Black Feather Society

"As you know, my miss is different from normal people. Sometimes, she is more a child than the seventh young master. To leave her alone in the woods, intentionally or unintentionally…" Xiao Yi then turned to look at the Third Young Lady of the Li Family.

"I wonder if the third miss would ever leave the seventh young master who is only five there in the woods alone."

"…"

'Why does she keep on bringing me up?'

Li Yan Yan wanted to smack the maid across her face. She wondered why this little servant of the fool was acting up today. Before, no matter how much she bullied the fool, the maid did not dare to even make a noise. And here she was, even bring in the Xiao Qi, the seventh young master into this matter. Yanyan knew that if she was a soft little flower that her grandmother adores, then Xiao Qi was the sun and moon that her grandmother treasured.

She never had second thought while messing with the fool that her grandfather brought into the house because her grandmother also did not like the little fool. Nobody in the Li family did. But now that the little maid was begging for justice in front of the whole house, Yanyan feared that it would simply not end with just some scolding from her grandfather like before.

"Mother…" But she could only pitifully pull her mother's sleeve. She was regretting her action at this moment.

"Don't mother me." Madam Li hissed out at her daughter. "See if you dare to cause troubles after this." If the matter was exposed, not only her daughter, but also Madam herself would be in for a punishment.

"Imprudent! How dare a maid talk against the masters?" The Third Madam Li pointed at Xiao Yi. "Why would Yanyan and the others leave Li Ning alone in the woods? It must be this fool that ran off."

"Yes… Yes…" Li Yuxin, the fourth young miss took her mother's lead. "We did go into the woods together, but after a while we could not find Li Ning and simply thought that she had left already. That why…"

"Yes…"

"That's what happened."

"We did not leave her there intentionally."

The Yanyan and the rest of the girls also held onto the rope that appeared before them.

Madam Li thanked the meddlesome nature of her third sister-in-law for the first time. She did not have to face the fire by herself. And so were the thoughts of the rest of the daughter in laws.

But they did not expect that the fool who can't seem to communicate normally with other, would call them out.

"No! Ning Ning played hide seek with sisters. Count ten. No sisters." Li Ning looked at the girls before looking down at her own feet as tears filled up her eyes. "Ning Ning searched sisters. No sisters… Ning Ning… Ning Ning alone." Li Ning spoke incoherently, acting as thought she was frightened by the loud voice of the Madam.

"Is Ning Ning saying that you went to play hide and seek with your sisters but they left you there in the woods alone?" Old Master Li asked tenderly.

Li Ning nodded her head like a hen picking grain.

"Grandfather. That a lie. We_"

"QUIET!!!" Roared the old man. He had many things he wanted to say. But when he saw Ning Ning flinch at his loud and angered voice, he calmed himself down. Then, with his voice as soft as he could get, he questioned the little girl, trying not to scare her innocent little soul.

"Then… Can Ning Ning remember how she fell into the water?"

"…Uhhggg…" Li Ning frowned. Acting as though she was trying hard to remember what had happened.

In the meantime, Li Yanyan and her mother, Madam Li were sweating bullets when they heard the old man asked how Li Ning fell into the lake. Although the third young miss of the Li family did not throw the embroidered figurine into the water with the intention of making the fool fall into the lake, if the matter was bought up, the label of being a vicious and scheming girl would forever be pasted on her head.

"Ning Ning's meow meow… in the water… Ning Ning get it…"

"Meow Meow?" The old man turned to Xiao Yi for explanation.

"Old master. Young miss is referring to the embroidered tiger figurine that she always carries with her." The maid responded.

"Ah…So, this is what happened…" The old lady who had been quiet for a while joined in. She turned to her husband. "Li Ning must have fallen into the lake while trying to get the doll. Thankfully, she was not harmed."

The Old man rubbed his forehead. He ignored the light of his wife's finger on the back of his hand. He had given did not put his hand into things that was happening in the inner courtyards because he respected her and feared that she would misunderstand things even more. But that step of his had resulted to the injustice, the naïve girl had to face every day. He was not going to let the matter end just like that this time.

"Do you have anything to say?" He turned to his granddaughters.

"Grandfather… That… We were playing there… And…"

None of the young girls were able to talk straight under the pressure of the old master's eyes. Not while there were guilty of the crime of almost killing an innocent person because of their foolish prank.

"Just because I'm resting. Stepping back from the responsibilities and giving you youngsters the power to lead your life… Do you think that I've gone blind? Deaf? Do you think I don't know what plays you guys are creating in your brains!!" The old master roared. "Let me tell you… This old man can see all of them…Hear everything…"

He then turned to the Old madam, his wife of more than forty years and hissed out while staring deep into her eyes.

"Clear and loud."

Then he went back to staring coldly at his disappointment of offsprings.

"I've restrained myself from stepping in many a time fearing that your useless brains would fry up another nonsense. But things have gone to far this time. I'm telling you once again. Li Ning is the daughter of my savior. And I've brought her here to honor my life savior. But you, my offsprings have let me down. Your action will surely send me to hell."

"Father. Please don_"

"Do not interrupt me!" The old master bang on the tea table. "I am still living… Breathing. Able to walk on my own pretty fine. Yet… You guys are fearing about the things that will happen after my death… Are you guys so eager for my death?"

"Father… no… You have it wrong. This son has no such thoughts."

"Yes father. Father will live up to a hundred years."

"Please don't talk about such ominous things father."

"…"

The sons of the old man consoled their old man.

"Then why do you treat Ning Ning with such malice. Are you not discarding my wish of her being my granddaughter by mistreating her like this?"

"No! Father."

"This son has never had such thoughts. Father…"

"Whether you guys thought so or not… That you know better than myself…" The old man's word made the grown-up men guilty.

It was indeed as their father said. They feared that the adopted granddaughter whom their father treated with more love and care than anyone else in this household would take away what belonged to them. But they did not dare to show their worries openly.

The adults, whether it was the son of the old master or the daughter in laws, they simply ignored the existence of Li Ning in the Li compound. Which also meant that they turned blind to all the mistreatments Li Ning unknowingly faced in her silly state.

"Father…"

"Lao Ye*…"

(Literally means 'old master'_ an older woman would address to her husband as such in a very restful way, especially in a hierarchical social structure.)

"This old man has said his words." The old master did not leave room for discussion. He stared into the eys of his old wife and addressed. "I hope you take care of this matter and give them a deserving lesson."

Old Master Li stood up and walked to Xiao Li and Li Ning. He took his adopted granddaugther's hand and began to walked out of the hall when he paused. Without turning back, his voice, now not so strong, almost pleading,

"I don't want to be disappointed… once again, Lao Fu ren*."

(Old Madam_ 'Lao' meaning old and 'fu ren' meaning madam)

The old woman watched as her husband walked away with Li Ning and her maid. Her eyes did not leave the back of the man until it disappeared from her sight.

"You ladies… Stay behind…" She ordered.

Soon the man of Li family also left the hall after greeting the old madam for the last time of the day, leaving their wife, concubines and daughters with the old madam. As soon as the last man walked out the old lady calm facade was broken by her rage and disappointment.

"Good… What good examples of mother you are?" She pointed at the daughter in laws. All of them were bowing their head. Not daring to mutter a sound after having exposed.

"Is this how you guide your daughter? By covering up their mistakes? What if the news of this gets out of the house? What will the people say about the daughter of the Li family? That the Li family of Qingyu produces vicious daughters? Is that what you want?"

"Mother this daughter in law has made a mistake."

"This daughter in law beg for mother's mercy."

One after another the guilty ladies pleaded the old madam.

"What mercy? This have made loud noise. If I show mercy to anyone of you, this old woman would be objected by the old master."

The old madam did not want to hear any of their drama.

"Grandmother… Yanyan knows she made a terrible mistake. But Yanyan promise that we did not do it with evil intention. We just wanted to play with her. Who would have thought that the fool would fall into the water?"

"Yes grandmother. We just wanted to play."

"We did not mean to harm her."

"…"

The Old madam was fuming. Refusing to respond to their plead.

"Mother…" Madam Li called out. "This daughter in law knows that mother is disappointed. But the children are still young and reckless. But did not carry malice in their heart. They've made a mistake. And they have learned from it. I'm sure they will never act recklessly again after this."

"Yes grandmother. We'll not play like this again."

"Yes grandmother…"

"…"

The old woman could only sigh… No matter how much she wanted to harden her heart, she could not just ignore the teary eyes of her granddaughters whom she had cared since they were babies. They have been spoiled rotten by their mother cause the three wives and four concubines of the Li family's three sons had only one daughter each. They were the little cotton padded jacket of their mothers. But she was determined to teach them a lesson this time.

"The old master had said his words. If I do not punish you now, you reckless girls will forget your mistake at a trip of a foot. All you are grounded for a month. No going out of the courtyard. Copy the conduct of woman three times during this period." The old woman addressed to the young ladies of the Li family.

The young ladies wanted to protest at first. But they were either scared of the cold look their grandmother was giving to them or pinched by their mothers.

"Yes grandmother" The ladies accepted their punishment very reluctantly. They did not want to be stuck in their own courtyard for one whole month.

"As for you…" The old madam glared at her daughter in laws. They deserved to be equally punished for their daughter's misconduct. "Deduct one month allowance. Go to the ancestral hall every morning for this whole month to recite the sutras."

"Yes mother"