Looking at the young girl before him, the Teacher finally sighed. "Regardless of the reason for your fight, I do not encourage such behavior. You are scholars, people who study. How can you always resort to violence to solve problems? How is that any different from monkeys in the wild fighting over territory?"
After speaking, he said coldly, "Extend your hands."
Then, Scholar Meng rapped each of their palms with his ruler.
Actually, the raps weren't painful, but it was a punishment, and that carried a different weight. Many students were used to these punishments, so they hardly felt a thing.
But for Zhao Zhitong, this was her first time having her palm struck by the Teacher. Although the strike was light, her palm throbbed with a fiery pain. Seeing the Teacher's rarely seen stern expression, tears welled up in her eyes.
Crying, she said, "Teacher, I know I was wrong. I will never fight in the classroom again. Please don't dislike Tongtong."
