Little Bun pouted. “Come here,” Shen Yichong called.

Shen Rui walked to his father with great reluctance. He was biting his lips and directing a sideways glance at Yu Yaoyao. He looked so pitiful.

“What did dad tell you?” asked Shen Yichong, reminding himself to be patient.

“It’s wrong to lie,” replied Little Bun, meekly. Yu Yaoyao, who was holding a thermos cup, was soft in an instant.

“Don’t be fierce…,” she implored him.

Her voice was still hoarse. “What’s wrong?” she asked Little Bun.

Little Bun raised his head and changed his direction intending to go back to his mother. But Shen Yichong took his hand and pulled him to him. He glared at his father. Shen Yichong picked him up and walked to Yu Yaoyao and pushed her gently back to bed.

“You rest. No talking,” he said as she opened her mouth to speak, “You have script reading tomorrow again. You need to rest till the doctor comes.”

Shen Yichong turned to Shen Rui. Yu Yaoyao picked up her phone and typed frantically. She showed Shen Yichong the screen so he could read what she wrote:

Don’t be angry. Ask clearly. Listen to the full story and then decide rationally.

Yu Yaoyao didn’t really try to spoil Shen Rui when he made mistakes that needed to be addressed. But she also knew that he had been worried about her and had done what he did. So, while teaching him that lying to your teacher in order to bunk class was wrong, she wanted him to understand that she acknowledges his reasons as well.

Shen Yichong looked at what she had typed and nodded. They had never been conflicted over Shen Rui’s education before. Shen Yichong was usually the one who taught Little Bun discipline, while Yu Yaoyao was the one he turned to for understanding. They both played their parts. But of course, he wouldn’t just brush off her opinions, she was a mother and had as much right in teaching their son as he did.

He sat at the edge of the bed and put Shen Rui down. “Let’s just talk for a while,” said Shen Yichong, “What did you say to your teacher? What did you do when other kids were having lunch?”

Shen Rui lowered his head in front of his mother and his father. “I told the teacher I had no appetite because I had a sore throat and was not feeling well,” he said softly, “My head was hurting. I wanted daddy to take me home.”

Yu Yaoyao knew that right and wrong things needed to be taught to children, but right at that moment he looked so small and scared. She wished she could hug him but held herself back.

“You lied,” said Shen Yichong, calmly.

Little Bun looked up at him defiantly. “Dad, I feel hurt when mommy is hurt,” he said hurriedly, “You are not me so how do you know how I feel? I was sick with worry for mummy, when I saw her, I got better.”

Shen Yichong’s eyebrows twitched. “Are you trying to justify what you did?” he asked, “Do you expect me to buy that story?”

Little Bun froze. He knew that his father would be strict if he kept denying his mistake. But he also knew that his father was usually lenient and understanding if he admitted his mistake and learnt better from it.

“No,” he said, “What I did was wrong.”

Shen Yichong nodded approvingly. “You made a mistake knowing it was the wrong thing to do, but you acknowledge it, which is good,” he said, “But I will have to cancel any promised trips to the amusement park and the zoo for this month, so that this won’t be repeated again.”

Little Bun lowered his head. “Okay,” he said sadly.

He looked so disappointed that Yu Yaoyao felt bad for him. She had been busy after joining the crew and had barely any time to spend with him. She had promised that she would spend time with him and take him to the amusement park after two weeks. Little Bun was looking forward to it. Nothing mattered to him more than those trips to the amusement parks and zoo with both his parents. That was the only time three of them could be together without worrying about school or work.

Yu Yaoyao stretched out a hand and placed it on Shen Yichong’s arm. She looked at him pleadingly.

Shen Yichong sighed. “You can’t spoil him,” he said firmly, patting her hand. “If you make a mistake knowing it is a mistake then you lose something. That’s how it works in life. He has to learn.”

Little Bun raised his head and nodded. “It’s alright mommy,” he said, “Dad is right. Just like the bad aunt. You have to punish her for her mistakes too.” Little Bun had been catching up to the news as well. “Mommy, you have done nothing wrong so don’t hide and don’t cry,” he said, “If a person is trying to harm you, you need to push back and punish them.” He bit his lips and said sadly, “I did something wrong, so I don’t mind being punished for it.”