Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 302: Chapter 292 Severe Consequences

Shen Yunfang could see that Qiu Fengmei was somewhat uneasy, but that was still not enough. Since Erni was still not of age, even if she made a mistake in the eyes of the law, she would not endure its sanctions. Instead, it would be her guardian, Qiu Fengmei, who had to bear the consequences. Therefore, when Yunfang wanted to talk to someone about the matter, the only person she could turn to was Fengmei. It was only natural that she should suffer her wrath—after all, it was her child who had caused the trouble.

"Sister Fengmei, the way Erni behaved just now was really too dangerous. Thankfully, Pangpang didn’t choke on the quail egg. If something had happened, neither of our families could have withstood the consequences." The more Yunfang thought about the possibility, the tighter she hugged the child in her arms.

The little Pangpang was drinking milk, feeling uncomfortable being hugged so tightly by his mother, and started to grunt through his nose.

Only then did Shen Yunfang realize, and she loosened her arms.

"Look at you, exaggerating so much. Isn’t everything fine? Your son is fortunate indeed," Qiu Fengmei, sitting on the kang bed and shifting around, said the words ’exaggerating too much,’ but the image of a child choking surfaced in her mind. All she could do now was bravely praise the other child, hoping his parents would cool down.

Shen Yunfang nodded in agreement, "You’re right, sister. My son is fortunate indeed, for if he had gone through this ordeal, who knows what might have happened. I see that even though Sister Fengmei has raised two children, she might not have encountered such an event before. Let me explain it to you thoroughly.

Such a small child simply cannot swallow such large pieces of food. If not careful, the food could enter the child’s windpipe, block it, and make breathing difficult. Think about it, sister—if you were unable to breathe, can you imagine the outcome? Your face would first turn red, then white, then blue, and finally black." After mentioning the face turning black, Shen Yunfang did not continue. The implication of death was clear enough; if the color had turned black, death was not far off.

"Oh, why talk about such things? Isn’t everything okay? I certainly wouldn’t choke," Qiu Fengmei dared not even think about herself choking like that.

"Yes, nobody wants to choke, adults and children alike. If such an incident really occurred, the consequences would be very serious. Adults have the ability to act, so the chances of this happening are not very high, but children can’t do the same. They lack the capacity to act, so adults must protect them.

That’s why we say ’watch the children closely,’ which means adults must ensure that children stay away from these dangers."

"You’re right, and that’s why I have to criticize you. You didn’t watch your child properly," said Qiu Fengmei, seizing the opportunity to chastise Shen Yunfang.

After listening to Shen Yunfang’s words, she indeed found it somewhat laughable. Even if adults should watch their children, that was the job of the parents. If Yunfang had properly looked after her own Pangpang, today’s incident wouldn’t have happened. And now she wanted to drag others into it? Why should she?

Surprisingly, Shen Yunfang nodded in acknowledgment, "You’re right to criticize me, sister. Indeed, I, as a mother, did not fulfill my responsibilities."

Her words left the other people present quite astonished. Wasn’t this a fault-finding meeting? Why had it turned into a session of self-criticism?

"It’s not your fault, Auntie, she is the bad person," said Tingting, sitting in her mother’s arms, pointing at Qiu Fengmei with her small hand and puffing up her cheeks as she spoke.

Madam Wu did not expect the child to shout out and quickly tugged at her, wanting her to be quiet. Originally, she had wanted to persuade both sides, especially Yunfang, reminding her that nothing was more important than the well-being of the child and advising her to let go of other grievances. However, since Yunfang did not seem to be acting impulsively, Madam Wu had remained silent, seated to one side. She didn’t expect her outspoken daughter to start pointing fingers at Fengmei. Even if the little girl was right, it wasn’t her place to say so when Fengmei was in the wrong.

"Don’t talk nonsense, just sit there quietly. If you don’t behave, I’ll have your sister take you home," Mrs. Wu threatened, hoping the little ancestor wouldn’t add fuel to the fire.

"I’m not talking nonsense. Just now, when I wouldn’t let Erni feed Pangpang, she saw it and didn’t stop it, she just watched and laughed as Erni did something bad," Tingting said, clearly upset.

Shen Yunfang looked at Qiu Fengmei and then slowly said, "Fengmei, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk about. Not watching Pangpang properly was my fault as his mother, and likewise, Erni is your responsibility."

"What responsibility? There’s an old saying, ’You can’t force a horse to drink by pressing its head down.’ If Erni won’t listen, do you think I can force her to obey me?" Qiu Fengmei was not pleased to hear this.

"Sister, Erni is your child. Until she reaches adulthood, everything she does is ultimately your responsibility."

"How does that make sense? Sure, I’m her mother. I take care of her basic needs, but it’s not my job to watch where she shits or farts," Qiu Fengmei protested.

"Legally, these are your responsibilities. If Erni really did something unforgivable, the police wouldn’t arrest her. But they would definitely arrest you, her guardian," Shen Yunfang said calmly.

"What? Arrest me? I’d like to see them try!" Qiu Fengmei bristled at the thought.

Shen Yunfang hurriedly soothed her own son with a pat, signaling him to continue nursing in peace.

"Fengmei, I don’t mean anything by this. I mention it because it seems you don’t quite understand these matters. If you don’t believe me, you can go and ask around. Of course, it’d be best to ask someone knowledgeable and cultured, and if you know someone from the police station, even better. They’ll tell you more and in greater detail than I ever could." Shen Yunfang had no ill intentions nor thoughts of revenge. She was simply annoyed by Qiu Fengmei’s laissez-faire approach to parenting, wondering how any good child could turn out well under such indulgence. She did not know what Erni was like when she was younger, but her current fearless and daring attitude certainly had something to do with Qiu Fengmei’s permissive parenting.

Qiu Fengmei suddenly stood up from the kang, somewhat reluctant to face Shen Yunfang. "You two are quite ruthless. Alright, don’t be angry anymore. I know Erni did something terrible today. I’ll go back and deal with her right now. You can be sure it won’t happen again."

After saying that, she headed outside. Shen Yunfang did not stop her; she really should go home and discipline her child properly. To Shen Yunfang, Erni’s behavior today didn’t just show her naughtiness or unawareness of the seriousness of her actions, but also revealed a deep-rooted bad streak, certainly a matter of character. Such a child, if not properly managed by her parents, would certainly not turn out to be a good person and would at least be unpleasant to be around.

Unexpectedly, Qiu Fengmei stopped at the doorway, turned around, and forced a smile at Shen Yunfang, "I’ll be going now. Later, just have my husband bring the leftover dishes back."

Shen Yunfang was at a loss for words; how shameless can one get?

"Goodness, go find your child already. Stop fussing over these trivial matters," Mrs. Wu couldn’t stand it anymore.

Only then did Qiu Fengmei sheepishly leave the house.