As the story goes, Mu Le fell victim to Tian Shu's scheme and accidentally swallowed his pill. He felt like his blood was burning like charcoal, rising to his head, as if it wanted to burst through his skull. Trembling all over, unable to bear it, he dashed out of Tian Shu's cellar like an arrow, circling and running in the courtyard as if it was the only way to alleviate the intense heat that seemed to emanate from his entire body.
In one corner of the courtyard, several servants were repairing a house. Mu Le leaped over and effortlessly lifted a piece of wood that several people couldn't carry. With a swing, he threw it onto the roof, causing the roof to collapse.
Uncle Xia was giving a red horse a bath, but the stubborn creature resisted. As Mu Le dashed by like a small whirlwind, he lifted the horse and threw it into the pond, pulling Uncle Xia along with the reins, both of them landed in the water.
A group of maids were hanging clothes to dry. As the boy ran by, all the clothes flew up in the wind, with several young women's delicate undergarments landing on the old maids' heads and faces.
Young Master Yuan Ning was practicing with rocks near a rockery, muttering, "I'll master martial arts so my elder sister won't dare to bully me again!" Mu Le rushed by him, unintentionally helping by spinning the rocks, and in an instant, two rocks were lodged in Yuan Ning's head like mouse ears. Yuan Ning burst into tears, his face covered in blood and tears, "You rascal! I'm definitely going to kick you out!"
But that wasn't the end of it. Mu le dashed straight to the well, where two maids were taking watermelons out of a bucket. With a sudden gust, Mu Le sprinted over, leaving the maids stunned. One of them wondered aloud what had gotten into the boy, but before she could finish her sentence, Mu Le had already plunged headfirst into the bucket. The previously chilly well water started bubbling up!
The peaceful mansion of Lord Ye turned chaotic due to Mu Le's crazy antics, running rampant all day long and even continuing into the night, where he squatted on the roof, yelling at the moon.
The servants gossiped, "Could Elder Miss Yuan'an have brought a demon into the house? Who knows what kind of trouble that child will cause!"
That night, the maids were taking a bath when one of them suddenly noticed a small round hole in the wall. She leaned closer and saw an eye peering in. She screamed, "Peeping tom!" Several other maids who were bathing with her quickly grabbed their clothes and ran out, ready to confront the intruder. But all they saw was a servant boy's foot disappearing behind the wall. The maids threw brooms at the wall, yelling, "Shameless! If you dare to come back, we'll beat you to death!"
It turns out that among the mischievous servant boys in the mansion was one named Gou'er. He was known for cleaning the soy sauce jars and was about fourteen or fifteen years old, the most troublesome of the bunch. He was the one who had peeped at the maids bathing. Chased outside, Gou'er hid behind the rockery, still frightened. But suddenly, someone grabbed him by the collar from behind. Startled, Gou'er turned around and saw it was Young Master Yuan Ning.
Gou'er laughed nervously, trying to please, "Young Master, what are you doing here?"
Yuan Ning gave his collar a sharp tug, "You scoundrel, were you peeping at the maids again while they were bathing?"
"No, Young Master, I swear I wasn't."
"Don't lie to me, or I'll have the steward break your legs."
"No, please, Young Master. If you break my legs, you won't have a dog's leg to do your bidding anymore."
Yuan Ning sneered, releasing his grip on Gou'er's collar, "Tell you what, you little scoundrel. I might have a little job for you!"
Yuan Ning whispered a few words into Gou'er's ear, who then winked, "Got it, Young Master. Just watch me!"
Meanwhile, it was already late in the night and the effects of the pills had still not worn off on Mu Le. He lay on his bed, his face still flushed red, and smoke wafted from his mouth. Uncle Xia and the old maid stood by, looking quite anxious and concerned. Uncle Xia said, "I suspect he's been bewitched, don't you think? He's been like this the whole day, and he's not getting any better."
The old maid added, "Doesn't seem like it. I remember people back in my hometown getting this illness, especially during the hot summer days when one's inner fire is high. Let me give him an acupuncture treatment, it should help."
"Well, please go ahead."
The old maid took the largest sewing needle she could find, twisted it in her mouth as if to sterilize it, and then with her eyes wide open and her hands quick, she jabbed the needle into the top of Mu Le's head! Mu Le shot up from the bed, tears streaming down his face, soaking his shirt, but he couldn't even make a sound. If he knew he would be treated this way, even Tian Shu in the cellar might have pitied him.
Whether it was the effect of the medicine wearing off or the efficacy of old maid's sewing needle, by the next morning, Mu Le felt the intense heat dissipate from his body. His trembling had stopped, and he was no longer eager to run, but his face remained flushed. He was still a bit hazy in the head as he fed grass to the horse.
Suddenly, he heard the chirping of a cricket. He turned around and saw a shiny black cricket nestled in the grass. Being a child at heart, Mu Le abandoned the grass in his hand and pounced, trying to catch the cricket to play with. But the cricket hopped away, landing on a long blade of grass, prompting Mu Le to follow suit. He was determined to catch the little creature.
Unbeknownst to him, Gou'er was perched on a beam with a fishing rod in his hand, manipulating the cricket with a thin, transparent thread. Seeing that Mu Le took the bait, Gou'er couldn't help but cover his mouth and laugh, thinking how clever he was.
Gou'er continued to manipulate the cricket, leading Mu Le to the outside of the maids' bathing area.
The cricket landed on the small hole in the door. Mu Le lunged forward, but the cricket jumped away. Curious, Mu Le peered into the hole, which seemed quite spacious, but it was too dim to make out what was inside.
Unable to see clearly, he pressed against the wall and strained his eyes. Suddenly, the object inside the hole turned, revealing that it was indeed a maid taking a bath.
Mu Le had never seen such a scene before. Shocked, he fell back and sat on the ground. At the same time, several fierce maids appeared out of nowhere, each holding a tool, ready to beat Mu Le. They scolded as they attacked, "You little rascal! We've had our eye on you for a while, so you were the one peeping at us while we bathed!"
"Beat him! Beat him!"
"It must have been him who stole my underwear a couple of days ago!"
"Beat him!"
The old maid emerged from the bathing area, dressed in a robe, and was heartbroken at the sight of Mu Le. "Who would have thought? You... I used to think you were a good child."
Mu Le's apple-red face seemed about to burst, "I, I, I didn't..."
The maids paid no heed, closing in to tear at him. Mu Le's buttocks was kicked several times, and his face was scratched, making him finally unable to bear it. He jumped up and dashed outside, but the maids pursued relentlessly.
This scene greatly amused Gou'er, who was still perched on the beam, laughing heartily and clutching his stomach. He then pulled out something from his pocket and thought, "Oh, there's still something important to do."
~Thank You for Reading, Please Comment Below~
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