"But!"
Before Liu Ning could finish speaking, Zhang Lei interrupted her, "What, are you being disobedient now? I took you in, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Little girls still need to have some manners!"
"Okay, Brother Leilei!" Liu Ning's little face didn't show any sign of being wronged. Perhaps Zhang Lei treated her much better than she did at home, so she probably didn't have much affection for this name except for habit.
"I'll set up a small bed for you when we get back. Use mine for now, and I'll air out yours tomorrow. Which school do you go to? Can you go to school tomorrow looking like this?" Embodying the balance of gentleness and calmness, the big bad wolf sat down next to the little lamb, stroking its soft fur and feigning tenderness. "Hmm, it seems you still have a slight fever!"
"How can I not go? My whole bottom was numb just now, and I didn't feel much pain, but now it's suddenly starting to hurt. I can't even sit on the chair anymore!" Xiao Ningning said to Zhang Lei with a pained expression. It seems that this ability to act cute is truly an innate skill for girls; it doesn't need to be taught, and almost every girl can learn it.
"Okay, I'll let you rest for a few days, but you have to go back to school soon, understand? Kids who don't go to school will amount to nothing. If you don't do well in your studies, or if you cause trouble and disobey, your brother will spank you, you know?" Zhang Lei tried his best to look fierce. (Hehe, that's a bit of a tongue twister, but it wasn't a typo.)
"Pfft!" The little lamb chuckled at the big bad wolf's antics. "I know, Ningning will definitely study hard and behave well. If I don't do well, I won't blame you for hitting me!"
"Hehe, so good girl. Your family members are a bunch of beasts. How could they be so cruel to such a well-behaved and cute little girl? Beasts, beasts!" Zhang Lei sighed and lamented, seemingly forgetting what he had done.
"Does it hurt here? And here?" Zhang Lei was giving the little lamb a free massage, but he had to avoid some sensitive areas first. This had to be done gradually, waiting for her to offer herself up. He couldn't be a pervert from the start, or he would scare the girl away. Even if she didn't run away, she would be harder to discipline once she was wary.
"I think you'd look cuter with a ponytail!" Zhang Lei stroked Liu Ning's slightly disheveled hair, took a handful, and made a ponytail shape in his hand, shaking it slightly. But his eyes seemed to see a little ponytail that looked like a rabbit's tail. What could he do? Men are always looking for more than they have.
Nothing more was said that night. Although Zhang Lei really wanted to take advantage of his new sister on the spot, that was clearly wrong; the lamb had to be raised slowly. So Zhang Lei set up a folding bed for his new sister in his room, and even gave her half of his blanket. Although it wasn't quite enough, it was much better than her spending the night huddled in the corner outside. Were those family members really planning to let the girl die out there? Did they think they could absolve themselves of responsibility that way?
Despite tossing and turning all night, Zhang Lei finally managed to hold back. Actually, there might be another reason: it wasn't just girls who felt fear about their first time; Zhang Lei himself had many concerns about it too. He didn't know exactly where to insert it, what to do afterward, or what if he accidentally inserted it somewhere else…
Zhang Lei drifted off to sleep in a daze amidst these wild thoughts. Judging from the sounds coming from the small bed, the girl probably didn't sleep well either. Whether it was because she wasn't used to the new bed, was worried about her future life, or was afraid that this young man might suddenly become a beast, no one knew.
"Leilei, get up!" The voice coming from outside the door wasn't the nanny's; it was Auntie San's. Although she was already a woman in her forties, Auntie San sounded very young.
It was only then that Zhang Lei realized this wasn't something he could decide on his own; he probably needed to explain it to his family. Ugh, what a headache!
"Auntie's in! Is everything alright?" Auntie Three pushed open the door to Zhang Lei's room, and right in front of her was a bright red bottom.
Liu Ning was probably in too much pain from the edge of her underwear, so at some point that night she pulled it down, completely exposing her bright red bottom, which was right in front of the door. As soon as her aunt opened the door, she was greeted by this round little bottom.
"Zhang Lei! What's going on!" Zhang Lei then realized that it was a real waste that his third aunt didn't go to sing; the sound was so loud that it was shaking the window frame.
"Auntie, listen to me..." Fortunately, Zhang Lei didn't find it troublesome and set up another bed. He also didn't let his beastly nature run wild, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River. Of course, his soul probably couldn't be cleansed by the Yellow River, or even the Milky Way. Once a person falls into depravity, it's not easy to change for the better.
The loud noise woke Liu Ning up, and she realized her predicament. She hurriedly pulled up her underwear, ran to the bed on all fours, and tucked one leg in, looking pitiful, like a frightened little rabbit.
Her own little bed wasn't against the wall, so she climbed onto Zhang Lei's big bed and huddled in the corner. Luckily, all of this happened in front of her third aunt. If it had happened as soon as she opened the door, things would have been very different.
However, this indirectly indicated that her whip-bruised buttocks were at least not Zhang Lei's doing, otherwise she wouldn't have been hiding behind him. It was only then that Aunt San realized she seemed to recognize the little girl. "You, aren't you from Xiao Wu's family?"
Zhang Lei took over the conversation and gave a general account of what happened, emphasizing the abuse the little girl had suffered and the brutality of the family.
"Oh, I see! Come here and let Auntie see!" Auntie half-pulled and half-dragged the little girl onto her lap, her little bottom facing up, which looked like the standard position for spanking.
Unlike Zhang Lei, Auntie San didn't hold back and directly reached in to rub the wound. "Poor thing, look how badly this child has been beaten. His bottom is still burning hot. It seems like he still has a fever. Lei Lei, didn't you say you went to the hospital? Do you have any medicine?"
"Yes, yes, I remember putting it here yesterday!" Zhang Lei hurriedly went back to find the medicine; it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous at all.
"You've always been too kind-hearted, child!" Zhang Lei's face flushed at her words, but thankfully his back was to his aunt. The aunt continued, "What do we do next? Xiao Wu's family is unreasonable, and this isn't exactly proper!"
The third aunt was massaging the little girl's hands while talking to Zhang Lei the whole time, as if she didn't even consider the little girl on her lap to be a talking child.
But the little girl really did have a tongue. "Auntie, please, don't let Brother Leilei send me back. I'll really be beaten to death!" She turned her head with difficulty, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
"Alright, alright, we won't see him off. It's heartbreaking. How could they do such a thing to this child!" Soft-heartedness is hereditary, and it's obvious that Zhang Lei inherited this gene from this lineage.
"Sigh, what a pretty little bottom it used to be, look at it now, there's not a single good piece of flesh left!" How could any mother not have hit her own child? Zhang Lei's cousin had also been hit, but it was obvious that they would never bear to beat their child like this. Just looking at and touching it was enough to make one's heart tremble.
“Auntie, you don’t need to worry about that. I’ve actually thought it through…” Zhang Lei explained his thoughts, though it was just something he could say on the surface.
"I hope your idea will work out! The child can stay with you for now, it's not convenient for me to stay with you. But do you have enough money for living expenses?"
Of course, it would be better if it were inconvenient. Zhang Lei didn't take in this little girl out of altruism; if she were taken away by the aunt, all his efforts would have been in vain. "Enough, Third Aunt, I've been recruited by a government department because of some special abilities. The compensation is quite generous, but I can't say more. Regulations stipulate that it must be kept secret even from family members!" Zhang Lei didn't take this rule seriously at all, making it all mysterious, resulting in a lot of misunderstandings—that's how it's always portrayed on TV.
"Alright, stop talking, hurry up and go to school, you're going to be late!" All elders are the same; they all hope their children will take the right path—high school—to the right road. "What will we do with this child? She can't go to school today!"
"Hmm, that's definitely not going to work. I'll take her to get another shot when I get back at noon. It looks like her fever hasn't gone down yet!" Zhang Lei squatted down and felt the little girl's forehead.
"Do you have the medicine? Why did you come back to take her? Your aunt learned how to give injections when she was taking care of your grandfather. I'll just give her the injection now, so as not to delay!" Auntie looked eager to try, and Zhang Lei could tell from her expression that she was itching to do it.
"Yes!" Zhang Lei handed her the medicine he had just found.
The syringe was given along with the medicine, and there were also alcohol swabs at home. However, Zhang Lei's wish to observe the process again was dashed when his aunt pushed him forward, saying, "What are you looking at while the little girl is getting a shot? You little pervert, even curiosity shouldn't be like this!"
"What? I was the one who took off her pants at the hospital yesterday! If I wanted to see her, I would have seen her already!" Zhang Lei leaned back, trying to stay a little longer; he didn't feel embarrassed at all. Liu Ning's face, however, turned bright red from their comments. Why wasn't she shy yesterday?
A piercing scream came from inside, and Auntie San came out, rubbing her hands. Seeing Zhang Lei's suspicious look, she explained, "It's not that I'm not good enough, but there's nowhere left to insert a needle in the little girl's buttocks. Forget about giving an injection, even the slightest touch will hurt!"
"But her clothes are filthy, no girl is that dirty. You don't have any clean clothes here, do you?" Zhang Lei shook his head a little embarrassedly. "Anyway, Auntie has taken the day off these past two days, so let me take her to the street to buy some clothes today! This little girl is as pretty as a doll, it'll be impressive to take her out, hehe!"
That's just how people are. If they have a boy, they want a girl; if they have a girl, they want a boy. My third aunt had a son, so she always wanted a daughter to raise. Unfortunately, all of my sisters' families had boys. My uncle's family had a daughter, but that girl wasn't much younger than her.
Episode 3: The Bloody Path to Growth, Chapter 36: Progress A - Old Relationships
The matter of Liu Ning, or rather Wu Yining, was basically settled. Wu Yining's family was already quite chaotic, and when they discovered the girl was missing, they didn't bother to make any effort to find her.
Liu Ning also tried her best to avoid them and didn't go out much these past few days. Zhang Lei and the other aunties took good care of this poor girl.
It was only after several days that Xiao Wuzi's family discovered Liu Ning had been staying at Zhang Lei's house. Some people initially wanted to cause trouble, but they were frightened by the several photocopied medical reports from Zhang Lei. With the help of a doctor at the hospital, the medical reports stated that the injuries were extremely serious, seemingly enough to warrant a criminal conviction.
The old lady acted as if she wasn't afraid of anything, saying things like, "At my age, I'm not even afraid of being shot." But when the police actually came, she immediately backed down. At her age, going to jail wasn't going to be easy. Zhang Lei finally experienced the benefits of serving his country, which strengthened his resolve to be loyal to his country.
At this moment, Zhang Lei's mother also returned. She was also very fond of this beautiful little girl. However, she had a strategic vision and was already grooming her to be her future daughter-in-law.
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