Chapter 86 You cut a lock of my hair, I'll cut off all ten of your fingers.
My younger sister has really suffered a lot of injustices in the Shen family all these years.
Lu Zhaoruo raised her hand to brush a chicken feather off his shoulder and said softly, "Thank you, brother. I really do need to go home for the night."
Lu Bohong was taken aback: "Just staying one night? You're not staying any more?"
He said urgently, "Don't take Mother's nonsense to heart. The Lu family is your home, your boudoir, and it has always been kept clean and tidy... Even if you hadn't divorced before, as long as you want to go back, Father and I will wait for you."
“I understand my brother’s intentions.”
Lu Zhaoruo explained gently, "But I still have Shitou, Lü'er, and Dongrou with me... It's not good for them all to be crammed into the house, so I plan to take over 'Jinxiufang'. Jinxiufang has two courtyards connected to the back. The front three floors will be used for the embroidery business, and the two courtyards in the back will be my younger sister's residence in the future, which will save us from renting another house..."
As she spoke, a bitter smile appeared on her lips. "Besides, I'm afraid Mother might not be happy to see me go back and stay for a long time."
Lu Bohong: "It's her business if Mother is unhappy! Father and I..."
He suddenly deflated halfway through his sentence, shaking his head and sighing, "Forget it, forget it. Going home will only mean listening to her nagging all day long, and she'll try every trick in the book to squeeze money out of you. Since you have your own ideas, I'll listen to you, brother!"
As he spoke, the seven-foot-tall man revealed a hint of admiration: "My little sister is truly remarkable! Even I wouldn't dare dream of owning a business like Jinxiufang. Such courage and boldness are beyond the reach of ordinary young ladies."
Lu Zhaoruo laughed and said, "My little sister's mind is full of money and account books. How can she compare to her brother's lofty ambitions? Her brother started learning martial arts at the age of five. He trained hard in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, all for the day when he could hold a sword to defend the country and die on the battlefield."
Lu Bohong's body suddenly froze.
This was indeed what he was thinking, but because his father disagreed, he kept it to himself.
I never expected my younger sister to know.
“For example… being an inspector now…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and the old hen in his hand flapped its wings, “It’s not bad… at least Father won’t get angry.”
Lu Zhaoruo smiled and said, "Brother, once the plaque of Jinxiufang is hung up and all matters are settled, I will definitely accompany you to the capital."
Her voice was extremely low, yet every word was as firm as iron: "With your skills, brother, you'll at the very least be a military scholar, passing the provincial examination in archery and horsemanship and the palace examination in policy essays!"
With a clang, Lu Bohong's sword fell to the ground.
The old hen seized the opportunity to break free and fluttered into the bushes.
He, however, was completely oblivious, staring intently at his sister, his eyes reddening: "You...you really..."
"Of course it's true!"
Lu Zhaoruo bent down to pick up her sword, the blade reflecting her bright eyes: "When you return from the palace examination..."
She suddenly lowered her voice and vividly described, "The yamen runners carried black lacquered plaques and vermilion flags to clear the way, and wore blue brocade battle robes. Not to mention the county magistrate, even the prefect personally led a band of musicians to play music at the city gate."
She imitated her father, puffing out her cheeks and blowing on a non-existent beard: "Father will definitely do this then..."
She suddenly hardened her face and shouted in a gruff voice, "You unfilial son! How dare you disobey your father!"
In an instant, her face lit up with a smile. She took the arm of the non-existent old man and said in a high-pitched voice, "Old man, look! My eldest son is a military scholar bestowed by the emperor!"
She winked playfully: "Do you believe me or not?"
Lu Bohong was amused by her and laughed heartily, but his laughter gradually changed tone, as if something was choking him.
He hurriedly tried to wipe his face with his sleeve, but found that the more he wiped, the wetter it became.
He thought about how his father scolded him for being "useless," yet he still secretly practiced swordsmanship before dawn; he remembered the well-worn copy of "The Art of War" hidden under his bed; he remembered how he would linger for a long time whenever he passed the drill ground...
Lu Zhaoruo shoved the sword back into his hand: "Brother, it's time to draw your sword."
Lu Bohong gripped the hilt of his knife tightly: "Little sister, just you wait! Your brother will definitely win you a plaque for being the 'Martial Arts Champion'!"
Then, in a childlike manner, he held up his little finger and said, "Pinky promise!"
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the brother and sister's little fingers were tightly intertwined.
The hen that had run away had somehow slipped back and was peeking out from the grass.
"Brother..."
Lu Zhaoruo suddenly pointed at the hen and laughed, "If we don't catch it soon, there won't be any chicken soup tonight."
Lu Bohong then glanced at his hand; the hen was gone!
Fortunately, he was quick and agile, and in one swift movement, he caught the fluttering hen.
As soon as the brother and sister stepped into the Lu family's courtyard, they heard Madam Tu waving a broom to drive away the crowd of onlookers: "What are you looking at! If you keep gossiping, next time it won't be broom dust that gets thrown!"
Upon seeing her children return, Madam Tu immediately put on a stern face and deliberately swept the broom heavily near Lu Zhaoruo's feet, raising a cloud of dust: "Bad luck! Truly bad luck..."
"Mother!"
Lu Bohong snatched the broom and threw it on the ground, angrily saying, "How could you speak to my little sister like that!"
Madam Tu, hands on her hips and glaring, said, "Why can't I say it? In all my life, I've never seen a daughter-in-law who gets divorced sue her husband's family in court!"
She pointed to the neighbors who were already far away outside the door, "You didn't hear those gossips just now, but I did. They all said that our Lu family raised a woman who didn't live a virtuous life and sued her husband's family, causing them to be ruined!"
"Now that Mother knows the whole story..."
Lu Bohong spoke with rage in every word, “I knew that my younger sister’s life in the Shen family was worse than death. Those two elders never treated her like a human being. That old hag even wanted to poison her with a bowl of poison. Shen Rongzhi said he was going to do business overseas, but he was just going to have a good time. Now, because of his greed, he was lured back home by the ‘loyal merchant,’ but he brought his mistress with him. His first child with his mistress is already over a year old, and his mistress is pregnant with their second child.”
"When he got home, the first thing he did was not to visit his younger sister, nor did he show any concern. All he was thinking about was giving her a reward."
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "The whole family is heartless and ungrateful. It's only right that my sister sues them!"
Upon hearing Lu Bohong's words, Madam Tu turned to look at Lu Zhaoruo and said with a stiff neck, "Even if they are wrong in a thousand ways, you shouldn't have forced your uncle to shed blood in court, forced your aunt to be sentenced to hanging, and forced your husband to be exiled thousands of miles away!"
Lu Zhaoruo's eyes reddened slightly as she asked, puzzled, "Why does Mother think I forced them? Instead of them reaping what they sowed? Mother has always considered herself a wise person, how could she be unable to distinguish between good and evil?"
Tu was choked.
Lu Zhaoruo suppressed the bitterness in her throat and sneered, "Mother, you must understand that this time I am 'severing ties of righteousness,' not being divorced. It is the Shen family that has violated the law of 'severing ties of righteousness,' and the Prefect himself has ruled for divorce. Do you think the Prefect made a mistake?"
Tu moved her lips a few times and said, "Anyway, you've read all of 'Admonitions for Women' into nothing."
Lu Zhaoruo smiled gently: "Mother, do you mean that I should stay in the Shen family and be poisoned to death by that bowl of poisoned wine? If I don't die from the poison, I should stay in the Shen family and be tortured to death by the whole family. Is that in accordance with the 'Women's Precepts' you mentioned? Is that what you mean by me being a good daughter? And upholding the 'womanly virtues' you have always taught me?"
She took a step closer: "So, Mother wants her daughter dead?"
Tu staggered back a few steps, her face turning pale and then flushed.
Lu Zhaoruo brushed past Madam Tu and walked straight into the main room. She paused briefly at the doorway, turned her head, and said, "Mother, you have truly broken my heart. But please remember, Mother, I have always believed that if you treat me with a piece of silk, I will repay you with a bolt of gauze; if you cut a lock of my hair, I will cut off all ten of your fingers..."
Tu felt a chill run down his spine.
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