Chapter 100: Chapter 100

The letter was indeed from Erdan, and the contents on the paper were also written by him. But among all these “no mistakes,” there was something that definitely didn’t belong to a child’s handwriting—something that stood out so much it was almost blinding.

Chen Lie pressed his lips into a thin line, holding down the sheet of paper for a long moment before finally taking a deep breath and picking it up.

On the paper—was him.

To be more specific, it was a drawing of him with his shirt partially rolled up, revealing his abdomen and the lines of his waist.

His lower half… was not exactly dressed appropriately…

The waistband of his boxer shorts was sticking out about four or five millimeters above the outer pants…

At first glance, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Even on closer inspection, it wasn’t exactly outrageous. But the more he looked, the more he felt something was off—so much so that Chen Lie even wanted to check if his own clothes were properly worn at that very moment, maybe tug at them a bit…

This was only because Chen Lie’s vocabulary for such things was limited. If Su Qinghu were the one describing it, she’d have a precise word for this “hard to describe” feeling!

Sexy!

Not just sexy—there was also that overwhelming masculine tension, practically leaping off the page…

Chen Lie stared at the not-so-properly dressed version of himself in the drawing, closed his eyes, then opened them again, and rubbed his face hard.

In all his limited interactions with her, he had never… dressed so disrespectfully in front of a lady!

It was just…

She must have imagined it out of thin air!

Blame her!

Chen Lie took a deep breath, stared at the white ceiling, and warned himself that next time he went back, he’d have to have a serious talk with her—teach her how to write a proper letter!

Su Qinghu, meanwhile, had no idea that Chen Lie had already received the letter, nor that her seemingly proper but secretly smoldering portrait of him had sent him into a spiral of self-doubt about his usual attire.

Right now, she was standing in the bedroom doorway, having a standoff with Erdan.

“Mom, did you take my stuff?!” Erdan tried his best to smile. “The things in my drawer.”

“Huh?” Su Qinghu looked innocent. “What stuff in your drawer?”

Erdan was very well-behaved. “My colored clay figurines and my comic books and marbles.”

“Oh, you mean those.” Su Qinghu nodded casually. “I took them.”

“Can you give them back?” Erdan tried to keep his smile kind. “If you can’t give them back today, tomorrow is fine too.”

Su Qinghu spread her hands. “No can do. I already mailed them out to someone else.”

Her expression and tone were infuriating.

“Why didn’t you tell me first?” Erdan wailed, rushing up to Su Qinghu, tilting his little face up and shouting, “If you want to take my things, you should ask me first. If I agree, you can have them. Don’t you know that?”

“Huh? Isn’t it fine to just take them? Why do I need to ask you first?” Su Qinghu stared back at him. “In this house, is there anything I can’t take? You take my things without asking all the time…”

“But! But! But you said you’d respect us, not touch our things, and not just walk into our rooms!” Erdan was so angry his eyes turned red. “You broke your promise! You’re a liar! Just wait, if you keep this up, you’ll get fat from eating your own words!”

He was sure those things were still there when he checked last night, and even this morning when he went to get his secret pocket money. But after just one trip out, they were gone.

He even wondered if a thief had broken in, but all the valuables and his savings book were untouched, and even his last thirty cents were still there.

No way a thief would only steal his colored clay figurines and comic books, right?

Although he thought they were precious, a thief wouldn’t know that!

After thinking it over, the only suspect left was his new mom.

“Respect goes both ways. I respect you, but do you respect me?” Su Qinghu’s voice turned cold. “You take my things without asking, walk into my room whenever you want, and who knows what else you’ve done that I don’t know about.”

Erdan was stunned, looking at Su Qinghu. “But you never said we couldn’t go into your room or touch your things.”

That was true.

But—

Su Qinghu wanted to teach them a lesson, so she couldn’t just agree. “I never said it, but I set an example, didn’t I? Think about it—when I wake you up in the morning, do I just barge into your room? When I change your sheets, don’t I ask you first?”

Erdan lost his momentum.

It really was just like she said…

“I was wrong. I’ll change next time. But can’t you learn from other parents?” The thought of his treasures being mailed away, maybe even touched by someone else, made Erdan so mad he wanted to stomp his feet.

He didn’t want anyone else touching his things!

Su Qinghu: “Learn what?”

“Learn to hit your kids!” Erdan was furious. “You’re so smart—why do I have to teach you something like this!”

Dadan, standing nearby, clenched his fists, itching to give his silly little brother a beating.

What kind of talk was that!

Su Qinghu asked sincerely, “Sorry, I really don’t know how to hit kids 365 days a year and never repeat a method. Maybe you can introduce me to a model family for child-beating, and I’ll go learn from them?”

Seeing Su Qinghu’s serious and eager face, Erdan stammered, “Wh-why do you need so many methods? Hitting kids is just to make them hurt, so they’ll remember! As long as it hurts, that’s enough!”

Dadan: “That’s you.”

He never wanted to relive the days of being chased and beaten.

Erdan shouted in frustration, “I was wrong! Can’t you just hit me and get it over with?!”

Why so much talking before a beating? Can’t we just get it over with quickly? Hit me and be done!

Su Qinghu replied slowly, “You want me to? Even if you beg, it’s no use—I don’t have the tools.”

“No handy ruler, no belt or bamboo stick.” She shrugged. “Sorry, can’t help you.”

The old discipline ruler at home was a bit too precious to be used on a kid’s butt.

This time, Erdan was really about to cry. Seeing Su Qinghu’s innocent face made it worse. If she didn’t hit him, did that mean his things would never come back?

“I’ll never go into your room or take your things again.” Erdan lowered his head and hugged Su Qinghu’s leg. “Please, help me get my stuff back…”

Su Qinghu looked at the little guy rubbing his head against her leg and raised an eyebrow. So, when tough didn’t work, he tried being soft?

Too bad—today wasn’t the right time. All that flexibility was wasted.

“Once something’s sent out, how could you get it back?” Su Qinghu was unmoved. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Why not? If you want, I can write to my dad tomorrow and ask him to mail your drawing back to you.” Erdan’s eyes lit up with hope. “Not only can he mail it back, I can even help you get a birthday present.”

“If I do that, can you help me get my stuff back?”

Erdan looked at her with hope."