What a miserable sight...
They’re miserable too. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty with this mess.
While the public security officers were getting the three traffickers under control, Yun Xiaowu, Yun Jiao, and the others were being chased and spanked.
Yun Jiao could guarantee this was the fastest she had ever run in her life!
Her little short legs were a blur.
"Aaah! Mama, don’t hit me! I was wrong!"
Yun Jiao was quick to admit her mistake, but she didn’t slow down one bit, because Shen Yunlian was still chasing her.
The others quickly tried to intervene.
"Just teach the kids a lesson, don’t hit them."
"Yeah, they just had a scare. You should be comforting them."
The public security officers holding the traffickers were speechless. ’A scare? The ones who got the bigger scare were clearly these two traffickers, covered in blood like this.’
The public security officers took the traffickers away, and Yun Jiao and her brothers were herded home, their heads hanging low.
This time, not only did they get their butts spanked, but they also "won" the prize of writing five pages of large characters.
No amount of pleading would work this time. They had to fill five whole pages, writing only their own names.
All the way home, Yun Linhai and the other adults lectured the audacious little rascals.
"All the kids in the village combined aren’t as much trouble as you lot! And catching traffickers? Why don’t you just go tear the roof off the house while you’re at it! You really think you’re heroes, don’t you? Those were two grown men with weapons. If they hadn’t been caught off guard, do you think you would’ve gotten away unscathed...?"
Yun Jiao clutched her chocolate, the corners of her mouth turned down and her eyelids drooping. Looking pitiful and wronged, she didn’t dare talk back.
In the end, the whole family talked until their mouths were dry, and Yun Jiao, Yun Xiaowu, and the others felt their heads were about to split from the lecture.
"Stand up straight!"
The little troublemakers lined up from tallest to shortest, with Yun Jiao at the very end.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"We do."
"Louder!"
"We do!"
This time, they shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Good. Now go write your characters. And you can forget about eating dinner!"
Yun Jiao rubbed her tummy, her gaze falling on the chocolate she was holding.
The next second, Yun Linhe confiscated it.
"I almost forgot about this. You’re such a glutton. Running off to find traffickers just for a snack—is there anything you won’t do?"
Now Yun Jiao was really about to cry, her big eyes welling up with tears.
"We have to teach you a good lesson, so we’ll see if you dare to go on a reckless adventure by yourself again."
Yun Jiao: "I won’t do it again QAQ"
Yun Linhe didn’t even dare to look at Yun Jiao’s expression, afraid he would soften and give her the food.
In the end, the kids picked up their pens and began to write, their stomachs empty.
Beside them, Yun Chenxi stood with a bamboo switch, watching them like a hawk.
Yun Jiao’s stomach rumbled, making her even hungrier.
She even put the end of her pen in her mouth and chewed on it.
"Second Brother~"
Yun Chenxi covered his ears and closed his eyes.
"Don’t call me. Hurry up and write."
Yun Jiao: "..."
Hmph!
’Fine! I’ll write.’
She furrowed her little brow and wrote her name in her workbook, one stroke at a time.
It was passably neat.
’She just couldn’t understand why humans would invent something like studying to torture themselves!’
Suddenly, something bumped against her foot. She looked down and saw that the large sea turtle had somehow crawled under the table, a sea urchin in its mouth.
Yun Jiao’s eyes instantly lit up.
’But with Second Brother supervising, it’s not a good time to open it and eat.’
Yun Jiao lifted her short leg, trying to kick her Fifth Brother next to her to get his attention.
After being kicked, Yun Xiaowu glanced at their second brother.
"What’s up?"
Yun Jiao: "Fifth Brother, can you help me check something...?"
She handed him her workbook and then quickly whispered in his ear.
"Under the table. Turtle. Sea urchin."
Yun Xiaowu took a quick look. Knowing his little sister was hungry, he nodded.
Then he took his own writing to show Yun Chenxi.
"Second Brother, look at my characters. Not bad this time, right? You should check them now, just in case you make me rewrite them after I’m all done."
Yun Jiao quickly grabbed the sea urchin.
"Second Brother, I need to go to the bathroom."
Yun Chenxi nodded. "Go on, but come back soon. The punishment isn’t over until you finish writing."
"Got it."
Hiding the sea urchin, Yun Jiao ran quickly toward the bathroom.
She could now open a sea urchin with her bare hands.
After hurting her hand by using too much force back in Shen Family Village, she had soaked it in the ocean upon returning. It had healed quickly, and her strength had even increased.
After opening the sea urchin, she ate a bit of the roe herself, then ran back and passed the urchin to Brother Nine.
Yun Xiaojiu took it. "Second Brother, I need to go to the bathroom too."
The parade of one after another drew a suspicious look from Yun Chenxi.
But Yun Jiao quickly diffused the situation by playing dumb and acting pitiful.
There was only one sea urchin, not nearly enough to share.
So, Yun Jiao had the sea turtle sneak a few more, or anything else it could find.
This time, the turtle brought back a cucumber.
But this time, she was discovered before she could even take two bites.
Yun Chenxi: "Yun Jiao, you..."
Seeing she’d been caught, Yun Jiao didn’t bother hiding anymore. She hopped right off the stool and desperately stuffed the cucumber in her hand into her mouth.
"Mmph mmph mmph..."
Her mouth was so full she couldn’t speak.
Yun Xiaowu and the others rushed over to hold Yun Chenxi back.
"Bro, bro, don’t be like that. It’s just a cucumber."
"Exactly! Jiaojiao’s stomach has been rumbling for a while. What’s wrong with eating a bit of cucumber? It’s not like it’s a real meal."
Like a hamster, Yun Jiao’s mouth moved at lightning speed, her cheeks puffed out and round. She kept her big eyes fixed on Yun Chenxi as she ran in circles around the table, making herself harder to catch.
Soon, she finished the entire cucumber.
"You..."
Yun Jiao spread her hands. "All gone."
She put on the look of a little, innocent rascal.
Yun Chenxi: "..."
Yun Jiao sidled up to him. "Second Brother, I was just so hungry."
"I’ll be good and write now, so don’t be mad, okay?~"
She now knew how to act cute, just like a little kitten meowing with a soft voice.
She used all of her clever little tricks on her family.
Yun Chenxi poked her on the forehead. "You... if Mama and the others find out, your punishment will surely be doubled."
Frightened, Yun Jiao quickly sat down properly and continued writing.
When she finally finished, Yun Jiao flopped onto the table as if all her energy had been drained, completely wilted.
The family gathered around and, after checking the children’s writing, finally let them off the hook.
But not before another round of lectures.
"Oh, right. We, uh, we brought something back."
Yun Xiaowu went to close the main gate, and then they took out their plundered spoils and put them on the table.
The whole family gasped.
"You... where did you get this?"
Yun Xiaowu: "We took it from those three traffickers. They were going to sell my sister, so why can’t we take their stuff?"
Yun Jiao nodded vigorously. "Exactly."
"Goodness, those traffickers were really rich."
Wang Mei held the watch, absolutely smitten with it.
Yun Linhe, Yun Linhai, and the other men also loved the men’s watch.
Yun Chendong frowned. "I’m afraid we can’t keep these things."
Yun Jiao’s eyes widened in an instant. She sprawled across the table, protectively wrapping her little arms around their spoils of war.
"Why not?!"
Yun Xiaowu had an equally strong reaction.
The others also looked at Yun Chendong.
Yun Chendong sighed. "This is stolen property from the traffickers. The police station will surely find out about it during the interrogation. We can’t keep stolen goods."
’Doesn’t that mean we plundered it all for nothing?!’ Yun Jiao and her brothers felt like their world was collapsing.
But just then, a knock came from outside.
"Is Mr. Yun home?"