With a thud, Manager Gao was struck on the back with a stick and suddenly his eyes were covered.
Immediately afterwards, ten beggars rushed over and began punching and kicking him.
"Who are you? Is there no law anymore?!" Manager Gao was beaten so badly that he couldn't get up for a long time.
They didn't hold back, beating Manager Gao until he screamed in agony.
Qiu Yan raised her lips, and seeing that it was about time, she waved her hand, and Lu Jia and the others ran off like the wind.
She didn't want anyone to die.
Manager Gao lay on the ground cursing loudly. He had offended quite a few people outside, and after thinking about it, he still didn't know who had come to seek revenge.
He struggled to his feet, removed the black bag covering his head, and stared at the empty street, his face contorted with rage.
"Who is it, you coward? Show yourself if you dare! What kind of skill is it to hide in the shadows!"
If he sees who hit him, he will definitely retaliate tenfold.
"It's me." A voice came from above. Manager Gao could only hear the voice but not see the person, and he felt a shiver run down his spine.
With a whoosh, a cold wind swept by, and Qiu Dayu, with his long hair loose and dressed in white, floated down from the top of the wall and landed in front of Manager Gao.
"A ghost...a ghost!" Manager Gao braced himself on his elbows and kept backing away, the area beneath him already soaked.
Upon seeing the man in white in front of him again, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
"Hmph, is that all the courage you have?" Qiu Dayu turned around and went to find Qiu Yan.
The beggars were already standing in front of Qiu Yan, each with a mischievous smile on their face.
Qiu Yan looked at their smiling faces; they were just a group of teenagers.
She said, "Let's go."
"Where to?" Lu Jia asked.
Qiu Dayu curled his lips and replied, "At the edge of the city."
Qiu Yan didn't say anything, but started walking forward. Soon, they arrived at a river on the outskirts of Baiyang City.
"Why did you bring us to the river?" Lu Jia wondered.
Suddenly, he remembered that Manager Gao had just collapsed, and his expression became tense.
This girl, could she have killed that man?
Just as I was thinking this, I heard Qiu Yan say softly, "Go into the water."
Lu Jia and the others went limp.
"Grandma, you're not going to kill us, are you?" The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He wanted to run but didn't dare to, so he quickly knelt down in front of Qiu Yan. "We know we did something wrong, and you've punished us as you should. We just helped you too. Please, let us go."
As beggars, they were used to being beaten and scolded every day.
Because they lack household registration, their brothers often die tragically in front of them, and they have nowhere to seek justice, which is why they are so afraid.
As soon as Lu Jia spoke, the other beggars all looked terrified and knelt down in front of Qiu Yan.
A summer breeze blows, and the surrounding air becomes cool.
But Lu Jia and the others were covered in cold sweat, their hearts pounding wildly.
"Stand up, a man's knees are worth their weight in gold." Qiu Yan sighed and shook her head. "Uncle, it's all yours now."
After saying that, she left.
Qiu Dayu had some doubts. Did his eldest niece really seem that vicious?
Lu Jia looked at Qiu Dayu: "Brother, we don't want to die..."
"Get up! Who wants your lives? Look at yourselves, you're all filthy."
Lu Jia and the others were relieved; they were almost scared out of their wits.
Qiu Dayu looked at the group of beggar children in front of him and asked, "What are your names? How old are you?"
Lu Jia replied, "My name is Lu Jia, and I am sixteen years old."
After saying that, he looked at his other companions and said, “Some of them are orphans who got lost on the way to escape famine, and some were abandoned by their parents on the roadside when they were still in swaddling clothes because their families were poor.”
They didn't know their birth year, nor their names, because my grandfather took them in, and now they all share my surname, Lu.
"Oh, I see. Where's your grandfather?"
"He has been gone for many years."
Qiu Dayu originally felt that he was already pitiful enough for not being liked by his mother and brothers. Compared to them, he was much luckier.
After they finished bathing, Qiu Dayu had them change into the uniforms of Xingyuelou servants.
Their own clothes were too tattered to wear.
Lu Jia and the others were flattered and overwhelmed, unsure whether to feel sorrow or joy.
Tonight, Qiu Yan returned to the shop, where Qiu Ling'er was asking her brother all sorts of questions, mainly about today's test questions, how difficult they were, and how he answered them.
Qiu Ling'er rested her chin on her hands, somewhat envious of her brother, "Brother, I also want to go to Luming Academy."
Qiu Xu shook his head and looked at Qiu Ling'er seriously: "Sister, there are no little girls in the academy."
Qiu Yan had just returned from outside when she overheard her younger brother and sister talking.
This era of male chauvinism is unfair to women.
Upon seeing Qiu Yan, Qiu Ling'er insisted, "Sister, I want to go to Lu Ming Academy. I want to study with my brother."
"Ling'er, the academy does not accept girls."
"Oh." Qiu Ling'er frowned, looking very unhappy.
After a long while, she suddenly looked up and said, "I can wear my brother's clothes so they won't know I'm a little girl."
"Ling'er, the academy is full of men. If you are bullied..."
"Don't worry, sister, brother will protect me," Qiu Ling'er interrupted her sister with a bright smile.
After she finished speaking, she hugged her brother's arm.
Qiu Xu: "Little sister, the academy exam is over."
"Oh." Qiu Ling'er's eyes drooped again, but she quickly smiled again. "Can I go next year?"
"This..." Qiu Xu was speechless, unsure how to answer.
Qiu Yan touched her younger sister's hair. "Ling'er, let's talk about this later."
"Okay," Qiu Ling'er replied sweetly.
Influenced by her older sister, she felt that she was no less capable than men.
Zhu Juan was playing with Gu Xiaoran's puppy.
As she listened to Qiu Ling'er's words, all she could think was, "How is this possible?"
The next day, it happened to be Qiu Ling'er's day off. Qiu Yan thought that her younger sister had been studying for many days without rest, so she took her and her younger brother to Lu Ming Academy to check the list of those who had passed.
Upon arrival, the list was densely packed with students.
Zhou Zifang and his two guards were also among them.
Before Qiu Yan could even check, Zhou Zifang rushed over excitedly, "Qiu Xu, our names are on the list."
Qiu Xu smiled faintly, finally relieved.
After hearing this, Qiu Yan personally squeezed into the crowd to check the list.
The younger brother and Zhou Zifang's names came one after the other, both ranking at the top of the class.
Zhou Zifang looked at Qiu Yan, his lovely younger sister, and struck up a conversation with a smile, "Ling'er, it's been a long time."
Qiu Ling'er had long forgotten what Zhou Zifang looked like. She scratched her head and said, "You are..."
Her bewildered look made Zhou Zifang a little embarrassed. "I'm your older brother Zhou."
"Brother Zhou?"
Outside the Star Moon Pavilion, two horses were parked at the entrance.
"Young master, this restaurant is doing good business. Let's dine here."
As the guards spoke, He Lin dismounted, glanced at the signboard of Xingyue Tower, and went inside.
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