The completely black crow flapped its wings.
Hearing the noise, Wei Nancheng turned around. He only saw the empty doorway and a crow that had flown in from somewhere.
The crow landed on the floor. Beside it, Wei Xinian was lying on the ground like a giant worm. He looked at the crow with resentment.
“In this world, even a bird has a better life than me.”
“Crows eat rotten flesh. There are many dead bodies in the mass graves outside the city, so of course the crows are well-fed.”
Wei Xinian immediately sat up.
“This thing eats human flesh?!”
“Then why are we still kneeling? Hurry and chase this unlucky bird away! Don’t let it disturb our ancestors!”
If this unlucky bird caused their ancestors to ignore the wish he had just prayed for, who would he complain to?
The crow seemed unusually smart. It acted as if it had a radar that avoided Wei Xinian. Wherever he ran, it simply flapped its wings and moved away.
It teased him like someone was teasing a dog, making Wei Xinian run wildly around the ancestral hall, bumping into everything.
Its small round eyes were black and bright, as if they were laughing at how useless he was.
Wei Xinian: “…”
If I don’t catch this bird today, I’ll eat dirt!
Wei Nancheng stood where he was, watching Wei Xinian chase the crow around the hall. Just as he was about to speak, the crow landed on the windowsill. Wei Xinian rushed toward it and accidentally kicked over a candle stand.
The candle first fell onto some paper, and the sparks landed on the folding screen.
Wei Nancheng immediately shouted,
“Wei Er!”
Wei Xinian did not hear him. Half his body was hanging out the window. In the blink of an eye, he climbed over it.
As soon as he landed outside, he stumbled and fell. When he stood up and looked ahead, he met a pair of bright black eyes.
The two stared at each other in shock.
Li Zhenchun, who had secretly been crouching beneath the window: “…”
If she had known Wei Xinian would climb out the window, she would have waited at the door instead!
Wei Xinian frowned.
“Why are you…”
Li Zhenchun quickly covered his mouth and whispered,
“Don’t talk. Your brother is upset right now. Let him calm down by himself.”
Wei Xinian slapped her hand away.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
Why was his brother in the ancestral hall?
“What’s wrong with my brother?”
Li Zhenchun first fell silent, then looked gloomy, and finally looked heartbroken.
“Your brother… is having a hard time.”
Wei Xinian’s eyes widened.
Who?
Who is?
My brother is having a hard time?
Without thinking, he shouted,
“My brother went to a brothel?!”
Li Zhenchun was just as shocked as he was.
What did “having a hard time” have to do with going to a brothel?
Before she could understand his logic, Wei Xinian noticed a red glow coming from inside the window.
“My brother seems to be calming down so hard that flames are coming out.”
Li Zhenchun: “?”
A wave of heat came from inside.
She quickly stood up. Seeing the fire in the ancestral hall, she stopped thinking and jumped through the window.
“Hey! Wait for me!”
Wei Xinian also wanted to jump in, but the window was too high.
He didn’t know whether to lift his left foot or his right foot first. In the end, he clumsily climbed through using both hands and feet.
Wei Nancheng was using a cloth to put out the fire. When he saw Li Zhenchun suddenly appear from inside, he paused.
“Why did you come out from inside?”
“Because I never take the normal path.”
Only after answering did she say,
“I’ll go call someone to put out the fire.”
“No need.”
Wei Nancheng said,
“I already sent Qiuchi to get help.”
Wei Xinian finally crawled inside too. He slid across the floor and dropped to his knees in front of Wei Nancheng.
Looking up, he asked loudly,
“Brother, tell me honestly. Was this my fault?!”
The louder he spoke, the more guilty he felt.
Wei Nancheng looked at him.
“What do you think?”
Wei Xinian looked away nervously.
“I vaguely remember kicking over a candle stand. I only vaguely remember. I’m not even sure if it really happened.”
As he spoke, even he felt guilty.
He actually remembered it very clearly.
He immediately hugged Wei Nancheng’s leg.
“Brother, you have to save me! If Grandmother and Mother find out I burned the ancestral hall, they’ll punish me to death!”
“Especially Mother! I’m no longer her real son! She’ll kill me!”
Wei Nancheng replied,
“Then go die.”
Li Zhenchun: “?!”
Wei Xinian: “?!”
“Brother! Aren’t I your favorite little brother anymore? You’ve changed! Now that you’ll have a nephew, you’ve forgotten your brother!”
“Fine! Since the Wei family will have another heir, it doesn’t matter anymore!”
Li Zhenchun: “…”
She did not even know what to say.
Only Wei Xinian could make Wei Nancheng, who was usually gentle, say something so sharp.
He really deserved it.
Li Zhenchun patted his shoulder.
“Look on the bright side.”
Wei Xinian looked up at her.
She smiled kindly.
“What if it’s a niece instead?”
Wei Xinian: “…”
Is raising someone else’s daughter supposed to make me feel better?!
…
After being burned by fire and soaked with water, the ancestral hall looked like a complete mess.
Wei Nancheng, Wei Xinian, and the innocent Li Zhenchun, who had been dragged into the situation, were all kneeling in the courtyard with the ancestral hall behind them.
Old Madam Wei stood before the three of them and looked at the damaged hall.
“What happened?”
Li Zhenchun pretended to know nothing.
Wei Xinian had nothing to say.
Wei Nancheng remained silent.
The three knelt in a row with their heads lowered. None of them spoke.
While they stayed silent, Yue Jingque arrived.
Fang Rushi was supporting her.
It was not because Yue Jingque wanted special treatment. Fang Rushi was simply too enthusiastic, and she could not refuse.
When Li Zhenchun saw Yue Jingque, she suddenly felt this scene looked familiar.
Again, the three of them were kneeling while Yue Jingque stood there alone.
Last time, Li Zhenchun thought it was unfair.
This time, she sincerely hoped Yue Jingque would save all three of them.
“The night wind is strong. Nancheng and his wife should go back and rest.”
Li Zhenchun suddenly looked up at the Old Madam.
Even Wei Nancheng looked up slightly, a faint frown appearing on his face.
Wei Xinian raised his head in confusion.
“Grandmother, what about me?”
The Old Madam slammed her walking stick hard against the ground.
The loud sound startled both Li Zhenchun and Wei Xinian.
“You unfilial child! You burned the ancestral hall, and you still think you can go back and sleep?”
Wei Xinian: “?”
“But Grandmother, you haven’t even asked what happened! How can you be so sure I started the fire? What if I didn’t? Wouldn’t you be wrongly blaming me?”
Fang Rushi said coldly,
“Just answer me. Did you burn it or not?”
Wei Xinian: “…”
He really did.
Fang Rushi walked over and twisted his ear.
“You little brat! Everyone in this family watched you grow up! We all know exactly what kind of person you are, and what kind of person your brother is! Do you really think anyone would believe your brother would do something as outrageous as burning the ancestral hall?”
Wei Xinian said helplessly,
“Mother, that’s a terrible way to describe us.”
“So I’m ‘what kind of person,’ while Brother is ‘what kind of character’?”
“We’re both sons of the Wei family! How can the difference between us be this big?”
Fang Rushi continued,
“Tell me then. Instead of staying in your own courtyard with Jingque, why did you come to the ancestral hall?”
Of course I came to ask for a divorce.
Was I supposed to spend my whole life being controlled by that tigress?
Now she’s even a pregnant tigress. I’d have to take care of her during her pregnancy and after she gives birth. And if she has a little tiger, the two of them would be ruling over me together.
Wei Xinian absolutely could not accept such a future.