Feng Jin woke up early to find the two wooden swords in the box missing. She immediately guessed that Ling Mohan had taken them; there was no one else it could have been.
Even Da Bao and Er Bao, if they had wanted them, wouldn't have dared to take them directly. It had to be Ling Mohan's doing.
She decided to settle accounts with Ling Mohan when he returned. Allowing the child to be spoiled like this would eventually turn him into a completely incorrigible brat.
During lunch, she saw Da Bao return covered in dirt. Feng Jin was furious when she saw his state, almost grabbing him and spanking him soundly.
"Where have you been running wild to, to get yourself into such a mess!"
He had just put on clean clothes this morning, and in such a short time, he had managed to get himself into this state, with even the hem of his clothes torn.
"Look at what you've done, how did your clothes get a hole in them!"
Feng Jin's head ached with anger. How could she have given birth to such a child who caused her no end of worry?
"Mother, I... I tripped and fell accidentally. It's nothing."
Da Bao said dismissively. He had won against three opponents, so a little dirt or a torn piece of clothing didn't matter. The other three were in an even worse state, with their heads bleeding from his blows.
"Is that so?"
Feng Jin eyed Da Bao with suspicion. Apart from the dirt and tears on his clothes, there were no visible injuries on his face or body. He didn't look like he had been in a fight, so perhaps he really did fall.
Although she had her doubts, she lacked concrete evidence and couldn't trouble Da Bao.
If she were mistaken, it would have a very negative impact on the child's psyche. She decided to let the matter rest for now.
She didn't press further, only asking Chu Qing to take Da Bao to change into clean clothes.
Feng Jin had just sat down and taken a sip of soup when a servant ran in hurriedly.
"Young Madam... Young Madam... Something bad has happened..."
"What's all this rushing for? Speak properly, what has happened? Has the sky fallen?"
The sky was perfectly fine and hadn't fallen. There was no need for such alarm.
"Young Madam, it's the wife of the Censor, the wife of the Minister of Justice, and the wife of the Minister of Revenue. They've come, saying..."
Before the servant could finish, the three ladies arrived, their faces contorted with anger, each leading a child.
All these children had bloody heads, looking truly pathetic.
Feng Jin was startled by the scene and had no idea what had happened. Since they were guests, she decided to entertain them first.
"The three ladies, did you all plan to come together?"
These three were regular customers of Yu Yan Fang, so Feng Jin was quite familiar with them.
However, looking at their expressions today, it didn't seem like they were here to shop or to visit. Feng Jin immediately felt that the situation was not going to be easy to resolve.
"Alright, Madam Ling. We won't beat around the bush. Look at what your esteemed young master has done to my son!"
The speaker was Madam Wang, the wife of the Minister of Revenue. She was usually arrogant and domineering, never one to suffer any loss, and always sought to gain an advantage in everything.
Feng Jin usually avoided dealing with her. Now, they had come to her doorstep. Feng Jin glanced at the wound on the child's head, which indeed looked like an injury.
Without speaking to Madam Wang, Feng Jin bent down, pulled the child to her side, and asked gently, "Tell me, how did you get the wound on your head?"
The child didn't answer immediately, but first looked at Madam Wang.
"Useless thing, what did you tell me just now? Just say it now!"
Madam Wang looked at the child's timid and hesitant demeanor, immediately feeling disheartened. How could he be so incompetent, not even knowing how to speak when he went out?
"It... it was..."
"Enough, you can't even say a word after so long."
Madam Wang angrily pulled the child back to her side and spoke on his behalf, "Your son did this, and he beat the other two as well. If you don't give us an explanation today, this matter will not be dropped!"
"The other two as well?"
Feng Jin asked uncertainly. Seeing the others nod, she began to believe it.
Coupled with Da Bao's dirty appearance earlier, she suddenly felt it was indeed possible.
Just as she was about to send someone to fetch Da Bao, he arrived.
Before Feng Jin could ask anything, Da Bao ran straight up to the group, "What's the matter? Do you want to fight again? It seems I didn't beat you enough to teach you a lesson!"
They dared to bring people to his house to complain now. It seemed he hadn't hit them hard enough to make them remember.
The three beaten children were now filled with fear of Da Bao. Seeing him again, they quickly shrank back towards their mothers, afraid of being beaten by Da Bao again.
The situation now clearly indicated everything. Feng Jin's expression darkened further. She had been worried about wrongly accusing Da Bao and had planned to ask him properly if he had done it. Now, it seemed there was nothing left to ask.
Feng Jin stepped forward, grabbed the still arrogant Da Bao, and, suppressing her anger, asked as calmly as possible, "Da Bao, did you really beat them?"
"Yes, I did. But they deserved it!"
Father had told him that a true man takes responsibility for his actions. Since he had done it, he wasn't afraid to admit it.
If Mother were to punish him for this, he would willingly accept the beating.
"Can you tell Mother why you hit them?"
She knew her son best. Da Bao would never hit them without reason; there must be some hidden circumstances. She wanted to get to the bottom of it before deciding whether to punish Da Bao.
"He's already admitted it, what more do you need to ask? Or are you trying to favor your own son? If you don't give us an explanation today, I'll report this to His Majesty..."
Madam Wang shouted, convinced that Feng Jin was trying to favor her child. She immediately became indignant, on the verge of spewing curses.
The noise made Feng Jin's head throb, and her good temper wore thin. She retorted angrily, "Shut your mouth! This is not your home. If you continue to babble nonsense, I will have you thrown out. Don't be ungrateful and push your luck!"
She had spoken to her politely, trying to save her face. Did she really think she was easy to bully? If she dared to say another word of nonsense, she wouldn't hesitate to show no mercy and have her beaten and thrown out.