Chapter Twelve: Aunt An's Soft Knife Scheme
Qin Zhiyu flew several feet away like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the bushes in the nearby garden, letting out a heart-wrenching scream of pain.
The withered thorns of winter still lingered in the grass, instantly tearing through her gorgeous dress and piercing her flesh.
Qin Zhining maintained her kicking posture, slowly withdrew her foot, dusted off non-existent dust from her skirt, and said indifferently, "Those who are foul-mouthed deserve to suffer physically."
If you swear at me again, I'll kick you to death! Who do you think you are?
"Hmph, just like your aunt, at best a half-master, half-slave thing, what's with all the arrogance? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror?"
"Ayu—" Aunt An screamed again, her voice sharp and piercing, as she lunged at her daughter who was struggling in the grass like a madwoman.
Seeing her daughter's clothes torn by thorns and her bleeding arms, her shrill cries echoed in the courtyard, extremely jarring.
Qin Youming never expected that Qin Zhining, with her little beggar child, would actually resort to violence so suddenly. The mother and daughter were both beaten up before the next day.
Seeing his beloved daughter struggling in pain in the grass, his heart was breaking. He pointed at Qin Zhining, trembling with anger, and cursed.
"You...how could you hit your sister? Huh? You little beast, how dare you? This is outrageous!"
Qin Zhining flicked the hem of her skirt dismissively, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Mr. Qin, didn't you see?"
"I've already hit him, what's there to be afraid of? Asking such a stupid question just makes you look intellectually challenged."
She paused, her eyes full of mockery, "When I was starving and freezing to death in my ancestral home, why didn't you remember that I was your daughter?"
Now you're pretending to be a loving father? Don't you find it laughable? But then again, it makes sense; scoundrels raise scoundrels, some people just enjoy being this kind of scoundrel.
"You wretched creature, you beast!" Qin Youming clenched his fists in rage, his knuckles cracking, his eyes blazing with fury, as if he wanted to devour Qin Zhining alive.
It feels good to curse someone, it's cathartic, but Qin Youming knows in his heart that he can't actually lay a hand on this girl.
This brat is a firecracker right now. If she really makes a scene at the county government, his career will be completely over!
Seeing his furious and frustrated expression, wanting to kill her but unable to, Qin Zhining sneered provocatively, "Who's the wicked one and who's the beast, only God knows. I'm tight-lipped, even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."
But I'd like to ask Aunt An first, has the residence my mother gave me, Tinglan Garden, been used for anything else?"
Her gaze swept across the backyard with a hint of scrutiny. "If it's gone, I can live in the woodshed. Anyway, I'm used to living in the woodshed and the ancestral graves in our ancestral home, so I'm not picky about where I live."
His tone shifted abruptly, his eyes turning cold and filled with a strong threat, "However, let me make this clear: if any of you dare to cause me trouble again, I'll go to the county government to plead my case."
"I want the whole county to know that Magistrate Qin, in order to help his illegitimate daughter seize a good marriage for the eldest legitimate daughter, has utterly lost his conscience, driven the legitimate daughter to her death, and embezzled his deceased wife's dowry. I will make sure you are all disgraced and can no longer stay in the county."
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I forgot to mention."
As if suddenly remembering something, she added, "You must immediately raise the money and convert the money you embezzled from my mother's dowry into cash for me. Not a penny less, or we'll see each other at the county magistrate's office."
After saying that, she gestured with her chin toward Qin Xiaoxiao behind her, who was holding a wooden pole and had a fierce look on her face, and said, "Let's go."
Two slender figures stood upright, their footsteps crunching on the snow, as they walked resolutely toward the backyard.
Their figures appeared exceptionally small and thin in the wind and snow, yet they resembled wild grass sprouting from cracks in the rocks, full of resilience and carrying an indomitable strength.
Qin Youming watched their retreating figures, cold sweat beading on his back.
These two girls are only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet they are so ruthless and reckless. If they are not eliminated, they will become a future problem!
But then he thought of the He family, the prefectural magistrate, and his expression became complicated again.
He Sanlang has taken a liking to Qin Zhiyu and is determined to marry her, as she is the greatest asset to his career.
As long as he gets in touch with the He family, he can take another step forward and get rid of his position as county magistrate.
The He family originally intended for Qin Zhining to be the eldest daughter, which is why they arranged her marriage when Xie Mingyuan was still alive.
If Qin Zhining were to cause trouble now, it would definitely ruin his promotion plan, so... he had to quickly find a way to appease this little brat and not let her ruin everything.
"Qinghe, arrange accommodation for her first, go to Tinglan Courtyard, don't provoke her."
Having grasped the implications, Qin Youming said in a deep voice, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, "Once Ayu's marriage to the He family is settled, we can deal with this bastard slowly. There will be plenty of opportunities to teach her a lesson then!"
Aunt An cursed inwardly, but on her face she nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, I understand, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."
Arrangements? Dream on!
Tonight, I'll make that little bitch sleep in the woodshed and let her taste what it means to wish she were dead! It would be best if the rats gnawed her to pieces.
Na Tinglan Garden was the best courtyard in the county magistrate's residence, and it was originally carefully prepared and decorated by Xie Mingyuan for her own daughter.
However, Qin Zhining died unexpectedly when she was only five years old, which led to the original owner of the body's tragic fate and miserable ending.
Aunt An helped Qin Zhiyu struggle in the grass, but out of the corner of her eye, she kept staring at Qin Youming's ashen face.
She knew that crying and making a fuss would be useless at this moment. What this man valued most was never his daughter's pain or discomfort, but his official position.
"Ayu, don't move!"
Aunt An suddenly lowered her voice, pretending to brush the grass clippings off her daughter's body, and said urgently in a voice that only the mother and daughter could hear.
"Is your chest swollen? That kick just now hit a vital spot, be careful not to break it."
Qin Zhiyu was already trembling with pain, and when her mother reminded her, she cried even louder, but deliberately changed the direction of her cries.
"Dad, I, I—my left side hurts so much. Qin Zhining's kick was so hard, could it have injured my internal organs?"
She curled up, clutching her waist, tears and snot streaming down her face. "I've heard that a woman's waist and abdomen are the most important parts of her body. If—if she develops a chronic illness because of this, then the marriage with the He family will be ruined..."
These words were like poisoned needles, precisely piercing Qin Youming's most sensitive nerves.
His expression darkened further, and his gaze toward Qin Zhining's retreating figure turned sinister—this wretched creature was so reckless in her actions!
Seeing that the time was right, Aunt An hurriedly knelt down in the snow and kowtowed, her voice mournful yet clear, "Master, please calm your anger."
Ayu is young and doesn't understand things easily. She was just confused by her younger sister and said those hurtful things. Please don't blame her, and please don't take it out on the He family's marriage arrangements!
She slammed her head hard on the frozen bluestone slab, her forehead instantly turning red. "It's all because I didn't teach my daughter well, that she offended my sister and caused Master trouble."
"Please, sir, consider that Ayu is about to be married, and don't hold it against her... I, I would be eternally grateful."
These words, seemingly a self-reproach, were in fact a constant reminder to Qin Youming that Qin Zhiyu's health was related to the He family's marriage, and that Qin Zhining's troubles were ruining his career.
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