Wen Wan tidied herself up and was just about to go out when her mother-in-law came out from the east room and asked what she was doing.
Mrs. Zhou helped explain, "Dear in-law, our family has some matters that need Wan Niang to return for a bit. Can we ask her to temporarily set aside her current tasks?"
Granny Song took a look at Wen Wan and, seeing that she didn’t appear coerced, waved her hand, "Go on, come back early."
Wen Wan followed her stepmother back to the Wen Family home. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Wen Shun kneeling on the ground with his head drooping, exhausted. His small face was red and swollen, with five clear finger marks on it.
The child had already cried himself into hiccups, and when he heard the commotion from Mrs. Zhou, he turned his head but couldn’t speak, only letting out a gasp.
Mrs. Zhou’s eyes turned red again, and she hurried over to help her son up.
From the main room came the angry voice of Father Wen, "Let him kneel properly for me, he’s not allowed to get up! Today, no matter who begs, it absolutely won’t do!"
Wen Shun’s hoarse voice called out, and Mrs. Zhou’s heart broke. She kneeled on the ground, looking toward the main room, "Husband, Shunzi is your own flesh and blood. No matter what great mistake he’s made, you’ve already beaten him, punished him, please spare him this once! Shunzi hasn’t closed his eyes all night, if he continues kneeling, what if something happens to him..."
Mrs. Zhou hadn’t finished speaking when Father Wen had already come out, standing outside the main room. Seeing Wen Wan had arrived, he showed clear surprise, but quickly focused his gaze back on Wen Shun, raising a whip as he pointed at him, "Are you going to tell me or not, who did you sell the item to?"
Wen Shun saw the whip in his father’s hand and, thinking of the wounds on his back, shivered all over, kneeling toward his mother’s embrace.
Wen Wan, despite her dislike for her stepmother and this stepbrother, didn’t want to see her father being so cruel to a child.
As Father Wen was about to bring the whip down on Wen Shun’s back, Wen Wan stepped forward in time to stop him.
Father Wen looked at his daughter’s hand blocking the whip, frowning, "Wan Niang, don’t get involved in this. If I don’t properly teach him a lesson, he won’t understand that stealing people’s things and selling them for money is illegal!"
Wen Wan used sign language: He’s already been beaten by you and still won’t speak, it’s clear that using force won’t work. Why don’t you talk to him nicely!
Mrs. Zhou also lowered her head to persuade her son in her arms, "Shunzi, quickly tell your father, who did you sell the item to? Just tell the truth, and your father won’t hit you anymore."
Wen Shun felt wronged. Wasn’t he just idly loosening the soil around the jujube tree and dug out a chest? There were lots of treasures in there, not just a single jade bracelet. Why did his father have to beat him half to death over one jade bracelet? He felt it was unfair! He just wouldn’t say it!
Father Wen, out of patience, said, "You won’t tell, huh? Then I’ll send you to see the magistrate."
Mrs. Zhou’s expression drastically changed, "Husband, have you gone mad?"
Father Wen was usually silent and steady, and in all her time being married to him, this was the first time Mrs. Zhou had seen him so enraged, it was as if he’d eaten gunpowder.
She couldn’t understand, since the chest was dug out within their own home, whatever was inside belonged to the Wen family. Shunzi was just being childish and took one item out to sell, at most they should just scold him once. Why did he insist on getting to the bottom of it and want to send his own son to see the magistrate?
When Wen Shun heard that his father wanted to send him to the magistrate, he was directly terrified into silence, quivering lips he confessed everything in one go, "I’ll say, I’ll say... it was a wealthy man who bought it for thirty taels of silver. Father, please don’t send me to see the magistrate, I’ll take you to find him right now."