Punishment

Damn it! I refuse to believe I can't win at least one.

As they approached, they heard an exasperated cry.

The vendor's stall was cluttered with toys, unique hairpins, and small animals like rabbits and turtles. The hairpins weren't valuable, but they had attractive designs.

"Boss, give us a few rings." Second Brother said.

"Okay, how many do you want? Our rings are one penny each, just take them if you find one." The vendor said enthusiastically.

"Twenty!"

"Coming right up!" The vendor happily counted out twenty bamboo rings and handed them to Second Brother.

Grandpa also counted twenty copper coins and gave them to the vendor.

"What do you want, sister?" Xu Wenwu asked.

"Miss, that white rabbit is so cute. Why don't we try to win that one?" Fuqiu pointed to a small bamboo cage.

Qibao took a bamboo ring: "Big Brother, I'll throw it myself."

Xu Wenwu smiled indulgently and nodded.

Qibao aimed carefully, then tossed the bamboo ring.

The ring circled the little cage several times before finally landing.

"You got it! This girl's luck is amazing—she won on her first try!" one bystander remarked.

"Right! This young master here couldn't win even after trying for ages!"

The vendor picked up the rabbit Qibao had won: "You've got great luck, young lady. Here's your rabbit, enjoy."

Fuqiu eagerly stepped up to take the small bamboo cage, even reaching in through the gaps to poke at the little rabbit inside.

Qibao glanced at the items on the ground but didn't spot anything she wanted, so she didn't plan to try again.

Xu Wenwu's eye caught a plum blossom hairpin. Thinking it would look great on his mother, he tossed his bamboo ring towards the pin.

"Another hit!" the crowd exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"This young master has good luck too." the vendor said with a small smile, though it was obvious he was losing money on this deal.

Qian Xuedong, now intrigued, grabbed a ring, aimed, and tossed it. But unlike Qibao and her brother, luck wasn't on his side, and he missed.

He shook his head in disappointment.

Xu Wenwu offered: "Hey, Qian, why don't I give it another try for you?"

"No need." Qian Xuedong replied: "I'm not really after anything. I just thought it'd be easy after seeing you and Qibao score your prizes!"

"The bamboo rings are very light." Xu Wenwu explained: "If you don't get the throw just right, they'll bounce around, making it hard to aim."

"No wonder." Qian Xuedong agreed: "Mine bounced right off!"

The old man declared: "Let me give it a go!"

The second brother handed him a ring.

The old man aimed for the item closest to him, gently tossed the ring... And missed completely.

"Grandpa, your aim is too light." Qibao said.

"Didn't Wenwu explain that the ring should be light? You can't throw it too hard." The old man replied.

"Yes, Big Brother is right. But you're throwing it a bit too softly!" Qibao pointed out.

Qibao then demonstrated again, and just as before, she landed another trinket in one go.

Whoa! someone in the crowd exclaimed. This little girl's got some skills! You might say the first one was just luck, but to land another one too? That's more than just good fortune—it means she's got real talent.

"Qibao, don't attract too much attention." The old man whispered into Qibao's ear.

Qibao nodded.

They handed the remaining rings to Kui Wu and his group.

After the rings were all used up, they prepared to leave with their trinkets.

"Hold it!"

Startled by the voice, they turned towards the speaker—the young master from before.

"Young Master, are you calling us?" The old man asked politely.

"What else would I be doing? Hand over that rabbit!" The voice was full of arrogance.

"Why should we? That rabbit was ours to catch." Fuqiu said angrily.

"Who do you think I am? That rabbit was mine first! I hadn't even finished when you lot snatched it away! So quit chattering and hand it over—right now!"

"Why can't you see reason?" Fuqiu said: "We were each going for our own rabbits. If you can't catch one, why won't you let us have ours? It's ridiculous!"

"You little brat!" The servant beside the young master yelled: "Our young master is the son of the Songshan County magistrate! Do you think you can take him on? If you know what's good for you, you'll hand over that rabbit!"

The young master stood there with his arms crossed, looking conceited and like he was some big shot.

Fuqiu was losing her resolve. She didn't want to cause trouble for her miss.

"Oh!" The young master said: "I see what's what now! You just want money, don't you? Here! Take this. Leave the rabbit and scram!" He tossed a few copper coins onto the ground.

"You..." Second Brother, his temper flaring, his veins bulging on the back of his hand. He was just about to teach this wretch a lesson when Kui Wu pulled him back.

"Excuse me." Xu Wenwu said to the young master: "What's your name?"

"Hmph! Our young master's name is Gao Yuan, the only son of our county magistrate!" the servant replied haughtily: "If you know what's good for you, take those copper coins and scram!"

By this point, the onlookers were whispering among themselves, watching the scene unfold.

"We just got here today." Grandpa whispered: "Let's not cause any trouble. We need to find a way out of this."

"Ah, so you're Young Master Gao. I bet you're here for the exam too, right?" Qian Xuedong said.

"That's none of your business! Hurry up and hand over the rabbit. Or else you'll wish you never messed with us!" Gao Yuan snarled.

He turned to the grandfather, waiting for a response.

"Scared now, aren't you?" Gao Yuan cackled with delight.

Qibao quietly picked up a pebble. With a flick of her finger, she aimed it right at Gao Yuan's open mouth.

"Agh! My mouth!"

In an instant, Gao Yuan went from laughing to doubling over in pain, hands clamped over his mouth.

"Young master! What happened?" One of his attendants rushed forward, looking worried.

Blood was already seeping through Gao Yuan's fingers.

"Blood... Blood! Young master, you're bleeding!"

Gao Yuan moved his hands away to look. His palms were covered in blood, and two broken teeth lay in his hand.

More frightening than the blood in his mouth was the thought of what he might have swallowed.

"Who did this! I dare you to try something like that on me!" Gao Yuan howled, his face contorting in pain.

He scanned the crowd before his eyes returned to the Xu family...

"Did you do this? Tell me! What did you give me to eat?"

Xu Wenwu responded: "That's strange. Why are you asking us what you ate? But you shouldn't eat just anything. If you end up sick, your little life might be on the line right here."

Gao Yuan was clearly in a panic. He'd felt something crash into his teeth, then slip directly down his throat. He didn't even taste it before it rolled down and he swallowed it.

"I... I'll make you pay next time! Wangcai, take me to a doctor right away!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

The two left under everyone's watchful eyes as Wangcai supported Gao Yuan.

The old man didn't want to stay long either: "Let's go, it's getting late, let's go back!"

Everyone nodded.

"Sister, it was you who did it, right?" Xu Wenwu asked.

"He's daring to insult Grandpa? This punishment is too lenient." Qibao said.

Xu Wenwu smiled and patted Qibao's head.

The old man was somewhat worried: "We just arrived today in Qingyun City and already offended the county magistrate's son. Do you think there might be some trouble later?"