The two talked as they walked to the front hall, where they sat down to eat together.
"Hmm? Why hasn't Zhao'er come back yet tonight?"
Jiang Yuwei looked at Ning Huaizhi and asked.
Ning Huaizhi picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and placed it in Jiang Yuwei's bowl.
"He sent a message back saying that he had eaten out with his classmates and would be back later. Tiezhu will go to the restaurant to pick him up in a little while."
Jiang Yuwei then nodded and started eating.
After the two of them finished eating with Ning Wan, they waited for a while but Tie Zhu still didn't bring Ning Zhao back. So Jiang Yuwei took Ning Wan back to the house to sleep.
He had barely lain down when he heard Tiezhu shouting from outside the courtyard:
"General, Madam, something terrible has happened! The young master is fighting with someone!"
Jiang Yuwei was shocked to hear this. She quickly got up, dressed, and rushed out. She saw Tie Zhu helping Ning Zhao, whose face was covered in bruises, into the house.
"Zhao'er, sit down quickly and let your mother take a look."
Jiang Yuwei, feeling very sorry for Ning Zhao, took his hand and sat him down, checking his wounds. Then she turned to Xia Yue and instructed her:
"Go and fetch the medicine box from my room."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yue hurriedly ran out.
Ning Huaizhi, standing to the side, spoke with a gloomy face:
"Ning Zhao, what's going on?"
Ning Zhao looked up at Ning Huaizhi guiltily, wanting to smile but unable to do so because of an injury to her lip, she could only hiss in pain before awkwardly saying:
"It was those students. They were rude, so I fought with them. If they were just students, it wouldn't have mattered, but they always come with guards and servants. There were too many of them, so I suffered a bit of a loss, but it's nothing serious."
As she spoke, Ning Zhao turned to look at Jiang Yuwei and continued:
"Mother, don't worry, those who practice martial arts are not afraid of pain."
Jiang Yuwei gently cleaned Ning Zhao's wounds with a cotton cloth, her eyes red as she said:
"You're talking nonsense, kid. Are people who practice martial arts not human? Humans are afraid of pain."
As Jiang Yuwei applied the medicine to Ning Zhao, she said softly:
"You're usually so calm and collected, why are you so impatient today? Tell me, what exactly did they do?"
Ning Zhao secretly glanced at Ning Huaizhi, whose face was gloomy, then coughed a few times and said:
"Mom, it's okay. I fought back anyway, so I didn't lose out."
Ning Huaizhi glared coldly at Ning Zhao.
"How can you say it's nothing? What if you hurt your classmate? What if their parents come knocking on your door tomorrow? What if people don't want to be near you after your reputation for fighting gets out?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhao stiffened her neck and said defiantly:
“I’m not afraid of them coming after me. It was their fault for doing it. I’m happy that no one is approaching me, so I can focus on my studies without any distractions.”
Ning Huaizhi glared at Ning Zhao and cursed:
"I taught you martial arts to improve your health and for self-defense, not to fight with your classmates. Now that I've said a few words to you, you think you're right!"
As he spoke, Ning Huaizhi grabbed a wooden stick from beside him and raised his hand to strike Ning Zhao.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly and sternly shouted to stop:
"Stop! Put those things down! Zhao'er is already injured, and you're hitting him without any restraint. If you really hurt him, he'll have nowhere to cry. Just shut up!"
Startled by Jiang Yuwei's outburst, Ning Huaizhi had no choice but to slowly lower his raised hand, angrily throwing the wooden stick to the ground.
"He deserved to be injured. Who told him to be so inflexible? Ning Zhao, I'm letting you off this time because of your mother. But if you cause trouble like this again in the future, I'll break your legs!"
After saying that, Ning Huaizhi flicked his sleeves and went into the house.
Jiang Yuwei watched Ning Huaizhi's angry back and shook her head helplessly.
"Zhao'er, don't be afraid. Your father is all bark and no bite. He was heartbroken to see you injured. He was just afraid that you would cause trouble and he wouldn't be able to clean up the mess. After all, we are in the capital now, not like Ningjia Village."
Jiang Yuwei sighed and continued:
"The various factions in the capital are deeply intertwined. Your father in the court is also trying his best to maintain a respectable facade. He is cautious in everything he does, for fear that he might commit a crime that could lead to the extermination of nine generations of his family. Therefore, he wants you to be careful when you are out in the world and not to offend people you shouldn't."
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhao looked at Jiang Yuwei with reddened eyes.
“I know how hard my parents have worked. I did act impulsively tonight. I didn’t care how they slandered me before. Today they suddenly invited me to dinner. But I didn’t expect that they were just making fun of me.”
Ning Zhao sniffed as she spoke.
“I don’t care how they treat me, but they actually slandered you and my father to my face. I can’t tolerate that, I…”
Jiang Yuwei had been busy with things at home and outside, and had no idea that Ning Zhao had suffered so much at school. At this moment, she felt a mix of emotions. Looking at Ning Zhao, who had grown into a young man, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Mother knows that Zhao'er is a good child. From now on, we will not associate with those who can't distinguish right from wrong. Right now, you just need to focus on your studies and work hard to pass the imperial examinations. Then they will all follow you and obey your orders."
Seeing Jiang Yuwei cry, Ning Zhao finally couldn't hold back and started crying too.
Jiang Yuwei took out a handkerchief and wiped Ning Zhao's tears, then smiled and said:
"Zhao'er, don't cry. Look, the life we live now is something we wouldn't even dare to dream of in Ningjia Village. The future will definitely get better and better. Your father and mother will work hard to build up our family fortune and won't let others look down on our Zhao'er."
Ning Zhao nodded and reached out to wipe away Jiang Yuwei's tears.
The mother and son sat and talked for a while before going back to their rooms to sleep.
The next day,
Jiang Yuwei, thinking about buying a shop on Jin Street today, called Xia Yue early and went out.
As soon as the two arrived at Jin Street, they saw a luxurious carriage parked in front of Manager Li's shop. Jiang Yuwei frowned and quickly went inside.
"Manager Li, I'm here today to pay the money."
As soon as Jiang Yuwei finished speaking, she saw an acquaintance sitting at the table in the center of the shop, drinking tea, while Manager Li was bowing and scraping as he poured water for him.
When Manager Li saw Jiang Yuwei enter, he merely glanced at her sideways before speaking in a cold tone:
"Madam Jiang, you should go back first. Didn't you see I have a distinguished guest? Let's talk about selling the shop in a few days."
Upon seeing this, Jiang Yuwei felt a jolt in her brow and stepped forward, saying:
"Manager Li is a businessman after all. How can you change the plans we've made so easily?"
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