家法伺候

One day in 1932, I, Mark, the secretary of Major General Jacob, had a quite memorable experience. That day was a real commotion in the Jacob household.

Little Johnum, the son of Major General Jacob, wrote a self-criticism. Oh boy, it was something! He dared to oppose his father's viewpoints right in that piece of writing. He even admitted that all the previous papers he wrote were forced, not what he truly believed in. When Major General Jacob read that, he was furious. He shouted that he was going to teach Johnum a lesson in the old-fashioned way, with some family discipline.

That night, Major General Jacob and his wife Diana locked little Johnum in a room. I heard terrifying screams coming from that room. There was no doubt that it was Johnum yelling at the top of his lungs. Have to say, I have to say, that little Johnum was really brave. Standing up to his father like that took some guts.

I was just standing there, feeling a bit awkward and not knowing what to do. I mean, it was a family matter, but the whole scene was quite intense. I felt sorry for Johnum, but at the same time, I understood Major General Jacob's anger. After all, having your own son openly oppose you like that couldn't be easy.

Well, that was one crazy day in the Jacob household. I hope things sorted themselves out eventually, but that moment surely left a deep impression on me.