Apocalypse Chapter 54: Punishment

Chapter 54: Punishment

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

When Wang Chunlan and her team arrived at Jiang Rong’s house, they were surprised to find Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao kneeling under the western courtyard wall, facing the wall with a downtrodden look. Beside the two children, Little Guaiguai lay curled up in a red bundle. Looking up, they saw Little Fairy standing straight, every spike on its body drooping down.

Leilei had intended to cheer up the two children, but seeing this situation, her voice softened a bit, “Mom, are Xiaoheng and the others being scolded by Uncle Jiang?”

Wang Chunlan smiled faintly, “Do you even need to ask?”

The two children remained silent, playing a big game. They had actually been secretly raising a mutated tiger under everyone’s noses. They were lucky the tiger didn’t harm them; if luck had been worse, Jiang Rong would have had to bury the two children. Any parent couldn’t tolerate such a thing, and making them kneel was a minor punishment.

Seeing Leilei’s sympathetic eyes, Wang Chunlan spoke gently, “Remember what Mom told you before, don’t forget.”

Leilei rubbed her hands awkwardly, “I remember… I just feel sorry for them kneeling there.”

Carrying a medical kit, Wang Chunlan walked towards the splendid tiger, “It’s better than dealing with their corpses in the future.”

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao were squatting beside the tiger, helping to bandage its wounds. When Wang Chunlan entered, Jiang Rong apologized, “Sorry, Chunlan, for bothering you to come all this way in your busy schedule. Look, can this tiger be saved?”

Wang Chunlan looked over at the tiger and said gently, “Let me try first.”

Since joining the esper team, Wang Chunlan had transitioned from a gynecologist to a general practitioner, and now she was also accepting part-time work as a veterinarian.

Leilei’s eyes sparkled, “It’s a real tiger! It’s so big and powerful!”

The tiger in front of her was more majestic than any she had seen in the zoo before. The two white tufts of fur behind its ears seemed like two big eyes attracting her attention. Leilei eagerly rubbed her hands, wanting to stroke the tiger’s big face.

Afraid of the tiger hurting anyone, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao had already restrained it. The huge tiger lay on the makeshift operating table, completely unconscious, only its abdomen rising and falling slowly.

After examining it for a while, Wang Chunlan smiled and said, “It can be treated.”

Jiang Rong breathed a sigh of relief, “Thanks a lot, Chunlan.” 

If the tiger died in his courtyard, Jiang Xiaoheng would surely be heartbroken.

Wang Chunlan waved her hand, “No need to be so polite.” 

She heard that this tiger had defeated the mutated snake together with Little Guaiguai. If it could really listen to Jiang Xiaoheng and the others, it could become a help to the esper team.

Jiang Rong sighed with a headache, “This matter has caused quite a stir…”

Jiang Xiaoheng reluctantly turned his head to see how “Dou Dou” was doing, but he barely moved before Jiang Rong’s voice rang out, “Jiang Xiaoheng, have you forgotten what you promised me?”

Jiang Xiaoheng quickly straightened up, facing the direction of the courtyard wall, tears streaming down his cheeks. “No, I haven’t forgotten…”

Before Aunt Chunlan arrived, Jiang Xiaoheng received the heaviest beating since he was born. Normally, when he got a little scratch on his hand, Daddy would hold him in his arms and comfort him. But today, Daddy pulled down his pants and gave him eighteen spanks on his butt, eighteen! As soon as the first smack landed, his butt started to burn with pain.

Now his butt was numb and sore, and even the slightest movement made it ache. Jiang Xiaoheng reached out to wipe his tears, but as soon as his palm touched the tears, he recoiled in pain.

After spanking his butt, Daddy was still not satisfied. He picked up a small twig and lectured him while smacking his palms. The twig was so thin, why did it hurt so much when it hit his body? With each smack, a red mark appeared on his white palm.

At first, when he was being beaten, Jiang Xiaoheng felt wronged: he had told Daddy about “Dou Dou” before, so why was Daddy so angry? And why did Daddy beat him instead of saving “Dou Dou” first, since “Dou Dou” was already injured? He admitted that “Dou Dou” was bigger than the tiger in the cartoon, but it was just as cute and obedient as the tiger on TV. Why couldn’t he keep it?

But then Daddy’s words made him realize how wrong he had been. The tiger in the cartoons and the tiger in real life were two different things. If the tiger had bitten him, it would have hurt a thousand times more than Daddy’s spanks. If the tiger had eaten him, he would never see Daddy again. Thinking of never seeing Daddy again, all of Jiang Xiaoheng’s grievances disappeared. He hung his head in remorse, remembering exactly where he had gone wrong.

His first mistake: he shouldn’t have been vague about “Dou Dou,” he should have clearly explained who “Dou Dou” was to Daddy. Daddy wasn’t a mind reader, he might not have understood what Jiang Xiaoheng meant. His second mistake: he shouldn’t have secretly fed “Dou Dou” with his brother. Feeding “Dou Dou” was very dangerous and could have hurt himself. His third mistake: he shouldn’t have threatened Little Fairy and Little Guaiguai. If he hadn’t stopped them from telling Daddy, Daddy would have known about “Dou Dou” sooner. His fourth mistake, and the main reason he got beaten so badly, was that he shouldn’t have relied on his status to threaten Daddy.

If he really wanted to keep “Dou Dou,” he should have told Daddy early on and openly asked for Daddy’s permission. If Daddy didn’t agree, he could have continued to persuade instead of crying and demanding Daddy’s approval. Jiang Xiaoheng hung his head in frustration, his eyes red as he looked at Jiang Hao kneeling beside him.

Because of this, not only did he get beaten, but Jiang Hao also got punished for helping him feed “Dou Dou.” Uncle Guan was strong, and with one smack, Jiang Hao’s butt turned red. Now Jiang Hao couldn’t even kneel properly, he could only lean over to avoid putting weight on his thighs.

Little Fairy was also punished because it was the first to see “Dou Dou.” It not only didn’t tell Daddy but also indulged in feeding “Dou Dou.” For the next half month, Little Fairy couldn’t watch cartoons. This was more painful than killing it, and the pitiful Eyries cactus turned into a ball, dejectedly leaning against the wall.

Little Guaiguai didn’t fare any better. It was also a “co-conspirator” like Little Fairy. Moreover, it went out to find little mice to feed “Dou Dou,” and like Little Fairy, it also couldn’t watch cartoons for the foreseeable future.

Even Lele suffered, even though he was also a victim and couldn’t speak. But Daddy still accused him of not reporting, and his dog food was halved for the next three days…

Because of him alone, all his little friends suffered. Jiang Xiaoheng looked at the gray cement wall with tears streaming down his face. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved and frightened he felt, and he couldn’t help but cry, “Wuwuwu…”

Jiang Rong glanced helplessly at his son and sighed quietly.

Normally, Jiang Rong would allow his children to be lively and innocent, but when it came to life and death, he couldn’t tolerate it. If his son dared to keep a tiger outside today, he might sneak out tomorrow. It wasn’t that he couldn’t tolerate a tiger, but he was afraid that his son would encounter danger, and he was even more afraid of losing him forever.

Before today, Jiang Rong had never laid a finger on his son, and this beating probably shattered his image of being a good Daddy in his son’s mind. But as long as his son learned his lesson, he felt it was worth it.

After examining the tiger’s body, Wang Chunlan stood up and said, “It’s just some superficial wounds. This tiger should also be an enhanced species. I feel its injuries are recovering quickly, so it should be fine soon.”

Jiang Rong thanked her, “Thank you, Chunlan.”

Wang Chunlan said gently, “You’re welcome, Xiaorong, no need to be so polite. But I want to remind you, a tiger is not a cat, and it may not be as easy to keep as you think.”

Jiang Rong nodded, “I understand.”

Seeing the lying tiger, Leilei couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle Jiang, can I touch it?”

Since the tiger was unconscious, it shouldn’t be dangerous. Jiang Rong nodded, “Okay, but remember to stay away a bit and be careful.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Leilei reached out tremblingly to touch the tiger’s head. The dense tiger fur was a bit rough, but the smooth feeling from head to toe was irresistible. The warm big cat made the little girl reluctant to let go, and she smiled with narrowed eyes, “Mom, I touched the tiger!”

Wang Chunlan couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Are you also thinking about keeping one?” 

Nowadays, children are fearless in their ignorance and dare to try anything.

Outside the courtyard gate, the honk of a pickup truck sounded, and Chu Qiang arrived with other teammates. As soon as they entered the gate, Ruan Hanyu exclaimed, “A tiger! It’s a real tiger!”

Without waiting for Jiang Rong’s response, Ruan Hanyu’s hand had already landed on the tiger’s belly, her eyes sparkling, “It’s so soft!”

Ruan Hanyu used to have a cat at home, but unfortunately, her cat didn’t survive the Great Crisis. Because of that cat, she had cried countless times. Now seeing such a big tiger, a cat lover like her couldn’t control her excitement.

Jiang Rong was speechless. Is it that most women have no resistance to felines? Look at Leilei and Ruan Hanyu, they couldn’t wait to throw themselves on the tiger. Seeing them like this, Jiang Rong didn’t know whether to feel sorry for the tiger or for them for not being alert to the wild beast.

Chu Qiang swaggered over to the wall, his hands in his pockets, and looked at the two little guys kneeling in punishment with a grin, “Serves you right, got beaten, huh? Will you dare to do it again in the future?”

Jiang Xiaoheng looked at Uncle Chu helplessly, tears streaming down his face, “I won’t dare…”

Chu Qiang nodded in satisfaction, “It’s good that you recognize your mistakes and are willing to change. Remember, you must never do such dangerous things again. Do you both understand?”

Jiang Xiaoheng showed a great attitude of repentance. He sniffled as he kept his head down, “Yes, I understand.”

Jiang Rong glanced over, “Qiang, don’t influence them.” 

Jiang Xiaoheng still had over an hour of kneeling left, and no amount of persuasion would change that.

Knowing his buddy’s temper well, Chu Qiang lowered his voice and gave Jiang Xiaoheng a thumbs-up, “Good kid, you’re really something.”

Before Jiang Rong could lose his temper, Chu Qiang left the two of them with a smile. He circled around the tiger, taking advantage of its deep sleep, and even cheekily patted the tiger’s butt, “They say you shouldn’t touch a tiger’s butt, heh, but here I am touching it. Oh, Xiao Jiang, what are you going to do with this tiger? Keep it or kill it?”

Jiang Rong’s mind was in turmoil, “Let’s talk about it later.” 

He had considered the issue that Sister Chunlan had mentioned. The tiger wasn’t a cat; it could easily cause harm, especially since it had managed to defeat the mutated snake. If he kept the tiger, what if it injured someone in the future? But if he didn’t keep it, having a tiger wandering around the base wasn’t a good idea either. So he decided to take it one step at a time, observe the tiger’s situation, and then make a decision.

Pan Pan took the opportunity to pat the tiger several times. He laughed, “Isn’t it obvious? We’ll keep it, of course. If we wanted to kill it, would we bother treating its wounds?”

Chu Qiang suddenly realized, “Right, I overlooked this important premise.”

This was the first time the team members had seen a tiger up close, and while the tiger was still unconscious, they touched every inch of its body before leaving satisfied, leaving Jiang Rong alone.

***

Jiang Xiaoheng, who had been beaten, fell asleep particularly early today. He and Jiang Hao lay on their pillows, with tears still in the corners of their eyes. Jiang Rong carefully took off his son’s pants and saw the bruised and swollen buttocks.

Jiang Rong applied a bruise-healing ointment to his palm and spread it gently on his son’s buttocks after warming it up with his body temperature. Jiang Xiaoheng didn’t sleep very soundly, and when Jiang Rong’s big hand touched his buttocks, his legs kicked a few times in confusion.

Jiang Rong coaxed softly, “Xiaoheng, it won’t hurt after applying the medicine.” 

Hearing Daddy’s voice, Jiang Xiaoheng relaxed his body. He hugged his plush toy, his fair cheeks pressed against it. His son’s buttocks were a bit hot, and the bruises looked nasty. Jiang Rong couldn’t bear to see it. He was especially gentle when applying the ointment.

Guan Shao sighed lightly, “Feeling sorry for him?”

Jiang Rong paused for a moment, “Yeah.” 

Although he had beaten Jiang Xiaoheng, seeing the marks he had made with his own hands made him feel heavy with self-blame. He wished these wounds could appear on his own body instead.

Children need discipline, no matter how much it hurts. After a pause, Jiang Rong said firmly, “No matter how sorry I feel, I still have to discipline him.” 

Although many education experts had been advocating for gentleness towards children before the Great Crisis, Jiang Rong still believed that nothing could replace a good beating. He just hoped that Jiang Xiaoheng would learn from being beaten and not put himself in danger again in the future.

After applying the medicine to his buttocks, Jiang Rong gently held his son’s right hand. The palm of his right hand was swollen and red. Jiang Rong lowered his head and gently blew on his son’s palm, “Blowing on it will make it feel better.”

“Daddy…” Jiang Xiaoheng’s voice came.

Jiang Rong responded with a sound and looked down, only to see his son still closing his eyes, seemingly talking in his sleep. Jiang Xiaoheng softly called Daddy a few times, his voice filled with infinite attachment. His son didn’t hold any resentment towards him for beating him. On the contrary, he was still so obedient. Hearing his son’s calling, Jiang Rong felt a tinge of sadness and his eyes reddened slightly.

When Jiang Xiaoheng first came home, he wasn’t even a month old, and Jiang Rong was still a student who didn’t know anything. After taking over this brand new life, he clumsily learned how to be a Daddy. He changed his son’s first diaper, fed him his first milk, listened to him babble until he could speak clearly… This little guy was an inseparable part of his life.

Jiang Rong finally understood why there were so many naughty kids and irresponsible parents. Once you invested your emotions, you couldn’t bring yourself to harm your child. The parental filter would beautify the words and deeds of children, making them think their own offspring were very cute.

If it were someone else who had beaten Jiang Xiaoheng like this today, Jiang Rong would have fought them to the end. But the one who left marks on his son was himself, and he was filled with anger, regret, and self-blame. “Actually, the one who should have been beaten the most today is me. I protected Xiaoheng too well, and he didn’t know how dangerous the outside world is. Guan Shao, am I a very irresponsible father?”

Guan Shao’s hands fell on Jiang Rong’s shoulders, and he said firmly, “No, you’re the most responsible father I’ve ever seen. Xiaoheng is lucky to have you.”

After the Great Crisis, even biological children were abandoned, let alone adopted ones. Jiang Rong not only didn’t abandon his child but also kept him firmly under his wings. Even a biological father might not have done as much.

Guan Shao comforted, “Don’t be sad. Children need to grow up. If you don’t let them know the dangers of the world, they’ll suffer in the future.”

Jiang Rong knew this principle very well; he was just momentarily blinded by emotions. After calming down a bit, he covered his son with a small blanket and then walked to the other side of the bed, ready to apply medicine to Jiang Hao.

Jiang Hao and Jiang Xiaoheng both slept on their stomachs. Looking at his sleeping face, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Guan Shao. “Seriously, Xiaohao really isn’t your child, is he?”

If they weren’t biologically related, how could they look so much alike? Especially those eyes, they shared about seventy to eighty percent resemblance with Guan Shao.

Guan Shao replied slowly, “I do wish he was my child.” 

At least this way, the child would still have a blood relative in the world and wouldn’t be all alone.

After taking off Jiang Hao’s pants, Jiang Rong gasped, “You were really rough.” 

Guan Shao had a strong grip. With one slap, a complete palm print appeared on Jiang Hao’s buttocks. The bruised palm print covered Jiang Hao’s buttocks, looking painful just to look at.

Guan Shao calmly said, “Children need discipline. We can’t let them make mistakes just because of special circumstances.” 

It was precisely because Jiang Hao had lost his family that Guan Shao couldn’t afford to be careless. If something happened to Jiang Hao, how could he face his brothers? To be frank, if Jiang Hao were his own child, Guan Shao would have been even harsher.

Jiang Rong took the ointment and applied it to his palm. While waiting for the ointment to melt, he carefully examined Jiang Hao’s features. “What a good child.” 

After a period of care, Jiang Hao had become fairer and chubbier, looking even more adorable. Jiang Hao’s autonomy was growing stronger. In the afternoon, when Jiang Rong was about to discipline his son, Jiang Hao unexpectedly stood in front of Xiaoheng without hesitation. He anxiously turned around and offered his buttocks to Jiang Rong’s palm, even reaching out his hand to take the punishment intended for Jiang Xiaoheng. Such a sincere and righteous child deserved genuine care from Jiang Rong.

Afraid of waking Jiang Hao, Jiang Rong’s movements were especially gentle. After applying the ointment, he gently touched Jiang Hao’s head and covered him with a small blanket. “Good night.”

As the door closed, Jiang Hao slowly opened his eyes. His previously empty eyes now seemed lively. He slowly raised his hand to touch his own head, feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp, much like when his grandmother used to caress him. In fact, he had already woken up when Uncle Jiang was applying medicine to him. He had never heard their voices so clearly before.

Hearing Uncle Jiang praise him for being obedient and sensible, his mouth couldn’t stop smiling. He really liked Uncle Jiang and his little brother Xiaoheng. If only Uncle Jiang were his Daddy, then Xiaoheng would be his real brother.

Jiang Hao reached out and hooked his hand on Jiang Xiaoheng’s hand. He made two indistinct sounds, “Bro…ther…”

***

In the wee hours of the morning, the tiger on the operating table woke up. Before even opening its eyes, it was startled by the strong smell of medicine, causing it to sneeze several times. Still feeling the effects of anesthesia, its limbs were somewhat disobedient. After struggling for a few times, it managed to flip off the operating table.

After staggering a few steps, the tiger finally found its balance. It walked slowly along the wall, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the thick bandages wrapped around its front legs, restricting its movement.

The neatly wrapped bandages couldn’t withstand the tiger’s gnawing; in just a few bites, long strips of gauze appeared on the ground. The tiger stretched its body and started walking gracefully in the courtyard.

After a few steps, the tiger noticed the bloodthirsty vines and cacti hanging on the courtyard wall. It tilted its head in confusion; why weren’t those two fellows happily watching their little board, like they did every night? And why weren’t they using thorns and vines to mark their territory whenever it appeared? Today, they seemed unusually inactive.

Although the atmosphere in the courtyard was somewhat chaotic, for a tiger raised in a zoo, this was nothing. It quickly detected some familiar scents, belonging to the new zookeepers it had found.

The zookeepers were small in stature, but the food they provided was delicious. However, there wasn’t enough of it, so the tiger had to go out hunting to fill its belly. Recently, it had been wandering around the zookeepers’ house; it hadn’t intended to get too close to them so quickly.

But yesterday, it got into a fight with a snake, and in extreme pain, it instinctively sought out the zookeepers. Now, it seemed its choice was correct; the zookeepers not only treated its wounds but also left it food.

After finishing the food specially left by Jiang Rong, the tiger let out a big yawn and then boldly returned to the tray and lay down.

Jiang Rong quietly opened the curtains and looked outside. “This tiger… has quite the nerve.” 

Shouldn’t a tiger unfamiliar with a place leave quickly? But instead, it ate and then decided to stay. It seemed that tigers raised by humans were not much different from house cats; their hearts were unusually large. No wonder Jiang Xiaoheng and the others could lure it down the mountain with just a few bags of dog food.

Guan Shao glanced outside. “Isn’t this good?” 

The tiger helped hunt down the snake yesterday, came into the yard after getting injured, and now even accepted food from Jiang Rong and stayed in the yard. This proves that it meant no harm to Jiang Rong and the others.

Jiang Rong took a deep breath. “After daybreak, let’s have Zheng Zhanqing come over? He’s… um…”

Guan Shao kissed Jiang Rong’s neck and his fingers wandered in front of Jiang Rong. “Alright. But it’s not working hours now. Since you’re awake, shall we continue?”

Jiang Rong twisted his body backward, grasping Guan Shao’s hand, pleading, “No more, really, no more.”

Guan Shao slid his fingers gently. “I don’t believe you, it’s so spirited.”

Jiang Rong’s eyes reddened, his voice trembling, “Please, no more…” 

Don’t touch anymore, it would be really impolite if you continued. The tiger twitched its ears and lifted its head, its golden eyes looking towards the nearest window. The curtains behind the window were shaking rhythmically. After watching for a while, the tiger couldn’t figure out what was going on. It yawned again and obediently lay down.

 

 

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