"Don't worry, I absolutely don't like her anymore," Ning Qingfeng said firmly. Even if that woman came to him in person right now, he wouldn't accept her again.
His repeated emphasis on his dislike for Wei Qing made him feel somewhat uneasy.
It feels like the person he likes so much is someone others don't want. It's a feeling that's hard to explain in a short time.
"Anyway, I'm here today to collect my money. Pay me back right now." The young master of the gambling den pulled out a piece of paper. "This is your IOU."
"Tell me, do you really think I can't read?"
What he pulled out wasn't the bill he owed at all. "Are you planning to charge me twice?"
"I grabbed the wrong one for a moment."
He genuinely thought Ning Qingfeng was illiterate; after all, there weren't many literate people in the countryside. But I just wanted to use the IOU to control him.
Such a poor family, how could they possibly owe him money?
The young master of the gambling den thought to himself with disdain.
“Young Master, I heard Er Gouzi say that he used to study at the town school and his grades were quite good. But he got into trouble at the school and was expelled.”
What did he do wrong?
"I heard it was about stealing money."
Ning Qingfeng, blinded by greed, stole another student's family heirloom from the school and was subsequently expelled.
Of course, outsiders don't know the specifics. Ning Qingfeng only told others that the school didn't like his gambling and kicked him out.
Everything this person heard was what Wei Ergouzi told him.
"I didn't steal any money, they set me up." Ning Qingfeng retorted stubbornly upon hearing this.
Although he stole the family's land deeds to gamble, those were his family's property. Why would he steal other people's things? "A gentleman knows what to do and what not to do."
"You know nothing! If you really knew, you wouldn't have been harmed like this." Ning Hong dismounted, tied the horse back up, and then rushed over, calling out, "Where's Mother?"
"Mother is fine, she's inside." He didn't let his mother come out; she was old, and he was afraid that if anything happened to her, he would be held responsible.
His brother won't let him off the hook either.
Ning Qingfeng thought to himself secretly.
"You are the young master of the gambling den, Jiang Peng?" Ning Hong slowly walked up to Jiang Peng.
"Yes, that's me. How can I ask you for money when I owe you money? It's only right and proper."
“I didn’t say you had a problem. Give me the IOU, and I’ll pay you back.”
"Do you have the money to pay me back?"
Hearing Ning Hongze's words, Jiang Peng was stunned. If this person really had the money to pay back, he couldn't stop him from paying back. If he didn't let him pay back, what kind of place would his gambling den become?
"Young Master, you really love to joke. If you think we don't have the money to pay back, then what are you doing here with so many people? Is it just for amusement? Or are you being dragged here to teach us a lesson?"
Ning Hong, on the other hand, made it clear directly.
Seeing Ning Qingfeng's bewildered expression, he couldn't help but reach out and slap him again. "It's all your fault."
Ning Qingfeng dared not retaliate, but he figured he wouldn't be able to win even if he did.
His older brother is incredibly strong.
"Do you know that your brother borrowed eighty taels from my gambling den? With interest compounded, it should be no less than one hundred taels by now."
“I know. Here is a hundred taels of silver. Give me the IOU and I will give you the money right away.”
Jiang Peng hesitated for a moment, then had his men take out another IOU.
Ning Hong took the IOU and looked at it. After she understood the IOU, she handed over a hundred taels of silver.
"Here you go. Now, your gambling den and Ning Qingfeng are even."
Ning Hongze handed the IOU to Ning Qingfeng for a look. Ning Qingfeng nodded, and then Ning Hongze took the IOU and tore it up.
“If you ever dare to gamble again, I’ll break one of your legs.”
"What if I go a third time?" Should I break his hand again?
"Then I'll break your third leg," Ning Hong said calmly, her gaze seemingly glancing at Ning Qingfeng's lower body.
Ning Qingfeng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"Big brother, aren't you being a bit too harsh?"
"No, I think it's a good thing. If you can't quit gambling, even if you get married and have children in the future, it will be a kind of pain and torment for them. It's better to solve this problem at its root."
Not to mention Ning Qingfeng, even Jiang Peng felt uneasy under Ning Hongze's gaze.
He instinctively felt that the man in front of him was not someone to be trifled with, and if possible, it was best not to provoke him.
"Young Master, you've already received the money? What? You still want to stay at my house for meals?"
"Who wants to eat? I don't care." Jiang Peng snorted and led his men away.
Ning Hong glanced coldly outside. Outside their courtyard, Jiang Peng seemed to have stopped and was talking to someone.
The person was short and thin, and because the people in the gambling den blocked her view, Ning Hongze couldn't see her face clearly at all. However, the fleeting glimpse of her colorful clothes was enough for Ning Hongze to know that this person was a woman.
"As expected, it was Wei Qing who instigated it," Ning Hong said calmly.
"I suppose it should be her." A hint of disappointment flashed in Ning Qingfeng's eyes. "I never imagined she would treat me like this?"
The young master of the gambling den is arrogant and would never come to ask for money in person. The fact that he has condescended to come here means that there is someone or something here that attracts him.
Weihe Village is a remote and impoverished place, with no attractive features or legends of treasures. People come here not for things, but for people.
Wei Qing?
He kept mentioning Wei Qing, so he must be one of her suitors.
Ning Qingfeng gritted his teeth, wondering what he had done to offend her that made her treat him like this.
Not only do they want to cripple him, they also want to ensure he can never recover.
Wei Qing's acquaintance with the gambling den's young master, in a way, further confirms that his gambling addiction was a scheme she set up.
The purpose was probably to break off the engagement with him.
It's utterly absurd and laughable. If she really didn't want to marry him, she could have just said so. Why come up with such a torturous idea?
He almost killed his older brother.
"Will you still gamble in the future?"
"I'll try my best to control it." I have to at least save my third leg.
"Hmph." Seeing that Ning Qingfeng was unwilling to agree directly, Ning Hong snorted coldly. "Then let's wait and see, and see if you are more cunning or I am more virtuous."
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