Bai Qingxuan opened his mouth and babbled, his voice as hoarse and unpleasant as a crow's caw, making it hard to discern his words.
Wang Xiangshen, irked by his son's favorite indulgences, grabbed his son's arm and stepped out of the house, ordering the steward: "Deal with it quickly! Leave no traces!"
Bai Qingxuan's babbling grew louder, his hoarse and sharp voice akin to a cat's claws scraping a porcelain fish tank, making it extremely unpleasant to hear.
As the Wang family prepared to strangle those children and throw them into the dry well, a thunderous gong suddenly resounded from Jiuqu Alley.
Before the shouts outside the courtyard reached them, the servants and maids inside began screaming.
"Something's wrong! There's a fire! There's a fire!"