coobybook Chapter 25 There's Always Someone Trying to Harm Her
Chapter 25 There's Always Someone Trying to Harm Her
The curve of Shan Qiyu's lips narrowed slightly.
With a displeased expression, Madam Wu spoke up: "I know it's difficult for you, a widow raising three children alone, but if you live honestly, you might not be able to make a living. You really shouldn't be thinking of crooked ways..."
She stopped mid-sentence and let out a long sigh, as if she were angry at his lack of self-respect: "You've done something so disgraceful to our family. How am I supposed to face your parents in the afterlife?"
Does this mean the mother and daughter got their money for the purchase from illegitimate sources?
Zhang immediately showed an expression of interest.
Two or three more people entered the shop. Upon hearing this, they slowed their pace, pretending to look at the materials, but actually keeping an eye on the commotion.
The smile on Shan Qiyu's face vanished completely. "May I ask, Aunt, what exactly have I done?"
"How dare you ask me that?" Madam Shan Wu said angrily. "You and that man... it's all over the surrounding villages! Your husband just died, aren't you afraid that your two daughters won't be able to get married in the future?"
Having long since given up all hope for her uncle's family, Shan Qiyu felt no emotional turmoil whatsoever, but instead took out a handkerchief and began to wipe away her tears.
"Auntie, you're being too biased. No one knows what kind of person I am, not even you. That man was caught red-handed climbing over the wall to steal something in the middle of the night, and afterwards he falsely accused me of having an affair with him. Auntie... Auntie, are you trying to force me to my death?!"
Some onlookers were moved by the spectacle and looked at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law with reproach.
Madam Wu stared in disbelief at Shan Qiyu, whose eyes were filled with tears, "You..."
Rong couldn't help but say, "This matter has spread far and wide, with all sorts of details. Why do you need to cover it up, sister-in-law?"
After realizing what was happening, Wu sighed and talked about how to explain things to her brother and sister-in-law.
“Grandma, you don’t need to wait too long.” Meng Fuqing walked out from behind Shan Qiyu and slowly approached Shan Wushi. “Why don’t you just kill yourself in the street and go to the underworld to reunite with my grandparents?”
"I'll tell them how your family shamelessly plotted to seize the inheritance my grandfather left to my mother after his death; how you ignored me when my father almost beat me to death, and then flaunted your gold and silver jewelry at my father's funeral; and how you did nothing to help my mother when she was slandered, instead becoming accomplices to the thieves!"
Meng Fuqing's already dark eyes were now even darker, like dark clouds before a heavy rain.
She stared at the two people in front of her, approaching them step by step until she forced them to the shop entrance.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were still in shock. They only realized what was happening when they tripped. Wu's face darkened, and she raised her intact arm to strike Meng Fuqing.
"You unfilial and disobedient brat!"
Unexpectedly, Meng Fuqing suddenly produced a folding knife that could be easily gripped in one hand. With a flick of his wrist, the knife was drawn and blocked the direction from which Shan Wushi attacked.
Because of her advanced age and slow reaction time, Wu's hand went straight for the tip of the knife, and blood immediately flowed from her.
She cried out in pain, but for some reason she lost her footing and fell. In that instant, she instinctively reached out her hands to grab something, and Rong Shi, who was not yet able to react, was caught in the crossfire. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law fell together outside the shop.
With Rong pressing down on her broken arm, Wu Shi heard a cracking sound again after many days. This time, the pain made her break out in a cold sweat and she couldn't even scream.
Shan Qiyu rushed over and placed himself in front of Meng Fuqing, shouting, "Auntie, I've said many times that everything my father left me has been given to you. I have nothing left. When will you let us, an orphan and a widow, go?"
More and more people gathered outside the shop. Meng Fuqing's words had already surprised them, but Shan Qiyu's words were even more infuriating.
This person thinks that someone else's family is hiding their own father's inheritance, and is willing to spread rumors about their own niece in order to get it.
Passersby started talking about it, and some even threw rotten vegetable leaves at the two women who had fallen to the ground.
A young man in black with his hair tied up at the back of the crowd watched the scene with great interest.
He had an extremely ordinary face, yet he possessed an extraordinary air about him. Those who saw him assumed he was a wealthy young master from the prefectural city who had settled here.
"Was that the woman I ran into at the pharmacy just now?"
The scarred man, wearing a mask, nodded silently. "Yes. It seems I've offended another family since I last saw them."
After a few meetings, he gained a general understanding of this peasant girl's ability to cause trouble.
"Offended?" The young man's lips curled slightly. "I think it was someone else who offended her."
After speaking, he glanced at Meng Fuqing, who was being protected, and saw that she had restrained her cold and sharp edge and was obediently and quietly nestled in the woman's arms. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
The scarred man followed his gaze—his eyes landing directly on the dagger Meng Fuqing was holding. "What kind of dagger is this? Why have I never seen it before?"
Is something that can be easily popped up and conveniently put away something a peasant girl could possibly have?
The young man glanced at him lightly and said, "Want her? You can offend her too."
He then composed himself and strode away. As he walked, he asked, "If I remember correctly, Doctor Zheng should be from Qingping County. Do you know where he lives?"
The scarred man reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the dagger and followed them away. Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up. "Back in the military camp, he told me that he was from Mengjia Village in Shili Town. Doctor Zheng is the best at treating external injuries. Sending Mu Sheng to him would be the most suitable thing!"
At this point, he hesitated, "But I wonder if it will implicate him?"
The boy was silent for a moment, then said, "Never mind, Doctor Zheng is at the age where he can enjoy his retirement. Let's not cause him any trouble. Let's go to Qingping County!"
After saying that, he strode away.
Meng Fuqing's gaze briefly lingered on the two figures' backs before returning to her mother's face. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Very good, my mother has grown up too."
Shan Qiyu held her daughter tightly, perfectly embodying the image of a lonely and helpless orphan and widow.
She couldn't be as shrewish as Sister Yao before, and she refused to back down in front of outsiders, which caused her a lot of suffering.
Looking back now, whether it's a soft or a hard approach, it's much better than being trampled on by evil people while you can only suffer in silence.
Most importantly, she can't always hide behind her daughter.
Rong realized belatedly that her mother-in-law was seriously injured. She struggled to help her up, but she was too embarrassed to face the sight of her mother-in-law being unable to speak from the pain. She could only cover her face with her sleeve, hurriedly get up from the ground, and slip out of the crowd to leave.
The shopkeeper, Zhang, was stunned, her jaw almost dropping.
Is this still the Shan Qiyu she knows?
Before she could finish her shock, Meng Fuqing spoke again: "Is the shopkeeper still going to do this business?"
“…Let’s do it!” Zhang Shi snapped out of her daze, her face beaming. “Sister Shan’s business is of course going to be done. Feel free to look around and choose whatever you like!”
Meng Fuqing pulled Shan Qiyu around her and began picking out fabrics.
Zhang watched as they wandered around the cotton cloth section, first picking out a piece of light blue cotton cloth, then six pieces in total: lake blue, ginger yellow, moon white, lotus root pink, and plain white!
The little girl wanted to buy ready-made clothes, but Shan Qiyu stopped her.
Shan Qiyu then went to the fine linen section to pick out some, saying she wanted to wear it when working in the fields.