"What fierce general?!" Gu Jiusi charged into the crowd, pulling away the woman who was tugging at Liu Yu Ru from behind, and roared angrily, "Everyone, stop this at once!"
As a grown man standing among a group of women, Gu Jiusi appeared particularly conspicuous. His loud shout finally made everyone cease their fighting.
Liu Yu Ru's side was outnumbered—only five people in total—while Madam Du had brought over a dozen girls. Though Liu Yu Ru had fought fiercely and unleashed her temper to avoid being overwhelmed in spirit, both sides were still engaged in an unsightly tussle. Liu Yu Ru's hair had been pulled loose, and her clothes were disheveled. When Gu Jiusi arrived, she felt even more humiliated, but she couldn't afford to lose her nerve. The fight had already happened, the insults had been exchanged—if she backed down now, all her earlier efforts would be in vain.
So, gripping her broom, she glared at Madam Du beside her and declared, "Today, I will settle this matter of right and wrong with you! Come with me to the Magistrate Office!"
"To what Magistrate Office!"
Upon seeing Gu Jiusi in his Magistrate Office uniform standing next to Liu Yu Ru, Madam Du immediately cried out, "I see, you've called for backup, haven't you? Which man have you seduced this time to back you up?"
Hearing such words, Gu Jiusi frowned and said coldly, "I am her husband."
"Oh, her husband," Madam Du's voice dripped with sarcasm, "I wonder which husband that would be..."
Before she could finish, Liu Yu Ru raised her broom to strike, but Gu Jiusi didn't wait for her to move. Instead, he swiftly pinned Madam Du down, produced iron chains, and shackled her.
His movements were so quick that by the time Madam Du realized what was happening, Gu Jiusi was already dragging her away. He stated bluntly, "Come with me to the County Government Office."
"To what County Government Office! Help! The officers are bullying us with their power!"
Madam Du screamed loudly. Liu Yu Ru immediately retorted, "If you've nothing to hide, why are you afraid to go?! You claim my Rouge ruined your girl's face—then let's confront each other in court!"
Hearing this, the girl with pimples on her face stepped back, but Yin Hong grabbed her and shouted, "Madam, she's trying to run!"
"Run? Feeling guilty, aren't you?"
Liu Yu Ru sneered, "If you've nothing to fear, why run?"
"I... I have to relieve myself, is that not allowed?"
The girl's voice trembled. Yin Hong tugged at her and said, "We have a back room in our shop, I'll take you there!"
How dare the girl let Yin Hong take her alone into the Floral Visage shop? She quickly protested, "I don't need to!"
"If there's a grievance, it should be brought before the magistrate." Gu Jiusi, having grasped the situation, said calmly, "Madam Du, let's go."
With that, he forcibly dragged Madam Du toward the County Government Office.
Liu Yu Ru and her people hurried after them, and Madam Du's followers, seeing this, also trailed along.
Madam Du cursed the entire way, but Gu Jiusi remained unmoved, his face cold and silent, his grip on her unyielding.
When they reached the County Government Office, Huang Long, upon seeing whom Gu Jiusi had brought, showed displeasure and said irritably, "What trouble have you stirred up now?"
He was a regular patron of Madam Du's establishment. Spotting Huang Long, Madam Du's eyes lit up, and she cried out joyfully, "Master Huang, please save me!"
"Release her!" Huang Long urged quickly, "What are you—"
"Release whom?" Zhou Ye emerged from behind. Seeing Zhou Ye, Huang Long immediately fawned, "Young Master Zhou!""I happened to pass by earlier and saw these two groups of women brawling in the street. When I noticed this madam being brought to the court, I came to see what was happening. Where is Magistrate Chen?" Zhou Ye scanned the room. "Is he still here?"
Huang Long nodded repeatedly and went to summon the county magistrate.
Upon seeing Zhou Ye, the magistrate promptly bowed in greeting before commencing the court session.
Madam Du began to feel panicked, kneeling on the ground and bursting into tears.
The chorus of weeping women created such a commotion that everyone started developing headaches.
Liu Yu Ru knelt with her companions, clenching her fists while putting on an expression of extreme grievance. While others wailed thunderously, Liu Yu Ru wept with delicate, pear blossom-like tears. Spectators glanced between Madam Du and Liu Yu Ru, their sympathies gradually shifting.
After multiple calls for order from the magistrate, Madam Du finally quieted down. The case proceeded with both sides presenting their accounts. The magistrate first addressed Madam Du: "Madam Du, what evidence do you have to prove this was caused by her rouge?"
"We bought her rouge, and this happened right after applying it! All the girls in my establishment can testify! Your Honor, if this weren't related to her, we wouldn't have escalated matters to this extent!"
As Madam Du pleaded tearfully, the magistrate turned to Liu Yu Ru: "What is your response to Madam Du's accusations?"
"Your Honor," Liu Yu Ru sniffled but spoke with remarkable clarity, "This humble woman believes that since Madam Du blames my rouge, she should provide concrete evidence. Two key points require proof: first, they must demonstrate the skin condition was caused by ingredients in the rouge; second, they must prove these ingredients actually exist in my product and that they used it correctly. Currently, Madam Du only provides witness testimony from her own establishment's girls, which lacks credibility."
The magistrate nodded thoughtfully as Liu Yu Ru continued: "Therefore, I implore Your Honor to send someone to examine the affected woman's face - first to diagnose the skin condition, then to test the rouge they claim to have used."
"Reasonable," the magistrate agreed. "Very well. Summon the physician and present the evidence."
Upon hearing this, Madam Du grew visibly distressed, but with proceedings already underway, retreat was impossible. Everyone waited in tense silence.
When the rouge and physician were brought forward, the doctor first examined the woman's facial bumps before inspecting the rouge, sniffing it carefully.
All eyes followed the physician's movements until he finally turned and reported respectfully: "Your Honor, the situation is clear. Based on my examination, this woman's facial eruption appears to be caused by river shrimp allergy."
"That's... that's nonsense!" the affected woman protested urgently. The physician remained unperturbed, calmly stating: "The symptoms match river shrimp allergy perfectly. Moreover, I detect medicinal scent on this woman containing two specific herbs commonly used to treat this very condition - indicating she was already aware of the true cause."
Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru visibly relaxed.
Madam Du, however, became agitated and began shouting abuse. The magistrate thundered: "How dare you! Drag her away and punish her insolence!"Aunt Du shrank her neck at the shout and finally quieted down. The physician then continued, "I've also examined the ingredients of the rouge. They're all extremely mild materials, with nothing inappropriate."
After these words, everyone understood the situation. Liu Yuru glanced at the rouge box on the tray, frowned, and stood up.
She picked up the rouge box, examined it for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "Sir, there's one more thing."
With that, she placed the rouge box back on the tray and calmly stated, "This box of rouge isn't from our shop."
"You're lying!" the pockmarked woman shouted, "I specially asked someone to buy this!"
"My apologies, miss," Liu Yuru said calmly, "Our rouge production is limited, and each box has a registered serial number. I remember this particular number was sold to a certain madam. Moreover, this box originally contained the 'Winter Storage' shade but was later repurposed for the 'Autumn Equinox' shade. Look, there's a chipped corner here—that's the mark of this batch. Yet your box still contains 'Winter Storage.' Therefore, it's a counterfeit."
Silence fell upon hearing this. Liu Yuru lifted her gaze to the crowd and said calmly, "If you can't afford the real thing, don't buy fakes either. Wasting money is one thing, but if your face really gets ruined, that would be a true pity."
With the matter cleared up, no one dared say another word. Du Shiniang received twenty cane strikes and was carried away.
It was also time for Gu Jiusi to rest. After bidding farewell to Zhou Ye, he left with Liu Yuru.
Liu Yuru walked ahead, Gu Jiusi behind her. Neither spoke a word as Gu Jiusi watched the girl's back.
Her hair was disheveled, her clothes askew, completely devoid of her usual refinement and elegance. Gu Jiusi watched her, feeling an inexplicable ache in his heart. She suddenly paused mid-step, her back still to him, and said hoarsely, "I must have been a laughingstock today. Did I frighten you, sir?"
Gu Jiusi remained silent. Liu Yiru seemed somewhat distressed. She sniffled and said, "I know how unbecoming it looked, but I had no choice. If I reason with them, they'll think I'm easy to bully. If I didn't show them today that I'm not to be trifled with, there would've been endless waves of people coming to provoke me."
"My shop is short-handed, and they outnumber me. I'm small; they're fierce. If I lost my composure too, they'd think I'm even easier to push around. I know you're disappointed in me, but there was nothing else I could do."
As she spoke, Liu Yuru felt her nose sting. She was so wronged she wanted to burst into tears.
She knew how ugly it was, how undignified. But what else could she do?
When a scholar meets a soldier, aside from drawing a sword to completely silence the other, what else could she do?
She hung her head, sobbing softly, wiping her tears with her hand.
Hearing this, Gu Jiusi stepped forward from behind and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm not disappointed in you," he whispered comfortingly, "I think you're utterly adorable."
"You're lying," Liu Yuru choked out between sobs, "I cursed. I cursed horribly. I even hit her with a broom."
"Well done," Gu Jiusi quickly affirmed, "I saw it. You struck with great spirit and cursed with remarkable courage.""Gu Jiusi," Liu Yuru sobbed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, "you don't need to comfort me."
"I'm not comforting you." Watching Liu Yuru cry like this, Gu Jiusi couldn't help but lower his head, kissed her cheek, and instinctively said, "Really, you're especially adorable."
Liu Yuru froze, and suddenly stopped crying. Gu Jiusi looked at her expression and couldn't help but laugh.
He took her hand and said gently, "Let's go home, shall we?"
Liu Yuru stood still, like a child throwing a little tantrum.
So Gu Jiusi crouched down and turned to look at her: "Then shall I carry you home on my back?"
Liu Yuru didn't speak, so Gu Jiusi lifted her onto his back. Leaning against him, she turned her head to look at the walls along the alley.
Carrying her as he walked, Gu Jiusi said softly, "Yuru, those who have seen hardship, been tempered by life, yet still maintain their true nature are the most adorable."
"Actually, I don't care at all whether you're gentle or proper. I only care if you've been wronged."
Hearing this, Liu Yuru felt the warmth of this man's back and watched their long shadows stretching under the moonlight.
"When I'm here, of course I'll protect you. But when I'm not around, I'd rather you be feisty and protect yourself well. On my way here, I wasn't thinking about anything else - I was just afraid you might suffer. When I arrived and saw how capable you were, I felt so happy inside."
Saying this, Gu Jiusi turned to look at her and said with a smile, "My wife is truly amazing."
Liu Yuru felt a sense of embarrassment rising within her at his words.
She rested on Gu Jiusi's back for a long time before whispering, "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?"
Gu Jiusi's voice remained gentle. Liu Yuru whispered, "Thank you for accepting me as I am."
Gu Jiusi was momentarily stunned. After a pause, he slowly said, "Then I should apologize to you."
"Apologize for what?"
"For not being able to shelter you from the storms, for making you face the hardships yourself."
Gu Jiusi sighed softly and said self-deprecatingly, "I should have faced all these challenges for you."
Hearing this, Liu Yuru chuckled softly: "That you can accept me facing these challenges, that you're willing to let me become a wife who's not at all perfect - that's already more than enough."
"Gu Jiusi," Liu Yuru said seriously while resting on his back, "to be honest, I wasn't happy being a proper young lady. Building Floral Visage, earning money through my own efforts, paying everyone, gaining their recognition, defeating Aunt Du... I actually feel quite happy."
"When people call me Boss Liu or Manager Liu, it makes me happier than when they praise me for being gentle, virtuous, or a good wife and mother."
"Having this intention of yours is enough," Liu Yuru raised her hand to smooth his fallen hair and said softly, "That you think of treating me well, making me always believe there are many good people in this world, helping me maintain this innocence in my heart - I feel that's already sufficient."
After all, how many people in this world reach middle age already covered in scars.
After all, how many people in this world, while still young, already find it difficult to speak of love.
In this lifetime, she might become feisty, she might become bold, but she still hoped her heart could remain forever gentle, forever bright.
Gu Jiusi listened quietly and said gently, "Alright."He laughed and said, "I'll let you be a very adorable little girl now, and a very adorable old lady when you're old."
Liu Yu Ru didn't speak. Holding onto Gu Jiusi's neck, she couldn't help but ask, "Gu Jiusi, do you dislike me?"
"How could I dislike you?"
Gu Jiusi chuckled softly, "I think you're wonderful, much better than I imagined."
"How wonderful?"
Liu Yu Ru couldn't resist asking. Gu Jiusi was taken aback for a moment, then his lips trembled slightly. He didn't really want to say it, but the words escaped anyway.
"Wonderful enough to want to spend my whole life with you."
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