She's at the point where she can't even find something to use against him to threaten him, let alone avoid him altogether.
What sin did he aton for for no reason?
This time, she couldn't figure it out.
Li Xiuju and Baoyu also frowned as they looked at Qian Rushan, equally puzzled as to why he was acting this way.
Baoyu hesitated for a moment, then remembered something from the past, and anger rose in his heart. "Qian Rushan, we already know your character very well. Just say what your purpose is. Don't pretend to be a good person here."
Zhou Chenyu watched Qian Rushan's every move and silently took out a small hunting knife, just in case. Zhou Chenyu looked over and saw that his bare back was covered with whip marks. His entire back, from his shoulder blades to his waist, was covered with bloody welts and cuts, which was almost unbearable to look at.
“I may lie, but the wounds on my body are real.” Qian Rushan straightened his back, looking at them with despair. “I truly know I was wrong.” Li Xiuju looked at Qian Rushan’s tear-streaked face and the bloodstains covering his back, but she couldn’t bring herself to be cruel. “You almost ruined our family, how can I forgive you? If I forgive you, who will make up for the injuries my two children suffered?”
"Go." Li Xiuju wiped her nose, her eyes filled with tears. Just as she was about to resolutely enter the courtyard, Qian Rushan pulled out a knife from somewhere and slashed his own palm.
Li Xiuju looked at the blood-stained ground and exclaimed in shock, "Qian Rushan, what are you doing?"
Baoyu, fearing that Qian Rushan's knife might accidentally injure someone, stopped the moved Li Xiuju.
Seeing this, the servant rushed forward, trying to snatch Qian Rushan's knife. "Young master, you've just been whipped dozens of times by the master, and your wounds haven't healed yet. Now you're going to have your flesh cut and bleed again. How can your body withstand that?"
Qian Rushan held on tightly and wouldn't let go, cutting his hand several more times, groaning in pain, "If my aunt doesn't forgive me, I can't go home, and I can only die here."
“Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. How much pain would your parents feel if they knew you were belittling yourself like this?” Li Xiuju looked at Baoyu, who was limp, and said, “Mother, if he wants to die, let him die here. That’s exactly what we want.”
“Auntie, if you don’t forgive me, my father will kick me out of the house. Being homeless is worse than death. If I can’t get your forgiveness here today, then I’ll die here!”
Looking at his shocking wounds, Li Xiuju was reminded of the times Baoyu had been beaten until he vomited blood. She covered her mouth in fear, tears welling in her eyes.
Some of the onlookers who were timid quickly covered their eyes.
"Ouch, how did things get like this?"
"Master Qian went too far! Beating his son to this extent is terrible; he'll be half-dead even if he doesn't die!"
"The child only did something wrong, why beat him like this?"
Listening to the murmurs in the crowd, Zhou Chenyu suddenly wondered if she had gone too far, rubbing salt into someone's wound. Qian Rushan, holding a knife in both hands, glanced at them and was about to stab them in the chest.
"No, no!" Li Xiuju cried out in terror, not wanting anyone to die at her doorstep.
Zhou Chenyu strode forward and snatched Qian Rushan's bloodstained knife. "Qian Rushan, alright, we forgive you!"
Qian Rushan opened his eyes in a daze, "Really?"
"Young master, you don't need to kill yourself." The servants surrounded Qian Rushan, who stood up with tears in his eyes, his voice a mixture of sobs and laughter. "Miss Chenyu, have you truly forgiven me?"
Zhou Chenyu wiped the blood off his hands and said lazily, "Yes, we forgive you because you're so sincere. But let's make it clear first, we can forgive you, but you have to take your things away."
Qian Rushan said softly, "But these are all my heartfelt wishes, so please accept them."
Zhou Chenyu kicked at the blood-stained stone beneath her feet, growing increasingly impatient. "Your few drops of blood are enough. As for these things, we don't need them." Atonement?
Zhou Chenyu slightly opened her eyes, looking at Qian Rushan with a mixture of belief and doubt.
With Qian Rushan's wealth and influence, he could easily make things difficult for them even if he came to their door a few more times. Unless she had something on him, it would be more believable if he came to apologize.
Baoyu, however, felt a sense of satisfaction, saying, "Qian Rushan, you deserve to be beaten for the mistakes you made. You can't blame anyone else!"
Qian Rushan, devoid of his former arrogance, silently put on his clothes and looked at the silent Li Xiuju with tears in his eyes. "Aunt Li, I know I was wrong. Please, for the sake of my youthful folly, give me a chance to reform."
Qian Rushan glanced at Zhou Chenyu and gave a helpless bitter smile. "Brother Baoyu, it's common knowledge that my group came to apologize with generous gifts. If it were to deceive you, why would I go to such lengths?"
"To tell you the truth, my father came back. When he found out about the outrageous things I had done, he gave me a severe beating. After suffering that punishment, I realized how utterly outrageous my actions had been. My father did the right thing! I deserved it." He lowered his head in shame and indignation, a few tears streaming down his face.
Zhou Chenyu described the story of Qian Rushan so vividly, as if it were a real event.
She raised an eyebrow. "Young Master Qian, anyone can talk the talk, right?"
Qian Rushan's heart sank. "You don't believe me?"
Zhou Chenyu smiled at him and said, "If you want me to believe you, then show me the evidence."
"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Qian Rushan wiped his snot and tears, and rushed forward excitedly. He suddenly rushed up, startling Zhou Chenyu. Li Xiuju quickly pulled her back.
"What do you want to do?" Baoyu was about to stop him when he saw Qian Rushan kneel down a few steps away from her for the first time ever, and take off his shirt in front of everyone.
Qian Rushan smiled and scolded the servants beside him, "What are you all standing there for? Miss Chenyu said she doesn't want it, and that's final. Get her out of here now!"
At the order, the servants hurriedly carried away the things, while Qian Rushan remained standing in place. "Miss Chenyu, if you don't want these things, what do you want? Just tell me, and I can make it happen."
Zhou Chenyu glanced at him, then shoved the knife into his hand. "It's enough that we've put aside our differences. We won't take any other advantage."
“But…” Qian Rushan’s eyes followed her, and he spoke again and again. Zhou Chenyu turned around coldly and intimidated him: “What? Isn’t it enough that we’ve forgiven you? You want to eat at our house before you leave?”
Qian Rushan caught a glimpse of Zhou Chenyu's anger, grinned, and said, "How dare I? I'll leave right now, immediately."
After Qian Rushan left, the villagers who had been watching the spectacle also left one after another to go home and cook, and the courtyard returned to its usual tranquility.
Still shaken, Li Xiuju saw the pool of blood on the ground and exclaimed, "What bad luck! I need to go inside and get some water!"
Li Xiuju went into the house, and Baoyu wanted to follow her, but then stopped and asked, "Sister, why did you stop Qian Rushan just now? It would be better if someone like him died!"
Seeing his indignant yet foolish appearance, Zhou Chenyu grabbed his clothes and wiped away the blood that hadn't been cleaned. "Are you stupid? He didn't really want to die. I think it was most likely a ruse."
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