Hearing that his own child had done something wrong and even affected the business of someone else’s store, Lin Sanshui’s face immediately flashed with a trace of shame and he dared not say more.
However, looking at Master Li, who seemed completely justified, a fleeting guilty look flashed in his eyes as he spoke, making Gu Nian ponder.
"Erhu, what happened to you? How did you end up ? Who did it?" Lin Sanshui’s terrified voice came from behind, and by the time Gu Nian came to his senses, Dahu had already run over, and Gu Nian quickly followed.
In the back guest room, Erhu lay on the wooden bed, his body covered in injuries. His originally numb expression immediately turned into an aggrieved cry upon seeing Lin Sanshui, "Dad, I didn’t mess up the measurements, it wasn’t me, they falsely accused me..."
Only twelve years old, the child cried his heart out, shedding all the injustices he suffered over the past few days.
Meanwhile, Lin Sanshui, while feeling heartbroken, suddenly turned serious, "Erhu, do you remember the principles Dad taught you?"
"Dad..." Erhu didn’t dare to cry anymore, staring blankly at Lin Sanshui.
Lin Sanshui sighed, "Dad taught you, a real man must bravely admit mistakes and never shirk responsibility. Although your master beat you , Dad feels heartache, but your mistakes are your mistakes. It’s normal to be beaten if you make a mistake; after a beating you’ll remember, and it saves you from making the same mistake again!"
"But, it really wasn’t me, it was Er Gouzi who caused it!" Erhu muttered.
Lin Sanshui thought Erhu was making excuses and got so angry he wanted to hit him.
After all, Erhu had been at Master Li’s carpenter shop for more than a year. Although Master Li was stingy and hadn’t given him a single copper coin the entire year, there hadn’t been any conflicts.
If Erhu hadn’t made a mistake, what reason would anyone have to wrongly accuse him!
Gu Nian had just observed something was off with Master Li, and upon seeing Lin Sanshui lift his hand, quickly stepped in to stop him, "Dad, let’s let Erhu finish explaining everything; maybe there really is more to it?"
Only then did Erhu notice Gu Nian’s presence.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the doorway, and Master Li’s unfiltered voice came through, "Since you’re here, hurry up and take him away, my shop still needs to do business; it’s no place for your crying and making fusses."
No matter who’s right or wrong, Master Li’s eagerness to send them away showed him as too impulsive.
"We’re just listening to my brother explain how he made a mistake and what he did wrong, so we can figure it out and see if we can fix it. But why is Master Li so anxious to drive us away? Could it really be as my brother said, that this Er Gouzi did harm my brother?"
Gu Nian’s seemingly innocent question reminded Lin Sanshui.
"Erhu, now that your master is here, explain what really happened," Lin Sanshui said deeply.
Dahu comforted him from the side, "Don’t be afraid, Erhu, Dad and I are here; we’ll face whatever it is. If it’s our mistake, we’ll take responsibility, but if it’s not, we shouldn’t unjustly bear the blame."
Erhu wiped away his tears and said, "The daughter of Mr. Liu in the town is getting married; some time ago, they ordered a carved wooden bed and a cabinet made of the finest pear wood. Since I’m usually careful, Master had me go along to measure the dimensions, but the bed turned out to be the wrong size. A few days ago, when Mr. Liu’s family was delivering the dowry, the bed couldn’t fit into the house, making Mr. Liu a laughingstock, and they brought people to hit me..."