Even if Zhao Qingyan had gone far enough away to hear, so what? She would probably just laugh and give her the middle finger.

The entire incident was witnessed by another scholar who was carrying firewood and preparing to descend the mountain.

A smile blossomed on the face of the perpetually icy man.

After Zhao Qingyan, a formidable predator in the mountains, went up the mountain, she wondered if she could hunt prey as she remembered.

The reality is that the wild animals in the mountains and forests seemed to have smelled their natural enemies and fled in droves.

Along the way, Zhao Qingyan carried a tree branch that she had broken off from the roadside, whipping it as she walked to avoid being startled by any snakes, insects, or rodents that might jump out of the bushes.

I walked along the mountain path I remembered for about an hour, but I didn't see a single wild animal. I would have liked to see even a sparrow, but in fact, I didn't see a single one.

Because we walked quite a distance, we managed to dig up some wild vegetables by the roadside.

The legendary mushrooms and fungus are destined to remain unseen, because the prolonged drought has failed to provide a suitable environment for fungi to survive.

They dug as they walked, and soon filled their baskets.

Finding a spacious spot, I listened intently, but found no one or any danger. I took out a small stool and a lazy dining table from my storage space, set them up, and wiped my hands clean with a wet tissue.

Take out a bucket of fried chicken and a bottle of cola, and start eating.

This body really has a big appetite; a whole bucket of fried chicken was barely enough to fill it up.

Zhao Qingyan dared not eat any more meat, fearing that her stomach, which had been deprived of oil for a long time, could not handle the greasiness, so she took out a bowl of beef noodles and ate it instead.

While eating, I observed the surrounding environment, and I must say, the temperature in the forest was really comfortable.

After eating, I felt as if my body had been revitalized. After resting for a while, I packed my things and headed down the mountain.

Because the Zhao family lived very close to the mountains, they could vaguely hear people crying and shouting from their home as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain.

"Oh ho, which brave man dares to cause trouble at the Zhao family? Isn't that like an old man hanging himself?" Zhao Qingyan thought to herself.

The Zhao family was notorious and had always been a force that the villagers dared not provoke. This was the first time they had ever done so.

He walked home slowly, carrying his large basket on his back.

The entrance to the Zhao family's house was completely blocked by villagers.

The cries from inside grew clearer, and the female voice inside sounded unfamiliar.

He pushed aside the women watching the commotion, trying to get inside. The woman craned her neck but didn't turn around.

"Who is it? I'm just watching the show." He turned around as he spoke.

"Oh, Zhao family's third daughter, you've finally returned! Zhang Tongsheng's mother specifically named you, saying you injured her son and demanding compensation from your family. Come in and see for yourself."

After saying that, he shouted loudly, "The third daughter of the Zhao family is back!"

For the first time in both her past and present lives, Zhao Qingyan experienced what it meant to be the center of attention and to be welcomed with throngs of people.

Please ignore the gossip gleam in the villagers' eyes.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees Zhang Baosheng's mother, Zhang Qiushi, sitting in the Zhao family's yard with her hair disheveled.

She cried and wailed, tears streaming down her face, as if her son had already passed away.

The matriarch of the Zhao family, Madam Huang, sat on a chair under the jujube tree, holding a bamboo cup in her hand, sipping water idly.

Aunt Wang Caixia, like a lackey, carried a banana leaf fan and fanned the old lady intermittently.

Second Aunt Tian Xiaolan leaned against her doorway, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds.

Madam Ma, holding a pair of scissors, was leisurely clipping her nails in the shade of the west wing.

As for the other younger generation, none of them were seen. According to the Zhao family's tradition, this was probably because they were afraid of offending the younger generation's ears.

The bizarre scene in the courtyard almost made Zhao Qingyan burst out laughing.

"This is incredibly disrespectful. How can you be so contemptuous of someone who's looking for trouble?"

Zhao Qingyan thought to herself.

Upon hearing that Zhao Qingyan had returned, Zhang Qiushi sprang to her feet as if she had been sprung from the ground.

Unfortunately, after crying and rolling on the ground for so long, it had exhausted a lot of its strength and only managed to launch itself halfway before falling back down and landing on its bottom.

The gossipy and fearless auntie started making a fuss.

"Hey Zhang Qiu, are you trying to scam me or what?"

Don't fall on your butt and break your tailbone, then blame the Zhao family's ground for being too hard.

This caused the villagers to burst into laughter.

"That's right. You said that the third daughter of the Zhao family injured your student. Is there any witness?"

You judged that girl's crime based solely on your words.

"Could it be that he thinks he's the county magistrate and just decides the case on his own?"

The laughter grew even louder.

The ridicule from the crowd made Zhang Qiu, who was usually arrogant, so angry that she almost fell backward.

He cursed inwardly.

“A bunch of lowly peasants, when my son becomes an official, I will surely punish you and make you slaves for generations. How dare you laugh at me?”

Fortunately, none of them had mind-reading abilities.

If that were the case, Zhang Qiushi would probably be half-paralyzed or scratched to a bloody pulp by now. I've never seen anyone so heartless.

Zhao Qingyan leisurely placed the basket next to Huang Shi. There was shade here, so the wild vegetables wouldn't wilt in the sun.

"I heard you came looking for me. Tell me, what's the big deal that made you come to my house to wail? Isn't that bad luck?"

"If you don't give me a clear explanation today, don't even think about leaving the Zhao family's courtyard unscathed."

At this moment, Zhao Qingyan had lost her former naivety and was as sinister and cold as a demon from hell.

Not only did Zhang Qiu feel chilled under the air conditioning, but even the villagers who came to watch the spectacle felt the temperature drop significantly and couldn't help but shiver.

Under the oppressive atmosphere from Zhao Qingyan, Zhang Qiushi simply stopped standing up and began to curse, trembling.

"You heartless, despicable woman, how dare you injure a future scholar!"

I'm going to the yamen to sue you, and I'll have the magistrate punish you, put you in jail, and sell you into prostitution..."

As Zhang Qiushi swore her insults, she gained confidence and was in the middle of a tirade when Zhao Qingyan slapped her, sending her flying two meters away.

Half of his teeth were missing, shooting out of his mouth in a parabolic arc.

A real-life bloodbath ensued. Luckily, no one died.

The entire venue was silent.

"This Qiu family member is too vicious...she deserves to be punished..."

"The third daughter of the Zhao family is too amazing. Will a girl like her ever be able to get married?"

Regardless of what everyone was thinking, Zhao Qingyan at this moment wanted to tear Zhang Qiushi to pieces.

"Who gave you the audacity to come to my house and cause trouble? Heh, you didn't even know that such a vicious woman as you existed in our Zhao Family Village."

Is it because someone in our village offended you, and the day your son gets into high school will be their death day?

"Just because your family has a student who has passed the imperial examination, does that give you the audacity to act so recklessly? And the malice to harbor such malicious thoughts?"

The villagers' expressions changed drastically.

The villagers who used to fawn over Zhang Qiushi and wanted to marry their daughters into the Zhang family were now filled with fear.

They all secretly planned to stay away from the Zhang family in the future.

Those who wanted to arrange marriages have given up, and those who wanted to build connections have also lost interest. This is terrifying.

“You want to sue the authorities? Go ahead and do it! Even if you don’t go today, I’m going to sue the authorities anyway,” Zhao Qingyan said.