Chapter 61: The Fate of Having a Bastard Beast of a Son

Luo Yunyao found it quite amusing in her heart. She thought she must remember this so she could properly tease Qin Jinghao later. What was it that General Qin had said earlier? Look at that, he even claimed he lacked any immortal aura, yet even a seasoned, world-weary middle-aged woman felt that this man possessed the ethereal temperament of a celestial being.

Upon hearing Qin Jinghao mention it earlier, Luo Yunyao had naturally figured out that they were talking about fraternal twins.

That monk's utterance of "indeed, destiny cannot be defied" clearly meant he had granted the couple's insistence on having a son. However, his subsequent remark that "you must treat this girl well" evidently indicated that a daughter would follow.

Yet Luo Yunyao curled her lips in mild disdain, thinking to herself how General Qin could possibly be so lucky. It could just as easily have been a daughter first and then a son, or a son first and then a daughter... Well, perhaps such details were simply too troublesome for deities who managed affairs of the universe day in and day out.

The auntie was also momentarily startled, then gave an awkward, ingratiating laugh. "Is that so? Just look at my memory. You must be laughing at me, young master. But truly, this auntie feels that you have the temperament of an immortal."

This praise from the auntie completely echoed the inner thoughts of Lord Luo, the Minister of War, causing him to swallow back the sarcastic and snide remark, "How could that be? It's only natural that you don't remember after talking so much," and resolve to listen attentively as she continued, "So, what happened to those twins later?"

Judging by the monk's words, this pair of fraternal twins was clearly the catalyst that brought about the transformation in this family.

The auntie did not take offense at the Grand General's silence, and her attention was quickly re-engaged by Luo Yunyao's question.

She immediately resumed her warm and exuberant tone. "When that couple had fraternal twins, they were naturally overjoyed. They rushed to the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy to fulfill their vows and became even more devout in their worship of Buddha. Although they were biased toward sons at heart, with the monk's warning hanging over them, neither of them dared harbor such sentiments anymore, and they treated both children with equal kindness. If you ask me, they truly became top-notch parents."

Here, the auntie let out a lingering sigh. Luo Yunyao and Qin Jinghao exchanged glances, thinking, *Ah, the plot twist is coming.*

With a soft sigh, the auntie continued, "Who would have thought that things often go against human wishes, or perhaps that the monk's words were truly prophetic? As the eldest son grew older, he increasingly resembled a hooligan, a rogue, and a spoiled good-for-nothing. To think that a child like this could turn out under such proper parenting is truly bizarre. So, if you ask me, this son was someone the couple owed in a past life, sent into this lifetime purely to collect a debt! The son spent his days up to no good, running around with street ruffians, and on several occasions he nearly stumbled into a bandit den! The couple tried every possible way to stop him, but in vain. Women, wine, opium, gambling—there wasn't a single vice he didn't indulge in! A family that was once quite well-to-do was thoroughly ruined by his hands! You young gentlemen might not know the horrors of gambling; a single throw of the dice could cost a family their entire year's savings, and even selling everything you own might not be enough to pay it off. This auntie must offer you young people a word of caution: never try anything just for fun. Doing so doesn't only bring suffering upon yourself, but more importantly, it harms your family—the parents who gave you life and raised you, and the wife who bore your children while toiling away through her postnatal confinement!"

Just as the auntie was earnestly lecturing Qin Jinghao and Luo Yunyao with the best of intentions, she suddenly remembered something, slapped her own forehead, repeatedly scolded herself for being "foolish," and pressed on. "Oh, that's right, look at my memory! Did I forget to mention whether that good-for-nothing son had a wife?" She answered her own question, muttering to herself, "That son's marriage was truly pitiful—I mean the bride was pitiful, of course. The monstrous deeds committed by that scoundrel were far beyond what the word 'pitiful' could encompass. Even if that scoundrel had possessed some extreme, super-level misfortune, this auntie would only spit right in his face without a moment's hesitation. To tell the truth, it is true bliss not to have a son like that; my own son is so well-behaved, and my daughter-in-law is beyond reproach..." The auntie originally wanted to continue boasting about her own son and daughter-in-law, speaking of how impoverished they were yet how happy and content they felt.

However, sensing Luo Yunyao's eager expression—as if she was yearning to hear more about the maid's actual situation—the auntie paused, cast a hesitant look at the clear, jade-like celestial youth, and only breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that the celestial being was not angry. Daring not to delay any further, she hurriedly picked up the thread of her story. "As for the matter between that son and his daughter-in-law, it was yet another outrage that only a beast could commit! One day, while this scoundrel was wandering the streets with a gang of ruffians, he caught sight of a flower-selling maiden of exceptional beauty and was struck with lust. As I said before, this beast had committed every wicked deed imaginable! In broad daylight and in full public view, he actually started harassing the young flower-seller. Naturally, she refused to yield, and with the help of kind-hearted bystanders, the flower girl managed to run away without a moment's delay. Those ruffians immediately mocked the scoundrel, and unwilling to let it go—though how such a person could still have any shred of shame is beyond me—he stubbornly declared that one day he would make that flower girl writhe beneath him in bed. Young masters, you might think the flower girl got away, but you can run away from the monk, yet you can't run away from the temple. The flower girl's dwelling was humble, and she lived at home with only a paralyzed old mother. In the dead of night, that rogue sneaked into the girl's bedroom and violated her... Oh dear, this auntie finds it truly difficult to speak of, but two such clever young gentlemen as yourselves naturally understand what took place. Still, don't blame me for running my mouth; even if you do despise me, this auntie has to say it: you men are simply far too lustful! How can you think that whenever you see a fair, jade-like maiden you have the right to trample upon her at will? You men are human beings, but are we women not?"

This remark by the auntie successfully earned Luo Yunyao's sidelong glance and admiration. To have such early concepts of gender equality? Her ideological enlightenment had arrived quite early indeed.

The auntie continued in a heartbreaking voice, "You young masters can probably guess what happened afterwards. The flower girl was timid and lacked any agency, and her paralyzed mother could offer her no guidance. But the couple—that scoundrel's parents—stepped in. They cajoled and persuaded the flower girl with every honeyed word until she finally agreed to marry into the family, and they even brought her paralyzed old mother along to be cared for meticulously by the household. During this time, the flower girl proved to be the most obedient, docile, and dutiful daughter-in-law one could ask for, and she subsequently gave birth to a pair of children—a son and a daughter—for that scoundrel."

Luo Yunyao mentally noted this down as crucial information. When she looked up, however, she saw the auntie looking righteously indignant, her face flushed with anger as she launched back into another torrent of words. "You young masters mustn't think that once the scoundrel settled down and started a family, he became obedient and well-behaved. Far from it! Didn't I mention before that this wretch loved to gamble? With him chipping away at it bit by bit, a family that was once quite well-off was gradually bled completely dry! Being bled dry wasn't even the end of it; the wretch refused to repent and kept right on gambling, plunging the whole household deep into a mountain of debt. Young masters, just by looking at their current house, you can tell how impoverished they are. And let me tell you another truth: this house wasn't even theirs to begin with! It was originally an abandoned ruin, and the couple was only able to move into such a decent environment with the help of a group of neighbors like myself. To get back to that scoundrel, one day he got into a dispute with someone on the street and was beaten to death just like that! Although we all felt that this wretch deserved to die—it's only a pity he didn't die a little sooner—we still advised the couple to report it to the authorities so they could at least recover some money, right? But who could have imagined that the person who beat this beast to death turned out to belong to a prominent, wealthy family! As for which prominent family it was, it's not convenient for this auntie to say. It's not that I'm unwilling to tell you, but I honestly don't know what kind of household it was either; when I asked the couple, they just hemmed and hawed, saying it was a family even the official yamen dared not cross. Well, crows are black all over the world—what's the saying, 'magistrates are allowed to burn houses while commoners are forbidden to even light lamps'? You two young masters are sensible men, so I won't go on about it. The couple claimed the incident was entirely their scoundrel son's fault, and the matter was simply swept under the rug. However, when the wretch met his end, his fair and lovely wife was right in the middle of her postpartum confinement. Her constitution was already frail to begin with, and having suffered through a great deal of hardship under that scoundrel's hands, no matter how the couple tried to care for her, her health failed to recover. Now that the scoundrel was dead, whether out of relief or grief, the flower-selling wife simply passed away like that. Not long after, the old mother, who had remained paralyzed yet otherwise steady, followed her daughter and also departed from this world."

Just as Luo Yunyao was waiting for the auntie's mouth to go dry, hoping to finally spare her own ears from further torture, she saw the auntie moisten her lips with her tongue—paying no heed to her image whatsoever—wetting them once more, before actually resuming her tale.

To the utter astonishment of Lord Luo, the Minister of War, the auntie rattled on without drawing a breath. "So inside this house, there were suddenly left just this elderly couple, an infant grandchild waiting to be fed, and a granddaughter who had only just learned to walk. These two poor little children had suddenly lost their father—though this auntie feels that losing that father was actually a blessing in disguise—and lost their mother. Especially that nursing granddaughter who was only half a month old; how could she possibly survive without milk? As it happened, my own virtuous daughter-in-law had just given birth to a big, bouncing baby boy, so she ended up nursing this little girl along the way. If you ask me, that little granddaughter's skin wouldn't have been so fine and smooth naturally; it was entirely because my daughter-in-law's milk is of such superior quality..."

This topic had strayed far too far. Besides, when an auntie starts boasting about her own family, could anyone possibly expect her to keep her word count low? Luo Yunyao quickly put on a puzzled expression and humbly asked for guidance: "How can it be just an elderly couple and a young child? Weren't there two children—wasn't there also a daughter?"

That maid was the whole point of what they needed to ask about, wasn't she?! Who cared about her scoundrel, beastly brother?!