On the other side, Chen Shu had already picked up Chen Gen, and after leaving the yamen, he found an oxcart and put Chen Gen on it.
Twenty strokes of the cane were no joke; by this time, Chen Gen's buttocks and legs were covered in blood.
Chen Gen's cries of "Ouch, ouch!" were particularly pitiful, attracting the attention of passersby.
Chen Shu covered half his face with his sleeve and said irritably, "Brother, stop shouting. Just bear with it. I feel embarrassed with so many people watching!"
You're one of them. Why aren't you studying at the academy at this time? How did you end up in the yamen for falsely accusing someone? Falsely accusing someone is one thing, but how did you manage to get someone to use it against you and report you to the authorities?
Nobody in the whole village has ever been to this place. If people find out, won't our family lose face?
Chen Shu was only summoned by Chen Ping to pick up Chen Gen. When they arrived at the yamen, the officials only said that Chen Gen had framed someone, which caused the trouble.
He just couldn't understand how Chen Gen, a scholar, could be so careless.
He only got twenty lashes, why is he making such a fuss? Is that something to be proud of? It's making him the subject of gossip and he can't even hold his head up high.
Chen Gen's face was deathly pale, and he was sweating profusely. Hearing Chen Shu's complaints made him even colder, but he was in so much pain that he had no mind to argue with Chen Shu.
He said weakly, "It hurts, let's go to the doctor..."
Chen Shu frowned and said with dissatisfaction, "Brother, bear with it for now. The clinics in the county town are very expensive. We were just fined two taels of silver."
All the family's money has been spent on you, there's no money left. Let's save where we can, and we'll talk about it when we get to town.
It's such a long distance from the county town to the village, is it really free to use an oxcart?
Chen Shuyue disliked Chen Gen more and more. They were both children in the family, yet he had to work at a young age to support his older brother's education.
When they were young, they were both sent to school, but he didn't get to study because the teacher said that his older brother was smarter. After all, the family could only afford to support one of them.
However, his parents said that they were brothers, and no matter who became successful, the other would have someone to rely on. So his reluctance dissipated, and he was able to support his older brother with peace of mind.
But apart from gaining weight over the years, his elder brother hasn't made any progress. He even suspects that his teacher back then misjudged him.
Thinking of this, Chen Shu suddenly realized a serious problem, "Brother, now that you've entered the government office, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue your studies!"
Chen Gen remained calm and even furious when questioned.
He's been beaten up like this, and his own brother not only doesn't care, but he's also being stingy about his money, and now he's even asking about his schooling!
Study, study! The whole family only knows how to make him study. Who knows how hard studying is? Isn't it just that they want him to succeed so they can benefit from his success?
Chen Gen cursed Chen Shu a hundred times in his heart for wanting to take advantage without giving anything in return, but he was too weak from the pain to speak.
Seeing Chen Gen's state, Chen Shu felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He was afraid that his money had been wasted.
That's enough money for him to marry several wives!
Chen Shuzhen wanted to ask for clarification, but this was on the main street, with people coming and going. Who knew who might recognize him? He was a respectable employee at Jinxiu Pavilion, and he couldn't afford to lose face here.
Never mind, let's talk about it when we get home!
Chen Shu gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle, hurry up with the carriage!"
Since we can't get anything out of him, let's make Chen Gen suffer a little.
The oxcart didn't go fast, but when the man pulled the reins, it picked up the speed a little, making the ride even more bumpy.
"Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!" Chen Gen grimaced and cried out as he was jostled around, feeling incredibly angry.
This is his own brother, a heartless bastard. Once he recovers, he'll definitely teach him a lesson!
When they arrived in town, Chen Shu found what looked like the smallest clinic, parked the oxcart in front of it, and called for the doctor to come out and examine him.
The doctor didn't think much of it and pulled down Chen Gen's pants right there in the street to look at him. Anyway, he was already beaten up like this, covered in blood, so there was nothing he shouldn't see.
"It is quite serious, but he is strong and should recover well. Come in, I will prescribe some medicine for you."
When Chen Shu entered the clinic, he only asked the doctor to prescribe the cheapest medicine.
Their clothes and appearance don't suggest they're poor, so why are they so reluctant to spend even a little money on medicine?
The doctor was puzzled, but he didn't say anything. In their line of work, you have to keep your mouth shut.
Chen Shu took out the medicine and saw that four or five people had already gathered around the oxcart, covering their mouths and laughing at Chen Gen's buttocks.
The men driving the carriage covered their faces, lamenting how humiliating they had been. They had never encountered anything like this in all their years of driving carriages; it was truly an eye-opening experience.
Ignoring Chen Gen's screams, Chen Shu pulled up his pants and shouted as he left.
"You, what have you done? You've embarrassed me by leaving me out here!"
After resting for a while, Chen Gen felt some relief from the pain and regained his strength to speak. He realized that Chen Shu had done it on purpose to humiliate him.
Sure enough, seeing that he couldn't be relied on, they treated him, their elder brother, like this, realizing that all their previous flattery was just an act. He finally saw through them.
Chen Shu glared at him, "Big brother, don't you know how much you weigh? How could I possibly move you! What if I hurt you and you keep yelling? I'm only doing this for your own good!"
Chen Gen was so fat that his head and ears were twice his size. He had to beg the officials to help him get out of the yamen. If it had been him, he probably would have been crushed to death.
Chen Gen gritted his teeth in anger, but he couldn't refute it, so he could only close his eyes and remain silent, waiting until he recovered before discussing anything further.
Not only Chen Shu, but also his vicious second uncle's family—he will definitely settle scores with them!
As luck would have it, the two brothers ran into Cheng Yue and her group not long after the oxcart left the town.
Chen Shu was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth. Was that his frail second aunt? And why were two good-for-nothings with her, and Zhang Shaowen was there too?
Not only has his appearance changed a lot, but he's also wearing new clothes and riding in an oxcart. What's going on?
Chen Shu craned his neck to look ahead, and there were his second uncle and Hanzi.
Wasn't his second uncle's leg broken? How come he got on the oxcart himself?
Wait a minute, where did the oxcart come from?
But that doesn't matter; the important thing is that he can save some money on transportation.
Chen Shu had the man drive the oxcart to Cheng Yue and the others, then raised his chin and said imperiously, "Stop and take us back!"
Chen An and Chen Lin faced forward as they drove the carriage, while Cheng Yue, Zhang Shaowen, and the two sisters faced backward. They had already seen Chen Shu and knew at a glance that Chen Gen had been brought back.
They didn't want to get involved, but Chen Shu insisted on walking into the line of fire. He and Chen Gen are truly brothers.
Cheng Yue was too lazy to say more, and only said sarcastically, "If you're mentally ill, go get it treated."
Chen An glanced back, then immediately turned back, raised the reins, and didn't even want to give Chen Shu a disdainful look.
It's not very harmful, but extremely insulting.
Like Chen Gen, Chen Shu, under the tutelage of Zhao Shi and Chen Ping, never took Chen An's family seriously.
Cheng Yue used to treat him kindly, even more so than her own son. How dare she mock him like this now?
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