1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 561 The Taste of Power is Fascinating

Teacher Yu pushed open the wooden door, half painted green. The office was small, with two old desks against the wall and posters of "Five Stresses, Four Beauties, and Three Loves" on the wall.

A woman wearing a plain floral "Dacron" shirt and navy blue polyester pants was sitting on the chair. She had the most fashionable curly hair these days. As soon as she saw someone come in, she immediately stood up, her face showing obvious anger.

"Was it her? Xiao Bo, did this brat push you?"

The woman asked a boy next to her who was about the same height as Jiang Niannian. The boy had conspicuous white tape on his nose and knees, which looked like it had been treated. His eyes were also red, obviously from crying.

"Xiao Bo's mom! Xiao Bo's mom!" The male teacher next to her quickly pulled the woman away. "Let's talk this out. It's normal for children to get angry with each other. Don't get emotional."

"Can't I have emotions?"

Xiao Bo's mother was furious, her curly hair bouncing. "My child has only been in kindergarten for a few days and he's already injured like this. I want to ask you parents, how did you raise your children?"

"Let me introduce myself first."

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Teacher Yu quickly stepped in to change the subject, speaking in a formal tone, "This is Xiao Bo's mother."

“Xiao Bo’s mom, this is the father of the other party’s child, Jiang Niannian.”

"Hey comrade!"

Comrade Lin's voice was urgent and forceful, with a heavy accent from another region. His gaze swept over Jiang Xian like a knife, finally settling on Jiang Niannian, who was cowering behind Jiang Xian.

"How do you raise your children at home? How do you discipline your daughter! Come here and look at what your daughter has done to Xiao Bo! His nose is scraped, and his knee is bruised! What if something serious happened, like him hitting his head? This kindergarten is a place for learning and cultivating civility, how can you hit someone like that? You have no manners at all!"

The air in the office suddenly became tense.

Teacher Yu stood to the side, rubbing her hands, her face full of embarrassment.

Jiang Xian smiled, unfazed by the barrage of questions, nor did he immediately raise his voice in defense. He first nodded slightly, his tone calm yet clear, generally neither humble nor arrogant:

"Hello, ma'am. Yes, my daughter Niannian pushed Xiaobo and injured him. It was indeed Niannian's fault. I am her father. When a child makes a mistake, we parents have a responsibility. Here, I would like to apologize to you and this little boy Xiaobo."

Jiang Xian is not a difficult person. Objectively speaking, Jiang Niannian was indeed at fault. No matter what, she should not have resorted to violence. It's fortunate that it was just a minor scrape; if she had been seriously injured, the responsibility would have been much greater.

So it's only right to apologize to them. What I said was very sincere, without any fancy words, and I didn't mean to shirk responsibility.

After saying that, Jiang Xian gently pulled Jiang Niannian, who was hiding behind his legs, forward a little. He then bent down slightly. These days, it's rare to see someone squat down to look at a child at eye level; bending down is a more common posture.

Jiang Xian spoke even more gently to the boy named Xiao Bo:
"Little Bo, I'm so sorry. Jiang Niannian pushed you and made you suffer. It must hurt terribly, right? Uncle apologizes on her behalf. When you get home, I'll ask your mom to cook you an egg roll to help you recover faster."

The little boy looked into Jiang Xian's gentle eyes and listened to his genuine concern. He sniffed but didn't say anything.

"But then again, let's get back to the point."

After Jiang Xian apologized, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "Children should get along well with other children in kindergarten and make friends together. I heard from the teacher that you were hogging the slide and not letting other children play on it. Is that right? It's definitely wrong, right? You can't do that again."

Xiao Bo's mother, who was standing to the side, initially felt her anger subside slightly when she saw Jiang Xian's attitude as he apologized and made amends. However, upon hearing Jiang Xian reprimand her child, her tone immediately hardened again.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you? How can you act like this? Apologize, fine, but why are you scolding our child? What kind of behavior is this?"
Besides, what good is just saying sorry? Look at our child's injuries, it breaks our hearts! How have you parents raised her? A little girl, but she's got guts, so wild, what will become of her?"

Jiang Xian straightened up, calmly meeting the other person's gaze. He neither flinched nor showed any provocation, maintaining a composed demeanor. Instead of directly refuting the other person's accusations regarding "education," he stated the facts:

"Yes, sir, it is right to apologize. We are in the wrong. I heard a lot from Teacher Yu. Our family pushes people every year. This behavior is absolutely wrong, no doubt about it. I will definitely give her a good talking to when we get home."

However, this is how it started: the children were playing on the slide, and Xiao Bo stayed on it for a while and wouldn't come down, so he wouldn't let the other children play. Several little girls were so anxious that they cried.

Every year, this child couldn't stand it and acted impulsively, using the worst possible method to "stand out." Of course, no matter what happened before, we will take responsibility for pushing Xiao Bo and causing him to get hurt.

But is Xiao Bo completely without fault? Not necessarily. Both sets of parents need to educate him.

Teacher Yu listened from the side and nodded slightly.

Jiang Niannian's father said it very well. He admitted his mistake and took responsibility, and subtly pointed out the background of the conflict, letting Xiao Bo's mother know that it was not a one-sided "hitting". Moreover, his tone was calm and he did not blame anyone. He just repeated what Teacher Yu said without adding fuel to the fire.

Teacher Yu couldn't help but wonder what this father of Nian Nian did for a living. He spoke with such eloquence and had such an air of authority that he must be a leader or cadre.

Xiao Bo's mother clearly sensed that her son might be somewhat in the wrong, but out of protectiveness, she immediately raised her voice:

“Kids fighting over things on the slide, that happens all the time, doesn’t it? What are teachers for? Of course they’ll intervene! No matter what, you can’t resort to violence! Look at this injury!” She pointed to the tape on her son’s knee.

"You're right. Pushing someone is a big mistake, no matter the reason."

Jiang Xian reiterated this point, then shifted the conversation to the most practical issue, "We are very concerned about Xiao Bo's injury. What do you think we should do now? Should we take him to the clinic, or do we need to buy some mercurochrome or gentian violet? We will cover every penny of the necessary expenses."

If you think your child has been frightened and needs some malted milk powder, steamed egg custard, or something similar to help them recover, we'll agree to that as long as it's reasonable. Is that alright with you?

Teacher Yu couldn't help but admire the father's competence. His attitude was always to solve problems. He took the initiative to offer to cover all the visible expenses. Although his tone was calm, there was no room for negotiation. He showed a strong sense of responsibility and practicality.

On the other side, Xiao Bo's mother, who was used to bickering and arguing, felt like she had punched cotton when she heard Jiang Xian's words.

The other party admitted their mistake quickly and accepted the punishment readily. At the same time, they also pointed out that their son was also somewhat at fault. This made it seem that if she continued to stand around cursing, it would be a bit unreasonable.

I looked down at the small scrape on my son's knee. It was the kind of wound that would heal on its own if we didn't take him to the hospital. In this day and age, it's common for kids to get bumps and scrapes, so it's not something to worry about.

She looked up at the man in front of her again, thinking about what he had said. She felt like she was punching cotton, unable to start an argument or stand up to reason. Her anger quickly deflated like a punctured balloon.

She pursed her lips, her tone softening considerably:

"Hmph! You'll definitely have to pay for the medicine! The child can't have suffered like this for nothing! Teacher Yu said it was just a minor scrape, and the infirmary has already applied some antiseptic, so we won't go to the health center—it's too much trouble. But let me make this clear: if the child feels unwell at home, I'll be coming back to you for the medicine!"

"How about this."

Jiang Xian understood the meaning behind Xiao Bo's mother's words and readily took out his wallet from his pocket. "Teacher Yu, could you please check what medicine the infirmary used? I'll give you the money now, or you can give it directly to this lady. If it's not enough, just let me know."

"Oh dear, it didn't cost much."

Seeing that the situation had been resolved, Teacher Yu breathed a sigh of relief: "Niannian's father, you are a sensible person and handled it properly. The cost of the medicine is only a few cents for the red medicine, so let it go. The kindergarten will cover it. Just tell Niannian that if she has any problems, she should come to the teacher. We can't let things be like this again."

"okay."

Just as the conflict was being resolved and everything was about to come to an end, a voice came from the doorway.

"Who's the blind fool who bullied my son?" Dai Jun, carrying a briefcase, pushed open the door, looking travel-worn. He glanced around the room with an unfriendly expression, then quickly ran to his son's side and checked him over.

"How are you? Where are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

When Xiao Bo's mother saw her husband coming over, the resentment she had just suppressed turned into grievance again, and her voice immediately became tearful, "You still know to come? All you care about is money. You're busy making money every day, and you don't care when your son is bullied. I'm a woman, and I have to come and reason with them."

"Oh dear, I have some business to attend to and can't get away. I'll come over as soon as things settle down there," Dai Jun explained.

"That's Xiao Bo's dad, right?"

When Teacher Yu saw Xiao Bo's father coming over, she was afraid that the matter she had just dealt with would cause some trouble again. "Here's what happened. The other parents have apologized and haven't shirked their responsibilities. Xiao Bo wasn't hurt anywhere. It's normal for children to have a little argument. I think we should just let this matter go."

"Forget it? How can you forget it?"

Dai Jun stood up impatiently, "Where are the parents?"

"Cough cough."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xian stepped out from behind the other teachers. "Is this Boss Dai? Long time no see."

"You, huh?"

Looking at Jiang Xian, Dai Jun's anger subsided considerably, replaced by a look of joy as if he were seeing his own father.

"Comrade Jiang Jiangxian?"

"Oh my, what are you doing here?"

"Oh my, I've been wanting to visit you for a while, but I haven't been able to find an opportunity. I never expected to run into you here today."

Teacher Yu was stunned.

Who?
So your two families know each other?

Xiao Bo's mother was also stunned.

She never expected that, after all the commotion, the other party's parents seemed to be quite familiar with her husband.

And judging from the looks of it, this seems to be someone my lover can't afford to mess with.

She couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Although she verbally resented her husband for only caring about his career and neglecting his family, she knew very well that it wasn't easy for him to run his business, and since she couldn't help him much, she should try her best not to hold him back.

If she offends someone she shouldn't have today, she might regret it.

"Oh dear, this is your child."

Dai Jun's face had completely lost its anger at this moment; his expression was nothing short of fawning. "Isn't this a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple? We're all one family, why are you speaking like that?"

As Dai Jun spoke, he looked at Jiang Niannian and reached into his pocket. "It's alright, little one, it's alright. Uncle Dai didn't know it was you. Don't take this to heart. It must have been our little rascal who did something wrong. I know him well, he's very mischievous. Keep him safe."

As he spoke, he took out two 100-yuan banknotes from his pocket. These were the fourth set of RMB banknotes issued this year. The back of the banknotes featured the main peak of Jinggang Mountain, while the front had the portraits of four people, and the side had his portrait as a fixed watermark.

This scene stunned everyone in the office.

Weren't they just making a scene, shouting and clamoring to stand up for their own child?

How did it suddenly become that the other side played well?

Apart from Xiao Bo's mother, Teacher Yu and the other teachers all stared at Jiang Xian, unable to contain their curiosity about who Jiang Niannian's father was.
"Boss Dai, what are you doing?"

Jiang Xian stopped the money, saying, "It's not appropriate."

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with it. The girl was frightened today, and I feel bad as her uncle. Besides, this money is for the child. Give it to her to buy some snacks."

“Boss Dai, this is not right.”

Jiang Xian firmly refused the money, saying, "I should pay for what I should pay. It was indeed our child who was wrong today."

"Director Jiang, you are mistaken."

Dai Jun kept shaking his head, "Look at what you're saying, what could the girl have done wrong? She definitely didn't do anything wrong. It's definitely because our child lacks discipline, and it's my fault as her father. Girl, come on, put the money away."

"."

The group of kindergarten teachers in the office were speechless with shock.

The parents of the child who was hit should apologize to the parents of the child who hit them.

Can you do this?

It's just the opposite of Tiangang.

"Oh, Comrade Jiang."

Xiao Bo's mother was very perceptive. She sensed that something was wrong and came over at that moment, speaking softly and gently, completely different from the shrew she had been just moments before.

"Please don't take offense. I was just so anxious seeing the child like that, and what I said might not have been appropriate. Please don't take it to heart, please don't take it to heart."

Upon seeing the couple, one took out money and the other apologized.

Jiang Xian was speechless.

I just want to sincerely apologize, why is that so difficult?
Sigh, is this what power is?

No wonder people say the taste of power is fascinating.

(End of this chapter)