Chapter 22 My Pretense Exposed: I painstakingly pretended to be a refined lady, playing the role of an elegant and dignified woman...

Even the busiest streets eventually come to an end, and with Qingduo becoming a "lady of leisure" and neglecting to fetch water, she would be out of breath after running only a short distance, even lagging behind the slender Lu Nong.

"Run!" Lu Nong desperately pulled at her arm.

"No, no!" Qingduo said haltingly, clutching her left lower abdomen in pain, "It hurts every time I breathe!"

Lu Nong gritted her teeth and squatted down in front: "Come on up!"

"No, no, no," Qingduo refused in a panic, but her arms honestly climbed onto Lu Nong's neck, and she jumped up and onto Lu Nong's back.

Lu Nong staggered, grabbed Qing Duo's leg, gritted her teeth and kept running. She overestimated her strength and underestimated Qing Duo's weight. After running a few steps, her steps became unsteady and she knelt on the ground.

Qingduo cried out in surprise and quickly tumbled off her back to help her up. Lu Nong tried to get up with her help, but the excruciating pain in her knees was unbearable, and she collapsed to the ground.

"You run by yourself, I can't go on." Lu Nong endured the pain and pushed Qing Duo, saying, "You go quickly."

As the men approached carrying sticks, Qingduo's legs trembled with fear, but she couldn't abandon Lu Nong. There were houses on both sides; even with the doors closed, someone might still be there. She made up her mind and let out a loud bang—

"Help! Someone is trying to abduct a young woman!"

"Now you know fear? You were quite bold to talk back to our Manager Sai!" the leader mocked. The two behind him burst into laughter.

It really was "Cow Dung" who did it! She miscalculated; she hadn't expected the old man to have a backup plan. She glared angrily, still shouting, "Help! Help!"

"Stop shouting, no one will come. Look at your delicate skin, your brothers will be gentle with you." With that, the men in front waved their hands, picked up the sticks they were holding, and slowly walked forward.

Ignoring her own stomach pain, Qingduo bent down and put Lu Nong's arm on her shoulder, wrapped her arms around her waist, and pulled her up with force. Lu Nong managed to stand up, her legs straightened, and a piercing pain shot through her. Her legs went weak, and she clung to Qingduo, still unable to move.

Looking at their sinister expressions, Qingduo secretly groaned. This time, she was truly helpless. All she could do was hold Lu Nong tightly, and Lu Nong did her best to wrap her body around her. The two of them huddled together like kittens who had lost their mother. Facing their vicious enemies, they could only vent their anger, glare, and open their mouths: "Ha!"

"Wait!"

No one present had expected the presence of another person. The three burly men paused, turning around to see a round-faced boy walking towards them with his arms crossed. His black hair was tied in a high ponytail, and his chin was slightly raised. Although he wasn't standing on high ground, his gaze was condescending as he looked down at the burly men and said:

"I've been following you all the way! I knew something was wrong when you came out of the shop; you were definitely going to target those two girls!"

"They outwardly admit defeat but secretly resort to underhanded tactics; they are utterly shameless!"

The burly man at the head of the group sneered, "Whose brat dares to interfere with my good time, Master Shi Chun! Go away, go away, go play somewhere else!" With that, he ignored him and swung his stick. Before it could fall, he felt a gust of wind behind him, and the stick was firmly grabbed. He subconsciously tugged at it, but it didn't budge. He turned his head and saw that the one holding his stick was the young man.

"I advise you to get lost. My fists are really hard, and I'll beat up bastards with every punch!" the young man said coldly.

"You little brat! You'll taste my fist first!" Shi Chun struggled a few times but still couldn't get the stick out of his hand. Enraged, he swung his left arm and punched the boy in the face.

"Watch out!" Qingduo couldn't help but warn him. The boy tilted his head, easily dodging the punch, and then delivered a straight punch to Shi Chun's abdomen. Before the blood he vomited could even hit the ground, a barrage of punches rained down on him. He clutched his stomach and knelt on the ground. Two more men swung their sticks at him from behind. He turned and parried with his own stick, kicking one of them away. He then knocked the stick out of the other man's hand and, taking advantage of his unpreparedness, struck him in the back of the knee. The man fell to the ground with a thud. The force of the blow was so great that even Qingduo felt the shock.

Amidst cries of "Ouch!" from the ground, crisp applause rang out. Qingduo exclaimed excitedly, "Big brother, you're amazing!"

The young man, looking pleased with himself, waved his hand and said, "You flatter me. I, 'Black Tiger Hero' Zhu Yi, merely did what I was supposed to do!"

"The Suspended Hero"? Qingduo was astonished. This person was actually the famous "Suspended Hero" of Wuzhou City! She had heard that this person loved to fight against evil and uphold justice, but when she heard this nickname before, she thought he was a very unreliable person. But she didn't expect that when she met him, she found that he was a pretty good person! Not only did he look heroic, but he also saved them.

I just don't know why they got such a strange nickname.

The two men who had been hit less severely slowly got up and helped their elder brother up. One of them wanted to rush forward, but Shi Chun stopped him. He said, panting, "So, it's Brother Zhu. My apologies. We were just following orders today. Since Brother Zhu has taken action, then, for your sake, we won't pursue the matter further."

"Hmph!" Zhu Yi didn't even glance at them, and shouted, "Who's your brother Zhu! Get lost!"

After the three men left in a disheveled state, Qingduo put Lu Nong down and let her sit on the ground. She then hopped over to Zhu Yi, clasped her hands in a solemn gesture, and said, turning her head back and forth, "So it's Brother Zhu Yi, the 'Hidden Hero'. I've long admired your name. It's truly an honor to meet you."

Zhu Yi scratched the back of her head sheepishly: "You, a little girl, know my name?"

"Of course! Your name is known to everyone in Wuzhou City, even women and children! I am a woman, of course I know! Today, thanks to you, my sister Lu Nong and I were spared from disaster. I'll treat you to a drink sometime!" Qing Duo puffed out her chest and raised her head, imitating the few martial arts figures she had met, and patted her chest loudly.

Zhu Yi chuckled and said, "You're so straightforward, I like that! How could I let the girls treat me? I'll treat you! Let's go!"

“Not now,” Qingduo hurriedly said, “Sister Lu Nong is injured.”

"Lu Nong?" Zhu Yi finally turned his gaze to Lu Nong. She was sitting on the ground, her eyes red and tear stains still on her face. Her face was pale from the pain in her legs. She bit her lip lightly with her white teeth. When she met Zhu Yi's gaze, she lowered her eyes.

Her pitiful fragility was like a heavy hammer, suddenly smashing open Zhu Yi's heart wall. He stared blankly at Lu Nong, watching as a faint blush spread from her neck to her face, like a jade beauty draped in a red veil.

Lu Nong felt his gaze and lowered her head even further. Just then, she heard Qing Duo ask her, "Sister, where do you live? You can't walk, I'll take you home."

Lu Nong said in a low voice, "I live in Jiyue Nunnery, which is far from here. There's no need for you to take me there."

Qingduo said with difficulty, "How can your legs be so convenient! But Jiyue Nunnery is too far away, and I have to go home on time." If she doesn't go back, Qingqing will worry.

"I'll hire a carriage to take you home, young lady!" Zhu Yi suddenly said. Qingduo was taken aback, then smiled and said, "That's perfect! As expected of Brother Zhu, you're so thoughtful. With Brother Zhu here, what could I possibly worry about!"

Lu Nong didn't want to trouble others and hurriedly declined. However, the two people present were on the same page and completely ignored her thoughts. Zhu Yi hesitated and said, "It's just that it's not easy for carriages to get in here. We still need to go out. Um..." He suddenly rubbed his hands on his clothes, walked up to Lu Nong, and said again:

"Miss Lu, my apologies!" With that, he reached under Lu Nong's knees with one hand and put his other arm around her, easily lifting her up.

"You, you..." Lu Nong blushed and couldn't speak.

Zhu Yi stared straight ahead, not daring to look down at all. He strode forward, his body stiff, like a machine that hadn't been lubricated in a long time, and you could almost hear some random creaking sounds.

Qingduo followed happily behind. Hey! I told you I was a lucky person! See, I always manage to escape danger!

*

Before the sky had completely darkened, a crescent moon was already faintly visible in the air.

Qingduo hummed a little tune as she returned to the Zeng family home. As soon as she entered, she found Zeng Zhengqing had arrived earlier and was sitting at the table writing something. Her eyes lit up, and she rushed over: "Qingqing! You're back so early today!"

How wonderful! She could see him as soon as she got home! She had so much to tell him! Especially her proudest achievement—punishing evil and promoting good to help Lu Nong, the thrill of being chased, and meeting Zhu Yi, the influential figure in Wuzhou City. This day had been so exciting!

“It’s because Madam came back really late,” Zeng Zhengqing said with a smile, putting down his brush. “As expected, Madam loves painting so much that she forgets the time.”

"Qingqing, let me tell you!" Qingduo exclaimed excitedly, her gaze inadvertently falling on the various boxes on the table. She asked curiously, "Huh, what are these?"

"With such diligence from my wife, how could I remain unmoved? I specially ordered brushes, ink, and paints to help her freely express herself and paint the colors in her heart."

Qingduo opened box after box with trembling hands. There was Chengxintang paper, Huzhou brushes, Shezhou Longwei inkstones, and all kinds of colors... Before, even if she painted erotic pictures for ten lifetimes, she could not buy so many good things!

Tears welled up in her eyes: "Qingqing!" Her joy was so intense that words could not express it.

Zeng Zhengqing looked at her with a smile and asked, "By the way, what were you going to say just now?"

A basin of water was poured over her head, instantly calming Qingduo from her excitement. What should she say? That she didn't go to paint, that she skipped school to parade through the streets? How could she possibly deserve to use these expensive and exquisite art supplies?

Keep your mouth shut!

Qingduo said awkwardly, "No, it's nothing, I just saw you were happy."

Fortunately, Zeng Zhengqing only patted her head affectionately and didn't ask any more questions. Qingduo felt guilty and secretly vowed that she would continue to study painting and never skip school again.

*

For several mornings in a row, Qingduo remained unconscious. Zeng Zhengqing got up and dressed by himself, and he didn't need Qingduo to serve him. This morning, Qingduo got up with him and served him properly. She smiled without showing her teeth, and her walk was different from usual, like a silkworm wriggling upright. The strange feeling from before surged back into his heart.

Zeng Zhengqing had just left and gone a short distance when he remembered he hadn't picked up the letter he'd written the day before. He turned back, but all the servants in the courtyard had vanished; there wasn't a single person there. He went straight to the door, and just as he was about to open it, he heard Qingduo's chattering voice coming from inside:

"Fangqing! Marrying Qingqing is truly wonderful!"

Zeng Zhengqing couldn't help but chuckle, feeling as if he were bathing in a hot spring, warm and comforting from the inside out. He stroked the door, a gentle smile playing on his lips. Although he felt that eavesdropping was somewhat dishonorable, he stood motionless outside the door.

She continued, "All my hard work in pretending to be a lady from a wealthy family and playing the role of a dignified and virtuous woman has finally paid off!"

Zeng Zhengqing was taken aback and couldn't help but wonder, when did his wife become like a "lady from a prominent family"?

He thought and thought, but still couldn't figure it out. Suddenly, he remembered what happened this morning, and recalled the countless strange mornings since his marriage. A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly realized.

Could it be that the lady's inexplicable and strange behavior is just her way of "playing the dignified role"?

A note from the author:

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Zeng Zhengqing: You call this "dignified"?