Chapter 963: 961: Calm Down

Words : 1363 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 963: Chapter 961: Calm Down Before long, Xiao Wu was rolling on the ground, crying and wailing like a ghost. He had initially spoken out of anger, deliberately trying to provoke Lady Huang, but he hadn’t expected her to be even fiercer, with her strikes both quick and precise. He feared that if she continued beating him, he might lose his life today. Sadness welled up in him as he cried out, “Mother, dear mother, where are you? Are you just going to watch your son suffer? Your own son is about to be beaten to death! The Huang family is going to be extinct!” Lady Huang’s anger flared up even more, and she hit him harder, muttering, “If you’re dead, I’ll just have another, and he’ll bear the Huang name! The Huang family won’t be extinct!” As the situation escalated, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a man’s voice rang out, “Mother of the child, what’s going on? What happened?” Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately scrambled and rolled over to the man, clutching tightly onto the man’s trouser leg, “Father, Father, please save me, Mother is going to beat me to death!” The man was a hearty and honest-looking fellow, tall in stature, clad in clothes worn to the point of being colorless, with pants legs halfway rolled up and mud sticking to his straw sandals. He shielded Xiao Wu behind himself while reaching out to stop Lady Huang’s feather duster. “Mother of the child, whatever this child did wrong can be talked about; why are you hitting him? Look, you beat him to the point where his clothes are torn. Won’t you have to stay up at night mending them? And buying medicine for his wounds—won’t you be the one upset then?” Lady Huang originally intended to smack him a couple more times, but hearing her husband’s words made her rethink her plan. Giving Xiao Wu a glare, she said, “You’re right. We can’t waste our silver coins on this ungrateful brat.” Xiao Wu was simply filled with grief and anger. Listen, just listen! Is this the kind of talk parents should have? Calling off the beating is not out of concern for his health but for fear of spending money on medicine? The man took the feather duster, gave Xiao Wu a light kick, “Why are you standing there dazed? Go and pour a bowl of water for your mother! Look at how she worked up such a sweat beating you—” He tenderly lifted his shirt to wipe Lady Huang’s sweat. Although Xiao Wu was still disgruntled, seeing Lady Huang’s sweaty face made him mumble as he went to pour two bowls of water. The man coaxed Lady Huang, “Mother of the child, quickly drink some water, calm down.” Lady Huang shot her husband a cold glance, but eventually took the offered water and drank it. The man noticed that Lady Huang’s anger had subsided somewhat, and after drinking his own water, he cautiously asked, “What did Xiao Wu do wrong? He’s grown up now, shouldn’t we give him a bit of face? How could you hit him so harshly?” Lady Huang responded with anger, “Why don’t you ask him what he did?” The man looked at Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu, with his hand on his sore rear, clenching his teeth in pain, just lowered his head in silence after hearing this. The man then looked at Lady Huang. Lady Huang finally recounted what Xiao Wu had done, concluding, “Yesterday when he came back with all that reward money, I was curious and asked him. He said he met a Noble Patron who rewarded him heavily for his quick errands and attentive service. He even said the Noble Patron fancied our family’s flowers and wanted us to bring them to his yard for planting.” “Today, I went there with him, and indeed, Scholar Song’s Lady was amiable and generous, easy to talk to. But then Xiao Wu saw fit to speak freely without thinking in front of Scholar’s Lady.” “Setting aside the fact that people’s minds are hidden in their hearts, can family secrets be spilled just because someone appears kind and easy-going? If Scholar Song’s Lady turns out to have ill intentions, she might dig deeper upon hearing about us. Could she not figure it out? If she decides to tip off the Tian Family, our entire family might not survive!” “Luckily, I interrupted him quickly, dragged him back home! When asked if he recognized his mistake, instead of admitting it, he retaliated by saying all my previous kindness was fake, claimed I couldn’t be his real mother if I’d treat him like this! Listen, listen, is this talk from a reasonable person? I’ve raised him for so many years, and now this makes me the bad one?” As Lady Huang reached the end of her account, overwhelmed with sadness, she couldn’t help but burst into tears. The man, initially calm and collected, upon hearing this, swung the feather duster and grabbed Xiao Wu back, his large palm smacking Xiao Wu’s backside, “You nasty brat, small in stature but big in courage! Who let you spill family secrets so recklessly? Do you think the peaceful life now is too pleasant?” “You may not care about your life, but your parents still want to live! Your younger siblings still value their lives! You muddle-headed thing—” Xiao Wu, beaten and crying out loud, kicked his legs wildly but couldn’t break free from his father’s grip. Exhausted from struggling, he could only protest feebly, “I checked, Scholar’s Lady is indeed at odds with the Tian Family! That incident of the Tian Family Shop being smashed a few days ago, it was Scholar’s Lady who did it! I saw with my own eyes how the Tian Family tried to curry favor with Scholar’s Lady, and she sent them away without the slightest courtesy! The Tian Family didn’t dare make a peep, scurrying off like beaten dogs.” He felt significantly wronged. The man was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then reduced his force, gave a light slap to Xiao Wu’s backside, “Alright, you’re a grown-up, why all the crying? Stop making a spectacle of yourself for your siblings when they return.” He asked again, “Did you verify this information? Was it truly Scholar’s Lady who smashed the Tian Family Shop?” Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly, swearing, and laid out all the details he had gathered from Laosan. Upon hearing this, Lady Huang stopped crying, asking Xiao Wu a few more questions before exchanging a look with the man, both remaining silent. After a while, Lady Huang finally said, “Alright, I know you’ve felt wronged today, but why didn’t you mention this upon returning yesterday? Why take the matter into your own hands without discussing it with me and your father first? So, this beating wasn’t for nothing. Next time you act on your own, you’ll get beaten again, understand?” Having been beaten out of any mood for argument, Xiao Wu dared not say no. His father stood nearby, menacingly cracking his knuckles. He could only nod, “Understood.” “Go lie down inside, we’ll apply medicine later,” instructed Lady Huang. Xiao Wu, crestfallen, went inside to lie down. Meanwhile, Lady Huang whispered to her husband, “Do you think Scholar’s Lady really has a grudge against the Tian Family? Why else would she smash their shop? We all heard about that—not only did she demolish the shop, but she also exposed the issues with their cosmetics and perfumes.” “It was such a perfect opportunity, too bad Old Thief Tian used influence to cover up the matter. Otherwise, if the incident blew up, we could’ve fanned the flames and possibly taken down the Tian Family.” The man sighed, “I did hear some things, the one Old Thief Tian sought help from wasn’t anyone else; it was that monstrous ingrate who murdered his wife—the beast—quietly returned a few years ago and happens to be the Historian Officer in Jing County now.”

Chapter 963: 961: Calm Down

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