"Don't try to fool me. I know this isn't what you really mean." He Qixie poured himself a cup of tea, but after just one sip, he spat it out. "This tea is so bitter, it's awful! How can you drink it so calmly? Do you not know how to brew tea? Let me brew you a pot."
Qiao Qiu didn't answer his question, but instead started talking about Shen Junbai's experience. "My father used to teach me to remember the bitterness of the past and appreciate the sweetness of the present. Because of this, he deliberately left me in the countryside without giving me a penny, so that I could experience what it was like to be all alone and helpless. At that time, I had an ugly scar on my face, and I don't know where he found it and put it on my face. At that time, the people in the village were afraid of me and dared not approach me. The children even threw stones at me. Only one old lady was willing to take me in, but her family was also dirt poor."
"Your father has gone to great lengths to educate you. Have you ever hated him?" He Qixie felt that the child would not understand the adults' good intentions and would only think that he was being tortured. He did not know that without some trials, how could a person grow up?
Qiao Qiu smiled and shook her head. "How could that be? My father always asks for my opinion before making any plans for me. That time when we went to the countryside, he asked for my opinion repeatedly beforehand."
He Qixie was greatly surprised. Upon seeing her, he said admiringly, "Master Shen's way of educating his children is unique. No wonder the Shen family's sons are all outstanding."
"That old lady was a kind person. She treated me like her own grandson, taking great care of me. I used to be quite troubled by falling asleep while studying at night. She heard that tea could refresh the mind, so she would occasionally take out her meager savings to buy some coarse tea leaves. Grandma didn't know how to brew tea, so she would just use boiling water to make it for me, but she didn't know how much to use, and the tea she made was bitter and astringent. At first, I didn't want to drink it and poured the tea away, but she still insisted on making it for me. Until later, I accidentally saw her sad. At that time, her vision was already very blurry, and she had no idea that she had been exposed to me. From then on, I never poured away the tea she made again, and I obediently drank it all sip by sip."
Qiao Qiu's voice was like a clear spring striking a stone, clear and magnetic in the quiet night, but she stopped there.
The later parts are quite brutal. Shen Junbai didn't know how to keep his sharp edge in check, and his business acumen, which he occasionally revealed, was taken away by many unscrupulous people. When he tried to reason with them, he was treated like a dog and beaten up in the street.
When Grandma found out, she taught him to use wisdom, to stay calm, to decide his own next steps, and not to easily tell others.
But Shen Junbai is still young and impetuous, so how could he easily control himself?
After being beaten again, Grandma was so angry that she couldn't catch her breath and died in front of Shen Junbai.
That incident was a huge blow to Shen Junbai, and it was from then on that Shen Junbai slowly changed.
The more Qiao Qiu delved into Shen Junbai's memories, the more she felt sorry for him. This child was born into a wealthy family, but he hadn't had many good days. He was young, had both parents, and had a lot of experiences.
If she hadn't dug this out from the depths of her memory, she probably would have really thought that Shen Junbai had always been like this since he was a child.
He Qixie didn't know what she was thinking, but he knew she was reminiscing about the bitter past and appreciating the present. After thinking for a moment, he poured himself another cup and slowly sipped it. It was still so bitter and hard to swallow, but he didn't feel like vomiting anymore.
In the days that followed, Qiao Qiu never told He Qi Xie what she was supposed to do there; she simply guided him in practicing swordsmanship every night.
He Qixie's martial arts skills improved rapidly, progressing at a rate that He Qixie might not be able to achieve in a year.
In the past few days, some strange things have happened in Shuzhou City, and the story is that the wealthy family that moved into the Shen family mansion is haunted.
It is said that when people get up at night, they will see a refined and handsome young man and a still charming woman talking about something, but their figures are very strange.
Everyone is speculating that it is either the eldest or second son of the Shen family with his mother, Madam Shen.
This rumor had a significant impact, and the Shen residence was immediately transformed into a 'haunted house' in the eyes of the people.
Everyone avoids the Shen residence, and no one dares to visit it. Even the servants living in the Shen residence don't dare to get close, for fear of getting tainted by bad luck.
The wealthy man who bought the Shenfu property also deeply regretted it, sighing every time he went out.
He Qixie dared not tell Shen Junbai about these things, fearing that if Shen Junbai heard about them, he would run to the Shen residence to meet with his parents and brothers. Although ghost stories were not credible, he was still afraid that Shen Junbai would be harmed.
Besides, he's the culprit who caused this big family to suffer such a fate. Do you think they'll let him off the hook?
Half a month later, the news of the haunted Shen Mansion spread throughout the entire Shuzhou City.
At this time, Liu Ran and Li Xuening were already engaged. It turned out that after Liu Ran learned that he was going to marry He Suyue, he immediately spoke with Master Liu. When Master Liu heard that he had fallen in love with the young lady of the Li family at first sight and that they liked each other, he immediately canceled the engagement and went to the Li family to propose marriage.
Chief He was so angry at this fickle person that he almost fell ill. Recalling what Shen Junbai had said before, he couldn't help but sigh that he was getting old and didn't have the foresight and vision of a young person.
Although he knew the inside story of Shen Junbai's disappearance, the more he knew, the more guilty he felt. Seeing his daughter in a daze all day long also made him feel bad.
As for Liu Ran and Li Xuening, they were the first to be affected by the haunting of the Shen mansion and were the most afraid. After all, if Liu Ran hadn't bribed the assassin to kill Shen Junbai, the assassin wouldn't have gone so far as to kill everyone in the Shen mansion.
Liu Ran has not yet found any trace of the assassin and suspects that he has already been killed by Shen Junbai.
It's good that he's dead. Without the murderer, who can prove that he hired someone to kill him? As for those people in jail, he sent a letter a while ago saying he would 'save' them. Now it's time to do so.
The trouble now lies with Shen Junbai and the ghosts in the Shen mansion.
At first, Liu Ran didn't believe in ghosts and thought Shen Junbai had deliberately created them to scare him. However, half a month had passed, and the rumors not only didn't stop, but spread throughout the entire Shu Prefecture.
He began to have doubts, and the only thing that puzzled him was why the ghosts didn't come looking for him. Did they not know that he had sent them?
Yes, they definitely wouldn't know. If they did, they would have come long ago.
...
The county jail.
"Officer, this is a gift for you."
"Alright, alright, just half an incense stick's time. Come out immediately when the time comes."
Yes, yes, yes.
Two figures lingered at the prison gate for a while before it finally opened.
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