The evil little one pretended not to see the looks from the Shen brothers. After explaining the rules, he asked them, “Do you still want to play?”
Shen Hui gritted his teeth: “Play!”
Of course, he wanted to play; if he didn’t, this evil little rascal would definitely look down on him.
Seeing that they agreed, Ling Rui didn’t hold back and immediately asked the question he most wanted to know: “Does your family have a good relationship with Lord Zhu?”
Shen Hui was about to respond when Ling Rui, being perceptive, quickly added, “No lying, or you’ll have to bark like a puppy.”
Shen Hui: “…”
Shen Hui’s expression stiffened, and he changed the answer he was about to give: “We… our family knows Lord Zhu.”
Ling Rui nodded, understanding that “knows” meant they weren’t very close.
He generously waved his little hand at Shen Hui, signaling him to ask his question.
Shen Hui didn’t hold back either and asked directly: “Is your family very rich? Do you look down on me and Shen Tang?”
These were two questions, so Ling Rui, being stingy, only answered one: “Anyway, our family is richer than yours, much richer.”
After answering the question, he continued, “What connections does your family have with Lord Zhu?”
Shen Hui hesitated: “…”
Shen Hui was stumped by the question, but he knew he couldn’t afford to stay silent and lose.
Not wanting to embarrass himself, Shen Hui plucked up his courage and explained in detail: “Our family is wealthy, very wealthy. Lord Zhu is an official, and my father wants him to be our patron.”
Shen Hui’s family had accumulated their wealth through business, which, while profitable, did not confer high social status.
In his generation, they could afford an education, but renowned scholars were reluctant to teach privately in their home.
So, his family found a way to send him to a school that didn’t care about the students’ backgrounds.
In simpler terms, his family were nouveau riche.
“Actually, Lord Zhu is somewhat related to our family.”
Kids love gossip, and with Ling Rui’s probing and urging looks, Shen Hui kept talking.
These things Shen Hui and Shen Tang knew weren’t shared by adults.
The two boys boasted that they knew it all themselves, but Ling Rui could tell they had eavesdropped on adults.
Adults often think children don’t understand or pay attention to their conversations.
In reality, kids know a lot!
Shen Tang said, “Lord Zhu had a wet nurse who treated him very well. When she died, our family helped set up a memorial tablet for her. It’s right over there.”
Shen Tang pointed towards the ancestral hall not far away.
Ling Rui glanced in that direction but didn’t show any interest in going to check.
He grasped the key point and asked, “What’s Lord Zhu’s full name?”
“Zhu Qingfeng.”
It was Shen Tang who answered, not Shen Hui. Shen Tang proudly added, “His name means ‘pure wind with empty sleeves,’ which is an idiom!”
When he mentioned the idiom, he gave Ling Rui a smug look, making the boy sitting on the ground a bit annoyed.
That was all they knew about Lord Zhu.
Ling Rui felt he had gathered enough information for this trip.
On this visit, he had fought with Shen Hui and Shen Tang, learned about Lord Zhu, and completed his tasks.
“Hey.”
After chatting peacefully for a while, Shen Hui felt a bit unsatisfied that he hadn’t managed to make Ling Rui bark like a dog.
His eyes lit up with mischief.
“Little Seven, do you dare to take a risk?”
Shen Hui nudged his arm and said, “There’s a bamboo grove behind our ancestral hall where something is kept. It’s my elder brother’s, and he never lets us see it. Do you want to come with me and check it out?”
Bored, Ling Rui stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said, “Let’s go.”
There wasn’t much of a challenge in the Shen residence. Even when Shen Hui and Shen Tang tried to bully him, they never succeeded.
Ling Rui touched his face. Although he had a small turtle on his cheek, Shen Hui and Shen Tang each had two, so he didn’t feel he had lost.
They quickly entered the bamboo grove. On the way, Shen Hui and Shen Tang led the way, talking nonstop: “Our elder brother likes to keep strange animals. We don’t know what he’s keeping this time. Follow my orders and don’t wander off.”
Shen Hui, acting like a leader, instructed, “Also, let’s not get caught. My eldest brother has a bad temper. I don’t like playing with him.”
Shen Hui and Shen Tang’s eldest brother wasn’t their biological brother.
Shen Hui and Shen Tang were legitimate sons, with an older brother ranking second in the family.
Their eldest brother was the son of their mother’s maid, who had been promoted to concubine.
The eldest brother was born a few months before their biological second brother, who had been frail since birth and spent years recuperating at home.
Hearing about a sick second brother, Ling Rui felt a bit of kinship.
“My third brother is also ill.”
Ling Rui said, “He has to drink a lot of bitter medicine.”
Shen Hui nodded in agreement, “So does my second brother.”
Despite their initial animosity, the two boys found common ground talking about their sick brothers.
After chatting for a while, they entered the bamboo grove.
The grove was chilly.
As soon as Ling Rui entered, he wrapped his jacket tighter and looked around, but didn’t see any unusual animals.
“What kind of animals does your brother keep? Do you have any idea?”
“No idea.”
Shen Hui, ten years younger than his brother and not being a blood relative, wasn’t close to him.
“My father says my eldest brother is very compassionate and always praises him.”
“And your second brother?”
“My father says my second brother just needs to focus on recuperating at home. Our family can always support him.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui: “Alright.”
The boys wandered aimlessly in the grove, finding no trace of animals.
When they were about to give up, Chen Zhou, who had been silent, suddenly stopped and looked in a direction.
“Don’t make a sound.”
His serious tone made everyone instinctively cover their mouths.
“There’s someone ahead.”
Chen Zhou, with his sharp hearing, added, “And… an animal sound, like a kitten.”
Hearing there was someone, Ling Rui tugged his brother’s hand, feeling a bit uneasy.
Shen Tang, however, was reluctant to leave.
He led the way, saying, “We agreed to check it out, and I’m not leaving until we see something.”
Ignoring everything else, he marched forward, and Shen Hui naturally followed him.
Ling Rui and Ling Fu trailed a couple of steps behind.
Although the Shen brothers at the front walked quickly, they were cautious.
They continued until they suddenly stopped, their eyes wide with shock, their faces turning pale.
They had seen their eldest brother.
And the kitten he was skinning. The kitten’s cries were faint, its body pierced with nails, presenting a gruesome sight that made the brothers go pale and then vomit.
Shen Hui vomited, while Shen Tang burst into tears.
Their eldest brother, Shen Da, noticed the noise. His eyes narrowed as he tossed the cat aside and strode towards them, looking down coldly, “Who told you to come here?”
Shen Hui couldn’t stop vomiting.
Shen Tang was utterly terrified, crying like he was the poor little kitten in his brother’s hands, sobbing so hard that he could barely catch his breath.
“Big Brother, Big Brother is so scary.”
Shen Tang cried loudly as he turned and ran away, shouting, “I’m going to tell Father, I’m going to tell Father, Big Brother is so scary!”
Shen Da heard him and yanked him back.
“Shen Tang.”
Shen Da’s voice was cold. He lifted Shen Tang and unhesitatingly threatened, “Even if you tell Father, he won’t believe you.”
“And as for me, I won’t let you off.”
“If you dare to say a word about what happened today, I’ll do to you what I did to that cat earlier: first burn off your fur, then pull out your nails, finally nailing your whole body, and oh yes, I’ll also skin you.”
Shen Da’s words made Shen Tang tremble all over. His little face went completely pale, and his sobs turned into choked gasps.
Shen Da looked at the terrified child in his hands and seemed to feel a little satisfaction. With a hint of laughter in his voice, he added, “And it’s not just you who’ll die. Your sickly second brother—you won’t survive the month.”
“Do you understand the consequences of crossing me?”
Shen Hui and Shen Tang were both too terrified to speak. They just stared at their big brother, their small bodies shaking violently. The sight of these two helpless little lambs made Shen Da’s hands itch.
But he restrained himself, knowing his limits. Even though his hands itched, he kept control.
He picked up his two younger brothers and threw them outside the bamboo grove before turning to leave.
Ling Rui and Ling Fu, who had witnessed everything from the start but had their mouths covered by Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou, finally walked over to the collapsed Shen Hui and Shen Tang after a while.
Ling Rui’s little legs were trembling.
In the kids’ world, drawing turtles on someone’s face was already considered wicked. But they had never imagined there could be something even more sinister happening right before their eyes.
The previously spirited kids were visibly drained.
No one spoke; the atmosphere was filled with silence.
After an unknown amount of time, the little one with shaky legs reached out and grabbed Shen Tang’s hand.
Both of their little hands were cold, but Shen Tang’s was even colder.
“D-Don’t be afraid.”
The little one struggled to find his voice. Holding Shen Tang’s hand, he said, “I won’t hit you anymore.”
With such a terrifying big brother, Shen Hui and Shen Tang were truly pitiful.
Ling Rui’s words, however, didn’t seem to offer much comfort to the stunned Shen Tang.
Instead, Shen Hui was the first to calm down. His voice shaking, he asked, “Will Big Brother kill us like he killed the kitten?”
Shen Hui was more sensitive than Shen Tang.
He had clearly seen the malice in his big brother’s eyes directed at the two of them.
The more scared they were, the more excited their big brother seemed.
So he truly didn’t doubt that if given the chance, his big brother would treat them like he did the cat—torturing them to death.
Although Ling Rui, Shen Hui, and Shen Tang didn’t get along, they had fought many times and had a bit of a bickering bond.
Plus, he had gathered many clues about Lord Zhu from Shen Tang, and he might need to come back for more in the future. So, after a brief pause, he said, “I won’t let him kill you.”
Shen Hui and Shen Tang were only allowed to be bullied by him and his sixth brother. No one else could kill them!
Ling Rui used his free hand to rub his eyes. Having witnessed the cat’s tragic state, his eyes were now red like a little rabbit’s.
Shen Hui and Shen Tang didn’t believe that a little one even smaller than them could protect them.
They sat on the ground in despair, too afraid to tell any adults and terrified that their big brother would kill them.
“Shen Hui.”
Ling Rui let go of Shen Tang’s hand and grabbed Shen Hui’s. He even hugged Shen Hui and closed his eyes to look into Shen Hui’s future.
He had said he would save Shen Hui and Shen Tang, but first, he needed to see if they would be killed by Shen Da.
Closing his eyes, he saw scenes from Shen Hui’s future.
Sure enough, Shen Hui and Shen Tang were discovered by their sadistic big brother and were horribly avenged!
When he had gotten back at Shen Hui and Shen Tang before, it had just been with ink, but this Shen Da actually killed his own brothers.
He drowned Shen Hui!
Ling Rui didn’t even have time to find Ah Wu to talk about it; he opened his eyes, turned, and hugged Shen Tang tightly.
Shen Tang’s death was even more tragic than Shen Hui’s.
He was secretly taken away by Shen Da, who disguised it as if he had been abducted by human traffickers, but actually hid him.
After hiding him, Shen Da tortured him to death.
In a short time, the little one saw the tragedies that befell the two brothers, and his little head was scared blank.
Instinctively, he called out to Ah Wu, and tremblingly told him what he had encountered.
After listening to him, the first question Ah Wu wanted to ask was: “Did he see you?”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui hesitated for a moment, then replied, “No, I don’t think so.”
At that time, he was also very scared, but Chen Zhou quickly covered his mouth, preventing him from making any sound.
Although Jiang Yan’s face also turned pale, he also timely covered Ling Fu’s mouth.
None of them made a sound, so they shouldn’t have been discovered by Shen Da.
But Ah Wu was still worried.
Ling Rui was still asking Ah Wu: “What should I do now? Should I go back and tell dad?”
Ah Wu, hearing this, only asked him: “Do you want to save Shen Hui and Shen Tang?”
Ling Rui answered without hesitation, “Yes.” When he was acting as the malicious one just now, his most malicious thought was to draw two turtles on Shen Hui and Shen Tang’s faces or to make them bark like dogs if they lost.
He never thought of letting them die.
“If you don’t want them to die, don’t tell your dad.”
Ah Wu seemed forever rational and smart. Just by listening to the little one’s narration, he could analyze many things.
“The Lord Zhu you want to inquire about, if your dad knows, he will take action. His crimes are enough to get his entire family executed or exiled.”
“The Shen family actually has no real connection with this Lord Zhu. This Lord Zhu looks down on the Shen family, and the head of the Shen family can’t get into his eyes.”
“But the Shen family forcibly tying themselves to this Lord Zhu is courting death.”
“Little one, now you can do one thing, which can teach Shen Da a lesson and clear the connection between the Shen family and Zhu Qingfeng.”
Ling Rui, hearing that Ah Wu had a plan, sniffed and asked what he needed to do.
Ah Wu paused, seemingly with some reservations.
But in the end, he spoke: “Little one, this requires you to be brave.”
“Okay, I will be brave.”
The brave little one clenched his fists tightly and then listened attentively to Ah Wu’s plan.
He listened and understood Ah Wu’s plan, but after hearing it, his small body trembled, clearly scared.
“Zaizai, if you feel it’s too difficult, we can think of another way.”
Ah Wu sensitively caught his emotions and regretted his arrangement just now.
It seemed that his recent coma had affected his thinking ability. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been slow to consider the little one’s emotions.
“I can do it.”
Ling Rui didn’t let Ah Wu think of another way. Although his small body was trembling slightly, he firmly said: “I can definitely do it.”
After talking to Ah Wu, Ling Rui opened his eyes, looked at the brothers Shen Hui and Shen Tang, and relayed Ah Wu’s plan.
“We go back, go to the bamboo forest, set a fire, using… using the cat.”
Speaking of the cat, the little one’s eyes turned redder, and his small voice was hoarse: “Set the cat on fire to ignite the bamboo forest, let the fire spread to the ancestral hall, and the adults will get angry.”
“Then say it was your bad brother who did it.”
Setting the ancestral hall on fire and abusing the cat together would indeed be enough to make the adults furious.
But Shen Tang cried out in fear: “He said if I told, he would skin me.”
Ling Rui patted his head and promised: “He won’t. I can hit you, but I won’t let others hit you.”
Shen Tang: “…”
Shen Tang was stunned by the little one’s words, but Shen Hui had already made a decision.
“Little Seven, let’s go, set the fire, and burn the ancestral hall!”
Ling Rui’s plan to burn the ancestral hall also meant destroying the tablet of Shen Da’s wet nurse in there. This wet nurse had no real connection with the Zhu family, but in the future, this tablet could implicate them with the Zhu family.
A few trembling little ones, with shaky legs, holding hands, returned to the bamboo forest that had left a deep psychological shadow on them.
There, they found many small animal corpses, including cats and other animals.
The little ones were still very young, even the usually calm Chen Zhou had red eyes.
“Leave these… for the adults to see when they come to put out the fire.”
The crying Shen Tang placed the most miserable cats in places slightly away from the fire.
“Shen Hui, Shen Tang, you set the fire.”
The little one was also crying and said, “It’s your ancestral hall, you should burn it.”
The ancestral hall had the ancestors of the Shen family, and he was afraid if he burned it, these people would come to find him.
Shen Hui and Shen Tang cried even more at the thought of burning the ancestral hall.
They were so young and had already burned the ancestral hall. They wondered what other terrible things they might do when they got older.
“Woo woo woo, great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and ancestors, please don’t blame me.”
Shen Hui and Shen Tang cried as they set the fire, and watched as the fire spread to the nearby ancestral hall.
They had already retreated to a safe corner and knelt down.
Not only did they kneel themselves, but they also made Ling Rui, Ling Fu, Jiang Yan, and Chen Zhou kneel.
“You should bow too.”
The brothers said chokingly, “Otherwise, I’m afraid my great-grandmother will come to find you at night.”
The little ones, who didn’t originally want to bow, knelt down quickly and bowed towards the ancestral hall.
After bowing, the little ones hugged each other and continued crying for a while longer.
It was so scary.
They just wanted to have a fight but ended up encountering such a terrifying situation.
