Feng Jin gave Ling Mohan a displeased glance. "Aren't you going to check on your dear brother? Otherwise, if I bully him, your grandfather and your second uncle will come looking for trouble with me."
"Dispose of him as you wish. If they cause trouble, I will bear it all."
Ling Mohan had become clever this time, his words satisfying to hear. A smile played on Feng Jin's lips, and her mood lifted considerably.
Before Feng Jin could say anything more, Cai Qing rushed in, panting. "Bad news… bad news…"
"What is it? Speak slowly," Feng Jin said, handing Cai Qing a cup of water to help her calm down.
Catching her breath, Cai Qing slowly explained, "Young Madam, it's… it's Young Master Biao. He fell into the basin while washing vegetables just now and has been carried back to his room."
Falling into a basin while washing vegetables made Feng Jin's lips twitch. Such an outrageous thing.
The world was vast, and truly full of wonders.
"I'll go take a look." Ling Mohan sighed in helplessness. His grandfather had insisted on foisting Ling Muzhu onto him.
This boy had never done anything serious since he was little, yet he was constantly causing trouble, big or small.
After Ling Mohan left, Cai Qing sidled up to Feng Jin. "Young Madam, should we go take a look too? If Young Master Biao embellishes things and says something to the Young General, and the Young General believes him and blames you…"
"Blame me? If he believes Ling Muzhu's words, then he's dead," Feng Jin said fiercely. Her feet, however, moved quickly. She wanted to see what trickery Ling Muzhu was up to.
By the time she arrived, Ling Muzhu was lying weakly on the bed, his eyes unfocused. He truly looked like he was gravely ill.
"Brother, I… cough… I'm dying…" Ling Muzhu clutched Ling Mohan's hand, as if delivering his dying words.
Ling Mohan was also confused. Wasn't he just supposed to have fallen into a basin? This looked more serious than falling into a river.
"Doctor, how is Muzhu?"
"Reporting to the Young General, the Young Master has merely caught a chill…"
Before the doctor could finish, Ling Muzhu coughed violently again.
"Cough… cough… cough."
Feng Jin, standing at the doorway, curved her lips into a cold smile and looked at Ling Muzhu lying in bed. "Since you are ill, rest well."
A flicker of light flashed in Ling Muzhu's eyes, vanishing the moment he met Feng Jin's gaze. He said weakly, "Grandfather wants me to learn from my brother and sister-in-law, but my body is too… cough, too useless…"
He was putting on quite an act. Feng Jin rolled her eyes and suddenly shouted loudly, "Ah! There's a snake in the bed, a snake, ah!"
The sharp scream startled Ling Muzhu. He quickly threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, shouting, "Someone, catch the snake… catch the snake!"
He ran around lively, no longer looking half-dead.
Feng Jin watched Ling Muzhu darting around with a cold expression. "Stop running. There's no snake on the bed. I was just tricking you."
Upon hearing this, Ling Muzhu's face stiffened. He mustered his courage and looked at the bed. It was empty. There was no snake, not even an ant.
"You tricked me!" Ling Muzhu, feeling deceived, instantly became angry and pointed at Feng Jin.
Feng Jin slapped away his pointing finger. "Yes, I tricked you. Weren't you on the verge of death from a cold? Now you're full of life and energy, with no signs of illness. Your acting is truly superb."
Ling Muzhu's face showed a trace of embarrassment at being exposed. He turned his head and stammered, "I… I was indeed quite ill before. It's just that… I just recovered."
After all, he had indeed fallen into the basin, and many people had seen it.
"You have the nerve to say that. A grown man falls into a basin while washing vegetables and then pretends to be half-dead. Don't you feel ashamed to have that story told?"
"Who are you calling that? I'd like to see who dares to mock me." Ling Muzhu retorted indignantly.
"Of course, no one dares to mock you to your face. But behind your back, do you know how others ridicule you? You're just lucky to have been born into the right family. Otherwise, with your demeanor, if you were born into an ordinary family, you'd fare worse than a beggar on the street."
Feng Jin's words were like sharp blades, reducing Ling Muzhu to nothing.
"You… you're going too far!"
Ling Muzhu was furious, his lungs about to explode. He had been raised in luxury and had never been spoken to like this by anyone. Yet, he dared not offend Feng Jin.
Seeing Ling Mohan standing majestically behind Feng Jin, his face full of anger, Ling Muzhu immediately dared not move further.
"Going too far? I'm making you face reality. You can do whatever you want in the Ling family. You rely on the Ling family's influence in the capital and act arrogantly without anyone daring to offend you. But the world is vast, and the capable are many. If you go out like this, you will eventually be bullied and humiliated. What will you do then? Will you also use the Ling family's power to suppress them?"
Feng Jin said in a deep voice, her words exposing Ling Muzhu's weaknesses one by one, leaving him utterly disgraced.
"Everything your sister-in-law says is for your own good. Think about it carefully."
Ling Mohan spoke in a low, deep voice. It was indeed time for this brat to face reality. If he remained naive as before, he would eventually suffer greatly.
Rather than letting him suffer and be beaten by others, it was better to use this opportunity to let him witness the harshness of reality.
"Thank you for your hard work in teaching Muzhu. I hope this boy truly takes it to heart."
"I'm not teaching him because I have nothing better to do. I simply dislike him and want to discipline him," Feng Jin said stubbornly, though a hint of awkwardness flashed across her face.
Ling Mohan chuckled softly, not exposing Feng Jin's little thoughts. He followed her words, "My wife is right. If he dares to disrespect you, just tell me, and I'll deal with him."
"I don't need your help to deal with him. Actually, Ling Muzhu isn't irredeemably bad. He's just spoiled and willful by Second Master Ling, coupled with a lack of his own opinions, making him easily swayed."
In the past, most of his conflicts with her were instigated by Ling Yan, but he had never done anything excessively harmful to her, mostly just verbal sparring.
As long as he was properly guided, he could be led onto the right path.
Ultimately, Ling Muzhu lacked the harsh lessons of society. He needed to be made to recognize reality and step out of his sheltered world.
As for Ling Yan, she was already beyond saving, capable of murder and arson. She only complained and blamed others day after day, never considering her own issues.