Just as they entered the town that day, Zhao Qingyan went to buy a few roast chickens and some pastries.
Planning to take it with her on the road tomorrow, and smelling delicious, Zhao Qingyan was happily heading towards the inn.
Suddenly, a couple jumped out from the roadside and blocked his way.
The man is whipping the woman with all his might.
They were using brambles, and you could clearly see beads of blood on the thorns.
The woman screamed for help, and when she saw Zhao Qingyan passing by, she immediately hid behind Zhao Qingyan.
"You shameless woman, how many times have you cheated on me?"
Where did this pretty boy come from? You bitch, let's see where you hide!
As the man cursed, he lashed out with the thorny branch in his hand.
And the direction was precisely Zhao Qingyan's face.
Zhao Qingyan tried to dodge, but the woman behind her grabbed her clothes.
Zhao Qingyan could foresee that if she tried to forcefully shake the woman off, her clothes would definitely be torn.
Without hesitation, Zhao Qingyan kicked the man several meters away.
The man fell to the ground, the thorny branch in his hand flying far away.
The man who was kicked away lay on the ground, clutching his stomach and howling in pain. His elbow was bleeding from scraping against the ground.
Hearing the man's wails, the woman peeked out from behind Zhao Qingyan.
Upon seeing her husband's miserable state, she immediately rushed over to him.
"Honey, what happened to you? Where are you hurt?"
The woman wiped away her tears as she checked her husband's injuries.
He raised his head and glared fiercely at Zhao Qingyan.
"You bastard, how could you be so vicious? My man was perfectly fine and did nothing to provoke you, so why did you hurt him?"
"How malicious of you! My man is injured and has suffered terribly. If you don't give me an explanation today, don't even think about leaving."
Zhao Qingyan was so angry she laughed; it felt like she'd encountered a con artist trying to scam her.
"You woman are so unreasonable. If you hadn't run out and hidden behind me, shamelessly grabbing my clothes, it would have been a disaster."
Why would I kick your man when he tries to hit me with a thorn stick?
If I don't kick him, you unfaithful woman will tear my clothes to shreds.
Don't think you can cling to me just because I'm handsome.
Or is this how you two extort money from passersby?
As soon as Zhao Qingyan finished speaking, the onlookers and nearby merchants began to discuss it.
After all, the couple had made quite a racket, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.
The owner of the grocery store next to the couple's house said,
"Young man, this couple runs this paper-craft shop. Qiao Da is usually fine, but he can't drink alcohol."
He beats his wife after drinking; he must have been drinking again today.
Zhao Qingyan was delighted by what the grocery store owner said.
"What, if you know that drinking will lead to drunkenness and disorder, then why drink at all?"
Isn't this just making trouble out of nothing? I don't think he was really drunk.
Judging from his wife's words, she even wants me to pay her compensation. I figure this couple must be repeat offenders.
They specifically use this method to extort pedestrians on the street.
What could the grocery store owner say? He was just a neighbor.
When Qiao's wife heard Zhao Qingyan say that they were trying to extort money, she immediately objected.
"This is outrageous! My husband was perfectly fine when this kid beat him up, refused to pay compensation, and even tried to smear us. I don't want to live anymore..."
Zhao Qingyan felt really annoyed.
The roast chicken I was carrying was almost cold, and it wouldn't taste as good when it was cold. Being stopped here was really annoying.
"If you don't want to live, then go die. Anyway, if you don't commit suicide, your man will beat you to death sooner or later."
Or next time you stop someone passing by, and your husband beats them up, if that person has any connections, they could ruin your family.
At that time, it wouldn't just be you who died, but also your husband. If you had children, they might also be implicated.
If you want to die, hold on tight; if you don't want to die, get out of the way.
If it weren't for my skills today, I would be disfigured by now.
Everyone can testify to this. If someone is going to be disfigured, it would be foolish not to intervene.
If you want me to pay, that's fine too, but go report it to the authorities. I'm staying at the Yue Lai Inn, room number two.
"You've wasted so much of my time, and this roast chicken is getting cold. If you get an upset stomach from eating it, I'll be asking you for money."
After saying that, Zhao Qingyan turned and left.
I feel unlucky.
Back at the inn, I slept until midnight when someone knocked on the door. Opening it, I found a pair of government officials.
"Did you have a quarrel with Mr. and Mrs. Qiao, who run a paper craft shop in the city, and you even seriously injured Mr. Qiao?"
One of the constables said.
Zhao Qingyan frowned.
"I did encounter a couple trying to extort money from me today."
I just couldn't dodge when the man's thorny branch came straight at my face, so I kicked him.
It was just one kick, and I was holding back, so there was absolutely no way it could cause serious injury; at most, I'd just get a stomp on my butt.
The two constables exchanged a glance.
"Let's talk about it when we get to the yamen. That Qiao family's wife has sued you."
She said her husband had fainted and his fate was unknown.
Zhao Qingyan's eyes widened in disbelief.
The constables also felt sorry for Zhao Qingyan. What a handsome boy he was! How could he have run into such a troublesome situation?
Zhao Qingyan quickly composed herself.
"Brothers, please wait a moment. May I write a letter for my friend before I leave with you?"
The two constables seemed a bit embarrassed.
Zhao Qingyan turned back into the room, took out two qian of silver from the purse beside the bed, and handed it to one of the yamen runners.
"Brothers, please make an exception. I write very quickly."
After closing the door, Zhao Qingyan quickly got dressed and slung a backpack she had left in the room over her shoulder.
When he got downstairs, he borrowed paper and pen from the shopkeeper and wrote a letter to Cheng Yidao.
He left the shopkeeper three taels of silver.
"Shopkeeper, if the Han family caravan comes looking for me tomorrow morning, please give them this letter and tell them to leave first."
Please take good care of my horse while I'm gone. Here's three taels of silver.
The shopkeeper naturally nodded in agreement.
After Zhao Qingyan left with the yamen runners, the shopkeeper shook his head and sighed.
"This guy is really unlucky, how did he run into that couple?"
He clearly knew something; the yawning waiter hadn't even opened his eyes.
"Shopkeeper, what's going on with that couple?"
The shopkeeper said irritably.
"Why are you asking so many questions, you little kid? Alright, I'm going to sleep now. You better wake up and don't sleep too soundly."
It was quite cold in the middle of the night, so Zhao Qingyan quickly circulated her internal energy to resist some of the chill.
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