"Yes, yes, yes." The principal continued nodding, then felt something was wrong and looked at Wang Qian's square face in confusion. "Huh?"
"Punishment," Wang Qian said as a matter of course.
The principal looked at Zhou Yang, then at Wang Qian. What punishment?
Wang Qian's gaze fell on the dean of students. "I think what Director Ma said is very good. We don't advocate beating children into good behavior with golden rods nowadays, but we still need to use some actual punishments to make children realize that their mistakes have consequences."
"Isn't sweeping the work area a very light punishment?"
The principal's smile froze. He dared not. Zhou Yang's father had just called, forbidding him from making his child do manual labor.
He had promised perfectly.
This put him in a difficult position.
Wang Qian's gaze put immense pressure on the principal. He gritted his teeth and decided to solve the immediate problem first. Once they left, who would know if he had punished him or not?
"Zhou Yang, come with me." The principal made up his mind, lifted his head, and led Zhou Yang away.
Seeing Zhou Yang being taken away by the principal, Ruan Ruan felt very happy, as if someone was backing her up. She softly pounced and hugged Wang Qian's thigh, calling out sweetly, "Uncle."
Wang Qian tapped her nose. "You, you need to be good for me."
"Got it." Ruan Ruan smiled sweetly.
"Uncle, since you're handling this, you have to see it through. Remember to supervise that brother sweeping the floor!" She looked at the departing figures of the principal and Zhou Yang, smiling mischievously.
Wang Qian naturally saw through the principal's intention and put on a stern face. "Of course."
"You go have fun with Aunt Huo and the others. Uncle will go watch!"
After Wang Qian left, Qin Ningyi continued to take them to browse the game activities.
An An was very popular in class. Along the way, they met classmates from Ren De School, and everyone was willing to play with An An.
Before long, the group had grown.
"Son really has good social skills," Huo Rou exclaimed.
Qin Ningyi did not respond immediately. He looked at Ruan Ruan, who was walking beside An An, looking around, and then at the people surrounding them.
An An was kind to everyone, but the distinction between closeness and distance was clear.
"This son of mine is much like you," Qin Ningyi said, pulling Huo Rou into his embrace.
The group arrived at a balloon-popping game area, and a group of boys became excited.
"Little brother An An, let's have a balloon-popping competition. See who can pop more balloons." Everyone was eager to try, and Ruan Ruan also looked at An An, her eyes filled with a desire for prizes.
An An pursed his lips and said, "But I've never played this gun before, so I might not aim well."
He was not like many children who would simply show off their skills.
Ruan Ruan was surprised to hear that An An had never played either. "Big brother An An hasn't played either?"
Someone nearby said, "It's okay, little sister Ruan Ruan. We often play this in arcades. If little brother An An can't do it, we'll help you win prizes!"
"Exactly, little sister Ruan Ruan. Don't worry, at least one of us will surely win."
The rules for the balloon-popping game were the same as those on the street: use a toy gun to shoot balloons from a certain distance, and whoever pops more wins.
It was also a competition for parents and children to accumulate scores, with teams from the two schools competing.
Since there were many people here, the teacher let six people compete at the same time, with three teams from Ren De School and three from City First Primary School.
Ruan Ruan was not interested in the gun and waited enthusiastically for the prizes on the side.
An An glanced at Qin Ningyi, clearly thinking that Huo Rou, being a girl, might not like this kind of game.
Unexpectedly, Qin Ningyi shrank back and pushed Huo Rou forward. "Let your mother play with you."
An An was naturally delighted. There were very few things to play with in the village, and he had never played these children's games with Huo Rou before.
Huo Rou looked at Qin Ningyi with some confusion, unable to understand why he wasn't playing with his son himself.
Qin Ningyi had his own little plan. Last time, he saw Huo Rou take out a miniature gun from her waist bag, indicating she had some background.
He had wanted to ask her since returning to the country, but a series of events prevented him from speaking.
The old man at home was urging him, and he had already sent that girl back. He had to bring Huo Rou home sooner.
Before that, he needed an opportunity to ask about the gun, and now was the perfect time.
"Go ahead," Qin Ningyi gently pushed Huo Rou. She looked at An An's surprised eyes, and her heart softened.
Then, she decided to play.
Huo Rou held the toy gun and examined it back and forth. She never expected that she, a renowned sharpshooter, would one day be playing with a toy gun.
Each person had ten bullets. An An's friends had already started shooting one after another.
Huo Rou casually raised the gun, glanced at the sight, clicked her tongue lightly, and then moved her gaze away, looking directly at the balloons.
Qin Ningyi watched Huo Rou's posture as she held the gun, and a trace of solemnity crossed his eyes.
Although Huo Rou appeared casual, her posture was clearly trained.
If it were related to the Jiang family, it would be understandable, but if she had done work for the Jiang family before, many things would be difficult to explain.
It seemed he had to find someone to investigate thoroughly and, preferably, cover up all of Huo Rou's past before meeting the old man.
An An held the gun without rushing to use it, instead observing how his friends were playing.
"An An, hurry up. I've already shot all ten bullets."
The classmate next to An An held his gun, his eyes full of excitement as he looked at An An.
He had hit five out of ten bullets, a result he was clearly satisfied with. His father, after him, also finished shooting his bullets, hitting four out of ten, which made him even more pleased.
An An held the gun steady and aimed carefully. His classmate coached him from the side, "An An, don't look at this sight. They're usually not very accurate. If you aim with your eyes, your accuracy will be higher!"
He said this a bit loudly, and the children from City First Primary School heard it. They hadn't finished shooting yet and, following suit, began to shift their gaze away, no longer using the sights.
Little Luo, on An An's other side, began to complain, "Speak a bit quieter! They all heard you!"
"Ah, it's fine. They're almost done shooting, and An An still has ten bullets!" This person was an optimist.
An An appreciated the well-intentioned advice but still used the sight.
The first shot indeed missed.
"Ah, I told you, this isn't accurate. Just move a little to the right." He wished he could do it himself.
An An didn't mind, just smiled, "I'm just trying it out, I've never played before."
"Okay, okay. Their hit rate isn't high either, so we still have a good chance."
Upon hearing that An An had never played, he looked at An An with pity and began to comfort him.
Little Luo also finished shooting his bullets. His aim was good, hitting six out of ten. His father also achieved a good result of eight out of ten.
The two of them put their heads together and calculated that if An An and Huo Rou could collectively hit 9 bullets, they would win.
An An had never played, and Huo Rou was An An's mother, which made the two of them a little worried.