Chapter 48 Zhang Kneels and Kowtows
"ah……"
Shen Lingyi screamed in terror and quickly pulled her fat legs back.
She clung to Shen Qingshu's leg, pleading, "Father, please, save your daughter! Don't let them cut off my hand! I'll never gamble again..."
Shen Qingshu looked down at his good-for-nothing daughter, his brows furrowed.
Suddenly, Shen Lingyi, as if grasping at a straw, hurriedly said, "Brother! Father, think of your brother! He loves me the most. If he comes back and finds that his sister is missing an arm, how heartbroken he will be."
Zhang was wiping away tears with a handkerchief when she heard this and suddenly looked up, her venomous gaze piercing Lu Zhaoruo.
She had almost forgotten that she even had this daughter-in-law!
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her eyes, her lips pursed almost imperceptibly.
Next...
They'd have to push themselves out to beg for mercy, then force themselves to kneel...
The scenes from her past life were still vivid in her mind, and a surge of resentment welled up in her chest...
Fortunately, she was the one who planned this play, and thanks to her meticulous planning, it started a full five months earlier than in her previous life...
First, Madam Zhang instructed Granny Zhou to fetch all the cash from the accounting office. Then, she ordered Lu Zhaoruo, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and say some nice words to these gentlemen! You are the mistress of the Shen family."
Lu Zhaoruo gestured to Dongrou to take Abao away, as the scene was going to be bloody and not suitable for Abao to see...
Abao is very obedient and knows that he cannot be a burden to his mother.
After Dong Rou and A Bao left, Lu Zhaoruo timidly took half a step forward, her slender fingers twisting her handkerchief, tears welling in her eyes: "Please, Steward Zhou..."
"shut up!"
On Wednesday, he slammed the abacus onto the stone table.
Holding a large knife in his other hand, he shouted, "No one can plead for her! Either hand over nine hundred taels of silver without missing a single penny, or cut off her left hand!"
Zhang was sweating profusely with anxiety. She grabbed Lu Zhaoruo and said, "Master Zhou, my daughter-in-law has a way. She saved the life of Master Gu of the silk shop. You must know Master Gu. Even the county magistrate would bow and greet him. What is nine hundred taels of silver!"
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with mockery.
Wednesday sneered: "Master Gu set off for Beijing three days ago to pay respects to his ancestors!"
He glanced sideways at Madam Zhang, "Does Madam Shen expect me to wait until next spring?"
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared, followed by a sharp clang. The silver hairpin at Shen Lingyi's temple snapped off and fell onto the bluestone slab. "Today, it's either silver or blood!"
"Ah ah..."
Shen Lingyi curled up her obese body.
Zhang said in a panic, "My daughter-in-law knows the platoon leader of the Linhai Navy. She can also do needlework. She can do everything and is a good earner..."
On Wednesday, his expression changed drastically: "Commander Ban is an official appointed by the imperial court. Do you want to get me killed?"
For a moment, Zhang was at a loss. Suddenly, she shoved Lu Zhaoruo fiercely, saying, "You shameless wretch! Kneel down now! Kneel before these gentlemen! Beg them to grant your aunt a few more days!"
Oh.
kneel……
In her past life, Zhang pressed down on the back of her neck and slammed her forehead hard against the bluestone slab...
Her fingertips dug deeply into her palms, forcibly suppressing the hatred surging in her eyes into two pools of clear tears. When she raised her head again, the tears rolled down at just the right moment: "Aunt..."
"Kneel when I tell you to kneel!"
“Back then, my Rongzhi knelt in the snow, entrusting us to your care. How sincere he was!”
"Now that you've turned the house upside down, how will you face Rongzhi when he returns?"
yes.
Yes, I did kneel down.
Looking back now...
The Shen family is truly shameless to the extreme.
Wednesday scoffed, "I've really seen something today. My own daughter's gambling debts are forcing my daughter-in-law to kneel down and beg for forgiveness?"
He suddenly raised his voice, "Even though we're loan sharks, we still know how to write the words 'shame'!"
"Even if she kowtowed a hundred times, it wouldn't be worth a single penny!"
Lu Zhaoruo let out a sob at the opportune moment, covering her face with a handkerchief: "Aunt...you heard me...it's not that your daughter-in-law doesn't want to kneel, it's just that kneeling would be useless..."
Zhang was so anxious that she paced back and forth, her hair in a mess: "What...what should I do..."
On Wednesday, he suddenly gave a sinister smile, turning the knife towards Madam Zhang: "How about... we have Old Madam Shen kowtow a few times herself?"
He laughed heartily and continued, "If I'm in a good mood, I might grant you three more days."
Zhang was struck dumb, staggering back several steps.
She pointed at Wednesday, trembling, and said, "You..."
"What do you mean, 'you'?!"
On Wednesday, the burly man next to him roared, slamming his water-and-fire stick into the ground, making the blue bricks vibrate. "Are you going to kneel or not?"
Shen Lingyi's plump body lay prostrate on the ground, clutching Zhang's skirt tightly: "Mother..."
His voice was filled with sorrow.
Zhang was furious. She kicked Shen Lingyi and yelled, "You damned brat! Look at the mess you've made!"
Lu Zhaoruo stepped forward at the opportune moment, her slender fingers wiping away tears with a handkerchief: "Let me kneel and kowtow on behalf of my aunt..."
She slightly bent her knees, as if about to kneel.
"Get out of my way!"
On Wednesday, he blocked her path with the back of his knife, saying, "Who asked you to kneel?"
He spat in disgust, "Get out of here! You think you're worthy to kowtow to me?"
Okay!
Lu Zhaoruo cast a helpless and sorrowful look at Zhang Shi.
Her slender shoulders hunched slightly, appearing resigned to her fate, before she lowered her head and a smile suddenly curved her lips.
"This old woman...kneels!"
Zhang's piercing screams shattered the courtyard.
Amidst the horrified gazes of the entire courtyard, he slowly bent his knees and knelt on the ground.
"Thump!"
He kowtowed first.
On Wednesday, he and his thugs slapped their thighs and laughed wildly, their ferocious laughter echoing in the courtyard. "Look at this old hag!"
Lu Zhaoruo watched coldly, remembering how she herself had been kneeling on the ground in her past life...
When Zhang kowtowed for the second time, the string of Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist, which she had been playing with for decades, suddenly broke, scattering the beads everywhere.
One of the grains rolled to Lu Zhaoruo's feet.
Unnoticed, she ground the tip of her embroidered shoe hard against the Buddhist bead, as if crushing Zhang's last shred of dignity.
After kowtowing three times.
Zhang collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, as if every inch of her old skin was twitching.
All the dignity she had built up in her life was shattered in front of this courtyard full of servants.
Shen Lingyi showed no concern for her mother. Her obese body scrambled forward a few steps, a fawning smile plastered on her face: "Thank you for the grace period, Steward Zhou! This Lu family member will definitely be able to gather nine hundred taels in three days!"
A faint smile flickered across Lu Zhaoruo's lips.
Wednesday sneered, "I only said, 'If I'm in a good mood, I might grant you three days' grace.' I didn't say that kneeling down and kowtowing three times would definitely grant you three days' grace."
The fat on Shen Lingyi's face trembled violently.
Shen Qingshu's hands clenched so tightly they cracked; they'd been tricked!
"Then, then what about Master Zhou now..."
Zhang's voice was hoarse, and her forehead was still covered in dust. "Are you in a good mood or a bad mood?"
"Of course..."
"I'm in a terrible mood..."
On Wednesday, he slowly wiped the knife, grinning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
