Chapter 8: Ruthlessness

On one side, Lu Songnian and Zhao Si were deeply in love, whispering sweet nothings to each other as husband and wife.

On the other side, in Wen Ruyu’s courtyard, Lu Bainian’s screams were already ringing out.

“I was supposed to come home last night, but because of the snow, Brother Lin kept me over for the night. That’s why I stayed out!”

“Ah!”

“Mother, stop hitting me!”

“Ah!”

Wen Ruyu listened to Lu Bainian’s miserable cries, her heart as hard as stone. She held a broom in her hand, striking him without hesitation.

She had been lying in bed these past two days, feeling restless, so she might as well get some exercise.

“Still lying!”

Standing inside the room, Wen Ruyu had two servant women pinning Lu Bainian down on a long bench, holding him still. Unless she said otherwise, there was no way they would let him go.

With the broom in her hand, she struck him mercilessly, already delivering over ten lashes.

At first, Lu Bainian thought she was just playing around, but after two real hits, he realized the pain was genuine and began begging for mercy.

When pleading didn’t work, he started confessing.

But Wen Ruyu didn’t buy his excuses. She hit him two more times, making him scream to the heavens for help, though none would come.

“Ow! Mother! Stop hitting me!”

A young man who would soon turn nineteen was crying and wailing like a child under Wen Ruyu’s beating, his face covered in snot and tears.

“What do you have a mouth for? If you weren’t coming home for dinner or to sleep, couldn’t you have told someone? Is your servant useless too? Even with all this snow, you could have ridden back, walked back, crawled back—none of that would have killed you!”

As she spoke, another lash landed on Lu Bainian’s backside.

“Ahh! Ughhh!” Lu Bainian shuddered violently.

Wen Ruyu’s ruthless demeanor made the two servant women holding him down exchange nervous glances.

If she really injured him, would the old lady blame them for not stepping in?

But looking at Wen Ruyu’s determination, they were also afraid that if they tried to intervene, the broom would come down on them instead.

If Second Master got beaten, the Old Madam would feel sorry for him. But if they got beaten, who would pity them? They’d just suffer for nothing.

Wen Ruyu wasn’t truly furious. Unlike the original host of this body, she didn’t have that kind of “hating iron for not becoming steel” frustration combined with a mother’s soft-hearted love.

Lu Bainian was already eighteen. In modern times, kids younger than him were already committing crimes.

If he wasn’t disciplined now, his self-destruction was a minor issue, but bringing shame to the family and ruining its reputation was a major one.

Lu Songnian, the eldest, was going to become an official one day. A brother like this would only be a burden. Even if they split the family property, a brother was still a brother.

As the head of the household, Wen Ruyu had to take charge.

It just so happened that she had recently transmigrated into this body and was still harboring frustration. Taking it out on an unfilial son seemed like a good idea.

Seeing Wen Ruyu still swinging the broom, the old servant, Yan Mama, stepped outside to find the young maid, Fen’er.

“Go to the Eldest Master’s courtyard and tell him that the Old Madam is furious and beating the Second Master. Tell him to come and intervene.”

Fen’er answered immediately, put down her work, and ran toward the main house.

At that moment, Lu Songnian and his wife were enjoying their time together when they heard a familiar voice outside.

Zhao Si let go of her husband’s waist, adjusted her clothes, and walked over to the standing screen. “Shiliu, who’s outside?”

The maid, Shiliu, was talking with Fen’er. Hearing the question, she replied, “It’s Fen’er from the Old Madam’s courtyard.”

“Oh? What’s the matter?”

Fen’er spoke from outside, “The Old Madam is furiously beating the Second Master. Yan Mama sent me to inform the Eldest Master and Madam so they can go take a look.”

Hearing this, Zhao Si looked at her husband, Lu Songnian.

The two of them saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.

They had expected that the Old Madam would scold Lu Bainian, deduct his allowance, or ground him for a few days.

But they never thought she, who always doted on her younger son, would actually resort to physical punishment!

In Lu Songnian’s memory, his mother rarely hit people. He only remembered her punishing servants who stole when he was little.

Now, this was only the second time he had heard of her beating someone.

And this time, it was the family’s Second Young Master. How could that not be shocking?

Although Lu Songnian resented his brother’s lack of ambition and indulgence in pleasure, they were still brothers, born from the same mother. He couldn’t just stand by and watch him get beaten without stepping in.

Hearing this, he had no time to linger with his wife. He quickly threw on a cloak and rushed to his mother’s courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Wen Ruyu had beaten Lu Bainian so badly that his backside was bleeding. Only then did she feel somewhat satisfied.

Looking at his pitiful, tear-streaked face, she knew that continuing would be excessive. A little suffering was fine, but truly injuring him wouldn’t be good.

Just as she was about to stop, Lu Songnian rushed into the room.

“Mother!?”

At first, Lu Songnian thought she was just putting on a show, hitting Lu Bainian a few times for effect. After all, he was her own son, not some disobedient servant. How could she really hit him so ruthlessly?

But the moment he entered, he saw his brother, his clothes stained red with blood, collapsed on the bench, his throat hoarse from screaming.

Lu Bainian had never exercised much, always preferring to fool around outside. His body was weak, while the two sturdy servant women who pinned him down were strong from years of manual labor.

The contrast between them was almost comical.

The two women held him firmly, and no matter how much Lu Bainian struggled, he couldn’t break free. He could only let his mother whip him until his skin split.

“Big… Brother!” Seeing Lu Songnian, Lu Bainian felt like a drowning man spotting a lifeboat.

Finally! Someone who could plead for him!

He had been beaten until he was numb, unsure if his backside was now split into four.

As the pampered Second Young Master of the Lu family, when had he ever suffered like this?

Even when he misbehaved as a child, at most, he got a few strikes with a ruler from his father or teachers.

Now, he truly understood what “skin-splitting pain” felt like.

Hearing his brother’s cry, Lu Songnian snapped out of his shock.

He stepped forward, just about to speak, when—

Wen Ruyu suddenly fainted.

“Mother!”

Luckily, Lu Songnian caught her in time; otherwise, she would have collapsed to the ground.

Zhao Si, arriving just then, was startled by the sight.

“Old Madam!”

The household erupted into chaos. Servants rushed to fetch chairs and tea, crowding around Wen Ruyu.

Even the two servant women who had held Lu Bainian let go, stepping back nervously.

Lu Bainian, too, was shocked.

He might be a scoundrel, but this era valued filial piety above all else. If his mother had a serious accident because of him, he wouldn’t be able to live it down.

If enough people blamed him, they might as well drown him in their spit.

As he hurriedly got up, pain shot through his wounds, making him grimace.

Meanwhile, Wen Ruyu had already started acting.

She wasn’t actually crying, but she reddened her eyes enough to make it look convincing.

“What sin have I committed to raise such a shameless, irresponsible son?”

She clutched Lu Songnian’s chest, pretending to be heartbroken.

Her act had worked.

And just like that, everyone’s attention turned to her, leaving Lu Bainian to stew in his pain alone.