Chapter 53: Auntie, Please Restrain Yourself

  Zhao Xi's calm and composed demeanor, even the words he spoke were so straightforward and confident, that everyone present was convinced by his aura. Although he was clearly a weak and bookish scholar, he had an intimidating presence that commanded the room. Moreover, just now he had solemnly sworn to repeat high school, a statement that would have sounded arrogant coming from anyone else, but when he said it, it only made the image of the scholar in front of him seem even more majestic.

  "In that case, you'd better settle this matter privately. As for the compensation silver, let's put it in the custody of the government office first, and we'll distribute it after the result comes out."

  Qin Yu couldn't possibly get away with this so easily, he put the silver here himself, just to take responsibility for the outcome, and the Yuan family wouldn't dare to be too arrogant, even if Madame spoke up for him, he still couldn't turn a blind eye.

  "Thank you, young lady..." Zhao Xiuzhuo walked up to Li's side and nodded, saying: "Let's go."

  "I'll go with him first, you go back home with your sister-in-law and Yu Xuan."

  Shen Han hadn't spoken a word since the opening of the hall. Now she quickly walked to Li's side: "I'll go with Mother."

  After finishing, several people left the government office like this. Everyone let them go and saw off the whole family, while the man turned his head to look at the four characters of "Ming Jing" hanging high in the government office, with a smile full of deep meaning on the corner of his mouth.

  Liu's eyes were itching with hatred as she watched them leave, turning her head to look for Qin Yu to reason with him, but unexpectedly Qin Yu had already stood up and left his seat, only the curtain leading to the backstage was still slightly trembling. The teacher smiled and ordered everyone to disperse, Liu's belly full of fire had no way out, and she could only twist her left apricot knot in anger and leave.

  Out of the yamen, Shen Huan watched Li Shi bid farewell to her younger brother-in-law before following the man who had suddenly rushed into the yamen and indirectly helped them conclude their trip to the yamen in a rather ridiculous manner. They walked quickly until they entered a small alley, where Shen Huan reached out and grabbed Li Shi's arm, stopping in his tracks.

  Li looked at her in confusion, while Shen Huan simply gazed ahead at the man who had stopped in his tracks and said to his back, "What do you want to do?"

  As soon as Shen Huan spoke, Li realized it even though she was slow to react. She looked at the man in front of her who slowly turned around with a bright smile on his face, and then at her own wife: "Do you know each other?"

  "The girl who bought a handkerchief from Chun Hua's stall was his subordinate."

  One word awakened the dreamer, Shen Huan's words came out, and Li also immediately understood. No wonder he felt a little familiar, but earlier in the chaotic and urgent situation at the yamen, there was no time to think too much. At this moment, hearing Shen Huan say so, Li thought of that beautiful girl who came to buy things that day, and it seemed that someone was indeed standing not far away at that time. However, at that time, he didn't pay attention, who would have thought that the passerby would appear again in front of him today?

  So... it has to be said that life is very dramatic. You never know which day you'll meet someone who will tell you, "We've met before..."

  "So you..."

  "I'm not familiar with him"

  After finishing speaking, Shen Huan continued to keep her eyes on Mu Siyao's body, looking at him wearing a coarse linen garment, disguised as a distressed man to disrupt the public hall. At the moment she saw him, Shen Huan was indeed very surprised, but it was also clear that he had good intentions. Since she couldn't expose things on the spot, she would cooperate and come over together.

  "What do you want?"

  Nothing much, just happened to pass by the yamen and found out about your situation, so I came over to lend a hand.

  Shen Han bluntly ignored him, taking a deep breath to show his attitude. Can't I even avoid him if I don't provoke him?

  "Mom, let's go back."

  She helped Li up, and Shen Han walked away with her back to Mu Siyao, who only slightly increased the curve of his lips, not making a sound or chasing after her, but instead watching her leave, already having his own plans in mind.

  "Who is he?"

  Upon hearing this, Shen Huan felt a hint of worry in her heart. Mu Siyao's appearance today, although it was to resolve the situation, also made her mother-in-law aware of his existence. What was he thinking? To herself, he was just a stranger, did he need to keep entangling himself with her like this?

  "That day when I went to the Yuan's house, I accidentally bumped into him. Later that evening, when my mother and I were watching a play together, someone fell into the water and I helped out. He just happened to be there too, but we only had a few encounters."

  Shen Huan would never tell Li Shi about the time Mu Si Yao young master climbed onto her own roof to get into her house, she definitely wouldn't inform him. This was something Shen Huan figured out later, because of that day's intense feeling of being stared at, due to the position of her window, apart from climbing walls and roofs, he had no other way in except through the front door.

  Li looked back at Mu Siyao with some unease, but he didn't flinch, just nodded politely and smiled. She turned back to Shen Huan and said, "Since you're not familiar, be more careful, you're currently in a precarious situation."

  "I got it, mom."

  When Zhao Xiuzhen and Hu Youxuan returned home, they had just sat down for a moment when Liu's wife hurriedly came to their door. She had originally gone back home but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. In order to win over the county magistrate's wife, she had spent a lot of money, but unexpectedly, the result was a private settlement.

  Li was a stubborn person, like a rock in the toilet, hard and smelly. She would never compromise on personal matters, and might even make things worse if she got angry. Today, at the county office, Liu knew that most people were on her side, but she couldn't help feeling frustrated and got up to leave quickly towards the direction of the family that had angered her.

  "Bang, bang, bang!" The knocking sound made the four people in the house frown. When Shen Huan first heard this kind of knocking sound, it was from the Yuan family, so when she heard such an impolite knock again, she felt a bit annoyed. As she walked into the courtyard to respond, her tone was somewhat displeased: "Coming!"

  "Li, you tell me clearly"

  The moment the courtyard door opened, Mrs. Liu's furious voice came rushing towards Shen Huan, who really wanted to slam the door shut and hurry back to wash off the spittle on her face. What the heck, speaking with such ferocity that it even comes with spit, people like this are just so different from those with good breeding and wealth.

  Seeing him furiously rushing in, Zhao Xiuzhuo still couldn't calm down for a moment. He quickly stepped forward and gently pulled Shen Han behind him, standing beside his mother who had come with him. His mother was not someone he could protect like that, after all, it wasn't very rational of them to show up at their doorstep. However, they still needed to be rational and couldn't just refuse them outright.

  What's more... in this situation now, even if you want to refuse, you can't

  "What did you say? What else do you want me to say?"

  "What's going on with this thing?"

  "This thing is actually not up to me to decide, it's clearly your doing."

  Li had also been worn down to the point of having little patience left, and she no longer spoke as tactfully as she did in public. There were no outsiders here, so she didn't need to save face for her. Some people, the more you give them face, the less they want to give it back, this was a completely helpless situation.

  "I was kind enough to return that cheap girl's money to you, what are you pretending to be? Pretending to be noble?"

  Li was speechless and helpless, letting out a deep sigh. Shen Huan was already unhappy with Mu Siyao's repeated intervention, and the government affairs were also frustrating her. Now Liu's visit was just an opportunity for her to vent her anger.

  "I said people need face and trees need skin, how can you really give up everything?"

  Shen Huan brushed past Zhao Xiuzhu and walked forward, not caring about any ladylike demeanor or not. After all, she was just a widow, so what if she went out with a big mouth and said she was a shrew? It didn't make much difference to change one word, but this person who came to her door looking for trouble was someone she had never seen before. If you want to come, then come, I won't stop you, but acting wildly on my turf is not right.

  Before Liu could speak, Shen Han began her never-before-seen fierce side: "It was you who asked for compensation in the first place, wasn't it? The twenty taels of silver were what you requested, weren't they? You knew our family didn't have as much money as yours, and twenty taels were a lot, weren't they? Since you knew that but still took it, not knowing gratitude is one thing, but my mother-in-law also acknowledged the good deed and returned the money to you, which you accepted. Now there's some rumors circulating, also spread by your family, and now you want to return the silver to shut people up, do you really think we're made of dough, to be molded at will?"

  With one breath, Shen Han let out the words that had been bottled up in her heart for a long time, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief. So, being a lady isn't something everyone can do, let those who think they have the temperament and all that die a hundred times over in the Pacific Ocean!

  "You... don't have the right to speak here"

  "What's with the yelling? I think it's strange, this is my home, who has the right to speak and who doesn't? Are you, a loudmouthed woman who just came to our door, qualified to do so? Let me tell you, I didn't want to interfere in your family matters, but sometimes people should not be too unscrupulous. Now that you're facing retribution, instead of knowing how to atone for your sins, you still want to continue doing evil? Aren't you afraid that tonight you'll dream about Hua Erjie?"

  When she heard this, Hu Youxuan couldn't help but burst out laughing, and even Li Shi couldn't hold back, almost losing her composure. Zhao Xiuxiu, on the other hand, turned her head away with a poker face, almost choking on her own laughter, but a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: what kind of woman was she, really? Sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, and now... so spoiled, yet still able to capture his attention and heartbeat at every moment.

  Moreover... this statement is indeed harsh. A person can be fearless of people and evil, but they will not be afraid of ghosts and gods because of their guilty conscience. Shen Huan grasped that Liu Shi was the type who was guilty, otherwise why would she take such drastic action due to rumors?

  "You... don't think I won't collect from you today"

  Liu's hand was raised high, attempting to use force to solve the problem. Just as she had barely lifted her hand, it was already grasped by two powerful hands. Zhao Xiuzhuo glanced at Hu Youxuan, who had simultaneously reached out to stop her, and his face momentarily changed color. He released his grip and took a step back, but it was only to allow Liu to better face him. At this moment, on his normally expressionless face, a second expression finally appeared in front of everyone - anyone could tell that he was now in a state of extreme anger. If someone continued to push his limits, with Zhao Xiuzhuo's stubborn personality, who knows what would happen? He might become even more frantic than some impulsive types, except that he wouldn't resort to violence.

  He narrowed his eyes, his face cold to the point of being almost biting, and said: "Auntie, please be careful what you say, don't forget that you are in my house now."