Finishing speaking, he stomped back into the room and reignited the stove.
He grabbed a cushion from the living room and set it alight.
Then, he tossed the burning cushion onto the curtains.
The open flame met the curtains, and thick white smoke quickly billowed out.
Watching the curtains ignite into a blaze before their eyes, everyone panicked.
For a moment, they seemed to see Peng Fei's fate through the flames, and their own as well.
As they were still minors with undeveloped minds, they were terrified and stood outside the door, afraid to speak.
Although Xiang Si Yuan was bolder than the others, seeing the situation escalate, he also felt very flustered.
But having already done it, he couldn't admit to regretting it. He could only brace himself and continue.
The few children weren't foolish. Knowing they would suffocate if they stayed inside, they retreated to the yard.
Thick white smoke seeped out through the window cracks. Seen from afar, it was horrifying.
Next door, at the Zhan residence, the housekeeper was driving the nanny out to buy groceries when he suddenly braked with a puzzled expression.
"Do you smell something? It smells like something burnt. Is there something cooking on the stove?"
The nanny said no. They had just finished lunch and everything was tidied up; it was impossible.
"Then could something be on fire?"
The two of them were startled, fearing something had happened to the young lady, and turned the car back.
As the car turned around, the nanny spotted the white smoke billowing from the yard next door.
"Oh my, isn't that Miss Chen and Mr. Xiang's house? It looks like it's on fire!"
"When did they move in? I wonder if they're alright. This is terrible, hurry, hurry, let's go check it out!"
The driver pulled the car to the gate and banged loudly on the door. However, it was locked, and there was no response from inside.
This was bad. The occupants weren't home, but the house was on fire.
Without delay, the housekeeper drove the car back into the yard, planning to fetch the lawn sprinkler system to help put out the fire next door.
But standing outside, they could see the two-meter-high courtyard wall and couldn't see or reach anything.
The nanny anxiously helped him move tables and chairs. As they scrambled in the garden, Zhan Jing Chun finally heard the commotion and came out.
"What are you doing?"
While everyone was anxiously trying to put out the fire, Peng Fei also returned to the villa's entrance.
He knew that after he left, those few fellows wouldn't behave, especially Xiang Si Yuan, who didn't respect him at all. When he was away, they would definitely cause trouble in creative ways, so he moved swiftly.
Without considering the price, he went to a brand store and picked out two stylish outfits, then immediately took a taxi back.
From the moment he entered the main gate, he ran as fast as he could, scaling the courtyard wall. As expected, something big had happened.
The few kids were all on the lawn in the yard, some crouching, some sitting.
Inside the house, something they had done was causing thick black smoke to billow out.
Seeing him return, they all looked nervous.
Peng Fei glanced around and asked sternly, "Did the house catch fire?"
Seeing a perfectly good villa about to be destroyed, and that they were responsible, the youngest child couldn't handle it and burst into tears.
Peng Fei understood everything.
Without time to question whether it was intentional or an accident, he immediately dropped the clothes and rushed towards the lawn sprinkler.
He couldn't lose his job; he had to save the house!
Fortunately, he returned in time. Only one room was on fire; the living room only had thick smoke and wasn't affected.
Peng Fei covered his mouth and nose with one hand, pulled the hose inside, aimed it at the room door, and then went to find something to protect himself.
He rushed into the kitchen, found a towel, wet it, covered his face with it, and then went back to the hose to spray everywhere.
The smoky smell was unbearable, causing pain in his respiratory tract, lungs, and eyes, making it almost impossible to open them.
But the fire wasn't out yet; he couldn't leave!
Chen Jiao Jiao trusted him so much, gave him such a big job, and had just given him 20,000 yuan. He couldn't betray her trust for anything!
As he persisted alone, suddenly, he felt raindrops splash on his face.
Although Peng Fei couldn't see clearly, he could feel a strong water pressure coming from the opposite side through the window crack.
What was going on? Could it be that those little brats had a change of heart and were putting out the fire from the outside?
He didn't have time to think about it, and poured water with all his might, spraying…
After several long minutes, the fire was finally extinguished.
He couldn't wait any longer and dropped the hose, running outside.
Seeing him like a soot-covered official, with only the area around his mouth and nose slightly lighter, his entire face and arms blackened to the point where he was unrecognizable, the children were utterly terrified.
When he recovered, wouldn't he beat someone to death?
They all turned to Xiang Si Yuan as their leader and squeezed behind him.
Xiang Si Yuan, looking at the man like a king of hell, was also extremely flustered, but his first reaction was to deny everything.
"It wasn't us! You must have forgotten to turn off the fire when you left! Otherwise, how could it have caught fire for no reason? You should be grateful that none of us got hurt, or even eight hundred lives wouldn't compensate you. Hurry up and figure out how to fix it!"
Although Peng Fei looked terrifying at that moment, he was just a paper tiger.
He had inhaled so much smoke that his nose, respiratory tract, and eyes burned intensely. He couldn't utter a word.
He knelt on the ground in pain, rubbed his hands on the grass, took off his jacket, and used his slightly cleaner sweater to vigorously wipe his eyes. Only then did he feel a bit better.
As everyone looked at him with concern, the sound of banging on the main gate came again.
A man's voice shouted forcefully.
"Miss Chen, Mr. Xiang, is anyone home? The house is clearly occupied, why aren't you opening the door? Is the fire out? Open the door quickly and let me help!"
Xiang Si Yuan recognized the voice as that of the housekeeper from Uncle Zhan's house!
He felt like he had seen a savior and immediately rushed to the door.
However, no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't open it.
"I'm here! I'm Xiang Si Yuan! My mother locked the door, and I can't open it. Can you find a way to open it and let me out?"
"Ah? Young Master Xiang, you're there? What happened inside just now? Are you alright? Are you the only one inside?"
"Oh, forget about the details! If you don't open the door soon, I'm really going to be in trouble! Hurry, find a way to open the door for me!"
To facilitate movement between the houses and allow housekeepers and nannies to help each other, the owners had each left a spare key with them.
They had forgotten in their haste. Prompted by Young Master Xiang's urgency, the housekeeper suddenly remembered he had a key.
"Okay, okay, I'll go get the key to open the door for you. Please wait a moment."
Xiang Si Yuan's soul was so happy it was about to fly.
He was saved and would be able to get out soon; heaven had eyes!
However, Peng Fei's demeanor changed upon hearing this news.
Although his eyes still hurt terribly and he couldn't see clearly, he immediately stood up.
"You are not allowed to leave. Your mother said you must stay here every day until the New Year. If you dare to leave, I will break your legs today."