch of blue and purple, a large bruise standing out prominently on her arm.

Little Boss looked at Kong Guoguo, who was examining the injury on her arm. She pursed her lips, then held back. She couldn’t cry; crying was useless.

The crumpled clothes were finally released. Pangpang, Little Bai, and Ni’er saw Kong Guoguo arrive and remembered what Little Boss had said before—Kong Guoguo was stronger than Aunt Yu.

Since Little Boss said it, they believed it completely.

Now, like chicks finding shelter, they huddled close to Kong Xunwen, but they couldn’t stop crying immediately, still hiccuping and sobbing uncontrollably.

Aunt Yu heard the crying subside and felt something was wrong. She turned her head.

“Oh, isn’t this Little Kong?” Her expression immediately changed, completely different from a moment ago.

Adults wouldn’t believe what children said, but if a grown person spoke up, it would be different. Her eyes darted around, hoping that what she had just said hadn’t been heard.

Kong Xunwen was about to turn toward the speaker, but he first met Liu Tingfang’s uneasy gaze. There seemed to be hope, yet also a hint of fear. The other three, however, were filled with complete trust, as if he were some kind of hero.

He paused, then looked up at the visibly guilty Aunt Yu.

“Aren’t you afraid their parents will find out if you treat the children like this?” His voice was cold.

Aunt Yu froze, then forced a smile. “Oh, Little Kong, you’ve been in the city too long, you don’t know. We teach children like this in the countryside. A few hits and a few scolds are nothing. Besides…”

Her eyes shifted. “That was just because these children were too disobedient, and I couldn’t control myself and laid a hand on them. I was being careful with the force, though.”

Kong Xunwen lifted Liu Tingfang’s arm. “You call this being careful with the force?”

“Oh dear! It’s just that children have tender skin. And you, child, why didn’t you tell Auntie if it hurt! How am I supposed to know if you don’t say anything.” After defending herself, she smiled apologetically at Kong Xunwen.

“Little Kong, look… we’re all neighbors. How could I have done it on purpose, right…”

“Oh—” Kong Xunwen lowered his gaze to the bruise on the child’s arm, which now looked even more exaggerated, drawing out the sound faintly.

Aunt Yu felt she had passed this hurdle and couldn’t help but show a hint of joy on her face.

Liu Tingfang pressed her lips white again. The hand under the arm that was being held was clenched into a fist.

Pangpang and Ni’er didn’t notice anything amiss, waiting for Kong Guoguo’s next move. Little Bai, however, felt something was wrong. He unconsciously frowned, looking at Kong Xunwen and then at Little Boss.

The cold, clenched fist was suddenly enveloped in warmth. Little Boss looked up blankly. Kong Guoguo had taken her hand.

She heard the young man’s steady, powerful voice ring out, forming a shield over her and her friends.

“You told their parents the same thing before, didn’t you? Did you think I would easily believe you?” Kong Xunwen lifted his eyes to look at the frozen Aunt Yu.

“You truly are shameless. Are you flexing your authority as an adult over children because you are utterly useless? And afterward, you can still say such despicable things. Do you actually think what you’re saying makes sense?”

Aunt Yu’s cheek muscles twitched, and she seemed about to say something.

Kong Xunwen didn’t give her a chance to speak. “With a mother like you, I doubt your son is much better. He probably also learned from his mother to bully children… or anyone weaker than himself, right? People like you truly are…”

“Tsk, annoying, like a bedbug.”

“You shut up!” Aunt Yu was fine at first, but when Kong Xunwen mentioned her son, she was genuinely enraged. Her body trembled. It took her a moment to get the words out.

“What do you know?! My son is so amazing!” she mumbled, yet she couldn’t articulate any specific description, words that were usually right on the tip of her tongue.

“Of course I know. How can a bedbug compare to a person?”

Little Boss’s eyes widened, shining brightly as she looked at Kong Guoguo.

So amazing! Aunt Yu couldn’t even speak and was so angry!

She felt comfortable all over; the pinched spot on her arm felt much better. She wished she could immediately become his apprentice.

Pangpang, Ni’er, Little Bai, and even Yezi, who was standing not far away, opened their mouths in astonishment.

Qiu Zhijie, who had been left to watch the children and complete the task Kong Xunwen had assigned, curved his lips into a smile. His gaze toward the radiant young man was filled with admiration.

Radiant.

Aunt Yu couldn’t win against Kong Xunwen and took a deep breath. “Anyway, I don’t accept what you said. You’re just talking nonsense!”

After saying this, her spirit recovered, and she started using the vulgar local curses she was accustomed to.

Kong Xunwen calmly raised his hand and covered Little Boss’s ears, then signaled to Pangpang and the others with his eyes, and also gave a look to Qiu Zhijie.

Qiu Zhijie smiled pleasantly, understanding the hint, and covered Yezi’s ears.

Actually, if he could, he would have preferred to cover Kong Xunwen’s ears.

However, the one covering Kong Xunwen’s ears at that moment was Little Boss Liu Tingfang, returning the favor. The little girl looked at Kong Xunwen, performing the action very seriously.

Aunt Yu was ranting alone, but no one on this side was listening to her. She felt extremely frustrated and simply reached out, trying to grab and pull Kong Xunwen up.

Kong Xunwen nimbly dodged her first.

He released the hand covering Little Boss’s ear, and Little Boss also withdrew her hand. He stood up, blocking the children.

“This matter won’t just pass.”

He had decided to report the incident. Since the mask was off, Aunt Yu stopped pretending and sneered. “Go ahead and talk. Do you really think anyone will take your side? I told you, this is how we teach children in the countryside. What you’re doing is just meddling.”

“In the end, I’ll still be the one looking after these little brats. They’ll still be under my thumb. I can do whatever I want. Will you still be able to interfere then?”

“I advise you, don’t meddle,” she stressed, “unless you want to get yourself into trouble.”

“The one getting into trouble definitely won’t be me.” Kong Xunwen was completely unfazed by the threat.

Just then, a voice called out, “What are you all doing here?”