Chapter 11: Good Fruits

"The peach fell, let's pick another one. Be more careful in the future. A real man doesn't shed tears easily, we won't cry."

Luo Qianqian gently wiped away Luo Qifei's tears. She knew he wasn't crying because of the peach, but she wanted to teach him that crying in the face of difficulties was useless.

"But sister, mother will beat us. Let's put the peach back. I only took a bite, mother won't see it."

As Luo Qifei spoke, he bent down to pick up the fallen peach, his face filled with panic and determination not to be discovered by Madam Er.

It seemed that Madam Er's terror had already planted a seed of fear in his heart. This wouldn't do!

"Qifei," Luo Qianqian held Qifei's shoulder and squatted down to meet his gaze. "Don't be afraid. With me here, no one will dare to bully you. We can eat this peach whenever we want in the future, no need to be afraid."

Luo Qifei looked at her with his dark eyes. "Really, sister? But mother has a big stick, I'm scared."

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves to show her the scars from the last beating.

The door of the Peach Blossom Garden creaked open, and many people walked in. There was no need to look to know who it was.

"Don't be afraid, sister is here. Who wants to give me good fruit to eat?"

"Who wants to give me good fruit to eat?"

Madam Er came in with seven or eight rough maids, her face filled with arrogance.

Haha, she didn't need to bring maids to deal with her, she could do it herself. But now, she had brought so many people. It seemed that the incident just now had thoroughly angered her.

"Qifei," Luo Qianqian suddenly shook, and instinctively burrowed into her arms.

"Qifei, don't be afraid."

"Sister, sister!" Luo Qifei seemed very uneasy, his small hands fidgeting on her body.

"What's wrong, Qifei?"

"Wu wu~" Luo Qifei cried with a sob, grabbing her hair. This was his instinctive action when he was scared. He knew that grabbing her hair hurt the most, and no matter what, sister couldn't escape.

"Don't be afraid, Qifei," Luo Qianqian gently patted his back, unconsciously pressing her cheek against his forehead.

Madam Er couldn't be bothered with the deep sibling affection and impatiently said, "You wretched girl, dare to steal the peaches meant for the emperor. You don't know your place!"

This wretched girl had almost caused her to lose half of her stewardship and ruined the family's reputation. Now, she had to settle this score properly.

"Mother, you were punished with house arrest by grandmother. How can you still come out to manage these trivial matters? Or do you think grandmother's words are ineffective?"

"Wretched girl! Don't talk nonsense! You stole the peaches, you deserve to be punished!"

"Mother, please don't. It's... it's... it's me who stole them, not sister. Please don't..."

Luo Qifei wanted to kneel down but couldn't support himself and ended up cowering on the ground, trembling in fear.

Seeing this, Luo Qianqian's heart warmed. At this moment, Luo Qifei was willing to stand in front of her, knowing he would be punished.

This was family love, a unique bond between loved ones. This brother, she accepted him, even without the original owner, she accepted him.

Luo Qianqian helped Luo Qifei up. "Qifei, don't be afraid. Sit here and watch sister give them good fruit to eat."

Supporting Luo Qifei to sit down, Luo Qianqian surveyed the group. These maids looked strong and sturdy, likely doing menial tasks most of the time.

"Wretched girl, how dare you glare at me?" Madam Er was furious and ordered the maids to beat her.

Today, she had brought so many people not to do it herself, but to show this wretched girl that even with the backing of the old lady, she couldn't escape punishment in this household.

These maids, however, were unprofessional. They were taking too long to act, giving the other party a chance to react.

"Huh? How did I..."

Before the first maid could react, her entire plump body crashed to the ground.

The second maid saw Luo Qianqian's kick, but it was too late to react. She watched as she was knocked down.

How is this possible? Madam Er watched as the petite figure of Luo Qianqian easily knocked down the rough maidservants one by one, leaving everyone speechless with astonishment.

"Sister, you're amazing!" Luo Qifei exclaimed excitedly, his face flushed with excitement as he stood up from his chair.

"Sit down!" Luo Qianqian said to Luo Qifei, then snatched the cane from one of the maidservants and walked towards Madam Er.

"Madam Er, in the past, I didn't dare to fight back when you hit me. But from now on, I will make you know that I, Luo Qianqian, am not to be trifled with! Luo Qifei is my brother, and I will protect him. Anyone who bullies him is bullying me. Since you've come to cause trouble today, I'll give you some face. But if you don't learn your lesson, I won't let you off so easily next time."

Madam Er could see the coldness in Luo Qianqian's eyes from such a close distance, a coldness she had only seen in the eyes of the master. How could this lowly girl have such a gaze?

"Madam Er."

"What... What do you want? Do you want to hit me too?"

Madam Er had never expected that Luo Qianqian would dare to strike her. When the cane struck her, she let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

"Scream as much as you want, no one will come to save you!" Luo Qianqian continued to strike Madam Er's body and face.

The cane was made with thorns, and the pain from the strikes was excruciating. Madam Er had never experienced such suffering, and her screams were heart-wrenching.

"Second Miss, how could you hit Madam?"

"Madam? Madam?"

...

After the initial shock, the maidservants realized that they had followed Madam Er to confront the Second Miss, and now that Madam Er was being beaten, they would also face consequences. They rushed forward to try to stop Luo Qianqian.

That was exactly the effect Luo Qianqian wanted. As the maidservants approached, she cleverly dodged their attempts and continued to strike a few more times before skillfully escaping. Then, she shouted at the top of her lungs:

"Something's wrong! Something's wrong! The servant is bullying the mistress! Mother has been beaten."

"Someone, come quickly! Someone!"

"The servant is bullying the mistress, Mother has been beaten!"

"Is anyone coming to see? Mother has been beaten!"

As she ran and shouted, she signaled for Luo Qifei to hide inside the house.

By the time the news reached the main courtyard and into the ears of Luo Yujue, the entire Luo residence was abuzz with the news.

Madam Er usually wielded power and authority in the residence. Whatever she said, the servants dared not contradict. She could strike anyone she pleased. Therefore, news of her being beaten spread like wildfire.

Regardless of their tasks, the servants all hurried towards the main courtyard, eager to witness this extraordinary event.

"Father, Mother has been beaten!"

When Luo Qianqian rushed into the main house, Luo Yujue was reclining on a soft couch, holding a scroll and leisurely reading. A table nearby was adorned with incense and a cup of fragrant tea, which he was about to sip.

Seizing the opportunity, Luo Qianqian pounced on Luo Yujue, causing the hot tea to spill into his mouth.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Luo Yujue was scalded and fell off the couch, spitting out the hot tea and tea leaves, and angrily exclaimed, "What are you doing, rebellious girl?"

And he seemed about to slap her.

Luo Qianqian quickly pretended to pick up the broken pieces of the teacup, avoiding the slap.

When Luo Yujue was about to strike again, Luo Qianqian stood up with the broken pieces in hand and said, "Father, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to tell you that Mother has been severely injured. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself."

Her posture with the broken pieces was threatening. If Luo Yujue struck again, she would use the pieces to defend herself.

Luo Yujue noticed this and remembered the inexplicable fall in the ancestral hall. He reluctantly put down his hand and said, "What are you talking about? How could your mother have been beaten? Who would dare?"

"Father, what are you saying? How could I possibly hit you? It was clearly these maidservants who hit you. I saw them one by one pouncing on you, wielding fists the size of bowls and carrying canes. If you don't believe me, look in the mirror. You still have marks from the cane on your face."

Luo Yujue glanced at Luo Qianqian and then at the maidservants, who indeed still held canes.

The maidservants also realized that something was amiss and quickly knelt down, begging, "Please, Master, please see the truth. We would never dare to hit Madam Er. It was clearly Second Miss who beat her. Please see the truth, Master."

Luo Yujue looked at Luo Qianqian, then at Madam Er. The injuries on her face were indeed from the cane. Could it be that Madam Er had gone to deal with this girl and had been set up by her?

"Master, this wretched girl is lying. It was her who beat me. You must do something about it!"