Guan Yuan pretended to be scared and jumped into Zhao Shenggu's arms: "Brother, has Aunt Manyue gone crazy?"
The onlookers took one look at Guan Manyue and thought, She really does seem insane.
A kind-hearted person called out, "Guan He, you'd better take your daughter back home. The way she looks, her mind's not right. What a tragedy!"
Guan He's plan was completely ruined by Guan Manyue's sudden outburst. She'd been playing the pitiful act at home, but now she'd gone and lost her mind again.
Still, he wasn't about to give up. "Shenggu, Xiao Yuan, just look at your aunt. She's only like this because of her bad legs. If she got treated, she'd get better too. I know you've made quite a bit from selling braised meat. Have some pity on your aunt."
"Pah!" Li Ying, who had been hurrying over with Guan Shitou holding her hand, couldn't hold back when she heard Guan He's words. "Xiao Yuan and Shenggu—what kind of life did they live in your house? You think none of us know? You kicked them out and now you have the nerve to come begging for money? How do you have the nerve to show your face here?"
The onlookers all chimed in, agreeing that Zhao Shenggu had always been the one taken advantage of in that household. And now they had the nerve to come asking for money.
Guan He heard the murmurs around him and stumbled. He never expected his reputation in Guanjia Village to be like this. For someone as prideful as him, the shame hit like a burning slap to the face. He forgot all about the money, pushed through the crowd, and walked away.
When Guan Mancang and the others saw Guan He leave, they were dumbfounded. They didn't dare take on Zhao Shenggu head-on either, so they tried to sneak off.
"Hold it," Zhao Shenggu called out. "Aren't you going to do anything about Guan Manyue?"
Guan Mancang had intentionally been trying to forget about Guan Manyue. Now that Zhao Shenggu had called him out, with everyone watching, he couldn't just abandon her. So he had no choice but to carry her off.
Guan Manyue started cursing loudly — at the Guan family, at Zhao Shenggu — like a madwoman. To the people of Guanjia Village, it only confirmed what they’d suspected all along: she’d truly lost her mind.
The crowd gradually dispersed once the Guans were gone. Li Ying stayed behind to cheer them on: "Shenggu, Xiao Yuan, don't be scared. If they dare bother you again, just watch your Uncle Guan Guo and me knock their teeth out."
Guan Shitou nodded along. "That's right, Boss, I'll help you too. I'm a tough fighter."
Guan Yuan found it amusing and was touched by Li Ying's kindness. "We're fine, Auntie. Neither of us is scared, right, Brother?"
Zhao Shenggu nodded. "Mm, Xiao Yuan's pretty tough!"
Li Ying looked at them with admiration. "The way you two get along better than real brothers—I can't help but be jealous. My two boys can't stop fighting the moment they're together."
Guan Shitou's brother, two years older, was currently studying in Zhaojia Village. Next year, Guan Guo planned to transfer him to the county school, so they'd get to see more of each other then.
Guan Yuan giggled, and Zhao Shenggu affectionately ruffled his hair. "Xiao Yuan is my only family. Who else would I cherish?" He turned to Li Ying. "Aunt Li Ying, why don't you and Uncle Guan Guo stay for dinner? He should be back by now."
Li Ying was about to decline, but Guan Shitou was already clapping in excitement. When Guan Guo returned and heard the story from Li Ying, he was furious. "Shenggu, Xiao Yuan, if they pull that shameless stunt again, you come tell me. I'll beat them to a pulp."
Zhao Shenggu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Uncle, hitting people is against the law these days. Don't worry, we have our ways."
Guan Guo scratched his head, confused—how could dealing with scoundrels be against the law?
After seeing off Guan Guo and his family, night had already fallen. Guan Yuan, who had been all smiles moments ago, suddenly dropped his cheerful expression. "Brother, we need to teach them a proper lesson, or they'll keep buzzing around us like flies."
Zhao Shenggu was just as fed up with the Guan family. "But what can we do?"
Guan Yuan pointed at himself. "Have you forgotten the treasures in my space?" He leaned in and whispered into Zhao Shenggu's ear.
Zhao Shenggu frowned. "Will that work? What if they kick up a fuss?"
"Guan He cares so much about face—we'll strip him of it completely. Besides, who would believe them if they told anyone?" Guan Yuan said.
"You're something else." Zhao Shenggu gently tapped him on the nose, which was as good as a nod of approval.
Once the night was fully dark, Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan made their way to the Guan house. They could see a faint glow from inside—they weren't asleep yet.
The courtyard gate, burned down earlier, still hadn't been repaired, so they walked straight in.
Everyone except the children and Zhao Xiulian was gathered in Guan He's main room. Guan Manyue lay beside Yang Xiucui, staring blankly at the ceiling with wide eyes. The family was startled to see Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu walk in.
Guan He reacted quickly. "Shenggu, Xiao Yuan, have you come to bring us the money?" Guan Manyue couldn't move her body, but her eyes swiveled toward them.
"Hmph." Guan Yuan let out a cold snort but said nothing. He simply tossed a handful of hallucinogen powder at the Guan family. In an instant, their eyes glazed over, and then, as if they'd seen something horrifying, they all started screaming in terror, their faces twisted with fright.
Knowing the commotion would draw neighbors, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu pretended to be frightened and backed toward the door. Sure enough, the neighbors rushed over.
Guan Yuan, still putting on a frightened look, said, "Auntie, Uncle, please go check on my grandpa and the others. My brother and I came to give them money, but Grandma started cursing us, and Aunt Manyue went crazy, and then everyone else did too. I'm so scared…" He buried himself in Zhao Shenggu's arms, trembling.
The neighbors hesitated, but as more people arrived, they finally worked up the courage to go inside. What they saw left them frozen in shock.
Every single member of the Guan family—men and women alike—had stripped naked and were tangled up in a brawl. Guan He was on top of Yang Feifang, hitting her hard.
"Oh my god!" A young married woman covered her eyes immediately, and the others turned away in embarrassment.
It really did look like they'd lost their minds. But since they were all naked, nobody dared pull them apart. Zhao Shenggu covered Guan Yuan's eyes and led him out of the yard without another look.
On their way back, word spread like wildfire. More and more people streamed toward the Guan house, curiosity written on their faces.
After this, the Guan family's dignity was gone. Whether they could even keep living in Guanjia Village was now in question.
What Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu didn't know was that, aside from the children, practically the whole village had gathered to witness the spectacle. The Guans didn't come to their senses until late into the night—only to find themselves piled on top of one another, completely naked, with a crowd of onlookers still gathered outside. Yang Feifang and Li Yuezhi screamed, grabbed tattered strips of cloth to cover themselves, and fled to their rooms with their faces hidden.
Guan He and Yang Xiucui passed out on the spot. Guan Manyue, unable to crawl because of her bad leg, stayed on the kang and avoided the mess. When she came to and saw everyone else naked while she still had her clothes on—who knows what went through her head—she burst into manic laughter.
The next day, everyone in Guanjia Village was talking about what happened at the Guan house. Some were thoroughly entertained, some lecherous men secretly fantasized about Yang Feifang's figure, and a few kind people even expressed genuine concern for the family. In short, opinions ran the full spectrum.
As for why the Guan family had suddenly gone mad, theories abounded. The most popular one was that either Guan Yuan's mother or Zhao Shenggu's grandfather couldn't stand seeing their children bullied and came back to humiliate them.
Zhao Xiulian had been visiting her family that day with the children. When she returned and heard about the scandal at her in-laws', she grabbed the children and went straight back to her mother's house.
With people pointing and whispering, Zhao Xiulian felt as exposed as if she herself were naked. She hurried along with her head down.
Guan He lay on the kang for two days before pulling himself together. He didn't need to hear the gossip to know what everyone was saying. After racking his brain, one image kept coming back: Guan Yuan waving his hand—and then everything went black.
Had Guan Yuan really done this? Where did he get such means? Guan He was terrified. He had to get to the bottom of it. That night, without telling anyone, he crept out like a thief, terrified of being seen.
When the knock came, Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan already knew who it was. Guan Yuan had his brother let him in. After all, what's the point of a prank if the victim doesn't even know who pulled it?
The moment Guan He saw them, hesitation flickered across his face. His voice trembled as he asked, "Was what happened yesterday your doing?" He figured there was no way they'd admit it.
To his shock, Guan Yuan grinned and said, "Yes."
"What?! You little brat—it really was you!" Guan He's eyes bulged with hatred as he lunged forward.
But Guan Yuan raised his hand. "Looks like you haven't learned your lesson."
Guan He flinched and stumbled back, his bravado quickly crumbling. "You beast! I'm your grandfather!"
"Exactly because you're my grandfather, I didn't send you all to meet the King of Hell yesterday." Guan Yuan leaned casually against Zhao Shenggu and spoke with calm detachment.
"What—you… aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone?" Guan He backed up to the door and shouted.
Guan Yuan just laughed. "Go ahead! See who believes you. And from now on, keep the Guan family in line. If any one of them comes near me or my brother again, I promise you'll suffer something ten times worse than this."
Guan He trembled uncontrollably, crying out in sheer terror, "You're not Guan Yuan—you're a demon, a demon!" He scrambled away, tripping over the threshold in his panic. He picked himself up with hands and feet and fled.
"Hahaha." Guan Yuan watched his pathetic escape with satisfaction.
Zhao Shenggu stroked Guan Yuan's head and said gently, "Don't go causing any more trouble, alright?" But his tone was full of affection.
"Mm." Guan Yuan nodded, leaning into Zhao Shenggu's embrace.
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