Filed to story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Like before, she decided to invest the money. Last time, she had managed to turn a decent profit for her parents and her brothers, saving it in separate accounts for their future wedding gifts.
Delicate snowflakes danced down, settling gently onto a girl’s long hair.
The girl was on her knees in the snow, her eyes red and swollen as if she had just finished crying.
Betty, startled by the sight, gasped, “Ms. Serena? What on earth are you doing kneeling out here?”
This was right at the main house’s front steps, and she had left the guesthouse without permission. Did Mr. and Mrs. Collins know about this??
“What are you doing?” Betty, seeing Serena steadfast in her kneeling, noticed a long tree branch laid before her in the snow. Although confused, Betty uttered, “The ground’s freezing, please get up.”
Serena looked ahead with a blank expression, “Betty, go tell mom and dad that I found this branch. If they’re still angry, they can use it to punish me until their anger abates.”
Realizing she couldn’t persuade Serena, Betty hurried inside to inform Kenneth and Louisa.
At that moment, Louisa was perusing a collection of professional photographs on her phone, discussing with her husband, “Kenneth, what do you think about hiring this photography team to take a family portrait for the holiday? Look at their past work; each photo seems so warm and natural.”
Before she could finish, Betty rushed in, recounting the scene of Serena kneeling outside.
“Why is she doing that?” Louisa stood up, walking to the window and drawing back the curtains, only to see Serena kneeling in the snow, her fragile figure looking pitifully crystal-like.
“Ms. Serena was roughed up by someone at our doorstep a few days ago, bitten by a snake, then she took a fall, and ended up with a fever and a cold. I’m afraid she hasn’t fully recovered, and now she’s out there, kneeling.”Betty’s words caused Louisa’s gaze to shift, standing by the window in silence, her thoughts unknown to everyone else.
On such a bitterly cold day, she was kneeling outside. Kenneth saw her in the snow as well. She looked especially pitiable, wrapped in a fleece nightgown, her hair cascading over her shoulders. But outside, in the icy world covered in snow, the flakes fell heavier and heavier, and her body began to shiver slightly.
She seemed to be crying, or perhaps repenting. She had always been the apple of everyone’s eye, never before had she knelt like this.
“Dad, Mom, I’m sorry.” Serena’s voice broke through the snowy silence, laden with sobs, “I shouldn’t have spoken ill of Bella behind her back, shouldn’t have let you down. I know saying sorry a thousand times won’t make up for the hurt I’ve caused her. Here’s a branch in front of me; I’m asking you to punish me harshly!”
In the garden, two servants had never imagined Serena would end up in such a state. Even they were bundled up in thick coats and warm gloves, while Serena was kneeling in the snow in just a thin fleece nightgown, her feet bare.
Under the blanket of snow, her pale face looked even whiter, clearly frostbitten.
“I heard she badmouthed Ms. Mirabella in front of her friends and was sent by Mr. and Mrs. Collins to the next building to reflect.”
“When she was sent away, she was bruised and battered, then she got sick, and Mr. and Mrs. Collins didn’t even spare her a glance.”
“I always thought she got along well with Ms. Mirabella; never imagined she would do such a thing.””But aren’t Mr. and Mrs. Collins’s punishment too harsh? They didn’t visit her when she was injured, didn’t care for her when she was sick, and now that she’s kneeling out there, they haven’t come out to see her right away.”
“Serena has always lived a life of luxury; I’ve never seen her kneel so miserably like this. I do hope Mr.
and Mrs. Collins gives her a chance; she looks so pitiful.”
“Ms. Mirabella is the real jewel of this family. Serena mistreating her is like openly disrespecting Mr. and Mrs. Collins, isn’t it?”
“Dad, Mom, Bella. I’m sorry!!” Serena cried out, tears streaming down her face, “I truly am!!”
She looked a picture of regret, and Kenneth, peering out at the blizzard raging beyond the window, then back at her shivering form wracked with coughs, couldn’t help but speak up, “Send her back first.”
Seeing that Louisa remained silent, Betty had no choice but to run outside and relay the message to Serena.
“Ms. Serena, let’s go.”
“Betty, do me a favor.” Serena lifted her tearful eyes, her plea heartfelt, “Pick up that branch on the ground and whip me harshly with it.”
“What??” Betty was flabbergasted, “Ms. Serena, I couldn’t possibly lash out at you.”
She wouldn’t dare, not even if she had the guts.
“I’ve done wrong. I deserve to be punished.” Serena’s voice rose as she continued and then shouted, “Mom, Dad, Bella, you all just watch from the house, letting Betty do the work!”
She turned to Betty again, “Whether or not I can return to the main house depends on you. The harder you hit, the better my chances.”
“But this.”
“Do it!” Serena commanded sharply, causing Betty to shudder and, with no choice left, pick up the branch.
The branch, over a meter long and almost as thick as a baton, looked like it would hurt a lot if used.
“Ms. Serena.”
“Do it,” Serena seemed resolute, eyes closed, waiting for whatever came next.Under tremendous pressure, Betty gently tapped Serena’s back, only to be scolded, “Did you even have breakfast? Or do you also want me to leave? Do you want me out of the main house too?”
“No, I would never think that,” Betty replied, putting a bit more force into it.
“Harder,” Serena gritted her teeth.
Betty increased her strength once more.
“Give it everything you’ve got!”
With that, Betty closed her eyes and swung hard. The branch struck Serena’s slender back, making her lurch forward, almost falling face-first into the snow.
After all, Mirabella wasn’t around today to witness her embarrassment. Erik had also said he’d try to send away most of the servants, so at most, only two or three would see this scene.
She figured a moment’s shame was worth it if it meant earning her parents’ forgiveness and returning to her status as the daughter of the Collins family.
“That’s right; keep going,” Serena endured the pain.
Betty, determined to help Serena return to the main house, steeled her heart and struck again. The sound of the branch falling was almost too much for Betty to bear.
With another powerful swing, Serena toppled forward into the snow, and the branch snapped in two.
Betty, terrified, dropped the broken branch and knelt to help Serena, shouting towards the main house, “Mr. and Mrs. Collins, please forgive Ms. Serena. She’s always been delicate; how can she endure such punishment? Her wounds haven’t even healed.”At that moment, Erik took the opportunity to plead from the living room, “Mr. and Mrs. Collins, I believe Ms. Serena truly understands her mistake. It’s already quite extraordinary that she would kneel in the snow. Please give her another chance. Look, she can barely stand.”
Louisa’s gaze drifted beyond the windowpane.
In the winter’s bitter embrace, the girl, whether from the cold or the pain, couldn’t stop her slight frame from shivering. Struggling, she bent to retrieve the broken branch lying before her.
“Ms. Serena.” Betty sobbed, shaking her head, “Stop torturing yourself.”
Serena reached out but couldn’t grasp the branch before her; whether from her lingering illness or the harsh beating she had just endured, she once again collapsed weakly into the snow.
“Ms. Serena?!” Betty cried out, rushing to her aid. Serena’s body was limp, as if all strength had fled from her. It took Betty several attempts to finally prop her up, “Mr. and Mrs. Collins, Ms. Serena can’t make it! Please, come out and check up on her!”
Kenneth and Louisa were overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
That was when Edith briskly entered the living room, “Mrs. Collins, something happened.”
She handed Louisa an envelope.
Outside, Serena knelt, her teeth chattering in the cold.
“Ms. Serena, are you freezing? I’ll fetch you a coat.”
Betty started to rise, but Serena’s icy hand pressed her down, her voice trembling, “No need.”
She had dressed lightly on purpose, hoping to soften her parents’ hearts. The more she suffered in the cold, the more disheveled she appeared, the greater the chance to move her parents.
Before long, the grand doors of the main house swung open, revealing Louisa and Kenneth standing there.”It’s Mr. and Mrs. Collins; they’ve come to take you inside,” Betty’s face lit up with joy, she quickly wiped the tears from her face, genuinely happy for Serena.
The moment Serena saw her parents, tears welled up in her eyes; she knew they still cared for her.
Erik was right; as long as she looked pitiful before them, her parents couldn’t be heartless.
Earlier, she had tampered with the branch, hoping her parents would see the broken piece, witness her getting beaten, and be moved to let her return to the main house.
It seemed her scheme was about to pay off.
The snowflakes fell thicker, Louisa descended the steps, moving toward Serena. Kenneth held an umbrella over her.
Serena implored Betty weakly, “The branch’s broken; use your hand, slap my face hard.”
Clearly, she meant for Kenneth and Louisa to hear.
“Ms. Serena???” Betty lacked the courage, shaking her head vehemently, “You’re already pale; you can’t be hit anymore.”
“Do it quickly.” Serena clutched her hand, as her parents drew nearer, pleading desperately, “Let me learn my lesson; let me remember for life how outrageous my mistake was. If you won’t do it, must I?”
Louisa approached and stood still before her.
“Fine, I’ll punish myself,” Serena was about to feign hitting herself. But in the next instant, Louisa raised her hand and delivered a stinging slap.
Serena was stunned, even Betty was frozen in shock. What was happening? Wasn’t Mrs. Collins here to bring Ms. Serena back to the main house?
Why would she slap her instead?!
She could tell Mrs. Collins had put all her might into that slap. Serena’s cheek was visibly reddened and swollen.
It seemed Louisa wasn’t done yet, as she delivered a second resounding slap to Serena’s face.
The sound echoed crisply in the air, startling even those two servants who were cleaning the garden nearby.
