Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 856 - 846 you are the boss, I am the second-in-command.

After she hung up the phone with Wang Dan, Shen Yunfang hurriedly pulled Li Hongjun aside to discuss the matter concerning Li Hongqi.

"Didn’t my sister-in-law say not to worry about it, that she could handle it on her end?" Li Hongjun was reluctant to talk about Li Hongqi. He had just started to enjoy a few days of peace and definitely didn’t want another headache.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care about family, but the things that had occurred between him and Li Hongqi had nearly worn away their brotherly love.

To be honest, if it hadn’t been for Li Hongqi stirring up trouble, the Li Family wouldn’t be in such a mess.

"Come on, with your brother’s temperament, if he could just sit still at home, would we be having all these issues? I reckon he’s gone back home just to squeeze some money out of Dad. Just think about Dad’s current situation, he’s barely making ends meet himself, there’s no money for him, and your sister-in-law is definitely out of the question. That leaves us and the eldest sister... Oh, now that I mention it, I’ve just remembered, I need to call the eldest sister right away to warn her, so she doesn’t get fooled by Li Hongqi’s sweet talk." Shen Yunfang slapped her thigh, thinking about her sister-in-law’s gullible nature, it was indeed a possibility.

With that in mind, she quickly picked up the phone and began dialing.

Li Hongjun, seeing his wife in such a frantic state, sighed and shook his head – truly misfortune in the family. No, he had to teach his son properly; the Li Family absolutely could not afford another calamity like this.

As it turned out, while Li Hongqi went back home, Pangpang ended up being the one who suffered, caught by his father and put through tough training.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Pangpang and Manman were finally let go, carrying their little bags as they strolled out of the military camp and headed home.

"Mom, Brother and I are back. What’s there to eat? Hurry up and make something for us; we’ve been tortured to death." As soon as Manman got home, she plopped down on the sofa with no grace and wailed, seeking comfort from her dear mother.

Shen Yunfang, hearing the voice of her precious daughter, hurriedly walked out from the kitchen and took a seat next to the sofa, cradling her daughter’s little face and looking her over, "Just look at you, you’re a ten-year-old girl now. If your dad saw you lying like this, he’d definitely send you back to the camp for more training."

"My dad would never, I’m his precious baby girl." Manman wasn’t fooled by her mom’s words, hmph, in this house, mom was the boss and she was the second in command, and only mom could get away with stepping over her.

"Keep bragging, but the day you really tick me off, I’m going to give you a proper sorting out and let you see even being daddy’s precious baby girl won’t help." Shen Yunfang swatted her daughter’s bottom without much enthusiasm; her child was spoiled by her father to the point of having no shape.

Things used to be under control, even her mischief had its limits, but ever since her dad took her to the military camp for training, just look at her now climbing trees and scaling walls, as mischievous as ever, and not losing out to her brother at all. What’s most troubling is that when her brother made a mistake, his dad would really punish him, but when it’s his daughter’s turn, he starts making excuses for her. How could they raise any good children like that?

"Mom, aren’t I your sweet little cotton-padded jacket? You saying that really breaks my heart." Manman knew how to act sweet; sensing her mom was getting serious, she immediately changed her attitude and started acting coy, tugging at her mom to pamper her.

"What’s going on? Who’s made my precious girl sad?" Li Hongjun had just entered the house when he heard his daughter’s last remark and asked with a chuckle.

Worried her mom would tattle on her, Manman quickly called out first, "Daddy, daddy, you’re finally back. Manman missed you so much." Meanwhile, she was batting her big, charming eyes.

"All you know is how to schmooze and be coy, who taught you all these tricks?" Shen Yunfang said irritably as she gave her daughter another pat on the rear, still hitting the fleshy part with a loud smack.

Manman pretended to nurse her butt, wailing exaggeratedly, which had Li Hongjun laughing heartily. After changing his slippers, he lifted his daughter and set her on the sofa, "My daughter is fine, and nobody is allowed to hit her, okay?"

Manman looked back at her mom with a smug grin. She wanted to make another funny face, but after a second thought, she decided against it; mom is still the boss at home, after all.

"Pangpang?" Li Hongjun asked as he sat down on the sofa.

"Finally, someone remembers I exist," grumbled Pangpang from the bedroom.

"What’s going on?" Li Hongjun asked his wife.

"I really don’t know. I had just mentioned your daughter, didn’t scold him or anything," Shen Yunfang was just as confused.

"Hmph, so you still remember you have a son. I thought you only had a daughter," Pangpang said with a touch of bitterness as he ran out from his room. Seemingly embarrassed, he quickly scurried back.

"What’s going on now?" This time it was Shen Yunfang’s turn to ask.

The kid suddenly bursts out with that, and then runs off. What’s that all about?

"Big brother is jealous because mom and dad love me the most," Manman happily translated for her parents while sitting on the couch.

The couple exchanged a glance. Could that be possible? They hadn’t even considered that.

"Cough cough, your son, dad, go and have a chat with him. We believe in democracy in this family—no favoring daughters over sons," Shen Yunfang hinted with her eyes for her husband to step in. For boys, it’s better to communicate with dad.

Li Hongjun glanced at his son’s room and then at his wife. Finally, he stood up, ready to temporarily take on the role of political commissar. A soldier’s physical fitness is important, but so is his mental health, right?

No one knows what they talked about, but after about ten minutes, Pangpang came bouncing out of the bedroom, cast a disdainful glance at his improperly seated sister as he passed the living room, and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Mom, we’ve been back for so long, when is dinner? I’m starving," he said.

That afternoon, some friends called out for Pangpang to come play downstairs. He quickly got ready, dragging his little sister Manman along with him to go nuts with the gang. As they left, he looked at his slightly slower sister with disapproval and said with a patronizing air, "What good are you, as a little girl, without me to look after you?"

Shen Yunfang was very curious about what Li Hongjun had said to the kids. She didn’t ask until they were lying in bed that night.

Li Hongjun didn’t have the time to talk about these things in bed. He said dismissively, "Didn’t say much. Our son is very conscious; I hadn’t even started, and he got it all."

"Get out of here, trying to fool me like you do Manman. Believe it or not, if you don’t talk properly, I’ll kick you out of bed," Shen Yunfang was not pleased and threatened him with a kick under the covers to his hairy leg.

"Hey, when have I ever fooled you? I’m in charge of a whole battalion, with over a thousand people under my command and not a single one dares to act up. We only have these two kids at home, can’t I handle that? It’s just that the state has policies; otherwise, you could keep giving birth, and I’d manage however many you had," Li Hongjun lamented, suggesting that he’d have fathered a small army with his wife if times had been different.