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Chapter 42: Discipline and Newspapers
"I must have... Ah! I must have owed you in my past life!"
"Are you really my brother? You… Ah! You’re clearly here to collect debts!"
"If I had known it would turn out like this, before I was even born—Ah! I should’ve just fought you then and there!"
"Waaah, I’m sorry, Sister! I… Ah! Hit me more gently, don’t tire yourself out… Ah!"
When Leon returned to Veteran's Alley with two stacks of newspapers in his arms, he hadn’t even reached the door when he heard his little sister’s heart-wrenching cries from afar, accompanied by the sharp slaps of a palm meeting flesh.
In addition, six or seven scruffy children stood at a distance, wiping away bitter tears while clapping and cheering toward their house.
"Waaah, thank goodness Sister Anna is finally back!"
"Yes, yes, we've waited so long for this moment!"
"I’ve been waiting days for her to get what she deserved!"
"Sister Anna must live a hundred years! No one else can handle her!"
"..."
Alright... I think I know what happened...
After glancing at the miserable-looking kids, Leon spotted bits of horse dung still lodged between one boy’s teeth. His face darkened immediately, and he quickly raised the stack of newspapers to cover his own face, sneaking sheepishly toward the front door.
Before Leon could even approach, the sound of spanking inside stopped abruptly. The door swung open, revealing Anna in a white dress, her eyes red as she stepped out and called to him softly.
"Brother..."
"Let's talk inside, let's talk inside!"
Feeling uncomfortable under the accusing stares of the neighborhood kids, Leon hurriedly ushered Anna into the house, shutting the wooden shutters behind them to block out the prying eyes. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.
"Waaah, Big Brother, I’m sorry!"
No sooner had Leon and Anna entered than Melanie, well-versed in the routine, rushed over and clung tightly to Leon’s leg before Anna could lodge any complaints.
Dodging Anna’s attempts to grab her, Melanie spilled the beans faster than water pouring out of a tap, explaining the entire incident in just a few sentences.
"Maybe... we can call it quits for today?"
After listening to the gist of the story and seeing Melanie’s tear-streaked face, Leon sighed reluctantly. He decided to play peacemaker, trying to reason with Anna.
"Shoving horse dung into someone’s mouth does deserve punishment, but those kids also said things they shouldn’t have. Melanie wasn’t entirely misbehaving this time, and look how much she’s crying—she probably knows she was wrong."
"She has no idea she’s wrong!"
Seeing Melanie circling around Leon while shooting William dirty looks, Anna wiped her tears angrily and snapped, "Brother! You don’t understand! Our family barely scrapes by because of our neighbors’ help. Is this how we repay them?
“Don’t stop me! Today she shoved horse dung into someone’s mouth; who knows what she’ll do next if I don’t teach her a lesson now? If I don’t make it hurt enough, she’ll definitely do it again!"
"Brother, Sister is right."
Just as Leon hesitated whether to intervene, William, who had been standing nearby with his pants still down, suddenly turned around and added earnestly:
"Melanie told me at lunch that she figured she’d probably get beaten once Sister came home. But if something similar happens again, she said she’d do it anyway—just using a different method.
“She thought horse dung was too big and not smelly enough, so yesterday afternoon, she forced me to gather dog poop with her and insisted on hiding it in my old shoes to test it tomorrow…
“Brother, I think you really need to give her a good beating."
"..."
"..."
"Ah! You traitor! I’ll fight you!"
Betrayed unexpectedly, Melanie let out a despairing scream before releasing Leon’s leg and lunging furiously at William. Unfortunately, her short limbs and slow movements made it easy for Anna to grab her mid-leap, flip her over her knee, and deliver another round of stinging slaps.
"Fight him?… Who are you going to fight, huh?"
"I won’t fight anymore! I won’t! Ah! I was just joking!"
"You were joking? So saying you won’t dare do it again is also a joke? Hmm?"
"No, no… That part is true! Ah! It’s true!"
"It’s true? So testing dog poop tomorrow is also true? Is that right? Speak up!"
"That’s not true! Ah! Not true! You’re being unreasonable!"
"..."
Fine. Anna knows best when it comes to disciplining the kids. I’d better stay out of it—I don’t want to mess anything up.
With a sympathetic glance at Melanie’s sore bottom, Leon turned to William, who was still standing there with his pants down, and couldn’t help but suggest:
"Why don’t you pull your pants up first?"
"It’s fine, Brother!"
William shook his head confidently, cracking his knuckles. "I’ve calculated it—Sister still owes me fifteen hits. If I put my pants on now, I’ll just have to take them off again later. I’ll wait until she’s done."
"..."
Never mind how you arrived at that number. Judging by the heated “battle” unfolding, I doubt Anna will have time to deal with you today.
"Alright… Just be careful not to catch a cold…"
After giving his stubborn younger brother a couple of useless reminders, Leon picked up the two stacks of old newspapers and retreated to his small bedroom.
Originally, Leon had planned to buy new newspapers, but his pockets were empty, and he didn’t have enough money to last until payday. So, he went to the Cleansing Bureau and borrowed some old papers from Emma, his senior colleague who subscribed regularly.
Leon wasn’t looking for news—he only needed to analyze the topics covered by various newspapers to identify the boldest ones, through which he could stir up trouble regarding the Waterworks Company scandal. Whether the papers were old or new didn’t matter as long as they were readable.
Plopping down at his wobbly desk, Leon arranged the newspapers in front of him and quickly grew serious. Amidst Melanie’s distant cries, he began flipping through the pages.
The Corner Lane Gazette, The Financial Times, The Dance & Entertainment Post, The New Industry Journal—he set these aside. They seemed focused solely on industry-specific updates rather than public interest stories.
The Illustrated News, The Critic’s Paper, The Sun—he dismissed these too. The first two reeked of pro-aristocracy propaganda, and the third sounded like trash from its very title.
That left only three options.
After sifting through the pile, Leon narrowed it down to The Daily Digest, The Royal Mail, and The Capital Evening Post. As he pondered which to choose, a knock sounded at his door.
"Brother, Sister is finished."
William appeared at the doorway, pants finally pulled up. Sniffing loudly, he stood tall with his hands clasped behind his back, offering mature advice:
"Melanie will be fine—Sister didn’t hit her too hard. She just needs to lie down and rest. But Sister went straight to her room crying after finishing. Shouldn’t you go comfort her?"
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