Chapter 39: Admitting Mistakes
After finishing massaging Bai Shuiliu’s ankle, Su Mulan instructed her to sit and rest. Then, she turned her gaze to Bai Lixia, Bai Zhuye, and Bai Midou.
The three little ones lowered their heads, unsure of what to do.
Today’s events stemmed from their casual belief in Zhang’s provocation and their visit to Bai Kangyuan, causing such a commotion that Su Mulan had no face left. She must be very angry…
Bai Lixia bit her lip and stepped forward. “Mom, it’s my fault. I led Zhuye and Midou to find Uncle Village head. If you want to punish someone, punish me.”
“Why would I punish you?”
Su Mulan looked at Bai Lixia’s tense expression, sighed deeply, and spoke earnestly, “But this matter really needs to be discussed with you seriously, starting with the negative aspects…”
“What others say may not always be true, especially Zhang. I could tell earlier that she’s not entirely trustworthy. You must weigh her words carefully. You can’t blindly believe everything she says. Even if you think there might be some truth to it, you should verify it yourselves. Moreover, don’t believe everything others say just because they say it.”
“This time, Zhang accused me that I sold Shuilu, and it caused such a mess. Next time, she might say something else, which is even harder to imagine. It’s not just her—there are people in this village and even farther away who like to stir up trouble. They’ll say all sorts of things, not just about me. They might say something untrue about you in front of others, and vice versa. If you believe them, you’ll fall right into their trap.”
“Mother is saying these things to make sure you remember: no matter what others say, you must make your own judgment and not be misled by others.”
“Mother, we know we were wrong…” Bai Lixia choked up.
Beside her, Bai Midou and Bai Zhuye also started to sob.
“Being wrong is certain, but it’s not entirely wrong this time. There were good aspects to what you did in this matter,” Su Mulan continued. “Mother can see that you four siblings have a strong bond, and you were worried about Shuilu. That’s why it was easy to think negatively and fall into Zhang’s trap. In the future, siblings should support each other, and you’ve done well in this aspect.”
“Next, in everything, you didn’t intend to handle it head-on but sought help from the village head, showing that you have brains. You know whose intervention can resolve matters and can act without recklessness. This is a strength.”
“Furthermore, I understand your actions in this matter. Although knocking my head on the doorframe cleared my mind from doing stupid things, I didn’t treat you well when I was stupid before. Naturally, you were afraid and tended to think of the worst in situations like this.”
“If we summarize this matter, your faults account for 50%, your merits 30%, and the remaining 20% lies with me.”
“So, regarding this matter, let’s balance out the rights and wrongs, call it even, and consider it a closed chapter.”
Su Mulan stood up from the wooden stool, fetched a ladle of water, and washed off the residual smell of medicine from her hands.
Meanwhile, after exchanging glances, Bai Lixia and the other two still nervously rubbed their hands.
After hesitating for a long time, Bai Lixia timidly looked at Su Mulan and said, “Mother… Aren’t you going to punish us?”