Chapter 288

Youyou immediately deflated, hanging her head and answering with a meek "Yes."

"Say Youyou caused trouble," she said, not even bothering with pleasantries toward A Sen and Wang Tongjing, her voice anxious. "Where is she? How is she now?"

Seeing that her mother had not scolded her, Youyou's sobbing gradually came to a stop.

Fu Tingjun nodded, and only then did her heart settle somewhat. The three of them followed Yuechuan to the front gate.

But the child stubbornly refused.

Fu Tingjun couldn't help but admire the young servant's solitary courage. Her voice grew even gentler: "My daughter injured your young master, and that was wrong of us. I offer my apologies to your young master here! I mean no harm—I only wish to first look at your young master's wound. The physician won't arrive for some time yet, and I wouldn't want to delay treatment for your young master's injury..." She added, "You said your master is the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangzhe—is this the child of Lord Li, who lives on Bensi Hutong ahead? Then we are not strangers. I'll have someone sent to your household with word at once. When your master arrives, we'll settle this however it should be settled. This matter was our fault to begin with—we won't shirk responsibility!"

Youyou didn't say it, but Fu Tingjun could well imagine what had happened afterward.

Youyou was most unwilling, but since her mother had spoken, she dared not disobey. She shot a fierce glare at Young Master Li before reluctantly muttering, "It was my fault."

"It was I who hurt you—if you want to blame someone, blame me. But you're not allowed to give my mother a sour face!" she stammered. "If you're angry, then, then..." She thought for a moment, then said, "Then you can just blind my eyes too, and we'll be even!" Then she emphasized again, "You're not allowed to give my mother a sour face!"

The heavy stone in Fu Tingjun's heart finally settled.

The maids and matrons who had come with Madam Li looked as if they wanted to stop him but didn't dare. The young servant who had been with Young Master Li, seeing this, ran off after his young master as well.

Standing beside the child was a boy about two years older, dressed as a servant, who pointed at Youyou and shouted, "Don't think you can bully us just because you have more people! Our household isn't to be trifled with either—our Laifu has already gone to fetch help, and you'll be sorry then!" Yet beneath his seemingly arrogant demeanor was an ill-concealed panic.

She curtsied to Fu Tingjun in a formal bow: "It is my failure in teaching my son that has made a spectacle for you."

Fu Tingjun naturally wouldn't press the matter: "The children were just playing—please don't take it to heart. In the end, it was still our Youyou who was at fault, for carelessly shooting those little stones." Then she said to Youyou, "Quickly, apologize to Young Master Li!"

The young servant seemed to waver at this, glancing toward the little boy.

Young Master Li's lips were pressed tightly together, and he refused to utter a word.

Youyou didn't dare say a thing, standing properly in place as she listened to her mother's admonishment.

The moment Youyou heard her mother's voice, she rushed over immediately: "Mother, Mother, I didn't mean to..." She clung to Fu Tingjun's leg, weeping piteously. "It was Sanniang who said the birds in the locust tree were eating the fruit. I wanted to scare them away, so I shot a few pebbles at the tree..."

Youyou said indignantly, "He's a liar!"

Fu Tingjun gestured for Yuwei to pick up Youyou, and she herself hurried over to look at the child who had been struck.

The child seemed somewhat odd—when he heard Fu Tingjun's words, he instead grew nervous and shuffled back a few steps until his back was against the wall.

"I am this child's mother." Fu Tingjun pointed at Youyou and said gently, "Would you let me see where you're hurt? Our people have already gone to fetch a physician..." Even as she spoke, she moved to examine the child's injury.

Fu Tingjun's heart relaxed slightly.

At the doorway stood two groups of people. On one side were several maids led by Yuwei, anxiously gathered around Youyou, who was crying so hard she seemed about to faint, consoling her with "Don't cry, we didn't mean it" and "Young Miss, mind you don't ruin your eyes with crying." On the other side were several matrons led by Zheng Sanniang, clustered around a little boy of about seven or eight, dressed in a sapphire-blue Hangzhou silk robe, all talking at once with "Let auntie see if you're all right" and "Where exactly did it hit you—at least show us." The little boy covered half his face with his hand, saying nothing, his lips pressed tightly together, his expression stubborn.

Everyone turned to look, and saw several maids and matrons hurrying over, flanking a pale-faced Madam Li as she rushed toward them at a quick pace, followed by several sturdy household guards.

"You tricked me!" Youyou immediately jumped up. "Mother, he tricked me!" She threw herself into Fu Tingjun's arms again, aggrieved.

And when Youyou heard her mother humbling herself to apologize to that child, and that child not only refused to appreciate it but even wore a cold face and ignored her mother, her heart ached terribly. She struggled free of Yuwei's arms, ran to stand in front of Fu Tingjun, and shielded her mother behind her.

Fu Tingjun began to grow suspicious...

The scene was somewhat chaotic.

"It's good that nothing's wrong! It's good that nothing's wrong!" She couldn't help but say with relief.

"But..." A Sen was about to argue further when he saw Third Cousin hurry in.

Madam Li merely nodded slightly, her desire to see the child's injury growing stronger: "Shisan, let Mother see quickly."

Madam Li was very embarrassed: "I won't disturb Madam Zhao any longer!" With that, she grabbed her son's wrist and said in a low voice, "Hurry up and apologize to Madam Zhao and Miss Zhao!" Her voice carried barely suppressed anger.

Madam Li's face flushed crimson as she hastily apologized to Fu Tingjun: "This child, the youngest in the family, has been spoiled by us." She quickly slipped a white jade bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Youyou, "This is all Shisan's fault. This bracelet was blessed at Tanzhe Temple—let it calm your eldest daughter's nerves."

Madam Li was extremely awkward and quickly said, "It's our fault, it's our fault!" She turned to instruct Young Master Li, "Quick, apologize to Madam Zhao and Miss Zhao!"

Fortunately, there was no blood...

But the child only shook his head.

As Fu Tingjun walked out of the inner chamber with Yuechuan, A Sen, who had heard the commotion, came forward to meet them: "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I'm here!" He then stepped forward to support Fu Tingjun, "Youyou has a gentle temperament—she's never even struck a kitten or puppy, let alone a person. There must be some misunderstanding here. Don't panic first; let's get to the bottom of things before doing anything!"

Youyou pouted her lips and said with grievance: "I heard an 'ouch' from outside, and when they said someone was hurt, I ran out to apologize to him. But he didn't want my apology—he wanted me to compensate him for his eye..." As she spoke, thinking of how painful it would be to lose her eye, she began to cry again in fear.

Madam Li was stunned.

Madam Li's chest heaved with anger, and it took her a while to come back to her senses.

But the child twisted his body away, avoiding Fu Tingjun's hand.

"This time it's fortunate that Young Master Li is fine, but what if his eye had actually been hit? What would you have done? Even if you had your eye hit too, would that make Young Master Li better?" Fu Tingjun took the opportunity to scold Youyou, "Think about it—when your hand is pricked by a needle, it hurts terribly, let alone having your eye struck. If a person loses their eye, how sad and miserable would they be..."

Young Master Li quickly glanced at Fu Tingjun and Youyou, then suddenly flung his hand, breaking free from Madam Li's grip, and ran off in a flash.

Who would have thought that A Sen, who had been standing silently nearby, would stride forward, grab the child's wrist, and forcibly pull his hand away from his face.

A Sen's heart ached for Youyou. He stepped forward to say a few words of comfort but was pulled aside by Wang Tongjing: "Sister-in-law is disciplining the child—don't you go muddying the waters by chiming in! Youyou is indeed at fault in this matter."

Fu Tingjun found it both amusing and exasperating, and scolded Youyou: "What nonsense are you talking? Would someone else's eye be healed just because yours was blinded?" She added, "You hurt someone—have you apologized to them yet? Hurry up and offer your apologies!"

"What happened? What happened?" Madam Li rushed forward and embraced the little boy, "Shisan, don't scare me, how are you?" As she spoke, she tried to pry the child's hands away from his face, tears already streaming down.

Fu Tingjun then recounted the whole sequence of events.

Fu Tingjun was both angry and amused, and loudly scolded her own servants: "What are all of you crowding around here for? Disperse at once! Go back to your duties!"

It seemed this child was the young master of the Li family!

A clattering sound came from the entrance of the alley.

Everyone awkwardly acknowledged her words, and leaving Yuwei and Zheng Sanniang behind, they gradually made their way back home.

"Children do have their tempers." Fu Tingjun exchanged pleasantries with Madam Li for a while, and seeing that Madam Li seemed distracted, knowing she was still worried about her child, they exchanged a few more pleasantries before going their separate ways.

Fu Tingjun's face turned stern: "You shot a pebble and hit someone—is that true?"

Fu Tingjun rather disliked this child's temperament and didn't wish to have dealings with this family. She smiled and said lightly, "As long as everyone is fine," then said to Madam Li, "You rushed over in such a fluster, surely frightened and alarmed. Why not come inside for a cup of tea?"

Youyou was so frightened she hid in Yuwei's arms.

"Madam, our master is the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangzhe," he said, blustering but inwardly afraid, "We're not afraid of you... Laifu has already gone to fetch people..."

Fu Tingjun said, "But you did hit someone after all. You can't just hide and cry after causing trouble. Come with Mother to see him, apologize to him first, and whatever needs to be done, we'll do."

On his fair, jade-like face, there was not a single mark, let alone a wound.

She couldn't help but let out a long sigh, took Youyou's hand, and said gently, "Stop crying now."

The child turned his face away, not letting Madam Li see.

The locust tree stood in front of the south-facing room, and beyond that room was the alley. Who knew the pebble would fly past the alley and hit someone outside?

Wang Jingtong caught up as well and supported Fu Tingjun's other arm: "Sister-in-law, I'll go with you to take a look."

His face was flushed red, clearly furious.

When the young boy heard this, his expression turned even stranger.

Fu Tingjun had no choice but to hold Youyou in her arms. Remembering that Zheng Sanniang was on good terms with Old Madam Li of the Li family, she instructed Yuwei: "Why don't you go with Zheng Sanniang to inform the Li family?" Then she said to the boy, "How about you come sit at our place for a while? That way you can wait for your elders to arrive."

"Ah!" Everyone was stunned.

The servant boy following behind the child immediately jumped out and stood between Fu Tingjun and the boy.