Chapter 57 Dealing with Tang Qingduo is pretty good

The two were locked in a stalemate when suddenly, the sound of running footsteps came from behind Qingduo. The man was startled and looked up, momentarily losing focus and letting go of much of the force in his hand. Qingduo seized the opportunity and swung her fist, landing a punch on his face. The man cried out, covering his face with one hand while still clutching his purse in the other. Qingduo showed no mercy, delivering two more punches to his face, each one more powerful than the last.

"You bastard, how dare you steal my money!"

The man screamed in pain, clutching his wound with both hands, staggering back a few steps before collapsing to the ground. He never expected that a seemingly frail young woman would know martial arts, let alone possess such strength. He had thought that taking a few blows wouldn't be a problem, but now he was lying on the ground, writhing in pain.

Qingduo stood still, staring blankly at the thief rolling on the ground, before she finally felt a sense of reality.

I knocked him down? I actually knocked him down!

She stared wide-eyed at her fist in disbelief. She hadn't felt it then, but now that she had stopped, the pain was becoming more and more pronounced, like a plant reviving in spring.

But she couldn't care less about the pain; she was extremely excited.

Tang Qingduo!

You're amazing!

She was even more determined: Zhu family boxing is amazing, I want to learn more kung fu from Brother Zhu!

"Tang Qingduo! Grab him! Quickly, grab him!"

Someone called her name from behind. Qingduo turned around and saw that it was Zhu Yi. He and several others were running towards her. Qingduo couldn't wait to share the good news. She shouted, "Zhu Yi! Zhu Yi! I knocked him down! I used the boxing technique you taught me!"

Zhu Yi pointed ahead in exasperation: "He got away! Why don't you catch him!"

"Oh, caught." Upon receiving the message, Qingduo turned around and looked down at the ground. The thief had already gotten up and run away. Qingduo was about to chase after him when Zhu Yi and the others had already run up to her side and passed right by her. He mustered all his strength and sprinted a few steps to close the distance. With a burst of energy, he suddenly leaped up. The thief heard the sound of the wind and was about to turn around when he was tackled to the ground.

How ironic! His movements were fluid and precise, hitting the mark every time. The surrounding crowd couldn't help but applaud and cheer for him. Only Qingduo felt sorry for Zhu Yi. What a pity, Sister Lu Nong wasn't here and couldn't appreciate his heroic figure.

Zhu Yi ordered the others to tie up the thief and take him back. He looked up and saw Qing Duo running towards him with a face full of admiration. He felt very proud, but didn't want to show it. He nodded at her with his chin and said, "You little rascal! I told you to catch him, but you were just showing off to me!"

Then, like an elder, he scolded her: "Hey! If someone tries to steal your money, just give it to them. What if they're a tough guy? With your mediocre skills, wouldn't that be dangerous? Don't risk your life next time, understand?"

Qingduo retorted, "Listen to what you're saying! One minute you're complaining that I'm not catching thieves, the next you're telling me to protect myself. Am I supposed to catch thieves or protect myself?"

“However…” She looked Zhu Yi up and down, then reached out and tugged at his waist tag, asking in surprise, “Why are you wearing this?”

He puffed out his chest proudly and said, "You don't know this, do you? I passed the screening. Now your Brother Zhu is no longer an idle vagrant, but an archer with the duty of guarding the yamen and patrolling for criminals. Today happens to be my patrol day, and I ran into you, you little unlucky fellow."

Zhu Yi was proud of his martial arts skills, but when his beloved was kidnapped by villains, it was the young master Zeng and his brother-in-law who provided clues and meticulously investigated the plot, ultimately leading to her safe return. Without them, he wouldn't have been able to find Lu Nong on his own, and even if he had, he would have been trapped there, essentially walking into a trap.

For the first time, he realized with a clear mind how insignificant he possessed in the face of a real crisis.

That night, as he looked at Lu Nong's shadow reflected on the window, he realized the gap between himself and the other three. He became increasingly aware that he had great strength but no opportunity to use it, and he could not provide Lu Nong with a stable and secure life. He knew he should do something.

He pondered deeply, thinking day and night about what he could do. Later, seeing his sister and brother-in-law's happy and fulfilling life, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He should be like his brother-in-law, having a stable career to stand on his own two feet. This was the foundation for taking on responsibilities, and only by establishing a career could he settle down and start a family. Just then, the county government was recruiting, so he answered the call of the call.

Zhu Yi said seriously, "I passed the exam on my own merit, not because my brother-in-law is a county magistrate. Apart from the matter with Miss Lu Nong last time, I have never relied on him for anything!"

Qingduo almost burst out laughing. No one had brought up this topic before, but he brought it up himself, which meant he cared a lot about it and was afraid that others would say he was trying to climb the social ladder.

She had witnessed Zhu Yi's skills firsthand; he was indeed quite capable. Qingduo also believed that he relied on his own abilities.

"That's amazing!" Qingduo exclaimed sincerely. "Does Sister Lu Nong know about this?"

Zhu Yi suddenly became coy, scratching the back of his head: "I haven't told her yet. Well, there's nothing special to say. I haven't accomplished anything."

Qingduo cupped her hands and smiled, "Then I wish you a speedy promotion, brother, and that you will soon become my 'perfect' brother-in-law."

Zhu Yi glared at him, and then she brought up his previous words as a joke again!

However... I feel a little uneasy...

Now, shouldn't he have a "two-tenths" place in Lu Nong's heart?

*

That evening, Qingduo sent someone home to tell her that she was staying at Lu Nong's place. She had a perfectly good reason: tomorrow was the booksellers' guild meeting, and Zeng Zhengqing was going to take Lu Nong with him. He planned to expose the true nature of Shouzhentang then. Qingduo's excuse was that tomorrow was Lu Nong's big day, and she was too nervous, so she wanted to help her relax.

Lu Nong wasn't nervous at all; in fact, she wished it were tomorrow.

Okay, so her companionship is just to keep her sister from getting so excited.

But it had no effect. Besides the manuscript serving as evidence, Lu Nong also discovered a loophole, and so she launched into a long explanation:

"Qingduo, this third part was written by someone else, and its style is clearly different from my first two parts. Furthermore, I wrote a story about the inner quarters of a household. All the etiquette and furnishings in it are based on historical facts. I used to accompany my father to teach at wealthy families, and I witnessed and remembered all of this firsthand. The person who wrote the sequel probably doesn't know much about it. Take the banquet scene, for example, she..."

One word after another entered through her left ear and exited through her right. Qingduo hadn't slept well last night after tossing and turning on the boat, and it looked like she'd have trouble sleeping again tonight.

Hearing Lu Nong talk about the etiquette in "Hua Tang Chun," she suddenly realized that she had once regarded this book as her guiding principle and tried to act like a young lady from a wealthy family by following its example. However, Lu Nong, the author of the book, was not a lady from a prominent family at all; the rules she wrote about came from distant memories and were pieced together.

If you imitate something fake, what you learn will naturally also be fake. No wonder Qingqing was able to discover it so quickly.

Then it's not a problem with your own performance.

Qingduo felt relieved.

The two chatted until dawn before finally falling into a deep sleep. In the morning, Zeng Zhengqing came to pick up Lu Nong. Qing Duo went to open the door, yawned, and said, "Sister Lu Nong will be ready soon."

They had finally reached a point of passionate intimacy, a time when they were inseparable and filled with tender affection, but she left him alone in the empty room, saying that her friend was nervous and needed to keep her company.

Sigh, there's nothing I can do; the lady always puts her principles first. But—

Zeng Zhengqing frowned upon seeing Qingduo's disheveled appearance and dark circles under her eyes, and couldn't help but ask, "Is Miss Lu Nong so nervous?"

He actually comforted me all night?

Qingduo, her eyes half-closed, drifted off into her own world: "Hmm?"

Zeng Zhengqing sighed and said with heartache, "Go back to sleep!"

As the two were talking, Lu Nong came out from inside, looking refreshed and not at all nervous or awkward. Instead, she exuded a fighting spirit that was determined to win.

Zeng Zhengqing: ...That's strange.

After they left, Qingduo had just drifted off to sleep when the front door banged loudly, like someone was banging a gong next to her ear. She sat up with a start, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her mouth.

"Miss Lu Nong!"

It was Zhu Yi. Qingduo jumped out of bed angrily. What was wrong with this guy? His knocking on the door sounded like he was demanding payment. If what he said wasn't important, she'd definitely give him a piece of her mind!

Before she could even speak as she opened the door, Zhu Yi rushed over, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her violently. She trembled like a chestnut husk in the wind.

"Qingduo, what should we do! Zi Pian, who plagiarized Lu Nong, has also submitted her manuscript to the county government!"

"Not only that, today Shouzhentang invited her to inscribe calligraphy for readers and sell books!"

Qingduo broke out in a cold sweat and instantly sobered up.

*

The queue outside the shrine had already stretched into a long, winding line, completely blocking the road. Amidst the noise, the sounds of competition for customers could be heard:

"Girl, stand here with me, it'll only cost ten coins."

"Stand here with me, I want eight coins!"

"Pah! In your area, the girls will have to wait longer. It's just two coins, the price of a cup of soy milk! You can see Zi Pian sooner. Why not!"

"Don't go! Hey, I'll give you a discount!"

"This is considered cheap! If you go any further ahead, it will cost tens of coins!"

Qingduo crossed her arms and looked at the crowd, still finding it hard to believe: "They really handed in the manuscript?"

Zhu Yi said, “It’s absolutely true. I specifically inquired at the county government office. They looked at the two manuscripts from left to right, but couldn’t determine which one was the real author for the time being. Besides, this isn’t an urgent case that endangers people’s livelihoods, so they’ve put it aside for now. That’s why they dared to take advantage of this lull to hold this calligraphy event. Anyway, since there’s no conclusion, no one dares to do anything to them!”

"Oh no," Qingduo said in frustration, "then Lu Nong's manuscript isn't conclusive evidence anymore. Qingqing and the others have already gone to the booksellers' guild. Without evidence, what are we going to do?"

Zhu Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Otherwise, I'll rush over and make a scene, so they can't hold the calligraphy competition!"

“It’s no use!” Qingduo shook her head and said, “If we cause trouble this time, there will be another one. Besides, it’s our fault for causing trouble, and they can use that to their advantage. In the end, we will be at a disadvantage. The most important thing right now is to have evidence. Only with evidence can we break this deadlock.”

But suddenly, where could they find evidence? This stumped the two of them; the more anxious they became, the more their minds went blank.

Zhu Yi said anxiously, "Why did they have to hand it over now of all times? If they waited until the booksellers' meeting was over and a conclusion was reached, it wouldn't have mattered! They just had to be quick about it!"

Qingduo's mind raced: "When did they submit the manuscript?"

"It seems to have happened in the last couple of days."

"In the next two days?" Qingduo pondered.

This is quite strange. Serinpoche is, after all, a businessman, and a cunning one at that. If he already had the manuscript, whether it was real or fake, why didn't he hand it in earlier? That way, by the time Lu Nong wanted to prove her innocence, she would already be in a passive position. But he waited until Lu Nong handed in the manuscript before submitting his own, as if he had learned of the situation and hurriedly produced something to deal with it.

When Qingqing dealt with this matter, her first thought was to submit the manuscript to the government as evidence. As a fellow bookstore owner, Sailinfu couldn't possibly be unaware of this. However, he didn't do so when the controversy first arose.

Why?

Because it wasn't available at the time.

They wouldn't even deign to have it.

Qingduo narrowed her eyes. In other words, Sailinfu hadn't taken this matter seriously, assuming that Sister Lu Nong would eventually give up on her own. No bookstore had ever taken on this mess before, and he had simply suppressed it with his usual tough methods. However, he hadn't expected them to refuse to give up. It wasn't until Qingqing made this move, catching them off guard, that they hurriedly came up with a countermeasure.

That's incredibly arrogant.

However, this also gives us an opportunity.

Qingduo had an idea: "The fact that they were able to produce the manuscript so quickly means it probably wasn't written by Zipian herself. I'll sneak into the calligraphy group later and have her write a passage from the book. Then we can compare the handwriting and the answer will be clear."

Zhu Yi hesitated and said, "The last time we did the spirit writing, Dong Wenyuan was illiterate. He dictated his words and had someone else write them down. What if Zi Pian gives the same answer?"

"Hmph! If she can't write, why would she hold a calligraphy competition? If she can write, why would she need someone else to write for her? It doesn't make any sense," Qingduo said, pulling a silk scarf from a roadside vendor to cover her face. "I need to cover myself up properly; she's seen me before, I hope she doesn't recognize me!"

After paying and turning to leave, she suddenly remembered something and grinned at Zhu Yi: "'Things are easier to do in front of Buddha,' and now I need to invite a 'Buddha,' but only you can persuade him."