Chapter Four: Beating Up the Evil Servants and Settling Old Grudges
Despite Granny Liu's arrogance, Qin Zhining remained silent and motionless.
She was waiting for the best opportunity to retaliate, lest her adopted daughter be accused of being disobedient and unfilial for her subsequent counterattack against Qin Youming.
But Granny Liu was used to being bullied in the county magistrate's mansion because Aunt An was backing her up. When she saw that Qin Zhining ignored her, she got angry and started cursing.
"Where did this bastard come from, pretending to be crazy? Doesn't he know where he is? Men, throw him out!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than two servants sprang out from behind the door, hands on wooden sticks at their waists, and lunged at him menacingly. “You filthy beggar, you don’t know what’s good for you! You’re asking for it!”
The cold wind, whipping up snowflakes, lashed against their狰狞 (zhengning - fierce/hideous) faces.
Qin Zhining was prepared; instead of dodging, she nimbly sidestepped and shoved the wooden stool into Qin Xiaoxiao's arms. "Heh..."
Want to fight? Little one, come with me and beat them up, just leave them breathing. I'm not easily scared!
Her hoarse voice suddenly rose, piercing through the wind and snow and straight to the heart, "I have already said that I am Qin Zhining, the eldest daughter of Qin Youming, the county magistrate!"
Now that I have returned from the brink of death, it is one thing for him not to welcome me into the door, but he has even sent his wicked servants to shout and kill me.
Are you afraid I'll come back alive and expose all the dirty deeds in your household? Fine, then let's fight to the death!
Before he finished speaking, a commotion erupted.
"This old woman wants to beat her own young lady? Is she trying to kill her? Without the master's indulgence, she wouldn't dare to do that even if she had the guts!"
"It must have been that self-proclaimed first wife, Aunt An, who instigated this! How could Magistrate Qin be so heartless towards his first wife's child? Has he lost his mind?"
The scandals of officials and their families are the most popular topics of conversation. The crowds of onlookers are like salt sprinkled into boiling oil, their buzzing discussions surging like a whirlwind.
Qin Xiaoxiao swung a wooden stool, beckoned to the servants who rushed at her, and shouted. Although it was impossible to hear what she was saying, she managed to scare the two servants so that they didn't dare to go forward.
But the other two guards, eager to impress and earn some reward money, recklessly grabbed wooden sticks and charged towards Xiao Xiao.
While Xiaoxiao was stopping people, Qin Zhining put the noose around her neck again and cried out, "You all saw it, didn't you?"
There was no place for me in the Qin family, where the county magistrate lived! But my mother was the daughter of a scholar, well-educated and reasonable, and she was formally married into the Qin family with a generous dowry.
"Qin Youming, what happened to the vows you made when you knelt before my grandfather begging for my mother's hand? Have you thrown them to the dogs? How can you so cruelly murder your two daughters?"
In Lincheng County, who doesn't know that Qin County Magistrate's deceased wife, Xie Mingyuan, came from a scholarly family?
Back then, the Qin family was poor and only got what they have today thanks to the support of his father-in-law's family.
Unexpectedly, right after Madam Xie died, her child was sent to the countryside to suffer. How could there be a place for the eldest daughter in the county magistrate's mansion?
Even an old woman can bully her, sigh... Magistrate Qin is a truly despicable person.
The servants who were about to grab Qin Zhining froze in their tracks, their faces showing hesitation.
They were used to bullying others by relying on their power, but if they were to actually lay a hand on their master's eldest daughter, especially in front of everyone, no one would dare to take the blame.
Seeing that things were not going well, Granny Liu with triangular eyes became anxious and her face turned ashen. She shouted in a shrill voice, "Don't listen to this little hussy's nonsense, she's a liar."
The old master and mistress were both philanthropists; how could they let their eldest daughter suffer any injustice? They treated her very well.
"Right now, Miss is probably having dinner with the old master and mistress, being dutiful and filial. Unlike this beggar in front of me, who, at such a young age, has gone astray and dares to come to the county magistrate's mansion to extort money. You're really asking for death!"
As she spoke, she stepped forward herself and viciously grabbed at Qin Zhining's hair with her withered fingers.
Granny Liu was originally Aunt An's most trusted confidante. Last year, she even accompanied Master Qin Youming back to his ancestral home to visit relatives. Logically speaking, she should have already memorized the original owner's appearance.
But now she dares to be so arrogant, insisting in front of everyone that Qin Zhining is not the legitimate daughter of the county magistrate's family. With such a fearless attitude, how could a servant dare to act on his own?
Anyone with a discerning eye can see through the intricacies of the matter with a little thought.
Qin Youming, who always considered himself "charitable and generous" and valued his reputation above all else, had no intention of publicly acknowledging Xie's daughter.
By using his servant's words, he brought his true intentions to the forefront, thus clearing himself of suspicion for personally rejecting the woman and smoothly suppressing this troublesome matter.
Over there, Qin Xiaoxiao, who had just knocked two servants to the ground, saw Granny Liu reach out to scratch her young lady, and the hairs on her body stood on end instantly, and she jumped up abruptly.
She was making a lot of noises, and no one could tell if she was cursing or warning anyone. Her delicate eyes were wide open, and her usually cold face was flushed red, filled with unconcealable anger.
She gripped the wooden stool tightly and swung it left and right, her knuckles turning white from the force. No matter who was in front of her, she didn't hesitate to strike.
"Bang, bang—"
A series of muffled thuds rang out as the wooden stools slammed precisely into the knees of the servants, causing them to clutch their legs and howl in pain.
Between swings of the stool, she would always glance quickly at the young lady to make sure Qin Zhining was in a safe place before turning around and pouncing on her next target.
To outsiders it looked like a chaotic, haphazard beating, but each stool seemed to have eyes, specifically targeting the knees—places that hurt but wouldn't kill.
Immediately afterwards, she used the momentum from swinging the stool to spin around and kick to the side, landing her instep firmly on the back of Granny Liu's knee.
Before the old woman could scream, she fell to her knees in the snow with a thud, the snow spray from the falling wooden stool covering her face.
Granny Liu wiped the snow water off her face, staring in horror at the girl in front of her—why was this little mute girl who could only whimper so much protecting Qin Zhining?
When she returned to her ancestral home last year, she vaguely remembered that this girl was with the eldest young lady. Could it be that she had been holding a grudge since then?
Suddenly, cheers erupted from the crowd: "Well done! These wicked servants who abuse their power should have been taught a lesson long ago!"
"This little girl is really brave; she doesn't hesitate to stand up for her boyfriend!"
Amidst the rising and falling cheers, not a single person spoke up for the county magistrate's office.
Qin Zhining chuckled at the sight. These people weren't there to watch the show; they were clearly venting their anger by cheering.
She looked at Qin Xiaoxiao's frail back as she stood protectively in front of her, and listened to the cheers of "punishing evil and promoting good" around her, and sneered inwardly.
Qin Youming's reputation for "charity and generosity" is indeed as fragile as paper; it bursts at the slightest touch.
Thinking of this, he went up to Granny Liu, grabbed her hair, and shouted sternly, "Granny Liu, Zhang Shun's wife, do you still recognize your own daughter?"
Granny Liu, haha... You think that by siding with that Aunt An, you can act like a bully and a henchman?
Don't forget, your entire family's indentures are still in my hands. If you dare utter another word of nonsense, I'll sell you and your whole family right now.
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