Seeing Mrs. Yang panting again, Juhua hurriedly said, "Mother, please don't get upset. When do kids ever get together without fighting? Let Father and Brother deal with this. It doesn't matter who hit him; they'll definitely go and find his parents."
Qingmu nodded quickly and pulled Laishou over to ask for the details.
Juhua wanted to persuade Mrs. Yang to go inside. She was afraid her mother would fly into a rage upon hearing the details and make herself ill. But seeing the way she was staring at Laishou, Juhua could only sigh, though she continued to watch her mother closely.
With tears in his eyes, Laishou explained that the children at the academy had called him shameless. They said he wasn't from Qingnan Village and was just freeloading to be able to study there. That morning, the master had gone to the ancestral hall, leaving the students to practice their calligraphy. They had knocked over his inkstone, snapped his brush, and then pinned him to the ground and beaten him.
