Chapter 3 Baoyu is beaten early
1484 Words
At night, when Baoyu returned to the mansion, he was stopped at the entrance of the West Courtyard. He was told that both the Old Madam and Miss Lin were exhausted and would not be receiving guests. Baoyu’s room had also been moved to Rongxi Hall.
Baoyu was completely stunned. What did this mean? Ever since he was born, he had been treated like a precious phoenix egg, cherished and pampered. Now, he was suddenly being kicked out? And when he wanted to see his grandmother, he was told that she was not receiving guests—had he now become an outsider?
However, being a mild-mannered child, he did not dwell on these thoughts for long. Instead, he quickly reasoned that his cousin's family was from Jiangnan, and the long journey must have been exhausting. So, with a cheerful attitude, he went to pay respects to his mother.
For Wang Furen, her son was more precious than anything—she would never tire of doting on him. Now that Baoyu was back under her watchful eye, much of her afternoon displeasure dissipated.
Of course, she also noticed how messy Baoyu’s room had become. However, since she had yet to understand the Old Madam’s intentions, she had to temporarily restrain herself from dealing with the young women surrounding her son.
But for Baoyu, he felt as if he had been thrown into a pit of fire. Rongxi Hall—what kind of place was this? Not only did his mother live there, but so did his father, Jia Zheng. The mere thought of being in the same space as his father made him feel suffocated.
Meanwhile, Jia Zheng had also returned home and heard about Baoyu being moved out. Wang Furen originally intended to complain about the Old Madam’s unreasonable actions, expressing that no matter how much she adored her niece, Lin Daiyu should not have been allowed to avoid greeting her uncle and aunt.
What frustrated Wang Furen the most was that the Old Madam had made such a drastic decision without giving them any time to react.
She also wanted to point out how cramped Rongxi Hall was. The eastern three rooms were occupied by Concubine Zhao, Concubine Zhou, and Jia Huan, while the three rooms in the back housed the three Spring sisters. It was already tight as it was, and with Baoyu moving in, things would become even more crowded. Baoyu also had so many servants…
Jia Zheng, however, would never criticize his mother. He immediately concluded that if such a drastic action had been taken, it must be because of a serious mistake on Baoyu’s part. Without hesitation, he ordered the punishment rods to be brought out.
“Master…” Wang Furen, never one known for her intelligence, was at a loss. To be honest, if she hadn’t married into the Jia family—especially to someone as foolish as Jia Zheng—she would have been completely powerless. In any other family, she would have been eaten alive. She had spent so much time trying to make her point, only to end up putting her own son in harm’s way. She couldn’t even process what had just happened.
“A loving mother raises a spoiled son! The Old Madam has treated him like the apple of her eye, so why has she suddenly kicked him out? He must have done something truly disgraceful to make her lose faith in him! The Old Madam has chosen not to speak of it, sparing us humiliation—yet you still dare to defend him? A son so lacking in filial piety should have been beaten to death long ago!” Jia Zheng shoved his wife aside and took the family cane handed to him.
Fortunately, the servants had some awareness. Since Baoyu was only about seven years old, he couldn’t withstand a real beating, so they prepared a bundle of three rattan sticks instead. Each strike landed with triple the sting, amplifying the pain, but it wouldn’t cause severe physical harm.
Baoyu, having never endured such suffering in his life, immediately fainted from the first blow. However, after a dozen or so strikes, the pain jolted him awake again, and he began wailing miserably.
Wang Furen was on the verge of fainting from grief as well. She cried desperately for someone to fetch the Old Madam while throwing herself to the ground, wailing in classic dramatic fashion, “If only my precious Zhu-er…”
The servants rushed to the West Courtyard to summon the Old Madam.
Ou Mengmeng yawned as she listened. She had barely just dozed off! When she was still working, even her students knew not to disturb her during lunch break. But now? It seemed like the doors of the West Courtyard were flung open more freely than the waistband of Bao Er’s wife’s pants!
She grumbled internally, but she knew she couldn’t act too differently. If people realized that the Old Madam had suddenly changed personalities, it could cause trouble.
So, she had the servants dress Lin Daiyu and slowly made her way to Rongxi Hall, using a cane to walk at a leisurely pace instead of taking a sedan chair.
Back in her modern life, she had heard about parents punishing their children. Even when they simply s*****d their kids, she would turn a blind eye. She, too, was an only child, and for her generation, children like her were already rare. But even so, when their parents wanted to discipline them, they would still do it.
She had been desperate for retirement because being a teacher in modern times was too exhausting. Kids were unruly, parents were just as bad, always holding up their phones, ready to record and expose teachers at any moment. Schools no longer felt like schools, teachers no longer felt like teachers, and students… well, they weren’t much better either.
That said, she still had to see what kind of nonsense Jia Zheng was up to. Baoyu’s only redeeming quality was his kindness toward women, but he lacked the ability to actually take care of them. Even when he wanted to buy a piece of candy for someone he liked, it was the Jia family footing the bill.
Whenever there was trouble, he would take the blame, thinking he was being chivalrous, but in reality, he was just being foolish—enabling bad behavior. This kind of child needed a good beating, followed by months of military-style training. Only then would he understand responsibility and accountability.
Yet, Jia Zheng’s intelligence level made her doubtful. Would this punishment even have any lasting effect? Or would it all be in vain?
Ying’er and Hupo exchanged glances behind her, their faces full of worry. They weren’t particularly concerned about Baoyu’s suffering—what they really wanted to know was: What on earth was going on with the Old Madam?
Finally, they arrived at Rongxi Hall. Those who lived nearby—like the three Spring sisters, Jia Lian and his wife, and Li Wan and her son—had all gathered. They were wiping their tears while Wang Furen lay on the ground, wailing. Li Wan and her son were nearly hugging each other in grief.
Meanwhile, Baoyu, still bound to the punishment bench, was barely clinging to life, too weak to even cry out anymore.
Ou Mengmeng stood there, leaning on her cane, her gaze falling on Baoyu’s elaborate outfit. He wore a gold-inlaid, purple crown securing his hair, a golden forehead ornament with two dragons playing with pearls, a red embroidered robe with golden butterflies and flowers, a multicolored silk sash, a deep blue outer coat embroidered with floral patterns, and embroidered silk boots. Though he wasn’t wearing thick clothing, there were still visible marks of blood on his waist and legs.
Jia Zheng had truly shown no mercy.
Lin Daiyu, having never witnessed such a scene before, began to cry as well. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was somehow her fault. She continued to weep silently, her heart aching for her cousin’s suffering.
Wang Xifeng was quick-witted and immediately called out, “The Old Madam has arrived!”
Wang Furen took the cue and rushed forward, grabbing Jia Zheng while sobbing, “Old Madam, please save Baoyu!”
Jia Zheng quickly threw aside the cane and bowed. “Mother, I have been unfilial. I have disturbed you—please forgive me.”
“Tell me, why are you punishing him?” Ou Mengmeng asked, unfazed by Baoyu’s suffering. What she cared about was whether this family of fools would actually learn anything from it.
Jia Zheng froze for a moment before kneeling down. He knew his mother was strict with Baoyu, yet had never truly punished him. He hesitated, then said, “Mother…”
“I won’t stop you from disciplining him, but tell him why he is being punished.”
- Writer
