[Wow, this fire poker is my scumbag dad!]
[Holy moly, who did this to my dad?]
[What a beautiful job! Woohoo!]
[That's what you get for leaving my mommy behind! That's what you get for shutting her out! Karma's come calling, huh? Serves you right, serves you right...]
Little Wanwan clapped excitedly, babbling and laughing without restraint.
She figured it was fine. She was still in her beginner protection period, after all.
But Pan Chun swiftly caught her hands, leaving the little girl's round eyes full of confusion.
Pan Chun's eyes said, Miss, can't you tell this is a tragic story?
Little Wanwan stared at her, tilting her head in confusion. Auntie Pan Chun, could you stop grinning before you lecture me?
So the officials can set fires, but the common folk can't even light a lamp?
The grown woman and the little girl stared at each other. Pan Chun thought through every sad thing that had happened in her life, but she still burst out laughing at those three sticks of charcoal.
Once she started,
everyone in the hall lost control.
They thought through the saddest things in their lives a hundred times.
They still couldn't hold back their laughter. The women in the hall were more restrained, while the men made no attempt to hide it, laughing until their stomachs hurt.
"Hahahahaha!"
"What the hell are these things? They look like three fire pokers."
"How can anyone be this black? They're even shiny."
"I'm dying! You're the ones pretending to be the masters of the Marquis's Residence?"
The constable's face turned green from holding back his laughter. Struggling to force down the corners of his mouth, he said, "All right, we always demand evidence when handling a case. These three sticks... these three people claim to be your heir and the lady of your household. We can't recognize them, so you people from the Marquis's Residence should identify them yourselves!"
"Hahaha! How could these three fire pokers be our masters? Masters, my ass!" Xie Jinzhao said.
"N-no, that's not my brother. My brother isn't that black... ahem." Xie Jinqiu covered his mouth, laughing himself silly.
Li Duoduo stepped forward and studied Madam Li for a long time. "I may not have seen my aunt for several years, but she's definitely a true-born woman of the Great Xia Dynasty. She isn't that black!"
Xu Rourou stepped forward to look as well, but her smile froze as soon as it appeared!
One of them was her brother. She recognized him.
Her brother's gaze had always been rugged and forceful. Then weren't the two beside him Madam Li... and Xie Jin'an?
Panic filled her eyes. How had they ended up like this?
The constable gave a rueful smile. "Young lord, madam, look-even the people of your own Marquis's Residence didn't recognize you. We're only humble constables. How could we possibly recognize you?"
Xie Jin'an's face alternated between green and white, though the blackness hid it.
He kicked at the constable. "Get lost!"
The moment he spoke, everyone's smiles froze.
Because that voice was unmistakably Xie Jin'an's.
Then wasn't the person beside him, wearing that corpse-like scowl, their legal mother, Madam Li?
And what about the other one? Who was he?
Tears filled Xu Rourou's eyes as she asked with concern, "Brother, who did this to you?"
Brother?
Concubine Xu's brother?
Everyone's minds buzzed.
Wasn't Concubine Xu just a lowly concubine? Why had her brother come back with the heir and their legal mother?
Had some earth-shattering scandal happened over the past few days?
They all pricked up their ears, as impatient as melon-stealing badgers in a melon patch.
[Hahahahaha, I'm laughing myself into orbit, damn it!!!]
[Not a single person in the whole family recognized them! Hahaha! Which righteous magistrate did this to them? He deserves a place of honor in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!]
[Scumbag Dad's skinny little body looks so much like a fire poker! Hahahaha!]
Liu Wan had been able to hold it in, but when she heard her daughter's baby voice laughing in breathless fits, she finally lost control.
Her mind was full of fire pokers, fire pokers, fire pokers...
"Fire... young lord, Mother-in-law, what happened?"
Liu Wan asked, trying hard to compose herself.
"Yesterday, when we came down the mountain, lightning struck and wrecked our carriage and horses, leaving us like this. After we returned to the Marquis's Residence, a steward had us sent to the authorities! Where is that steward? Send someone to find him immediately!"
Xie Jin'an couldn't swallow this insult!
In all his years, this was the first time a servant had beaten him. His face was battered and swollen, so red and puffy that even its pitch-black color couldn't conceal it.
His mother was no better off. Her face was so swollen she couldn't speak and could only glare at people!
He didn't mention that they had rolled all the way to the gates of the Marquis's Residence, unable to separate themselves!
That was far too humiliating!
Moreover, the mountain road was rugged, and gravel and dirt had embedded themselves in their flesh. His back was covered in open wounds filled with little stones. The pain made him wish he were dead!
Xu Xinbo was no better off. He was in the same condition.
They had all thought everything would be fine once they reached the Marquis's Residence.
Who could have imagined that some blind fool of a servant would report them to the authorities instead!
He had wanted the constables to escort them home, but they said the magistrate had finished work for the day, so they would lock them in prison first and question them the next morning.
Ha.
Only heaven knew how they had survived last night in that prison.
Not only had all the food been spoiled, but he had finally managed to wipe his face clean and let the authorities know he was the heir of Jing'an Marquis Manor.
Yet when he woke up, his face was pitch-black again, evenly black all over, like a polished lump of coal.
If he hadn't been in prison, he would have suspected someone had smeared ink on their faces during the night!
Being struck by lightning and rolling all the way back to the Marquis's Residence had already been bizarre enough. With this added to it, Xie Jin'an grew increasingly afraid that some ghost or monster had latched onto him.
Even Madam Li, who had worshipped the Buddha for so long, had been frightened out of her wits.
No one could understand their suffering!!!
No one!!!
Xie Jin'an clenched his teeth and fixed a murderous stare on Qing Da!
He kicked him. "You! I'm going to sell you off! You worthless slave, how dare you hit us! And you even sent us to the authorities! All my suffering is your fault!"
Qing Da froze, then dropped to his knees in terror, not daring to fight back!
"Young lord, perhaps you should look in a mirror. How could we recognize you looking like this? Even the masters couldn't..."
Xie Jin'an kicked him again.
Qing Da sneered inwardly. Ha! What a feeble kick. Hilarious. It doesn't hurt at all!
So little strength, yet such a big temper.
"Young lord! You should calm down before dealing with this. Qing Da was only doing his duty!"
Liu Wan stepped forward and spoke.
Her composed tone did calm Xie Jin'an considerably.
Everyone else began speaking up as well.
Qing Da really hadn't done anything wrong!
Who could recognize them looking like that?
"Fine! Once I've washed up, just watch how I deal with you, you worthless slave!"
Xie Jin'an nodded through gritted teeth.
"Someone prepare hot water for the young lord to wash, and fetch the Residence Physician!" Liu Wan ordered the servants outside.
Then she looked at Madam Li and asked whether she needed any as well.
Madam Li shot her a vicious glare.
Liu Wan sneered. "Since this lady isn't speaking, she must not need any. Servants, there's no need to prepare anything for her."
With that, before they could open their mouths to curse her, Liu Wan swept her sleeve aside and left with Little Wanwan in her arms.
Since Madam Li refused to show her any respect, she had no reason to spare Madam Li's dignity either.
Madam Li's chest heaved violently. She pointed a trembling finger at Liu Wan's retreating back, failed to catch her breath, and actually fainted from rage!
The hall descended into chaos!
Before you continue