Wen Ning looked at Wen Shuyan with a half‑smile, half‑sneer—none of the fear or timidity she used to show him.
This displeased Wen Shuyan greatly. He stamped his feet and shouted: “How dare you look at me like that, woman! Just as my mother says—you rot alone in the Protector’s household, despised by all, and now you’ve gone mad!”
So even though the original Wen Ning had left the Wen residence, plenty of people there still thought of her.
Wen Ning glanced at the delicate young boy beside them, who was staring at her in shock. She noticed the bruises on his temple and mouth, and her eyes darkened. “I am your elder sister. Is this how you speak to your sister?”
“My sister?” Wen Shuyan laughed as though hearing something absurd, snarling: “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re no sister of mine! I would never acknowledge a sister born of such lowly blood…”
Before he could finish, Wen Ning’s face turned grim. She strode toward him with heavy steps.
It was the first time Wen Shuyan had seen such a terrifying expression on her face. He froze, panicked, and shouted: “Wangcai! Fengshou! Are you two useless dogs dead? Hurry and teach this madwoman a lesson!”
Startled by Wen Ning’s unusual behavior, Wangcai and Fengshou finally snapped to attention. They rushed at her, yelling: “Get back! Don’t you dare approach our young master!”
Though only thirteen or fourteen, the boys had grown strong from years of brawling and petty thievery with Wen Shuyan. Each was twice Wen Ning’s size, their faces brutish and full of menace.
Wen Yu’s face changed. Instinctively, he started forward. “Sister…”
But in the next instant, he watched wide‑eyed as his sister yanked a green silk pouch embroidered with lotus flowers from her waist. Gripping the cord, she swung it hard at Wangcai and Fengshou. A cloud of gray powder burst out, showering them.
At first, the boys flinched, then, realizing it was harmless powder, they sneered. Pointing at her, they laughed loudly. “What’s this—just a handful of dirt? You think that can stop us?”
But mid‑laugh, their faces twisted. Their bodies writhed as though covered in fleas, scratching frantically like monkeys, terror in their eyes. “It itches! It itches! Damn you—what powder is this?”
“Heavens, it feels like ants crawling all over me! Help!”
One of them collapsed, rolling on the ground like a mangy dog, rubbing against anything he could, tears and snot streaming from the unbearable itch.
Wen Shuyan and Wen Yu both stared in shock at the scene.
Having dealt with the two lackeys, Wen Ning turned her half‑smile back on Wen Shuyan.
Now truly terrified, he backed away step by step as she advanced like a vengeful ghost. His voice shook, bluster failing him: “What… what have you done! Wen Ning! If you dare touch me, my mother won’t spare you, my father will… ah!”
Before he could finish his words, Wen Shuyan suddenly let out a shriek and fell with a splash into the pond behind him. It turned out there was a koi pond just behind him. In his panic, he hadn’t watched his step and stumbled straight in.
Wen Ning stood calmly at the edge, watching him flail like a brainless pig, splashing and crying for help—until he realized the water was shallow, only reaching his waist.
At last, he stood up, face flushed with anger and embarrassment, eyes blazing. “You…
“I didn’t hit you. You jumped in yourself.”
Wen Ning’s lips curved in a mocking smile, her gaze cool. “We’ve been making a racket here for quite some time, yet no one came. I suppose, dear little brother, you dismissed the servants beforehand so no one would see you cornering Wen Yu. You should be grateful no one witnessed your pathetic display just now. Otherwise…”
She gave a cold laugh. “By tomorrow, the rumor would spread that the Seventh Young Master of the Wen family is a fool who jumps into ponds and cries for help.”
“You!” Wen Shuyan was so furious that he wanted to bite her to death.
But Wen Ning had no interest in bullying children. Seeing he’d been taught enough of a lesson, she said evenly: “You can run to your parents and complain. I don’t fear confronting them, telling them you were the one who cornered Wen Yu first. Little brother, if I recall correctly, you’ve been grounded more than once these past six months, haven’t you?” She spoke with a smile that looked almost affectionate.
Wen Shuyan, Madam Yu’s youngest son, had always been spoiled by her and the Wen elders. By the time they realized he was growing crooked, it was too late.
Regretting her indulgence, Madam Yu had begun stricter discipline half a year ago.
Though the original Wen Ning hadn’t returned home in months, Madam Zhao often sent her news and gifts, so Wen Ning knew all the household’s major events.
If this incident reached Madam Yu, Wen Ning and Wen Yu might not escape punishment—but Wen Shuyan’s fate would be no better.
Watching him frozen in the pond, lips trembling, unable to speak, Wen Ning smiled faintly. “I’ll be waiting for you to complain, dear brother.”
As for his two lackeys, the powder she had thrown on them was nothing more than an itching concoction she’d made during her rest days in the Protector’s household—using cactus, geranium leaves, and soybean fuzz. A rinse with water would wash it away.
Turning, she gave Wen Yu a meaningful look and walked off gracefully.
Only when they had left the pavilion behind did Wen Ning suddenly turn, brows furrowed, staring at the boy trailing silently after her.
Caught off guard, Wen Yu stiffened. The next moment, her cool voice sounded in his ear: “Wen Yu, how did you get those injuries?”
Wen Yu turned his head awkwardly, answering evasively: “You shouldn’t have provoked him. A few blows won’t kill me.”
Wen Ning’s temper flared. She gave a cold laugh. “So you really were the one who tattled to Father about Wen Shuyan?”
Wen Yu’s head snapped up, eyes flashing. “Of course not! Why would I do something so pointless…”
“If not you, then why are you the one being beaten? Even if you had tattled, he was the one at fault. What right does he have to hit you?”
Wen Ning looked at him, frustrated at his weakness.
Wen Yu stared at her for a long time, almost as if he no longer recognized his sister. Finally, his brows knit, his expression stubborn. “But… that’s how it’s always been.”
Indeed, out of fear of Madam Yu’s retaliation, the siblings had always endured her and her children’s bullying passively. But that was a foolish strategy.
People prey on the weak. The more you yield, the more arrogant they become.
Wen Ning didn’t want to argue further. Her eyes stayed fixed on his bruises. “You still haven’t answered me. How did you get those injuries?”
Wen Yu pressed his lips together. “Wangcai and Fengshou just hit me…”
“Do you take me for a fool?” Wen Ning’s brows furrowed tighter. “The bruises on your face are already changing color, the wounds starting to scab. These injuries are at least one or two days old!”