Gao Zhou exuded an intimidating aura, looking as if his punches would really hurt. The twins didn’t dare run. Even if they did, it would be useless.

They knew that before they could take two steps, Gao Zhou would likely grab them by the neck and drag them back.

Yu Mingxi led them back to the courtyard gate and asked Yu Yingze to take Yu Yuanyuan to find Aunt Chen to change her clothes.

Ten minutes later, a pile of dirty clothes and pants was brought out, covered in mud and grass stains. Anyone who saw it might think it belonged to a homeless person.

“Brother.” Yu Yingze handed the clothes over as instructed, vaguely guessing his brother’s plan.

Yu Mingxi accepted the clothes, showing a rare smile. “These are the clothes you got dirty, so… why don’t you wash them clean at the courtyard’s water basin before leaving?”

“What???” The twins, unable to bear it any longer, struggled in protest. “We won’t! Our clothes are always washed by the maids!”

“Oh, is that so?” Yu Mingxi feigned a troubled expression, gently stroking his chin. “Then how about we call your parents to send a maid to wash them?”

The twins: “!!!”

Gao Zhou, standing nearby, watched with glee as the twins’ expressions shifted between anger and fear. He was thoroughly satisfied! He wasn’t in a position to teach these wealthy brats a lesson himself, but Yu Mingxi was different.

At the same age, Yu Mingxi had the status as Yu Jinxiao’s son, which made him the perfect candidate. He presented himself as reasonable, kind, and understanding, but his every step was full of dark, veiled threats.

“Aunt Chen, the laundry detergent has arrived.” Aunt Chen, unaware of what had transpired, brought over the detergent, puzzled as she looked at the boys hanging their heads. She thought they were friends of the young master and young lady—

Yu Mingxi, still smiling, handed the dirty clothes and detergent to the twins, waiting for them to take it.

Several times, the twins tried to flee or simply stood frozen, as if stubbornly challenging the situation.

Yu Mingxi, growing a bit tired of holding the clothes, glanced down at the garments in his arms and said, “Sending these to the cleaners would cost money. You’d need to have your parents pay for that…”

“We’ll wash them!”

“Yeah, we’ll wash!”

As soon as Yu Mingxi used his trump card, the twins surrendered in unison, rolling up their sleeves and crouching by the courtyard’s water basin.

The clothes were filthy, covered in smears and filled with grass stains and dirt lodged in every crevice. The two boys, who had never washed clothes themselves, struggled for almost an hour. By the end, their hands were shaking so badly they could barely turn off the faucet.

Throughout this time, the twins claimed three times that they had finished washing, only to have their efforts rejected by Yu Mingxi, who calmly pointed out areas that needed more work.

So, bending over the basin without a single break, the twins washed for an entire hour…

From sunset to nightfall, their legs covered in mosquito bites, the courtyard lights finally turned on, casting a glow on their tired backs. It was only then that Gao Zhou felt some sense of satisfaction.

Yu Mingxi seemed pleased as well. When the twins presented the clothes for inspection once more, he smiled and said, “Not bad, you’ve washed them quite clean.”

The twins breathed a collective sigh of relief. As they stared at the clean clothes, they felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

To think they had managed to clean something so filthy!
At least their hard work hadn’t been in vain.

Achievement unlocked: +5.

Yu Mingxi picked up the clothes, examined them for a moment, and then handed them to Aunt Chen. “Aunt Chen, these clothes are torn. Could you please throw them in the trash by the door?”

The exhausted twins, who had worked so hard to wash the clothes: “??!!!”