TTTQF Chapter 91

Loose Tongued

"Hey, where are Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu?"

After being measured for his wedding clothes, Jiang Miao suddenly realizes that he hasn't heard the voices of Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu for a while. The two little ones seem to be nowhere near the flower hall. He calls out a few times, but no one responds.

Pei Che says, "Don't worry, they probably haven't run off. I'll have someone search the courtyard. Wen Jing, tell them to hurry and find the young masters!"

At his command, the servants in the courtyard start searching all the rooms. However, they can't find any trace of the children. At that moment, Wen Jing brings over a boy who is guarding the courtyard gate. The boy says he saw the two of them holding hands and running out of the courtyard earlier.

"They ran out?" Jiang Miao remembers some shady business that Pei Che mentioned about the mansion earlier, and his mind is suddenly filled with troubling thoughts.

"Don't worry. I'll have them searched outside. There are guards at the outer gates; they won't be able to get out!" Pei Che notices Jiang Miao's pale face and quickly reassures him. He instructs the servants to search outside the courtyard and also calls some guards to help with the search.

"What should I be worried about? These two are getting naughtier by the day. Now they're bold enough to sneak out without a word. We must teach them a lesson when we find them!" Jiang Miao says deliberately, as if by turning his emotions into anger, he wouldn’t have to feel so worried anymore.

He tells himself that in broad daylight, the things he has been worrying about definitely won't happen. However, in the large estate, there are so many ponds and artificial hills, and he is afraid that the two of them might run off to those places for fun. What if they get hurt?

"I'll help you scold them when we find them. The most urgent thing is to find them first."

The two of them leave the courtyard and search everywhere, but there is no sign of the children.

"Where does Pei Mu usually like to go?" Jiang Miao asks as he walks quickly, looking around anxiously.

Pei Che replies, "Mu'er usually doesn’t like to go out. He used to stay in his own courtyard. But after the last incident, when his courtyard was cleared out, he only stayed in mine."

"Maybe he goes back to check it out. Let's try our luck there first," Jiang Miao suggests. Wandering around aimlessly won’t help; they might as well try their luck over there.

"Okay, let's go over there and take a look." In fact, Pei Che initially thinks of that place too but then dismisses the idea, thinking it unlikely. That courtyard had left a bad impression on Mu'er, so why would he want to go back there?

The two of them walk toward Pei Mu's courtyard. As they approach, Jiang Miao notices that the gate is slightly ajar, and faint sounds of crying can be heard from inside.

"Xiao Shitou, Pei Mu!" Jiang Miao panics, kicks the door open, and shouts loudly. The crying inside suddenly stops, only to grow louder moments later, as if they have found their savior.

Jiang Miao's heart tightens, and he rushes inside, fearing what might have happened to make them cry so miserably. Pei Che follows, his eyes filled with cold resolve. It seems that his previous actions haven’t been severe enough to deter these people!

When the two rush to the backyard, they find that the situation is nothing like they imagined. The little Xiao Shitou, who they thought might have been bullied, is actually sitting on top of a chubby boy's back, pinning his arms behind him. Meanwhile, Pei Mu is holding down the boy's legs, preventing him from kicking around.

The chubby boy is dressed in luxurious clothes, his tear-streaked face lifted as he wails loudly, his mouth wide open in a desperate cry. When he sees Pei Che approach, he cries out loudly through his tears, "Big brother, save me!"

"Xiao Shitou, Pei Mu, how could you bully someone like this!" The words of worry slip from Jiang Miao’s lips, replaced by a sudden surge of anger. Sneaking out to play is bad enough, but teaming up to bully someone is unacceptable. He quickly goes over to pick up the two children and rescue the little fat boy.

Just as he is about to continue scolding them, Jiang Miao notices the look on Xiao Shitou's face—unjust and aggrieved, with his eyebrows drooping and his lips pressed into a thin line. Pei Mu, too, is frowning deeply, his usually stoic little face showing a rare flash of emotion due to his anger.

Their expressions cause Jiang Miao’s anger to cool a bit. From what he knows, Xiao Shitou is a child who never likes to cause trouble. Despite all the other children in the courtyard, he has never been in conflict with anyone. And Pei Mu, who usually shows little emotion towards the outside world, is clearly upset today. Jiang Miao starts to think that the situation might not be as simple as it appears.

"Xiao Shitou, tell your brother, why did you hit him?" Jiang Miao kneels down in front of Xiao Shitou, placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders, and asks patiently.

Xiao Shitou’s eyes redden, and his trembling lips move slightly, but he can’t bring himself to speak. Instead, he begins to cry silently, tears streaming down his face, his small chest heaving with suppressed sobs, and his shoulders shaking with sadness.

Jiang Miao’s heart softens, and he can’t bear to press him for an answer any longer. He gently pulls Xiao Shitou into his arms, deciding to wait until the boy has calmed down a bit before asking what happened.

Among the three children, Xiao Shitou is crying bitterly, and Pei Mu can’t speak yet, so Pei Che fixes his gaze on Pei Qi. He can tell that the two younger ones seem to hold some animosity towards Pei Qi.

Pei Qi is the son of his fourth uncle, spoiled since childhood. At ten years old, he is even more pampered and willful than his eight-year-old sister, Pei Yashi. Pei Che suspects that Pei Qi is the one who instigated this incident.

He looks at Pei Qi, who is still crying after being pulled up, and says, "Qi'er, stop crying for now. Tell your big brother, what happened just now?"

Pei Che’s gaze is deep and serious. He has always been a role model in the family, holding considerable authority in the minds of the younger generation. Even though he has never raised his voice at them, Pei Qi and the other younger brothers are still somewhat afraid of him. Now, being questioned by Pei Che, Pei Qi immediately chokes up and says, "I... I didn’t do anything. They just ganged up on me and hit me!" After speaking, his crying grows even louder.

The crying attracts the attention of those searching outside the courtyard. An older woman runs in and, seeing Pei Qi’s state, immediately rushes over, exclaiming, "Oh, my little master! How did you end up like this? Were you rolled in the mud? And your face is scratched too!"

"Nanny, they hit me! It was the little monster and the fox spirit's brother who hit me! Go hit them for me!" Pei Qi’s long-suppressed anger finally erupts when he sees someone close to him. He cries as he clings to the old woman’s clothes, trying to move closer to Pei Mu and Xiao Shitou.

The woman tries to cover his mouth but it is too late. Reflexively, she looks at Pei Che, only to see him staring at Pei Qi with a blank expression.

Just as she is about to explain, the previously heartbroken Xiao Shitou suddenly lifts his head and shouts, "My brother is not a fox spirit! And Pei Mu is not a little monster!" He then tries to rush over to hit Pei Qi, but Jiang Miao quickly stops him, holding him tightly in his arms.

"Waa... your brother is a fox spirit! My mother says that big brother was bewitched by him, that's why he's marrying a man!" Pei Qi, startled, cries and argues back.

The courtyard fills with the sound of crying until suddenly, a soft laugh breaks the tension. Pei Che kneels down and looks at Pei Qi, asking gently, "Qi'er, what else did your mother say?"

The older woman's face shows terror as she tries to stop Pei Qi from speaking further. But when she meets Pei Che’s cold, sharp gaze, she instinctively takes a step back, too scared to make another sound.

Pei Qi blinks, confused by Pei Che’s gentle demeanor. He then blurts out all the bad things he overheard his parents say about Pei Mu and Jiang Miao, finishing with, "Big brother, please don’t marry the fox spirit. Everyone will laugh at our family!"

"Did your parents really say that?" Pei Che seems a bit skeptical.

Pei Qi nods seriously, "They did. I overheard them while hiding outside the window!"

"Alright then. Big Brother thinks what your parents said makes sense, but I’m afraid Grandmother might not believe it. Could you repeat what you just said in front of Grandmother later?" Pei Che coaxed.

Pei Qi puffs out his chest and is about to agree when the nanny behind him finally suppresses her fear and, with a trembling voice, says, "Young Master, Master Qi is still young. He must have misheard and said the wrong thing. How could the Fourth Master and the Fourth Madam say such things? They have always been filial, and the old lady knows it!"

The nanny’s words make Pei Qi realize that he might have said something wrong. Seeing that Pei Che’s expression is no longer gentle, he belatedly starts to feel afraid.

Earlier, when Pei Che takes Pei Mu and the others to pay their respects to their grandmother, Pei Mu keeps glancing toward his old courtyard. Xiao Shitou, being of the same height, naturally notices his actions.

Taking advantage of the time they are being measured for their sizes, Xiao Shitou asks Pei Mu what he has been looking at. Pei Mu rubs two fingers together, making a gesture that mimics counting money.

"Are you saying there's money in there?" Xiao Shitou guesses.

Pei Mu nods. Last time, he thought Brother Miao wouldn’t like that yellowish thing, so he only brought one piece. Unexpectedly, Brother Miao takes out just that one and seems to like it very much.

"Is that money yours?" Xiao Shitou asks.

Pei Mu nods again. His brother had said that the big bag of things was stolen from him by Xing'er. Thinking about the many yellow gold pieces that haven’t been taken out yet, Pei Mu feels a bit regretful. After thinking for a moment, he motions to Xiao Shitou to follow him, planning to bring him along to retrieve them and give them to Brother Miao.

Hand in hand, the two run back to the place they have just passed. As they pass through the garden, they are spotted by Pei Qi, who is playing there.

"Nanny, the little demon is back, and he brought someone with him!" From a young age, everyone around him has told him that Pei Mu is a little demon and that he shouldn’t play with him.

He thinks everyone has to follow this rule, so why is there still someone playing with Pei Che?

"Young master, that child is the younger brother of the heir's male spouse. Let them play together; we’ll keep our distance, alright?" The old woman says, having heard earlier about the heir bringing back his male spouse and his brother-in-law.

The heir's male spouse—wasn’t that the fox spirit? A fox spirit's younger brother and a little monster—no wonder the two of them can get along so well!

Pei Qi, curious about what the two might be doing, follows them when the old woman isn’t looking. He sees the little monster leading the fox spirit’s brother into the courtyard and follows them in.

"Little monster, how dare you steal something!" Pei Qi yells as he sees Xiao Shitou on tiptoe trying to reach for a package on the table. This is something that was found in Xing'er's room last time. Pei Che thought it unlucky and left it untouched, only allowing Pei Mu to take some of it away.

Pei Mu and Xiao Shitou are startled. Once Xiao Shitou reacts, he quickly explains, "We didn’t steal anything! This is Pei Mu’s own stuff!"

"Pei Mu? He should be called the little monster! Aren't you afraid of becoming a monster yourself, being with the little monster?" Pei Qi retorts.

"He’s not a little monster, stop talking nonsense!" Xiao Shitou says. He doesn’t understand why Pei Qi is so annoying. To him, Pei Mu is a good brother, and he can’t let anyone bully him.

"Ha, ha, ha, I’m not talking nonsense!" Pei Qi makes a face. "But it's normal for you not to be afraid because you're the younger brother of the fox spirit, so you wouldn’t be scared of turning into a little monster."

"What fox spirit?" Xiao Shitou asks in confusion. Why is there a fox spirit again?

"Your brother is shameless, marrying a man—a male fox spirit! And you, being his brother, are a little fox spirit!" Pei Qi proudly recounts the words he has heard from his parents.

Xiao Shitou has always admired Jiang Miao. Hearing Pei Qi insult his brother as shameless, he charges forward without thinking. Pei Qi is caught off guard and immediately angry, retaliating with a strike. Though he is older and has the advantage initially, soon Pei Mu joins in, leading to the scene Jiang Miao and the others witness when they come in.

In the end, the matter reaches Grandmother Pei’s ears. Although she doesn’t like Pei Mu, she won’t tolerate anyone mistreating him. After hearing Pei Che’s account, she becomes furious and says, "Bring Fourth Master and his wife here. I want to ask them how they are educating their children!"

Fourth Master Pei Shirong and his wife, Zhou Xinlan, quickly arrive. They have only heard that the old lady has called for them, but they don’t expect to see Pei Qi in such a disheveled state here as well.

"Qi'er, what’s wrong with you?" Zhou Xinlan asks with a concerned face. "Mother, you must stand up for Qi'er!"

"Stand up for him?" Pei Grandmother snorts. "Before I stand up for him, you should ask him what he just said."

Pei Shirong always reads people’s expressions well. Noticing that Grandmother Pei looks displeased, he immediately signals Zhou Xinlan to stop speaking. He then lowers himself and says, "Mother, Qi'er is still young and doesn’t understand things well. If he has said or done something wrong, I hope you can forgive him. It’s my fault as a father for not teaching him properly. If you are upset, you can take it out on me. I will bear it without complaint!"

Pei Shirong’s display of being a good father is quite touching, but those present see through his pretentious performance.

Grandmother Pei sneers and says, "Not educating your child is the father’s fault? You’re right, this ungrateful child dares to speak ill of his elders at such a young age—no doubt he learned it from you! Perhaps you have also spoken ill of me behind my back!"

Pei Shirong quickly kneels down. "How could I dare to be so rebellious? Please, Mother, retract those harsh words. I would never say such things."

"Once words are spoken, they cannot be retracted," Pei Grandmother replies coldly. "Why don’t you ask your son if he can retract what he said?"

Pei Shirong curses inwardly, unsure of what his son has said to provoke such a reaction from the old lady. Could it be that he mentioned the previous heir?

With a head full of questions, Pei Shirong asks Pei Qi what he has just said. Upon hearing it, his previously calm expression crumbles. His face turns pale as he hurriedly says, "Mother, Qi'er must have misheard. Neither my wife nor I have ever said such things!"

Pei Shirong’s denial is futile; the matter cannot be dismissed simply by denial, and the words cannot be erased.

Grandmother Pei ignores his protestations and says directly, "Since you mentioned ‘not educating your child is the father’s fault,’ then I will help you. Starting tomorrow, you and your wife will stay in the house to copy scriptures and pray for atonement. As for the shops you manage, leave them be for now. Deal with them when you’ve thought things through!"

Pei Shirong looks dejected. With the worst outcome already happening, there is no point in arguing further. He can only blame himself for being careless with his words, and now his son is the same—careless with his words.

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