April Is Beaten

April used to serve Mrs. Green, and was often treated as a punching bag—beaten and scolded. Seeing Mrs. Green now, she instinctively felt afraid, and when she loosened her grip, Mrs. Green stuffed a handful of jewelry into her own bosom.

April froze for a moment, then reached out to pull Mrs. Green back, anxiously shouting to Mrs. Iron, "Mrs. Iron, come help me! She's trying to steal the old madam's jewelry—we can't let her get away with it!"

Mrs. Iron stood by hesitantly, wanting to help but too scared, and said to April, "April, she—she's the First Lady's sister-in-law. I don't dare stop her!"

April said urgently, "Mrs. Iron, how can you be so muddle-headed? The First Lady cut ties with the Evans Family ages ago—what sister-in-law!"

Mrs. Green pointed at Mrs. Iron and shouted sharply, "You dog servant, how dare you stop me! I have the Evans Family's only heir in my belly—if you dare pull me and something happens to the child, and the Evans Family loses its eldest great-grandson, can you bear that responsibility?"

Mrs. Green's words frightened Mrs. Iron so much that she trembled like a leaf, not daring to reach out and grab Mrs. Green.

Seeing Mrs. Iron frozen in place, April grew even more anxious and angry, and could only try to stop Mrs. Green herself.

Mrs. Green saw April blocking her again and, furious, slapped April across the face. April was young and no match for Mrs. Green, but she stubbornly remembered to protect her mistress's belongings, clinging tightly to Mrs. Green's leg and refusing to let go.

Mrs. Green's legs were tangled up, and anger surged within her. She kicked April hard on the head and cursed, "You little beast, let go! I'll beat you to death!"

April took a heavy blow to the head, her nose started bleeding, but she still clung to Mrs. Green's leg and shouted, "Help! There's a thief in the house—come catch the thief!"

Mrs. Iron tried to pull April away, saying, "April, don't shout nonsense. This is the First Lady, not a thief!"

April was so mad at Mrs. Iron’s muddled thinking that she trembled all over. "Mrs. Iron, we eat what our mistress gives us—we only listen to her! Don’t go treating every stray cat or dog as our master!"

Mrs. Iron gasped and tugged April’s arm hard. "April, you’re just a kid, what do you know? She’s carrying the Evans’ flesh and blood. If anything happens, we can’t take that kind of blame!"

"Mrs. Iron, you’re confused! So confused!" April’s face was streaked with blood and tears, but she clung tightly to Lila Green’s leg.

Just then, Mrs. Silver and Mrs. Copper hurried in, with Jack and Jill right behind them.

Jack came in and saw April, his playmate, with blood all over her head.

April shouted, "Quick, grab her! She stole the old madam’s jewelry!"

Mrs. Silver and Mrs. Copper exchanged glances. They both knew Lily Evans and the Evans had long cut ties—if Lily really acknowledged this sister-in-law, Lila Green wouldn’t need to sneak in while Lily was out to steal things.

Mrs. Silver and Mrs. Copper rushed forward together. The two sturdy old maids quickly pinned Lila Green down.

April scrambled up from the ground, wiped the blood from her face, and dashed over to fish the jewelry out of Lila Green’s bosom, putting it back into Margaret Evans’s jewelry box.

Lila Green glared venomously at April. If April hadn’t meddled, she would’ve gotten Margaret Evans’s jewelry by now. Lila was so furious her teeth ached, and she snapped, "You little pest! How dare you lay a hand on your aunt? I’ll beat you within an inch of your life!"

April still trembled, frightened of Lila Green.

"Don’t be scared, April," Jill quietly came over and took April’s hand.

"What’s going on? What happened?" Outside, Lily Evans and the others had just returned and, hearing the commotion, hurried over.

Lila Green’s eyes darted about, then she let out a dramatic wail, "April, you heartless brat! You’re just mad I treated you badly before! I only wanted to see my dear Lily today, and you—cold-hearted thing—kicked me right in the belly! I’m carrying the Evans’ eldest great-grandson, and you’re trying to kill my baby!"