Chapter 144: The True or False Young Master (1)
1
What the hell is this? What kind of scumbag is this?
He obviously likes the "older brother", but just because the "older brother" rejected him, he is angry and asks the "younger brother" to marry him?
You clearly don't like your "little brother" and dislike his earthy smell, but you still have to be nice to your "little brother" because of your "older brother"'s request?
He clearly had so many opportunities to explain things clearly, but he just wouldn't say anything, and insisted on letting his "brother" believe that they loved each other. Once they got married, he wouldn't be able to escape, and he would have to discover the truth himself.
Does he still feel that he is so wronged and yet so great, protecting two brothers alone and being the best flower protector in the world?
Zhu Qingchen lay on the bed, opened his eyes, and looked up at the brilliant starry sky outside the hole in the roof.
The system squatted beside his pillow and skillfully waved the electronic screen to fan him.
Zhu Qingchen sensed the wind blowing and turned to look at the system——
That "evil" little blue ball of light.
Zhu Qingchen gritted his teeth and said, "Didn't you say that I have good luck? Why is it good?"
"You're lucky..." The system paused, "Don't you think this world is not that annoying anymore? You don't even bang your head against the pillow."
"It's not a question of being angry or not, this world... it is..." Zhu Qingchen jumped up from the bed and spoke incoherently.
The system was surprised: "There are times when you can't describe it."
"This world is..." Zhu Qingchen grabbed his hair, "I don't seem too angry at first glance, but when I think about it, I feel like vomiting!"
When the system heard him say this, it quickly flew behind him and patted his back to help him calm down.
Zhu Qingchen sat on the bed with his legs crossed, holding his forehead, feeling a slight headache.
He asked: "When will Lin Jingzhe return to the Earl's Mansion? The Earl's Mansion will hire a teacher for him, right? When will they come to invite me..."
Before Zhu Qingchen could finish his words, a man's angry curse suddenly came from the distance.
"Son of a bitch! How dare you fight back?"
Zhu Qingchen turned around and stood up from the bed: "What's that sound?"
Not far away, the man kept yelling, "Give me the money! I told you to give me the money!"
The system explained: "You are not the teacher invited by the Earl's Mansion to teach Lin Jingzhe. You are the teacher who teaches "Journey to the West" in Linjia Village..."
As soon as the system finished speaking, Zhu Qingchen rushed out of the room.
The system yelled: "Zhu Qingchen, put on your shoes!"
Zhu Qingchen was just a poor man living in the village. His house was shabby. He pushed the half-open wooden door hard, and it hit the wall with a "clang" and fell apart.
At this time, the neighbor next door also came out.
Compared to Zhu Qingchen's anger, the neighbors were not surprised.
"Alas, Mr. Lin has started beating his son again. Jingzhe has a miserable life too. When will it end?"
"I still have some medicine for injuries. I'll go find some and give it to him later."
"Then I'll go get something to eat."
Lin Laosan kept roaring and howling, threatening Lin Jingzhe to hand over the money.
Although the neighbors felt distressed, they did not dare to stop them. What if...
They were all ordinary people, and the old and young in their families relied on them to do farm work to make a living. Lin Laosan was a rogue and if they were beaten by him, the whole family would starve to death together.
It’s not that they don’t feel sorry for Lin Jingzhe, it’s mainly because... they really can’t afford to fight.
All they could do was to find some medicine and prepare some food for Lin Jingzhe, and wait until Lin Laosan was almost done fighting, and then go forward and bring him over.
The neighbors talked in low voices, while Zhu Qingchen stood in the dark, saying nothing.
Until the neighbor who was going home to find medicine for his injuries turned around and bumped into Zhu Qingchen.
"Mr. Zhu?" The neighbor was startled. "Why are you here too? Did I disturb you?"
Zhu Qingchen is the only person with a different surname in the village, but he is also the only one who can read and write. It is said that he offended the rich and powerful in the capital, and was demoted to this place.
He opened a private school in the village, and taught the children in the village to read and write. Maybe they could go to the city to study in the future? At worst, it would be good to be a waiter in an inn in the city. At least they wouldn't have to work in the fields like them for their whole lives.
So usually, the villagers respect Zhu Qingchen very much.
The villagers said, "Master Zhu, Mr. Lin beat the children again. Sigh."
"You can go back and rest. We are here."
"Yes, you are a thin man, be careful not to get hurt by mistake, go back and rest."
Zhu Qingchen waved his hand, avoiding the villagers who wanted to support him: "I'll go over and take a look."
He picked up a piece of wood that had fallen from the wooden door, weighed it, and walked towards the source of the sound.
The villagers wanted to stop him: "Master Zhu..." "I'm fine, I'll go over and take a look." Zhu Qingchen shook his head at them, dragging the wooden board, and strode forward.
Of course the villagers were worried, so they gritted their teeth and followed with torches in hand.
After all, he is the teacher of all the children in the village, and the children all rely on him for teaching.
A small stream runs through Linjia Village, dividing it into north and south sides.
Zhu Qingchen lived in the south, and Lin Jingzhe lived in the north on the other side of the river.
Zhu Qingchen was barefoot, lifted up his clothes, and waded directly into the river.
The river water was icy cold at night.
The villagers wanted to remind him that there was a wooden bridge over the river nearby, but Zhu Qingchen did not notice it and did not stop. He just stepped into the ankle-deep stream, quickened his pace, and strode forward.
In the quiet village, Lin Laosan's shouting and cursing sounded like the roar of a wild beast, hiding the boy's hoarse and trembling plea for mercy.
"You dare to fight back, you dare to fight back! Do you still want to hit me?" Lin Lao San waved his fist and cursed, "Money! Damn it, I asked you to give me the money!"
"I have no money... I really have no money..."
In front of the dilapidated yard, Lin Laosan grabbed the boy by the collar and pulled him up from the ground.
Lin Laosan had a ferocious expression and spat at him: "Don't try to fool me. I saw you going into town to sell rabbits the day before yesterday. The people at the gambling table saw you selling rabbits. Money!"
The villagers came forward holding torches, and the light shone on the boy's face, which was covered in bruises and blood.
Lin Jingzhe was almost beaten to death. He was dying, like a tattered sack. He was held tightly in Lin Laosan's hand, with his head tilted to one side and he was breathing in but not out.
When the villagers saw this, they couldn't help but gasp.
The villagers shouted in a low voice: "Lin Laosan, you are drunk, stop fighting, you have even alarmed Master Zhu..."
Lin Laosan was full of alcohol, obviously drunk. He turned his head in a daze and responded, "What Master Zhu? Where did this Master Zhu come from..."
He looked around, confused.
Zhu Qingchen walked up to him and said seriously, "It's me. I am Master Zhu."
Lin Laosan turned his head.
The next second, Zhu Qingchen suddenly jumped up, holding the wooden board with both hands, and slapped him hard in the face.
With a loud bang, Lin Laosan was knocked to the ground, and Lin Jingzhe also fell to the ground.
Lin Laosan climbed up from the ground using his hands and feet, turned his head quickly, and waved his fist at Zhu Qingchen: "Who are you?"
Zhu Qingchen held the wooden board tightly. When Zhu Qingchen rushed over, he exhaled and swung the board again. With a "bang", he knocked Zhu Qingchen to the ground.
After these two hits, the wooden board, which was not very strong to begin with, broke in the middle and half of the board flew out.
Lin Laosan got up again, roaring and raising his fist towards Zhu Qingchen.
Zhu Qingchen stood there, holding onto the half-broken plank, and was about to hit him again.
Suddenly, there was a loud "bang" and Lin Laosan was fixed in place.
He covered his head and turned back.
Lin Jingzhe got up from the ground at some point and stood behind him, holding the carrying pole tightly in both hands.
It was obvious that it was Lin Jingzhe who hit him with a stick from behind.
In the light of the fire, although Lin Jingzhe's face was covered in blood, his eyes were firm through the blood.
He can be beaten, but the kind-hearted people who come to help him must not be implicated by him.
Lin Laosan touched his head and felt a big lump. He became furious and turned around to pounce on him, but was knocked down by Zhu Qingchen with half a wooden board.
Zhu Qingchen quickly stepped forward, grabbed Lin Jingzhe, and protected him behind him.
After being beaten three or four times, Lin Laosan no longer had the arrogance he had just now. He lay on the ground like a dead dog, gasping for breath. He wanted to get up again, but was afraid of being beaten down again.
Lin Laosan raised his head and stared at Zhu Qingchen fiercely: "It turned out to be Master Zhu."
Zhu Qingchen stood in front of him, protecting Lin Jingzhe, and looked back fearlessly: "It seems that you are sober now and recognize people."
"I'm teaching my son a lesson, what does it have to do with Master Zhu?" Lin Lao San spat a mouthful of blood on the ground, "Why? Did my son give the money to Master Zhu? Or did Master Zhu want to give me the money on behalf of my son?"
Zhu Qingchen ignored him and said calmly: "From today on, Lin Jingzhe is my student. If you hit him again, I will report him to the police immediately."
Lin Laosan laughed out loud: "Master Zhu, I have never heard of a father beating his son and being sent to the government. How can you do that?"
Zhu Qingchen also smiled: "I am just staying here temporarily to teach students. You don't think that I am really a poor teacher, do you?"
Zhu Qingchen had his hair loose and was wearing a plain shirt. He lowered his head and looked at Lin Laosan lying on the ground with a smile. He looked like a ghost. Lin Laosan shuddered for no reason.
"I am from the capital. You don't think I don't have any students in the capital or in the government, do you? If I want, I can arrest you and take you to the Dali Temple. Anyone who commits a crime in a busy city will be killed without mercy."
Of course, this law was compiled by Zhu Qingchen, but Lin Laosan definitely didn't understand it.
He was obviously a little panicked, and defended himself by saying, "I hit my own son..."
"That's even better. Those who abuse, beat or kill children will be beheaded in public. The government officials are all my students. As long as I give the order, my students will sentence you to behead. The verdict will be made in the morning. First, you will be beaten with 100 sticks, and then, snap—"
Zhu Qingchen smiled and said, "If the knife is sharp, it will be done in a snap. But if there are many people in front of you and the knife is blunt, it will be like a saw, scratching your neck, making a sizzling sound - your head will fall off, but the skin on your neck will still be hanging."
Zhu Qingchen spoke seriously. Lin Laosan opened his eyes wide. He was led by him throughout the whole process. The scenes described by Zhu Qingchen appeared in front of his eyes, and he almost lost his soul.
Lin Laosan was lying on the ground, his whole body trembling slightly.
In this shabby little mountain village, the most powerful person he had ever seen was the village chief; the richest person he had ever seen was the owner of the gambling house.
When he owed money to the gambling house, the casino thugs said they would hand him over to the government. He was scared to death. What is the Dali Temple? The government in the capital?
Lin Laosan looked up at Zhu Qingchen, and seeing that his expression remained unchanged, with a smile on his face, and he looked calm and composed, he could not help but step back.
Even the villagers standing nearby couldn't help but look at Zhu Qingchen.
Why was Master Zhu so relaxed when he mentioned these things? Could it be that his identity... was really extraordinary?
Zhu Qingchen knew that to deal with a rogue like Lin Laosan, he could not give him money, nor could he be afraid of him. He had to scare him with power.
Zhu Qingchen finally said: "I'm telling you, if you hit Lin Jingzhe again, I will immediately have my students kill you."
After saying this, without waiting for Lin Laosan to answer, Zhu Qingchen picked up the wooden board that fell on the ground and smashed it hard on his face. Then he stood up and turned to look at Lin Jingzhe.
Lin Jingzhe looked at him in surprise: "Master Zhu..."
The next second, Lin Jingzhe's legs and feet went limp, he lost consciousness, and fell backwards.
"Jingzhe?!"
Zhu Qingchen reached out to pull him, and the villagers hurried forward to support him.
"Hurry, hurry, I'll go get the medicine."
"Help him in and see where he's hurt." Zhu Qingchen said, "Go to my place."
*
Although Zhu Qingchen's house was also shabby and the wooden door was broken, it was still better than Lin Jingzhe's own house.
Lin Jingzhe was carried in by the villagers and placed on a simple bed.
The hunter in the village was considered a half-doctor and had a lot of experience in treating external injuries. He sat beside the bed, undressed him, and checked his injuries.
Zhu Qingchen lit the only half candle in the room and placed it next to the bed so that the hunter could see more clearly.
The situation was urgent and the sky was dark, so Zhu Qingchen didn't take a closer look. But now...
It's just horrible.
Lin Jingzhe should be fourteen years old this year, but he is so thin and small that he doesn't look like a fourteen-year-old boy at all.
He was beaten black and blue, his face was covered with dried blood and dust, and there was even a large bruise on his chest, which vaguely looked like a footprint.
The villagers brought hot water and helped him clean his face.
The hunter applied medicine on him and bandaged him simply.
After a while of busy work, Lin Jingzhe hadn't woken up yet, but it was getting late.
The villagers were also preparing to go back. They had to get up early tomorrow morning to do farm work, and the crops in the fields could not be delayed.
"Then I'll have to trouble Master Zhu to take care of Jingzhe. Actually, you don't need to do much. If he wakes up, you can give him these two steamed buns to fill his stomach. I've also put the medicine on the table. You can give it to him. He will know how to apply the medicine on himself."
Zhu Qingchen nodded: "Okay, I understand. Thank you for tonight."
"Master Zhu, please rest early. We will go back first."
"Well, thank you very much. Take care."
Zhu Qingchen saw them out the door and watched them leave with torches in their hands.
Zhu Qingchen turned around and went back to take a quick look at the wooden door that had fallen outside his house.
The wooden door completely fell apart and turned into a pile of wooden boards.
After all, it's summer now and it's not very cold at night.
As for petty thieves and robbers, there is no need to worry about them.
No one could block the wooden door, and the robber broke it with just one finger.
Besides, his house was bare, and when a thief came, he would sigh and then give him ten cents.
Zhu Qingchen rolled up his sleeves, gathered the wooden boards together, and carried them into the yard.
I'll get up early tomorrow morning and see if I can put it back together. If not, I can chop it up and use it as firewood.
Zhu Qingchen returned to the room and found Lin Jingzhe lying on the bed, not sleeping well.
He frowned and waved his hands from time to time, as if trying to drive something away.
He shouted incoherently: "I have no money... I have no money... I really have no money... I will beat you to death. If you beat me, I will beat you too!"
Zhu Qingchen sighed, walked to the bed, soaked the towel in warm water, washed it clean, folded it into small pieces, and covered his forehead with it: "It's okay, don't be afraid."
Lin Jingzhe shouted for mercy for a while, and then became fierce and wanted to fight with Lin Laosan.
He repeated this over and over again, and it was unknown how long it had been before he finally calmed down.
Zhu Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go to rest when he suddenly heard Lin Jingzhe call out softly, "Mother..."
Zhu Qingchen turned around.
Lin Jingzhe lay on the pillow, shouting "Mother" while tears streaming down his face, soaking the pillow with his tears.
"Mom, it hurts so much... Take me away... I don't want to be here... Take me away..."
Zhu Qingchen stood there, his eyes reddened unconsciously.
Zhu Qingchen knew that the person he was calling was not Lin Laosan’s wife, nor the lady of the Earl’s Mansion.
What he was shouting about was an illusion in his mind, an illusion that someone rushed to comfort him when he was in extreme pain.
Not any specific person in the world. His adoptive mother wasn't worthy, and neither was his biological mother.
Zhu Qingchen walked up and gently touched his head.
I don’t know how long it took before Lin Jingzhe fell into a peaceful sleep, humming.
Zhu Qingchen looked at the student with a bruised face and nose and asked the system: "Didn't the book say that the fourteen-year-old Lin Jingzhe could hold an axe and fight Lin Lao San? How did he get beaten like this?"
"You know, what's written in books is never very accurate." The system explained, "Before 'Chasing Wife to the Crematorium', the author would write the protagonist as miserable as possible, in order to mobilize the readers' emotions to the greatest extent."
"However, after 'Crematorium', in order to resolve the conflict as quickly and lightly as possible, the author will begin to downplay the sufferings that the protagonist has gone through, making the readers feel that it is no big deal and that it is just fine."
"——Only by doing this can the front and back of the whole book be connected."
"Some books will disguise it by saying that the first half, which is about the abuse of the protagonist, is written from the protagonist's perspective, so it looks more miserable; the second half is written from an objective perspective, and the protagonist is not that miserable to begin with."
"Some books don't even pretend to be anything, they just 'eat the setting' directly."
"It's the same with this book. We're still in the first half, so the protagonist gets beaten up badly. When we get to the second half, when we retrace the events, it becomes a fight between him and his adoptive father with a hatchet."
I see.
Zhu Qingchen curled the corner of his mouth, feeling mocked.
The sufferings experienced by the protagonist are nothing more than toys that can be written and changed at will.
The system asked again: "By the way, when you threatened Lin Lao San just now, were the words you said true? You have students in Dali Temple? How come I didn't know?"
"I lied to him." Zhu Qingchen said, "I just came to this world, how could I know what students I have?"
"You even fooled me. I thought you saw some setting that I couldn't see."
"To deal with a villain like Lin Lao San, you can't reason with him, you have to 'beat the thieves'." Zhu Qingchen paused and asked, "My identity in the ancient world was either a school official or a tutor. This time it won't really be just..."
Zhu Qingchen turned his head and looked at the system expectantly.
"Isn't he really just a teacher in the village? They all said that I was demoted here. I should have some way of hiding my identity...right?"
The system also looked at him seriously: "Minister."
Zhu Qingchen nodded: "Well, what is my identity this time?"
"I really didn't do that this time. You are just a village teacher. You didn't pass the imperial examination, so you stayed in the village to teach. You didn't hide your identity. You are really poor."
"..." Zhu Qingchen's expression froze. "You mean, I, a teacher from a village, am going to take my students to confront the Earl's Mansion and the Marquis' Mansion in the capital?"
"That's right."
"I might as well start practicing martial arts now, and then go and assassinate them." Zhu Qingchen thought for a moment, and then asked, "What about the villain?"
"Not sure yet." The system said, "You said he is the villain, so just make a guess based on the plot. It shouldn't be too bad."
"The protagonist's political enemy?"
"It's possible."
"The protagonist's brother? I remember that the protagonist is the second son of the Marquis's mansion, so there should be an eldest son."
“That’s possible.”
"It can't be the bandits who kidnapped Lin Jingzhe, right? The teacher and the bandit leader are quite a good match." Zhu Qingchen scratched his head, "Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore, I'd better rely on myself."
Zhu Qingchen looked at Lin Jingzhe and confirmed that he was okay before getting up and leaving.
The furniture in the house was simple, with a bed, a table, and two chairs.
It can be used as a dining table or as a desk.
The bed was occupied by Lin Jingzhe, so Zhu Qingchen moved the chair to the table, found a piece of clothes to cover himself, and fell asleep on the table.
The system patted his head and said, "Chenchen, thank you for your hard work. I will definitely arrange a wealthy family for you next time."
"Thank you." Zhu Qingchen closed his eyes, "If you can't do it, you're just a puppy."
Zhu Qingchen lay on the table and took a short nap.
I don’t know how long it had been, but suddenly, there was a "bang" sound, waking Zhu Qingchen from his dream.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Zhu Qingchen raised his head and found that the sky was already slightly brighter.
He turned his head and met the gaze of Lin Jingzhe who had fallen to the ground.
Lin Jingzhe just woke up. He wanted to look at the wounds on his body and wanted to eat the steamed bun next to him, but he didn’t want to disturb Zhu Qingchen, so he stretched out his hand to take it.
As a result, I accidentally fell off the bed.
He fell to the ground, met Zhu Qingchen's gaze, and couldn't help but shudder, calling out softly, "Master Zhu."
"Yeah." Zhu Qingchen stood up and shook his numb hands. "Are you awake? Did you fall? Is your body still in pain? Do you want to eat?"
Lin Jingzhe whispered: "No, thank you Master Zhu, I... I want to go back..."
His voice was too soft and Zhu Qingchen couldn't hear it at all. Just at this moment, Lin Laosan's voice came from outside the door again.
"Zhu Qingchen, how dare you lie to me! You live in such a shabby place, and you still have the nerve to say that you have connections in the capital, get out here!"
Last night, Lin Laosan got drunk and was frightened by Zhu Qingchen for a moment.
Now that he was sober, he touched the back of his head and found a fist-sized bump on it. Thinking of what happened last night, he came to Zhu Qingchen to settle the score viciously.
When Lin Jingzhe heard his voice, he became anxious and quickly got up from the ground to stand in front of Zhu Qingchen.
His voice was still very weak: "Master Zhu, I will go out to stop him, you escape through the back door, hide for a few days and then come back, he will beat people without regard for life..."
Zhu Qingchen asked: "What about you?"
"It doesn't matter to me. I'm his son, and he's counting on me to make money for him. He can't beat me to death."
Zhu Qingchen sighed, supported his shoulders, and asked him to sit down on the chair: "You take a rest, it's okay."
"But……"
Zhu Qingchen rolled up his sleeves, walked out of the room, picked up a piece of wood that was piled by the door last night, and weighed it in his hand.
Lin Laosan still remembered the pain of the wooden board hitting his head and could not help but step back.
Zhu Qingchen approached slowly and said calmly, "Whether I have any status in the capital or any connections in the Dali Temple, you can find out by asking. I tell you, with my status, even if I beat you to death last night, no one would dare to punish me."
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