Chapter 139 Qin Zhao is assassinated again
Jiang Ling wanted to go up and take a look, but the sun was about to set.
There's still some distance to go up.
She had no lighting tools, so she had to give up.
I strolled back to the shop, the sun had already completely set, and the air was even chillier.
When Jiang Ling returned, Xiao Ran was tidying up the table, and a group of children were saying goodbye to Fu Chengze.
"See you tomorrow, sir."
When Fu Chengze saw Jiang Ling return, he stopped, still clutching the cloth bag containing the textbooks in his hand, his tone hesitant:
“Miss Jiang, there’s something I want to tell you. It concerns the other children’s tuition fees…”
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Ling understood and waved her hand with a smile:
“Young Master Fu, I know what you want to say. You’ve put in time and effort to teach the children to read, so just accept the tuition fees you’re entitled to. There’s no need to feel pressured. I asked you to teach Xiao Ran so that he could recognize words and understand some principles. You don’t need to hold back because of that.”
Fu Chengze paused for a moment, then a hint of relief appeared in his eyes: "But... I've already accepted your tuition, so it doesn't feel right for me to accept other people's tuition as well."
“What’s wrong with that? You’ve put in the time and effort to teach them, so it’s only right that you accept the tuition you deserve. Besides, the children’s parents are willing to accept it too. If you don’t accept it, they will feel uneasy.”
Fu Chengze thought for a moment and finally nodded: "Then... I'll listen to Miss Jiang and accept half of the usual tuition fee, since I'm just listening in."
Jiang Ling didn't say anything more; he could decide these things himself.
Several children had already helped move the tables and chairs from the doorway into the shop and arranged them neatly.
The boy in the lead walked up to Jiang Ling and bowed respectfully. The other children followed suit, their voices clear and bright: "Thank you, Sister Jiang! Thank you, Mr. Fu!"
"Drive slowly, it's chilly at night, don't run too fast," Jiang Ling instructed, watching them skip and hop away until they disappeared into the alleyway.
Xiao Ran walked over and pointed to the bamboo basket in the shop: "Sister Jiang, Sister Zhao just came over and brought some persimmons and dried persimmons. She said she wanted you to try them, so she left them there."
Jiang Ling walked over and saw that the bamboo basket contained more than a dozen soft persimmons, which were bright orange-red, and a plate of dried persimmons, which were covered with a thin layer of sugar frost and smelled sweet.
"Sister Zhao, you're too kind."
Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Fu Chengze took his leave: "Miss Jiang, Xiao Ran, I'm going back to my uncle's house now. I'll come back tomorrow."
"Young Master Fu, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Sister Zhao just gave us some persimmons. Take some back with you and have a taste."
As she spoke, she wrapped a few soft persimmons and a handful of dried persimmons in oil paper and handed them to Fu Chengze.
Fu Chengze couldn't refuse, so he had to accept it and thanked her repeatedly: "Thank you, Miss Jiang. I'll bring some vegetables that my uncle grew tomorrow."
After seeing Fu Chengze off, Xiao Ran went inside to cook.
Jiang Ling took a persimmon cake, moved a chair, and sat at the door, leisurely eating it.
Smoke billowed from the chimneys of every household, and the aroma of cooked food mingled with the smell of firewood.
By the time Xiao Ran finished preparing the meal, Jiang Ling had already eaten three dried persimmons.
I ate too much without realizing it, and ended up not eating much for dinner.
I had just finished cleaning up the dishes when it was already dark outside.
Jiang Ling figured there wouldn't be many guests that night, so she sent Xiao Ran back.
I wanted to enjoy the stars for a while, but there were too many dark clouds and they were all obscured.
Jiang Ling sat idly for a while, then returned to the shop to close up shop.
Suddenly, a dark figure staggered out from the shadows outside the door, carrying a pungent smell of blood, and lunged straight at them.
"Who?!" Jiang Ling screamed in fright, taking a step back abruptly, her heart pounding wildly.
In a flurry of activity, he grabbed a broom from behind the door to defend himself.
Only after seeing the person's face clearly did she regain her composure slightly, though her voice still carried a hint of surprise and doubt:
"Qin Zhao? What are you doing here?!"
Qin Zhao's face was as pale as paper. He was clutching his right arm tightly with one hand, and blood dripped from between his fingers, staining his dark robes red. Even his breathing was rapid and labored.
"There's no time to explain! Miss Jiang, hurry! Close the door!" His voice was hoarse as he reached out his right hand to push the door open, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Jiang Ling was shocked and quickly stepped forward to stop his hand: "No! You can't close the door!"
Once this door closes, time outside will pass at ten times the speed, and then she won't be able to explain it clearly.
Qin Zhao was taken aback by her sudden obstruction and looked at her in surprise.
He glanced towards the door, forcing himself to endure the pain, and anxiously explained:
"I'm being chased by someone outside. If I don't close the door, both Miss Jiang and I will be in danger!"
Jiang Ling looked at his bleeding wound and listened to the growing noise in the distance, finding herself in a dilemma.
It's dangerous to leave the door open!
But it's dangerous to close the door!
Then her secret will be exposed!
But she couldn't just push the seriously injured Qin Zhao out the door; that would be too inhumane!
Although Qin Zhao did not understand why she hesitated, seeing the struggle in her expression, he knew that she must have something difficult to say, so he stopped urging her. He simply held his breath and listened to the commotion outside, secretly hoping that Jiang Yi could hold off the men in black for a little longer.
Just then, the sound of hurried and chaotic footsteps could be faintly heard in the distance, along with the sharp clanging of metal!
The sound grew louder as it approached, seemingly about to reach the door in the blink of an eye!
The grocery store, with its lights on, stood out like a clear target in the pitch-black night.
Soon, the group of pursuers appeared at the intersection, their eyes instantly locking onto Qin Zhao inside the shop!
Seeing this, Qin Zhao's heart sank. Not wanting to implicate Jiang Ling, he hurriedly said:
"They've spotted me! I'll go out and distract them right away, I'll make sure Miss Jiang isn't implicated!"
He endured the excruciating pain and tried to break free from Jiang Ling's grasp to rush out the door.
As the masked assassins, armed with sharp blades and dressed in black, closed to within twenty meters, Jiang Ling's heart nearly leaped into her throat.
"Don't go!" Jiang Ling made up her mind, reached out and grabbed his arm tightly, pulling him into the shop.
They were just about to close the door.
A sharp, childish shout suddenly came from the dark corner by the wall:
"You bastards! Get away from me! You're not allowed to disturb my shop!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and threw out a dark, indistinct object. It looked like a living thing, struggling and precisely running into the group of people in black.
Jiang Ling looked in astonishment towards the sound, and there huddled in the dark corner was the little vagrant who had begged for lunch earlier that day!
Why is he still here?!
The group of men in black, perhaps startled by the sudden attack, paused in their tracks as they stared at the shop, exchanging quick glances as if wary of something.
However, after only a moment's hesitation, the leader waved his hand, and they pounced fiercely again!
Jiang Ling made a snap decision, almost instinctively, she reached out and pulled the still-stunned refugee into the shop!
He pushed him and Qin Zhao a few steps inside, then slammed the wooden door shut with a loud bang.
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