On Saturday, a small, dark hand clutched a pen and slowly opened it in full view of everyone.
A calligraphy brush broke in two!
Lu Qiqi looked at the calligraphy brush and it seemed familiar, but she didn't say anything, quietly waiting for Saturday to defend her.
On Saturday, he looked a little disappointed and whispered, "Guo Wuyong said I stole the pen and took it away. I tried to take the pen back, so he broke it."
He also called me a jinx, saying I was born of a mother but raised by one, and that my whole family was dead.
Saturday's voice grew softer and softer. "I was so angry that I hit him with a pen, and he hit me on the head with an inkstone, and then we started fighting."
"He's an orphan, a bastard who steals things. Can you even afford such a fine wolf-hair brush?" Madam Guo mocked.
The more Madam Lu listened, the angrier she became. She shouted, "Who said Xiao Liu doesn't have a mother? I am his mother! If anyone dares to bully him with this again, I'll never forgive them!"
"Little Six, call me Mother!"
Saturday's previously downcast face instantly lifted.
"Shout it out quickly!" Madam Lu said again.
On Saturday, he tentatively called out, "Mother?"
Hearing Saturday call for her mother, Madam Lu felt a surge of secret pleasure. She tried hard to suppress the smile from her lips, lest she lose face.
Now that Lu Qiqi understands the whole story, it's time to clear Zhou Liu's name.
Lu Qiqi scoffed, "Can't afford it? This wolf-hair brush isn't something that can be bought with mountains of gold and silver, so why can't we afford it?"
He added, "Since you say this pen was stolen, then tell me where you bought it and how much silver it cost?"
I cannot agree with your baseless accusations!
"And if you dare utter another insult, I'll tear your mouth apart, or I'll change my surname to yours!"
Forced to take a step back by Lu Qiqi's imposing manner, Madam Guo stammered, "My family buys so many things every day, how could we possibly remember such trivial matters?"
Lu Qiqi took the wolf-hair brush from Zhou Liu's hand, completely unconcerned that the still-wet ink on the brush had stained her slender, delicate hands.
She said, "But I have evidence! The pen has Zhou Liu's name engraved at the end, which was personally engraved by the master craftsman of Mozhai."
Even after seeing Zhou Liu's name, Madam Guo still believed her son's words. After all, she didn't believe that a peasant could afford a wolf-hair brush. She said shamelessly, "Who knows if he carved it secretly himself?"
Seeing that Madam Guo wouldn't admit her mistake until she was faced with the ultimate problem, Lu Qiqi directly pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the receipt from Mozhai. It clearly records what kind of pens were purchased!"
Despite the evidence, Mrs. Guo remained undeterred, saying, "Even if my son wronged him, he shouldn't have beaten my son like this!"
Finally, Madam Guo realized that Lu Qiqi was too difficult to deal with and didn't want to argue any further. She said sternly, "Mr. Fu, this brat beat my son up like this, and you're just going to sit idly by?! Does your academy still want its desks, paper, and pens?!"
After watching for a while without being able to get a word in edgewise, Mr. Fu finally snapped out of it and said, "On Saturday, the student beat up a classmate and was deemed unrepentant. He is now being expelled from the academy."
Now Madam Lu was anxious and tugged at Lu Qiqi's sleeve with one hand.
Lu Qiqi gently patted Madam Lu's hand and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Fu is unable to distinguish right from wrong and reverses black and white. With such character, my child will not be able to be well-behaved under your care."
In that case, I will go to the dean to seek justice.
If the dean is unfair, I will go to the government office.
The Great Jin Dynasty has always valued its students. The academy's corruption and bribery have left students without access to education. I refuse to believe the government will stand idly by!
The fact that the academy was accepting bribes in private was a serious crime in the Great Jin Dynasty, and Mr. Fu immediately panicked.
Before he could come up with a solution, he heard a strong voice coming from outside the door.
"Who dares to smear the reputation of my Qingshui Academy!"
Upon hearing the sound, everyone looked towards the door, but Mr. Fu was sweating profusely.
The newcomer had a long beard, looked to be over fifty, and exuded a refined and upright air. He was followed by two men in long robes.
"Dean Zhang," Mr. Fu said with a bow.
Dean Zhang waved his hand, "Just now, I could hear the commotion in the backyard from far away. What exactly happened?"
Mr. Fu was about to explain when Lu Qiqi spoke first.
Lu Qiqi recounted the whole story from beginning to end, and Mr. Fu's head drooped lower and lower as he listened.
After hearing what had happened, Dean Zhang said, "Mr. Fu, I entrusted my students to you, and this is how you teach them! You are clearly misleading them!"
Ignoring everything else, Mr. Fu clasped his hands and said, "I know I was wrong, and I hope the dean will give me a chance to reform myself."
Dean Zhang glanced at Mr. Fu indifferently, "The matter of bribery will be decided by the government. The students who offered bribes will be expelled, and Qingshui Academy will never admit them again."
When the two men in long robes pushed Mr. Fu down, he was still begging for mercy.
Mrs. Guo never expected that in the end, it would be her son who would be expelled from school!
What was even more unexpected was that the college her family was sponsoring was actually sponsoring Mr. Fu personally—what a hypocrite!
Mrs. Guo lost face. She grabbed Guo Wuyong by the back of the neck and dragged him out the door, cursing, "Look what you've done! We spent so much money to send you to school, and now you've been expelled. I'll see if your father doesn't break your legs!"
Guo Wuyong was terrified by Madam Guo and burst into tears. The old nanny following behind him tried to comfort him.
The chaotic noise gradually faded away.
Dean Zhang then said to Lu Qiqi with a slight apology, "I was too lenient with Mr. Zhou in this matter, which caused him to suffer such injustice. I will definitely pay more attention to Mr. Zhou's character in the future."
Lu Qiqi said, "I hope the dean will keep his word. Only then can we parents feel at ease sending our children to the academy, hoping they can achieve good academic results in the future."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lu Qiqi and the other two left the academy.
As soon as she got home, Lu Qiqi checked Zhou Liu's injuries.
A large, bluish-purple bump appeared on my left forehead, containing bruises but not yet broken.
Lu Qiqi immediately asked Madam Lu to fill a basin with water from the vat and give it to Zhou Liu for a cold compress.
In early spring, when the cold wind blows, the water in the jar freezes to the touch, making it perfect for cold compresses.
Lu Qiqi wrung out a face towel and placed it on Saturday's forehead.
On Saturday, the cold towel stung her, and she sat up abruptly, her little face scrunched up, looking pitiful.
Madam Lu felt a pang of pity and asked softly, "Little Six, does it hurt a lot? If it hurts, tell your aunt, don't bear it yourself, okay!"
On Saturday, he blinked and looked at Madam Lu. Just now he had called Madam Lu "Mother," but now he was calling her "Auntie" again?
On Saturday, I thought of my mother, who would feed me medicine when I was sick and stand up for me when I was bullied, just like Ms. Lu today.
He really misses his mother!
As he thought about it, he started to cry on Saturday. He didn't cry when he was fighting, when he was wronged, or when he was expelled from school.
But now the tears just keep falling, I just can't stop them.
When Mrs. Lu saw that Saturday was crying from the pain, her heart ached even more. She cursed the Guo family mother and son and Mr. Fu countless times in her heart!
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