Chapter 508 A Dream of Youth 40
After the exam, Xie Qi slept for a whole day without eating, and Xie Wangzhi's tense nerves relaxed a lot, allowing him to focus more on his studies.
Xie Ning really wanted to stay in the study, but Xie Wangzhi thought that a young child would get bored reading all day.
So she basically rested every three days, meaning that every three days Chen would take Xie Ning out for a stroll.
Xie Ning did not reject this idea. She could indeed learn a lot from books, but if she really never left her home, her knowledge would be limited.
Therefore, early that morning, Madam Chen dressed Xie Ning in a little skirt and hairband and took her out shopping.
While picking out hair accessories for Xie Ning on the street, Chen was suddenly bumped into. Instinctively, she shielded Xie Ning beside her.
Looking up, she saw that the little beggar who had bumped into her and fallen to the ground was being held down hard by the people chasing after him.
"You filthy beggar, how dare you steal my steamed buns? Don't you even know how many of my relatives live on this street? Do you think you can get away with this?"
As he spoke, the burly man began slapping the little beggar's head repeatedly. Chen felt a pang of pity, as the little beggar looked even younger than Xie Qi.
"I'll pay for whatever he stole, please stop hitting him."
Upon hearing this, the burly man laughed, looked Chen up and down, his eyes darting around, and said, "It's not much, just sixty coins for the steamed buns."
"You're talking nonsense! I only took three buns. I'll definitely pay you back when I have the money..."
"Pah! You think you can wait until you have money? You might starve to death tomorrow."
The little beggar looked up at his bruised and swollen face, a glimmer of hopelessness and confusion flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his resolve, "I will not die!"
His voice was very hoarse and sounded somewhat eerie.
Ms. Chen counted out the money for five steamed buns and handed it over. She wasn't a fool to let others cheat her. "Three it is then. I'll give you the extra money to make up for the time you wasted."
Shopkeeper, you're supposed to be doing business on this street too. If you keep spouting such arrogant nonsense, who will dare to buy steamed buns from you in the future?
And weren't they all slaughtered like lambs to the slaughter?
Xie Ning chimed in, "Uncle, the Analects says, 'To be kind to others is to be kind to yourself; to leave a way out for others is to leave a way out for yourself.'"
“Alright! Why don’t we compromise? As the saying goes, ‘Therefore, the greatest virtue of a gentleman is to do good to others.’” A scholar in a blue robe stepped forward to advise.
The burly man's face flushed red after hearing these words. Seeing that everyone around him was looking over, he couldn't help but spit inwardly. He wasn't exactly a gentleman, but he still had to do business here in the future.
He didn't accept all the money Chen was owed; he only took the money for three steamed buns.
"I, Hu Daniu, was just too angry and spoke nonsense. I hope you won't take it to heart, young lady." If his reputation is ruined, this business will suffer a great loss.
Then she glared at the little beggar who was tightly protecting the bun in his arms, "My lady is kind-hearted, but sometimes you have to be careful not to provoke that ungrateful wretch."
Chen had only offered help casually and had no intention of taking the little beggar in. After the beggar left, she said to him, "Go now. You should never steal again. Getting beaten up is the least of your worries. If you are sent to the authorities, you may never get out."
Those who manage to get out are lucky; they must have encountered good county magistrates and yamen runners/prison officials.
The little beggar knelt down in front of Madam Chen and kowtowed three times. His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Madam Chen. “Madam, rest assured, I really had no other choice today. I will never steal again. My name is Deng Da. I will never forget your great kindness, Madam.”
After saying that, he kowtowed three more times.
"This little beggar knows how to talk." And he even speaks in a somewhat literary style, not in ordinary colloquial language.
Mr. Chen also felt that way.
Xie Ning handed him the pastries in her hand, saying, "Here you go."
Deng Da didn't want to accept it, but Chen Shi just smiled and said, "You should accept it. This child is good at learning and has good character. I'm happy."
She did this to set an example for Xie Ning, to encourage her to have a kind heart.
After everyone left, Madam Chen whispered to Xie Ning, "If you encounter similar situations in the future, you can lend a helping hand when appropriate. Everyone has times of hardship. If you can't help them, you shouldn't kick them when they're down. A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. Who knows when that 'tiger' will rise again..."
Xie Ning nodded. It's good to have good intentions, but one shouldn't be a pushover.
Thinking too much about others while neglecting one's own interests, and not all good deeds are rewarded; some people not only don't appreciate the kindness shown to them, but also think they are easy to bully.
After all, people tend to pick on the weakest link.
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