After Dressing Up As a Little Fulang

An Yun had been walking around here a lot these days. With his outstanding appearance and the affinity, he developed in the orphanage, he had become quite familiar with the little maid in front of him.

At this time, An Yun didn’t think anything was wrong when he saw the little maid stopping him. He just felt a little strange when he looked at her panicked look.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

After the little maid stopped him, she looked around cautiously, fearing that her actions would be seen by others and that she would be reported to the young master and be punished. A charge of disrespect would put both her and An Yun in danger.

After the little maid made sure that there was no one around, she turned to look at An Yun in front of her and said in a quick and urgent tone, “Young master is back. He seems a little unhappy. He is punishing people at the moment. If fulang come over, I’m afraid you’ll be punished if you offend the young master.”

Listening to her words, An Yun felt that these words sounded strange. The description of this little maid made it seem like Young Master Zang’s temper was extremely unstable and even a passing dog would probably get kicked right now.

An Yun felt amused in his heart but did not show it. He just looked at the little maid and said sincerely, “Thank you, I understand.”

Hearing this, the little maid nodded and then said, “It’s good if fulang understand. If you encounter the young master like this, you should stay away, so as not to get into trouble.”

An Yun looked at this little maid who was younger than himself, but was seriously advising him, and revealed a grateful smile, saying warmly, “I know, thank you.”

The little maid raised her eyes and saw An Yun looking at her with a smile. This made her a little embarrassed, but she soon came back to her senses and immediately said, “Hurry, leave quickly! If fulang like the young master’s yard, you can come back to visit another day when the young master is not around.”

An Yun nodded and watched the little maid disappear after a few steps.

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An Yun stood there and thought for a while but did not leave. Instead, relying on his memory, he sneaked over, leaned against the door, stood at a hidden angle where he could see the main yard, and looked inside.

An Yun originally thought that even if the young master was angry and wanted to punish someone, he would do it inside the house. Who knew, when he poked his head out, he saw people kneeling on the ground inside, with a few guards with serious faces standing next to them holding torches.

No one spoke in the yard, only the crackling sound of sparks blown by the wind.

An Yun looked at the group of people who were afraid to breathe, kneeling on the ground, waiting for their fate to be judged, and then looked at Young Master Zang, sitting on the chair, staring at the kneeling people with his head half raised, as if planning who should be pulled out to be tortured.

For some reason, An Yun felt some unreasonable fear in his heart. He even felt that he should have turned around and gone back when the maid reminded him just now.

.

As An Yun was reflecting, after watching them for a while, Young Master Zang seemed to have thought of a solution, sat up straight, and then stood up.

Zang Ya stretched out his hand, and the attendant next to him handed over a thick and long whip. He caught it steadily and walked in front of everyone.

Zang Ya spoke. The boy’s voice was clear and resonant, with a hint of smoothness, but it sent shivers down the spines of those listening.

“Who was in charge of the wine warehouse?”

His eyes, sharper than those of his peers, glanced at everyone on the ground, awaiting their answers.

One frail man slowly raised his hand, nervously meeting Zang Ya’s gaze.

Before the man could speak, a sharp crack pierced the silent night, followed by the sound of the whip striking flesh and a piercing scream.

An Yun’s eyes widened. He had never imagined that a grown man’s rough voice could produce such a sharp, high-pitched sound.

Many things were obscured in the dark night, but An Yun could clearly see the man’s agonizing state as Zang Ya ordered torches to be lit.

An Yun trembled uncontrollably as a gust of wind swept through, causing him to cough.

When An Yun finally stopped coughing, he noticed an eerie silence around him. Sensing something amiss, he reluctantly looked up and straight ahead.

At that moment, An Yun was filled with immediate dread. He saw Zang Ya, who had been wielding the whip moments ago with half his face lit by torchlight, staring directly at him.

An Yun met his calm gaze and immediately thought he was going to die. Not only had he sneaked here to witness the beatings, but he also foolishly made a noise and being discovered.

An Yun anxiously stared at Zang Ya and noticed a trace of impatience in his furrowed brow.

Zang Ya said something to the attendant who had handed him the whip. An Yun couldn’t hear the words, but the attendant began walking directly to him.

An Yun’s mind was filled with the thought, ‘It’s over.’ He had fought so hard to survive, only to face punishment by whip today. He wondered how many lashes he could endure.

As the attendant approached closer and closer, An Yun sadly realized he lacked the courage to even turn and flee.

The attendant swiftly reached him. Just as An Yun resigned himself to his fate and prepared for the pain of punishment, he heard the figure in front of him say, “An Fulang, this is not a place for you to linger. Allow me to escort you back.”

An Yun’s eyes widened. Wasn’t he here to be apprehended and handed over to Zang Ya?

Thinking An Yun didn’t hear, the attendant repeated louder, “Fulang, this place is not suitable for you. I’ll take you back!”

This time, An Yun understood clearly, feeling bewildered. He nodded numbly and was escorted away like a zombie.

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It wasn’t until he returned home and closed the door with a thud that An Yun suddenly snapped back to reality. He coughed until his face turned red, then gradually regained his composure.

An Yun felt that people who had grown up under the red flag (Modern China) would not be able to understand how terrible the so-called feudal system was if they had not seen and experienced it with their own eyes.

It was not an era when there was not enough food or clothing, but a time when the superiors could control the life and death of others at will, while the inferiors were as humble as dogs, had no dignity, no right to speak, and felt they were born with a low life. Human life was like a piece of grass.

Note

When whipping, the sound actually arrived first before the whip met the flesh. So, there would be two sounds, a whip against the wind and the whip fell on the flesh.