Shen Shuyi had barely stepped out of the car when she saw Xu Mingyue run into the villa, screaming and crying. She was moving so fast she almost left a blur behind her, as though a ghost were chasing her.
"What happened?" Shen Shuyi asked hurriedly.
The butler and the cook exchanged bewildered looks, equally clueless about what was going on.
"Miss Mingyue and the seventh young miss were playing perfectly happily in the back garden just now. What happened?" Sister Lian muttered in confusion.
"I'll go check!" the butler said quickly, hoping nothing had gone wrong.
He was just about to investigate when the seventh young miss came around the corner and asked them, looking utterly bewildered,
"Have you seen Mingyue?"
"Miss Mingyue just ran inside," Sister Lian said, pointing at the villa. The next second, she stared at the seventh young miss, dumbfounded.
"We were having so much fun. Why did she run away?" Shen Banxia muttered glumly. Then she spotted her mother and happily jogged over, saying excitedly, "Mom, you're back! Look at the friend I just made!"
She was carrying something in her hand and proudly held it up for her mother to see.
Shen Shuyi couldn't make it out at first. Once she did, she recoiled a full step in fright, her heart nearly stopping and her voice rising to a squeak.
"B-Banxia, put that down! Don't let him bite you!"
Her daughter was actually holding a baby crocodile some fifty or sixty centimeters long.
She finally understood why Xu Mingyue had run as though she'd seen a ghost.
"Mom, don't worry. We just became brothers. He won't bite me!"
"Sweetheart, listen to Mom and put him down." Shen Shuyi's face had gone white. She issued instructions in one breath. "Uncle Liang, find a cage and put this-brother inside. Sister Lian, get the first-aid kit. Actually, just call Doctor Liang and ask her to come over."
"Mom, his name is Lucky. He doesn't bite!" Shen Banxia assured her again. "Can I keep him?"
"No!"
Shen Shuyi refused without a second thought. A moment later, she realized her tone had been too harsh. She steadied herself and rephrased her answer as gently as she could.
"Mom believes you. He won't bite. As for whether we can adopt him, we'll have to wait until the whole family votes on it. Can you let him go for now?"
"I can't. If I let him go, he'll ignore me and run away!" Shen Banxia shook her head.
Uncle Liang couldn't find a cage. In the end, he brought over a bamboo cage that had previously held a few free-range chickens. It would have to do for now. At this point, they could only make the best of what they had.
After all, who could have expected a crocodile to turn up at the villa? It was downright bizarre.
"Seventh young miss, you can put him in here. Then he won't be able to run away, and I can help you take care of him!" Uncle Liang coaxed.
The madam hadn't had the seventh young miss thrown out, not out of any great mercy, but entirely because she was her own flesh and blood.
"Thank you, Uncle Liang!" Shen Banxia finally agreed to put the little crocodile down, then asked, "Sorry for the trouble, but please make sure you take good care of my crocodile brother!"
"Of course, of course!" Uncle Liang's smile looked more pained than a grimace.
How am I supposed to take care of him? What if her crocodile brother bites me?
But if he refused, he was even more afraid the seventh young miss would bite him!
"Uncle Liang, find out where this creature came from. Let property management know, too, and tell them to tighten things up."
After giving those instructions, Shen Shuyi took her daughter inside, making sure to tell her not to touch any animals again-not even chickens, ducks, or dogs.
She was afraid that if she wasn't specific enough, her daughter would bring back another dangerous animal. She had no desire to die young.
They had just entered the living room when they saw Xu Mingyue and Xu Junshan coming out of the study together. Clearly, Xu Mingyue had gone to complain to her father.
"Banxia, what is wrong with you? How could you scare Mingyue with a dangerous animal?"
The moment Xu Junshan saw Banxia, he scolded her in a fury, even forgetting to keep up appearances in front of Shen Shuyi.
"She wasn't trying to scare Mingyue with a dangerous animal. She wanted to share her treasure with her. How was she supposed to know Mingyue was so timid that she'd run away in fright and then accuse Banxia of scaring her?"
Shen Shuyi was already seething at Xu Junshan's reaction, but she forced herself not to show it and explained in an even tone.
"Mom, you don't understand. She caught a crocodile. A crocodile!" Xu Mingyue complained, hiding beside her father with a terrified expression.
"I saw him. He certainly is frightening to us, but to Banxia, he's a national treasure. She just wanted to share her treasure with you!"
"She thinks a crocodile is a national treasure? Is there something wrong with Banxia's brain?" Xu Mingyue blurted out derisively.
The atmosphere froze.
"Crocodiles are protected under the highest national protection category. Why wouldn't he be a national treasure?" Shen Shuyi asked sternly.
"Mom, that's not what I meant. I... what I meant was-" Xu Mingyue's expression changed abruptly when she saw Shen Shuyi's reaction.
"Shuyi, Mingyue didn't mean anything by it. Don't frighten the child." Feeling sorry for Mingyue, Xu Junshan spoke up for her.
"She didn't mean anything else, so she simply meant to insult Banxia?"
"That's not what I meant!" Xu Junshan hurriedly protested.
"First you say she didn't mean anything else, then you say that's not what you meant. What exactly do you mean, then?"
"I-" Now even Xu Junshan was at a loss for words.
"Banxia, there was nothing wrong with wanting to share with Mingyue.
"But you overestimated her courage, so your good intentions had a bad result.
"Now apologize to Mingyue!" Shen Shuyi said, seemingly impartial and uncompromising.
"Sorry, I was wrong. I won't share with you again!" Shen Banxia, who had been enjoying the drama from the sidelines, snapped back to attention when her name suddenly came up and apologized.
She knew when to stand firm and when to yield. There was nothing she couldn't apologize for.
Xu Mingyue immediately grew smug, unable to hide the triumphant look of someone who had gotten her way, though she still replied with insincere graciousness,
"It's okay. You didn't do it on purpose!"
"Mingyue, have you forgiven Banxia?" Shen Shuyi asked.
Xu Mingyue was still hesitating.
"You don't want to forgive her yet? That's all right. Then shake hands and make peace first!" Shen Shuyi continued.
"Shake hands? No need, no need! I forgive her!"
The image of Shen Banxia holding the crocodile instantly flashed through Xu Mingyue's mind, and she shook her head like a rattle as she answered.
She would rather die than shake the hand Banxia had used to hold a crocodile.
"Banxia has apologized to Mingyue, and Mingyue has forgiven Banxia.
"Next, Mingyue needs to apologize to Banxia for misunderstanding her good intentions."
Shen Shuyi continued to administer justice, seemingly favoring neither side.
"I have to apologize to her?" Xu Mingyue's eyes widened in shock. She thought she had misheard.
"You misunderstood her. Shouldn't you apologize?
"If you don't want to apologize, we can handle this another way.
"The Shen Family has a tradition. Anyone who does something wrong and refuses to repent is punished according to the family rules!"
"I'll apologize! I'll apologize!
"Banxia, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have misunderstood you. I didn't know you wanted to share with me."
At the mention of punishment under the family rules, Mingyue's face turned deathly pale, and she hurriedly apologized.
"Now that Mingyue has apologized, can you forgive her, Banxia?" Shen Shuyi went through the same procedure again.
"No, unless she apologizes to my crocodile brother.
"She screamed so loudly just now that she frightened him!" Shen Banxia shook her head, looking utterly innocent.
"You want me to apologize to a crocodile?" Xu Mingyue shrieked hysterically in disbelief, her voice so piercing it nearly lifted the roof.
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