Jiуing's fаce flushеd with аngеr аs shе pointed аt Сheng Xu. "Whеn Chunwan саmе tо tеll mе earliеr, I didn't believe it. I never thought уоu cоuld truly bе suсh sсum! Аnd yоu саll уоurself а top schоlаr! If I hadn't trustеd that Shaojin wоuld never mаke basеlеss ассusаtiоns, she might havе bеen bulliеd bу уou!" Аs she sроke, she rесallеd the earliеr scene—if shе hаdn't knоwn somе martial arts, hоw соuld a fеw dеliсаtе girls hаve stорpеd Chеng Xu? Wouldn't Shаojin hаvе bеen humiliаtеd bу him thеn?
In such a situatiоn, what other path сould the fragilе Shaojin tаke bеsidеs deаth?
Jiying's mind buzzed, feeling that her earlier punch and kick had been far too light. Unable to restrain herself, she shoved Zhou Shaojin into Chunwan's arms, stepped forward, grabbed Cheng Xu, and began pummeling him relentlessly.
Cheng Xu was dazed and disoriented, taking a long moment to regain his senses. When he finally did, he instinctively resisted, though his expression remained somewhat bewildered. He was no match for Jiying. Soon, his face was covered in bruises—black and blue, with blood streaming from his nose and his lip split open.
Cui Huan watched, frozen in terror, and it took her a while to process what was happening.
She wanted to pull Jiying away, but Jiying's expression was ferocious. Unable to get close and somewhat frightened, Cui Huan turned instead to plead with Zhou Shaojin: "Second Young Miss, please stop Jiying! He's the eldest son and grandson of the main branch! If anything serious happens to him, Jiying will likely be sold off..." Even as she said this, Cui Huan didn't believe her own words—once Jiying had laid hands on him, there would be no place for her in the Cheng household, let alone after injuring Cheng Xu so severely. Remembering that Jiying, like herself, was a servant girl, Cui Huan felt a surge of sympathy and urgently added, "Second Young Miss, before anyone discovers this, hurry and let Jiying escape! She's Fourth Master's personal maidservant. After this blows over, beg Fourth Master for mercy. He's loyal and treats those around him well. Let's hope he shows compassion and spares Jiying's life..."
Zhou Shaojin stood quietly, gripping Chunwan's arm tightly, ignoring Cui Huan's words entirely.
Cui Huan's heart sank.
Had Second Young Miss been frightened out of her wits?
She looked up at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin's eyes, once clear as water, were now dark and deep, gleaming with an eerie light, profound as a deep pool.
Cui Huan shuddered, the words on her lips dying away.
The three bystanders maintained an eerie silence.
The cave echoed with the sounds of Jiying beating Cheng Xu.
"Such scum! Even scheming against your own relatives! Are you trying to drive Shaojin to her death?"
"You bastard!" Cheng Xu muttered weakly, flailing in retaliation without any technique.
Jiying easily dodged Cheng Xu's punches and landed another blow on him.
For the first time, Zhou Shaojin realized that fists hitting flesh made a "thud" sound.
This sound. How pleasing!
She should have beaten Cheng Xu long ago.
Now, she had finally gotten her wish!
Jiying had avenged her!
Her heart felt as if a sail had been raised within it.
She even felt reborn, triumphant and vindicated!
Wasn't this the meaning of her rebirth?
Zhou Shaojin's eyes gradually reddened.
Meanwhile, Chunwan's face grew increasingly pale.The second young miss had used the excuse of fetching Old Madam Guan’s vest to actually send her to inform Jiying, saying that Young Master Xu was blocking the way ahead and she feared she wouldn’t be able to break free from his entanglement. She didn’t want to alarm the elders and cause a scandal that would invite gossip, so she asked Jiying to quietly follow behind and escort them to Apricot and Pomegranate Garden… Chunwan had thought Young Master Xu was just spouting nonsense and had been rather dismissive. She felt there was no need to make such a fuss that even those in the Listening Oriole Pavilion would find out and be embarrassed, but she never expected that this time, Young Master Xu would push his luck and lay hands on the second young miss.
If the second young miss’s expression hadn’t been so serious at the time, if she had shown a little less respect for the second young miss and paid only lip service to her words, if she hadn’t tried hard to persuade Jiying when Jiying thought the second young miss was making a mountain out of a molehill… what might have happened? Chunwan didn’t dare to think further!
But beating Young Master Xu like this… Cui Huan’s worries were not without reason.
She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around Zhou Shaojin’s shoulders.
Only then did Chunwan realize with surprise that Zhou Shaojin was trembling.
“Second Young Miss!” she hurriedly said, “It’s all right now! It’s all right! Don’t be afraid! Sister Cui Huan and I both know what happened today. At worst, we’ll return to Baoding Prefecture and take Jiying with us. The master and the eldest young miss will surely stand up for you!”
At this point, she suddenly realized that they were now in Nine Prosperities Lane, surrounded entirely by maids, old women, and servants from Nine Prosperities Lane. Even if they wanted to return to Baoding Prefecture, they had to be able to leave first!
Without a second thought, Chunwan released Zhou Shaojin and knelt before Cui Huan. “Good sister, I beg you to save me and our second young miss!”
Cui Huan was greatly startled, knowing that Chunwan’s plea at this moment likely concerned her own life and safety. But she and Chunwan saw each other constantly, usually addressing each other as sisters. To suddenly turn hostile now was something Cui Huan, who had never experienced such situations, couldn’t bring herself to do.
Her face flushed crimson, and with a conflicted expression, she tried to pull Chunwan up. “Don’t do this, don’t do this…” but she didn’t dare utter a single word of promise.
Chunwan understood perfectly.
If one does not look out for oneself, heaven and earth will conspire against them.
She had no intention of putting Cui Huan in a difficult position and quickly said, “Good sister, I’m afraid this matter cannot be resolved peacefully. I only ask that you take advantage of the fact that no one has noticed yet and quickly send word to our steward, Ma Fushan. If Old Madam and the others ask, I’ll say you were in a hurry to fetch that half ream of Chengxin paper for Young Master Zheng, and after giving directions, you went to the outer courtyard… Your great kindness and virtue will not only be remembered by me, but also by our second young miss, our eldest young miss, and even our master and madam will surely repay you!” After saying this, she kowtowed to Cui Huan, her head thumping against the floor.
Cui Huan’s heart tightened, and the way she looked at Chunwan instantly changed.
To come up with such a well-rounded plan and speak such persuasive words—both firm and gentle—in such a short time, Chunwan, the chief maid serving the Zhou family’s second young miss, was no simple person.
And anyone who is not simple is unlikely to fall into obscurity.Moreover, Master Zhou truly cherished his two daughters, treating them as if they were treasures he feared would melt in his mouth or shatter in his hands. If she helped them now, as Chunwan had said, Master Zhou would certainly not treat her unfairly. At the very least, he would ensure her life was spared. More importantly, she would also preserve the bond of sisterhood between them. Even if Miss Jia questioned her, she could answer with confidence, avoiding any impression that she lacked integrity.
Cui Huan made her decision immediately.
She said, "Don’t worry. I’ll go inform Ma Fushan right away. When the master is disgraced, the servant must die. I serve under Miss Jia too, so I understand this principle."
Chunwan’s anxious heart finally settled.
She took out the kingfisher-feather auspicious cloud hairpin that Zhou Shaojin had gifted her a few days earlier and handed it to Cui Huan. "Sister, take this to bribe the gatekeepers."
"No need!" Once Cui Huan had made up her mind, she was a decisive person. "We’re sisters—there’s no point in fussing over such things. Say no more; I’ll go now!"
Chunwan nodded.
Cui Huan dashed off in a flash.
Chunwan watched her retreating figure, let out a long sigh of relief, and turned to continue comforting Zhou Shaojin.
To her surprise, Zhou Shaojin was gazing at her with tears brimming in her eyes.
Alarmed, Chunwan hurriedly asked, "Second Miss, what’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing, nothing." Zhou Shaojin hugged Chunwan, her voice filled with remorse. "I’ve wronged you!"
Such a wonderful Chunwan, yet in her past life, she had abandoned her in Nine Prosperities Lane.
What good future could a servant have, following a flawed mistress and then being heartlessly discarded?
Chunwan thought Zhou Shaojin was apologizing for what had just happened. She smiled gently and said, "Even Cui Huan knows that when the master is disgraced, the servant must die. I’ve served you for so many years—how could I not understand?"
Indeed!
Chunwan had always been so good; it was just that she herself had failed to see it.
Zhou Shaojin smiled softly and said gently, "Don’t worry. The Cheng family won’t dare do anything to us. Besides, there’s Uncle Chi! Still, it’s good to send word to Madam Ma Fushan. Since things have come to this, we can’t stay in Nine Prosperities Lane any longer. It’s just as well—we can spend the New Year in Baoding Prefecture."
This way, she wouldn’t have to watch Uncle Chi marry and start a family.
But isn’t Fourth Master also a member of the Cheng family?
Chunwan thought to herself but, seeing the unwavering trust in Zhou Shaojin’s expression toward Cheng Chi and knowing that Cui Huan had already gone to notify Ma Fushan, she held back her discouraging words.
Meanwhile, Jiying, seeing Cheng Xu collapsed on the ground with no strength to fight back, felt her anger finally begin to subside. After kicking him twice, she stopped and asked Zhou Shaojin, "What are your plans?"
Just as Zhou Shaojin was about to answer, a sudden scream echoed from the cave entrance.
Everyone in the cave turned to look outside and saw Wu Baozhang’s astonished face.
Had she come to watch the spectacle?
Instead of witnessing any excitement, she had seen Cheng Xu’s disgraceful state and screamed, drawing others’ attention. Given Madam Yuan’s temperament, she probably wouldn’t let Wu Baozhang off easily.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction.
In her past life, Wu Baozhang had escaped unscathed, but in this life, she had willingly stepped into this muddy water. Who could she blame now?
Jiying frowned.
Zhou Shaojin quickly said, "You should leave first! Others will likely arrive soon." Perhaps they had been waiting halfway, just for Wu Baozhang’s scream. "I’ll handle things from here!"
Those who dared scheme against her did so only because they saw her as weak and easy to bully.
Well, she would face them directly.Anyway, she couldn’t stay in Nine Prosperities Lane any longer.
She didn’t want to stay in Nine Prosperities Lane any longer either.
Just as Jiying was about to pat her chest and declare she wasn’t afraid, a small pebble struck the back of her neck. She turned around like a ghost and saw Huaishan’s unchanging, ancient face.
Fourth Master must be nearby!
She immediately felt a bit uneasy inside.
In reality, she only needed to stop Cheng Xu, but seeing Cheng Xu’s behavior, she couldn’t hold back… Would Fourth Master blame her? After all, Cheng Xu was his nephew… But even if Fourth Master did blame her, she had something to say. Since Huaishan saw it and didn’t intervene, what right did he have to blame her for beating Cheng Xu up so fiercely!
Jiying grew more and more justified in her actions.
Huaishan then made a gesture toward her.
Jiying was instantly furious.
※
Dear brothers and sisters, here’s today’s update.
I prepared all day, only for my boss to say they’re coming tomorrow. Tomorrow, there will only be one update again, time uncertain…(>_<)
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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