Chapter 17 Apology! Refund! "? How so...?"
"How do you know that?"
Lin Yanfeng scratched his head, looking somewhat conflicted, and said, "That's right, I always feel like he's a little different, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is."
In fact, Chen Gengnian also had this feeling. Although he had very little contact with Lin Qingan before, after spending these few days together, he felt that Lin Qingan was indeed a bit strange in his speech and actions, but he couldn't really explain why.
Just as the two were deep in thought, Lin Qingan walked in. "What are you two doing? Are you grumpy in the morning too?"
His sudden appearance brought Chen Gengnian and Lin Yanfeng back to their senses, and they exchanged glances discreetly when they heard what he said.
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener.
Lin Qing'an hadn't noticed this yet. Seeing that A Meng was sleeping soundly at Lin Yanfeng's feet, he smiled and teased, "He's quite outgoing."
As usual, Lin Qing'an found a way to get the two away and put some spiritual spring water in the pot. He put in a small amount, so it naturally wouldn't arouse suspicion.
He didn't know how well Lin Yanfeng's bruises had healed, but he saw that Chen Gengnian's limp, which had lasted for many years, seemed to have improved a lot.
After a quick breakfast, Lin Yanfeng went out again.
No sooner had he left than Lin Qingan and Chen Geng followed him out.
Before leaving, Lin Qing'an also told his neighbors to pass on the message that the village chief would not be going to town that day.
Therefore, he wholeheartedly followed Lin Yanfeng.
Two or three children from their village used to attend school in Liujia Village, but the school increased the tuition. Seeing that their own children weren't cut out for studying, they stopped sending them there. Now, only Lin Yanfeng remains.
Lin Yanfeng was very good at studying, and his teacher had praised him several times. So his parents never gave up on him and supported his studies no matter how hard it was, hoping that he would pass the imperial examination and bring glory to the family.
Lin Yanfeng walked very fast, and only when he passed Zhangjia Village did two more people join him.
According to Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian's observation, although the two children did not speak to Lin Yanfeng, they did not do anything to bully him along the way.
It wasn't until they were almost at Liujia Village Academy that they saw two people blocking Lin Yanfeng's way under the willow trees by the river at the academy's entrance.
The two were taller and stronger than Lin Yanfeng, and they also appeared to be students of this academy.
Chen Gengnian and Lin Qingan wanted to observe the situation further, so they watched as the two men began to push and shove Lin Yanfeng.
"What are you doing!" Lin Qing'an was so angry that he ran over as fast as he could.
His voice was loud, and both the person shoving him and Lin Yanfeng turned around to look.
However, their gaze was not on Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian, but on the enormous black object flying in at lightning speed.
Before they could even see what kind of creature it was, they were surrounded and chattered about.
Ah Meng kept circling and pecking at the two of them, which startled Lin Yanfeng so much that he took several steps back.
More and more people gathered around, including parents and children.
The two boys who were pecked cried and screamed, but no one dared to come forward to help.
Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian initially ran, but after seeing the situation ahead, they slowed down and walked over unhurriedly.
They had no idea when A-Meng arrived, but A-Meng was truly fierce!
Lin Yanfeng was afraid that A Meng would peck someone and cause them harm. He called A Meng's name several times but could not stop him. Just as he was getting anxious, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away to prevent the dust from getting on him.
He turned around and exclaimed, "Brother? Brother-in-law? What brings you here?"
After saying that, he suddenly realized that this was not the time to ask that question, so he quickly pointed at A Meng and said, "Brother, tell it to stop. That's the son of the teacher and the village chief."
Lin Qing'an was even more furious after hearing this, but said calmly, "How can I stop it? It's not my pet. Bad people will be punished by heaven. Don't worry about it."
Lin Yanfeng exchanged a glance with his brother, who then gave him a meaningful look. He didn't understand what it meant, but he remained anxious.
I was afraid that I would offend the teacher and be unable to continue studying, nor would I be able to fulfill the expectations of my brother and parents.
"Is it usually just those two who bully you?" Chen Gengnian asked in a deep voice from the side.
Lin Qingan added, "Besides those two, who else could it be? Who did the bruises on your hands?"
Lin Yanfeng stammered and couldn't say anything.
Chen Gengnian patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Just tell me everything. Tell me who bullied you. Your brother and I will definitely get justice for you today."
The two waited for Lin Yanfeng to identify them, but Lin Yanfeng tightly twisted the corner of his clothes and remained silent.
Just as Lin Qing'an was about to curse, a short, thin boy ran over and pointed at the two culprits who were squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands, crying and shouting, saying, "It's them. They bully Brother Yan every day. They not only beat Brother Yan, but they also won't let him eat."
The boy then pointed at two boys hiding behind the adults in the crowd and roared, "And them too, they joined in beating up Brother Yan."
"Waaaaah, brother, please help Yan-ge! He's so pitiful!"
As the boy spoke, he grabbed Lin Qing'an's leg and burst into tears. Lin Yanfeng quickly went over to comfort him, "Abao, don't cry, I'm okay, I'm okay..."
Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian were so angry that their faces turned red and their necks bulged, and they couldn't care less about the situation of the two little ones.
Chen Gengnian took a step towards the man, who quickly spread his arms, trembling, to stop him. "What...what are you going to do? My child didn't do anything! Don't frame me!"
Chen Gengnian ignored what he was saying, walked over and grabbed the two boys hiding behind him, easily pulling them out one in each hand.
"Help! Daddy! Save me!"
The chubby child was crying and shouting. His father tried to rush forward to take him away, but Chen Gengnian turned around and knocked him to the ground.
He harshly scolded the two struggling children in his arms, "If you cry again, I'll throw you to the thieves to peck at."
With just one sentence, the two children fell completely silent.
Lin Qing'an saw a middle-aged man walking out of the academy and then called out, "A-Meng!"
A Meng immediately stopped attacking and, feeling very apologetic, flapped its wings and flew to a willow branch to stand on.
As soon as A Meng left, people saw that the two boys on the ground had been pecked so badly that they were unrecognizable.
His clothes were torn to shreds, and his long, jet-black hair was pecked into a mess on his blood-stained head. Even though his body and face were covered in mud and ash, the bruises and bloodstains on his face could not be hidden.
The two boys curled up on the ground, too exhausted to even cry.
"Master! Help, Master..."
The chubby boy's father cried out for help the moment he saw the teacher walking out of the academy.
Although he was a man, he didn't look like a man at all, which made Lin Qing'an feel extremely contemptuous.
Master Liu was still drinking the tea his wife had brewed when a student rushed over to tell him that his child and the village chief's child had been pecked by eagles. He put down his teacup and hurriedly ran outside with his family.
He had just stepped out the door when he heard someone crying for help, which startled him quite a bit.
When I arrived, I saw a burly man carrying two students, but before I could even speak, I saw the child curled up on the ground.
"My son! What's wrong with you? Oh, don't scare your mother! Someone, quickly go find a doctor, quick..."
The lady recognized her child at a glance, stumbled over, hugged the child in her arms, and quickly ordered someone to fetch a doctor.
Seeing this, the Master was both distressed and angry. His eyelids twitched, and he roared, "What exactly happened?!"
"It was them!" The chubby boy's father pointed at Chen Gengnian and Lin Qing'an, accusing them, "They did it, I saw it clearly!"
The teacher looked in the direction he was pointing and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the two children Chen Gengnian was carrying.
He roared, "What do you want to do? Let the child go!"
Before Chen Gengnian could speak, Lin Qingan stepped forward first. He walked up to the teacher and questioned him face to face: "Teacher, if I release others, will they release my brother? Are your children children and my children not children?"
"Besides, even God can't stand your child's bad deeds, yet we haven't laid a finger on him. Ask anyone here if you don't believe me; on the contrary..."
Lin Qing'an yanked open Lin Yanfeng's sleeve, revealing a large bruise on his arm. He then yanked open his other arm, revealing the same bruises and scars covering his entire arm.
The commotion had been going on for a while, and now the people gathered around were not only students and parents from the academy, but also many villagers who were about to go out to work. They all sighed when they saw the bruises on Lin Yanfeng's hands.
"They did all of this!" Lin Qing'an pointed at the group of people who bullied Lin Yanfeng and said forcefully, "These are the visible injuries. I can't even imagine what I can't see. I ask you, Master Liu, my family has never owed your academy a single penny. My brother came to the academy to study, but not only is he not getting enough to eat, he was also beaten like this. How are you going to explain this to me?"
Lin Qing'an looked up at the teacher without fear, his cold gaze aimed directly at the teacher's constantly evasive eyes.
The learned scholar was momentarily speechless. He knew some of the inside story and had warned his unfilial son not to go too far, but he never expected things to become so serious.
The villagers who had been watching the commotion began to argue when they saw that the teacher was speechless for a long time. They knew the teacher's only son very well; he was a tyrant in the village, and many children had suffered at his hands. They believed Lin Qing'an's words even more.
Seeing that everyone was unanimously talking about him, the Master felt he had lost all face and tried to argue, "Nonsense! They're with me all day long, how could I not know about something so serious that happened to me?"
Seeing her husband speak up, the wife gritted her teeth and echoed, "That's right, who knows if your child's injury was caused while doing farm work at home?"
"Is that so?" Lin Qing'an looked at them with a sneer. "If you don't believe me, just ask your child and see what he has to say."
Both men looked at the two children. The two children, who had just calmed down, naturally heard the adults' conversation. The son of the teacher, who was used to being domineering, lied with a straight face.
"I didn't! We didn't bully him!"
No sooner had he shouted than A-Meng, who had been squatting on a willow branch watching the show, launched a boomerang back. Just as he was about to bite the child, he heard the boy panic and beg for mercy.
"Ah, stop nagging me, I was wrong. It was me who did it, I was the one who hit him. Liu Erdan, Liu Erdan, and the other two bullied Lin Yanfeng. We were wrong, really wrong..."
The heart-wrenching cries reached the ears of everyone present, and the truth finally came to light.
The people around were already buzzing with discussion, some even spitting and showing their disdain.
Only the master's family and the village chief's son remained in a state of fear.
Ah Meng's eagle eyes were like knives, staring sharply at the group as they circled back and forth. His aggressive posture made the two adults too afraid to move.
Seeing that the others were starting to tremble, Ah Meng disdainfully flapped his wings and pecked at each of their heads a few times before arrogantly flying away.
Before the teacher could recover from the shock, Lin Qing'an spoke up again: "Refund the money and apologize to my son, Ayan!"
As soon as Lin Qing'an said this, the surrounding villagers also shouted in unison:
"Yes, apologize! Refund!"
A note from the author:
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