"That won't do, Mom. Since you've said it, and so many people are watching, it's true that Wei Yumeng talked back to you and didn't appreciate your kindness. This matter must be decided by Grandpa. Then, punishing her a bit, wouldn't that be better?"
Every word Zhan Mohan spoke was for Wen Yulan's own good.
But Wen Yulan wasn't a fool, how could she not hear the hidden meaning behind Zhan Mohan's words? On the surface, he was saying it was for her sake, but in reality, he was still protecting Wei Yumeng.
If this matter were to reach Grandpa, she would be held accountable for using the family law arbitrarily. The family law was not to be used lightly, but she had been so furious with Wei Yumeng just now.
She hadn't thought that far ahead, thinking that if she used the family law, Wei Yumeng would surely be respectful towards her in the future. Who would have expected that that brat had such a temper?
After two lashes, she hadn't heard a single soft word from her.
She quickly turned to instruct Sister Li.
"Put the whip back for now and clean up the living room, so that Ahan won't be upset seeing it."
"I won't be upset, Mom, no need to rush to clean." Zhan Mohan quickly stopped her, his eyes sparkling with an unreadable light, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. "I've seen my fair share of storms, Mom, don't worry."
Wen Yulan gave a stiff smile, suddenly unsure of what to say.
"Then, Ahan, it's best not to tell Grandpa about this matter, so as not to upset him."
"No, I must help you vent your anger. Grandpa's words carry more authority, and I believe it will surely make Wei Yumeng dare not disrespect you again in the future."
At this moment, Jing Yan entered quickly, carrying a medical kit.
"Mohan, why is your family having so many incidents recently? Did you stir up a hornet's nest?"
Jing Yan walked in boisterously and saw Wen Yulan and Zhan Mohan, the tense atmosphere between them was truly awkward.
He scratched his head, "It seems I've arrived at an inopportune time."
Zhan Mohan tilted his chin towards the upstairs.
"She's upstairs."
"Then let's go up together."
Zhan Mohan turned to Wen Yulan, his attitude still respectful, but his deep eyes held an unfathomable coldness.
"Then I'll go up to see Wei Yumeng. After all, she's a life. If she's beaten to death, our Zhan family will surely cause a stir."
Zhan Mohan's words made Wen Yulan tremble. She hadn't thought of this at all when she was beating Wei Yumeng, she was just angry and wanted to vent.
After Zhan Mohan and Jing Yan went upstairs, Sister Li came to support Wen Yulan, who could barely stand.
"Madam, are you alright?"
"That little brat, he actually wants to report me to Grandpa. Since that's the case, let's see who wins."
Jing Yan and Zhan Mohan pushed open the door and saw Wei Yumeng lying on the bed, covered in blood.
"Holy cow! What's going on? Are you guys mistreating people in your family?"
"My mother did it. She just had an abortion surgery yesterday. Take a good look at her."
Jing Yan clicked his tongue twice. "Your stepmother is really not someone to be trifled with. You know, women should not make things difficult for other women, and she actually used such a heavy hand."
Speaking of which, Jing Yan paused.
"Wait... what did you just say? She had an abortion surgery yesterday, and you took her to the hospital for that?"
Zhan Mohan's gaze was complex. "Last time, Wen Yulan gave her abortion medication. Although you checked her and there were no problems at the time, after the instrumental examination, the doctor said the child had been affected, that it was a stillbirth. If surgery wasn't performed promptly, it would endanger her life."
"I wanted to tell you about this at the time, fearing you wouldn't be able to accept it. Never mind, I'll examine her first."
Jing Yan stepped forward, pulled up her clothes, and examined the wound, frowning involuntarily.
"Your stepmother really went all out. Every lash was delivered with full force. Look, her skin is torn open."
Zhan Mohan didn't know whether to feel surprised or heartbroken.
"She took two lashes. If the third one had landed, she might have needed the emergency room."
Jing Yan was genuinely impressed. "Why is a woman being so strong? Wouldn't it be better to be a little lamb?"
"She really can't be a little lamb."
If she had been a little lamb, she would probably be dead by now.
"Her wounds need her clothes to be removed first. Otherwise, when the blood congeals and sticks to her skin, she'll be in excruciating pain."
Men probably couldn't endure such suffering, let alone women.
This time, Jing Yan consciously withdrew, lest the person would be surprised again later.
Zhan Mohan stepped forward, grabbed the edge of her clothes, and was about to tear them open. Then, as if remembering something, he paused and looked back at the two of them.
"Are you two planning to watch a show? Get out!"
Jing Yan exchanged a glance with Fang Xun, and the two of them shrunk their necks and retreated.
Jing Yan leaned against the wall and asked Fang Xun, "Don't you think your Master Zhan is acting strange?"
"No, Master Zhan has always been like this."
"Haven't you noticed that your Master Zhan seems to be a bit interested in his little wife?"
Fang Xun had also felt this way, but only for a moment, because their Master Zhan showed no mercy when he was being harsh.
"I don't know."
Without evidence, he couldn't talk nonsense. If Master Zhan were to investigate, he might even lose his job.
Seeing Fang Xun's indifferent attitude, Jing Yan suddenly lost interest.
"Forget it, you've been with your Master Zhan for so long, you're probably just as dense, only caring about work."
Zhan Mohan was still struggling inside to tear Wei Yumeng's clothes. It didn't require much strength, but some of the blood from the wounds had congealed and stuck to her skin, and he couldn't just rip them open.
He could only carefully peel them open, little by little.
The woman's fair skin was gradually exposed to him, along with the striking red. Wen Yulan was indeed capable of being ruthless, and didn't seem afraid of beating Wei Yumeng to death.
After he had torn open all of Wei Yumeng's clothes inside, he opened the door, but did not let Jing Yan in.
"Done."
Jing Yan took out the ointment from the medical kit. "You apply the medicine for her. She can't get it wet for half a month. If she develops a fever in the middle of the night, give her this medicine. She should be fine by tomorrow morning."
"Okay, if there's any problem, I'll call you again."
"No, I beg you, don't call me again. I'm swamped with work lately. If it weren't for Fang Xun saying it was a matter of life and death, I wouldn't have bothered to come."
"Then you go back to your work, and don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Zhan Mohan was not polite at all, nor did he feel embarrassed, as if Jing Yan had just said a few words, and he had merely heard them.
Jing Yan pointed at him, about to get angry, but then thought that he was, after all, his childhood friend, so he let it go.
"I won't argue with people like you."