Just as Su Zhouyue and Tong Aobai stepped out of the carriage with their children, Tong Weiran slapped Tong Shengrui across the face.
Su Zhouyue said, "Second Brother really is angry."
Tong Fengye said, "Second Uncle actually hit him. Did Cousin burn one of his treasures?"
Tong Aning said, "...Third Brother, that sounds like something you would do."
Tong Aobai said, "Tong Fengye, if you ever dare do that, I'll beat you to death."
That slap sent Peng Chunlan and the second son's wife into a panic.
Looking at the handprint on Tong Shengrui's face, Peng Chunlan said in distress, "Why are you being so harsh with the child?"
Tong Weiran's heart ached too. He tucked his hand behind his back and said coldly, "Mother, you have no idea what he's done!"
Pan Zhu gave Tong Weiran an angry shove. "Rui'er is such a sensible boy. What could he possibly have done?"
Tong Weiran cursed through gritted teeth, "Tell me, how many women has he brought home in just these past six months? Does he even have room left in his courtyard?"
Tong Shengrui tightened his grip on the girl beside him, his gaze burning. "Father, don't even think about breaking us up."
Tong Weiran was truly about to faint from anger at this unfilial son. What a sin!
He turned to the girl and earnestly tried to reason with her. "Tell me, what do you see in him? He spends all day idling about, stealing chickens and pilfering dogs, and keeps over a dozen concubines in the residence. Why would you want to be with someone like him?"
Tong Shengrui roared, "Father!"
Tong Weiran said, "What are you shouting for? Are you the father, or am I?"
Pan Zhu shielded Tong Shengrui. "What right do you have to shout at Rui'er? She's only a girl. If Rui'er likes her, just bring her into the residence and keep her well fed and cared for."
Tong Weiran's vision went dark. "You make it sound so easy."
But this simply would not do!
[Spoiling a son is like killing him.]
Su Zhouyue could not have agreed more with Tong Aning. She nudged Tong Aobai's elbow and asked quietly, "Didn't your second brother used to be just like Pan Zhu? What's gotten into him today? Why is he playing the good man?"
Tong Aobai said, "Just wait. There's definitely more to this than meets the eye."
"Tong Weiran, are you determined to mistreat Rui'er?" Pan Zhu pummeled Tong Weiran.
Tong Weiran stiffened his neck and panted, "Yes. She won't set foot through this gate today unless I'm dead!"
"You-you-you..."
Pan Zhu turned to tug at Peng Chunlan. "Mother, you must stand up for Rui'er."
Peng Chunhua was already burning with anger. No one could mistreat her precious grandson, not even her son. "Are you disowning your mother too?"
"Mother, I really do have my difficulties."
"What difficulties could you possibly have? Whenever you saw Rui'er bringing someone home before, you said he was just like you in your youth, popular with the girls. Have you been possessed today? Old Tong, say something!"
Tong Kang poked his head out from behind the door.
Su Zhouyue said, "See? That old thing really was hiding back there like a turtle with its head tucked in."
Tong Aobai glanced at Su Zhouyue, who snorted. "What? Upset that I insulted your father?"
"He deserves it. He deserves it."
"That's more like it. I wonder if you're even their biological son, with how biased they are."
Tong Kang said timidly, "Asking me won't help. I agree with our son. I'm against it too."
Peng Chunhua glared at him. "What is this, a rebellion?"
Holding one of them in each hand, she insisted on taking the pair inside. Pan Zhu muddied the waters as well, and when Tong Weiran tried to stop them, she even kicked him.
[Tsk, tsk, tsk. They're probably about to get struck by heavenly lightning.]
By sheer coincidence, just as Peng Chunlan was about to bring the two inside, a thunderclap exploded overhead, making everyone freeze.
Peng Chunlan was a devout Buddhist. She wondered whether this girl might bring misfortune upon their family.
Then she certainly could not let her in.
Peng Chunlan let go, pressed her palms together, and fingered her prayer beads. Only after she had chanted countless cries of "Amitabha" did the thunder subside.
Peng Chunlan breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, the others all stole glances at Tong Aning. Tong Fengye's eyes shone with admiration. Had his little sister become this powerful?
Tong Aning thought nothing of it. [Ah, what a sin.]
Peng Chunlan turned a blind eye while Pan Zhu locked horns with Tong Weiran.
Tong Weiran said, "Whose son has this many concubines before he's even taken a principal wife?"
Pan Zhu said, "Whose son doesn't have three wives and four concubines? Why can't Rui'er? Tong Weiran, you're the one who promised me devotion to one woman. Rui'er never promised anything."
[Second Aunt's values really are a little mind-blowing. If she knew this girl was actually Second Uncle's daughter, wouldn't she die of anger on the spot?]
So those two... were brother and sister? Heavens! Su Zhouyue and Tong Aobai exchanged a glance. What a juicy melon of gossip!
Su Zhouyue whispered, "I knew Second Brother wasn't one to behave himself, but who would have thought he even had a child?"
Tong Aobai said, "I watched them just now. None of them seem able to hear her."
With unspoken understanding, Su Zhouyue and Tong Aobai both stepped forward.
Tong Fengye asked, "Father, Mother, where are you going?"
"To break up the fight."
[Break up the fight? More like fan the flames.]
They were indeed going to break up the fight. As for how... heh heh.
Su Zhouyue took Pan Zhu's hand and said kindly, "Let the children handle their own affairs. We shouldn't meddle too much."
Pan Zhu flung off Su Zhouyue's hand. "Su Zhouyue, I'm not like you, giving birth and then washing your hands of your children. I won't let my Rui'er suffer."
Su Zhouyue said, "?"
Good thing she had not meant what she said just now.
Tong Aobai was trying to persuade Tong Weiran too.
Su Zhouyue studied the girl, then suddenly said, "Second Sister-in-law, why do I feel this girl looks a little like Second Brother?"
Pan Zhu froze as though struck by lightning.
The sight made Tong Aning shake her head.
[Oh, this scheming couple, Father and Mother.]
Tong Aobai exchanged a look with Su Zhouyue. He lifted Tong Weiran's bowed head and said, "Second Brother, just go make peace with your wife, and everything will be fine."
Tong Weiran met Pan Zhu's scrutinizing gaze head-on.
Su Zhouyue was still saying cheerfully, "I'm just talking nonsense."
[It doesn't matter if Mother's talking nonsense now. The girl's mother will be here any moment, and then that nonsense will become the truth.]
Su Zhouyue: "!"
Good heavens, this was far too thrilling.
"Tong Weiran, tell me honestly. What's going on?"
"Weiran, Weiran!"
A plainly dressed woman threw herself into Tong Weiran's arms and sobbed, "Weiran, our daughter is missing."
[Oh-ho, it's over.]
Pan Zhu dragged the woman away. "What do you mean by this? You're looking for your daughter in my husband's arms?"
[Second Aunt, Second Uncle is her husband!]
The woman said weakly, "It is my husband I'm looking for."
Even if Pan Zhu were a fool, she understood now. She stepped forward and slapped Tong Weiran, then pointed at him and cursed, "I wondered why you wouldn't let Rui'er bring her inside. So they're brother and sister! Tong Weiran, you've done every wicked thing imaginable. Are you afraid of heavenly lightning too? It ought to strike you dead, you rotten-hearted dog!"
Peng Chunlan was displeased to hear her son being cursed bloody. "Pan Zhu, what is the meaning of this? Would you have what you have today if my son hadn't kept you well fed and cared for?"
Pan Zhu's fighting strength was at its peak. Even a passing dog would have earned a curse from her. Folding her arms, she said, "Mother-in-law, you're criticizing me? With a son like yours, how much better could Father-in-law be?"
Peng Chunlan's heart lurched. She looked anxiously at Tong Kang and, sure enough, found him averting his eyes.
Peng Chunlan staggered, then grabbed Tong Kang and cursed, "You old bastard who refuses to die..."
[Like father, like son.]
Tong Aobai raised three fingers in an oath. "Wife, I'm not like them."
"Enough." Su Zhouyue pushed his hand down. "As if I don't know you."
They had thought that would be the end of it, but when Tong Aning rose the next morning, she heard someone wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves outside the residence.
Tong Aning asked, "Yingtao, what's that noise outside? Have wolves gotten into the capital?"
Yingtao laughed as she helped Tong Aning wash up. "The second madam set a fire in the middle of the night. More than half the Tong residence burned down. The old madam is making a scene."
Tong Aning had always known her second aunt was formidable, but she had never imagined she was this formidable.
Tong Aning asked curiously, "Then where's Second Aunt?"
Yingtao pinned a pearl flower in Tong Aning's hair. "She went back to her maiden home after setting the fire."
"This counts as retribution, I suppose."
"Madam said so too. She can't be bothered to get involved, so she's letting the old madam shout."
Tong Aning left her room and happened to run into Tong Fengye, followed by a servant carrying a bow and arrows.
Tong Aning asked, "Third Brother, are you going hunting?"
"Yes. I made plans with Feng Chu."
"This early?"
"There's still half an hour."
"Then what are you..."
Tong Fengye took the bow and arrows and winked. "I'm going outside the residence to shoot birds."
[Surely he isn't going to shoot Grandmother?]
[Suddenly I feel we're terribly unfilial.]
"Don't worry, Fourth Sister. I'm the most filial person there is."
Tong Fengye patted Tong Aning's head and really did go outside to shoot birds.
Tong Aning had no idea whether he hit any birds. All she heard was her grandmother's scream.
Peng Chunlan had only just suffered through the smoke, and now she had received another fright. In a fit of anger, she actually reported Tong Fengye to Jingzhao Prefecture.
She kept wiping away tears before Cen Yu. "I'm already halfway buried in the yellow earth, yet I still have to suffer like this. Lord Cen, you must uphold justice for me."
Cen Yu said, "Rest assured. I will investigate the facts and uphold justice for you."
Cen Yu turned to Tong Fengye. Before he could speak, another man declared indignantly, "Disrespecting his grandmother! To think such an unfilial descendant exists! Lord Cen, you must handle this impartially."
Cen Yu frowned. "What does this have to do with you?"
The man scratched his head with a smile. "I just... couldn't stomach it either."
Peng Chunlan hurriedly said, "What a good man. At last, someone is speaking fairly on this old woman's behalf."
Cen Yu: "..."
A thief and the old madam of a marquis's household-those two had actually come to appreciate each other.
Tong Aning kindly reminded her, "Grandmother, he's no good man."
"Lies." Peng Chunlan did not even look at Tong Aning. "He has such upright features. How could he not be a good man? Unlike you lot, trying to torment your grandmother to death."
Tong Fengye said, "I was shooting birds. Is it my fault if the birds shit?"
So there were bird droppings too. The man took the opportunity to move a little farther from Peng Chunhua.
"Grandmother," Tong Aning said leisurely, "he's a flower thief."
Peng Chunlan's smile froze.
The man said angrily, "Even if you're a young lady from a marquis's household, you can't just slander people!"
Tong Aning glanced at him. "You've got 'flower thief' written all over your face. Why would I need to slander you?"
The flower thief: "...?"