Chapter 123: The Clumsy Bear Causes Trouble

Lü Xuejiao looked at Jiaoyan and sneered, "It’s just a beast. If my little sister wants to play with it, let her play. What’s the big deal? Are you really so stingy? We are guests here; is this how you treat your guests? You have no manners."

The last time Lü Xuejiao visited, she had heard her mother, Mistress Li, badmouthing Jiaoyan’s family. She had also heard people calling Jiaoyan by the nickname "Jiao'er," which deeply irritated her. Back at the Lü household, everyone called her "Jiao'er," and upon arriving at the Gu family home, she felt that someone was encroaching on her territory. Even though the names were not identical, Xuejiao felt as if her identity had been stolen. Consequently, she harbored an instinctive hostility toward Jiaoyan.

Normally, they kept to themselves, living in peace. However, since her younger sister wanted to play with the bear cub on the ground, shouldn't the Gu family girls have stepped aside immediately? Instead of moving, they had started talking about danger. In Xuejiao’s eyes, this was merely an excuse.

"My sister wants to play with this bear. Move aside, now!" Xuejiao demanded imperiously.

Wenying tugged at Jiaoyan’s sleeve. "Don't stoop to their level. If Grandmother finds out, she’ll scold us again. We can’t afford to offend them, so let’s just avoid them. They aren't here often anyway; just give in."

Jiaoyan had been on the verge of an outburst, but hearing Wenying’s words, she held her tongue. After all, it was the day her aunt was returning home for a visit, and a scene would reflect poorly on the Gu family. "I’m warning you," Jiaoyan cautioned. "It’s a wild animal, not a pet. It’s a beast. If something dangerous happens, don’t you dare blame us later."

"Mind your own business," Xuejiao snapped, glaring at her.

Jiaoyan stepped back to clear the area. Seeing them retreat, Xueyan felt triumphant and reached out to pet the bear cub’s head.

A bear is a wild animal after all. It had only been docile toward Jiaoyan and the others because they had spent a long time together. Encountering a stranger, its wild instincts flared. It suddenly reared up on its hind legs, swiped a paw, and knocked Xueyan to the ground. Then, it pinned her down and opened its mouth, intending to lick her face.

The incident happened in an instant. Before anyone could react, Jiaoyan, quick-witted, shouted, "Dad! Big Brother! Hurry, the bear is about to lick her! Hurry!" A bear’s tongue is covered in barbs; if the four-year-old Xueyan’s delicate skin were licked, her face would be ruined.

As she shouted, Jiaoyan lunged forward, reaching out to intercept the bear’s mouth. Fortunately, the cub recognized her scent and hesitated for a split second. Had it not, Jiaoyan’s hand would have been shredded.

At that moment, Wenxiu, who was also in the courtyard, sprinted over and kicked the bear aside. "You wretched thing! You dare to hurt someone? I’ll beat you to death!"

Wenxiu hadn't used his full strength, as he was fond of the cub, but the bear, though young, was tough. After rolling on the ground, it scrambled up and scurried away toward the west courtyard.

Wenxiu quickly pulled Jiaoyan up. "Jiao'er, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

The people inside the house had heard the commotion. Gu Chengyong was the first to emerge and saw Wenxiu chasing the bear away. He stepped forward, picked up the crying Xueyan, and comforted her softly, "It’s alright, it’s alright. Uncle is here. Don't be scared."

Lü Liangji, Guan Zhengshan, and the others also came out. Gu Xiulan, seeing her daughter weeping on Gu Chengyong’s shoulder, felt as if a knife had pierced her heart. "Yan'er, what happened? Come, let Mommy hold you." She took her daughter from Gu Chengyong’s arms.

Seeing her mother, Xueyan wailed even louder. Xiulan, seeing her daughter gasping for air, glared at Xuejiao. "Jiao'er, you’re the older sister. How could you not watch over your sister? What is going on?"

Lü Xuejiao pointed an accusing finger at Jiaoyan, seething. "Mom, it’s her! She brought this bear here. It was rolling on the ground, and Little Sister wanted to play with it. She refused, and after I scolded her, she stepped back. But she did it on purpose—she made the bear pounce on my sister and almost lick her face!"

Jiaoyan was stunned. She could not believe the girl would slander her so blatantly. Angry, she pointed back at Xuejiao. "You’re spouting nonsense! I warned you that the bear is wild, not a pet, and that it’s dangerous. You wouldn't listen, you insisted on playing with it, and you even accused me of being a bad host and having no manners!"

"You were the ones who refused to listen to reason. It didn't know you, so its wild nature took over. How does that have anything to do with me? Do I have the supernatural power to command a bear to do bad things? You ignore good advice and then blame others when things go wrong—is this the kind of upbringing you have in the Lü family? Is this the 'manners' you speak of?" Jiaoyan was no pushover and fired back at Xuejiao with a barrage of words.

Lü Xuejiao’s face turned bright red, and she was left speechless. "Mom, look! She’s bullying my sister, and now she’s bullying me too!"

The Lü family was a prominent household, and with Xuejiao and Xueyan being the only two girls, they were spoiled rotten and used to getting their way. Unable to win the argument, Xuejiao turned to her mother, hoping to get her to punish Jiaoyan.

"Jiao'er, stop this nonsense! You’re the older sister, you’re years older than her, how can you speak like that?" Lü Liangji interjected, scolding his daughter before his wife could speak. He knew his children; both were spoiled, and it was clear his daughter was in the wrong today.

While Liangji felt for his daughter’s fright, he would not be biased enough to blame Jiaoyan. As Jiaoyan said, a beast could not be controlled by a human. "Enough, go inside. Stop crying."

Gu Xiulan, holding her daughter, looked back at Jiaoyan and then at Gu Chengyong. "Second Brother, get rid of that bear. You’re trying to live a peaceful life—why keep such a beast around? We were lucky nothing happened today. If my Xueyan had been licked, she would have been scarred for life." With that, she carried her daughter inside.

Xuejiao glared at Jiaoyan as she turned. "Hmph, just you wait. I’ll make Grandmother deal with you."

Jiaoyan rolled her eyes at her retreating back. "Pah, as if I’m afraid of you."

"Dad, you should send the bear away. Don't let it cause any more trouble." Jiaoyan realized her own mistake now. Regardless of how tame it seemed, it was a wild animal. If it stayed, there was no telling what else might happen. Despite her reluctance, she felt it had to go.

Gu Chengyong nodded. "Wenxiu, go lock the bear up. I’ll take it back to the forest this afternoon." He had originally intended to sell it, but after having it for so long, they had all grown attached. But it was for the best; he would set it free and let nature take its course.

Wenxiu nodded and went to the west courtyard to lock the cub in a room, forbidding it from coming out.

The storm temporarily subsided, and the children soon returned to their play. Inside, however, Mistress Li was giving Gu Chengyong an earful. "I told you, it’s a wild animal. You wouldn't listen, and you let your girl do as she pleased. Look what happened! If anything had happened to Xueyan today, how would you have answered to the Lü family?"

Lü Liangji quickly intervened. "Mother, please, calm down. Second Brother didn't mean any harm. The bear is so small, who would have thought it had that much strength? It was Xueyan’s own stubbornness that led her to play with it. Let this be a lesson to her."

Liangji glared at his daughters, causing Xueyan to sob into her mother’s arms again. The girls were fearless at home, but they were terrified of their father.

Gu Chengyong cupped his hands in apology. "Brother-in-law, I am truly sorry. It was my lack of foresight that led to the child being frightened."

"You should also discipline that girl of yours," Mistress Li muttered. "She’s full of schemes and always up to no good. The bear has been here for a while—why did nothing happen before? It’s likely that Xueyan wanted to play with it, and she refused, so she must have done something behind the scenes." Li had never liked Jiaoyan, and she wouldn't miss this chance to smear her name.

Lü Xuejiao sat beside Mistress Li with a smug smile. *Hmph, if I can’t win the argument, I’ll let Grandmother deal with you.*

Gu Chengyong’s brow furrowed, his expression darkening. "Mother, what do you mean by that? Jiao'er is only six years old; where would she get such malicious intentions? Besides, it’s a bear, not a human—it doesn't understand what people say. How could she have manipulated it? It’s a wild animal; when it encounters a stranger, its instincts take over. Who could predict that?"

"If Jiao'er hadn't reached out to block it, Xueyan would have been licked. Mother, please don't be so biased as to slander your own granddaughter."