Bab 19: A Leopard Can't Change Its Spots
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Qiao Mai put down the brush, and Ruxin and Ruyi stood up.
"Master, we'll support you. If he dares to mess around, we'll beat him with a broom."
Qiao Mai smiled. "That won't be the case. He's a scholar, after all, so he has to keep his image."
Thus, Lu Sanniang took Qiao Mai and her two daughters to the shop. When Tian Yaozu saw Qiao Mai's current appearance, his eyes flashed.
"Hello, Third Aunt!"
"I don't dare to admit it. At least I don't have to pour a chamber pot for you, nor do I have to get you some water to wash your face."
Tian Yaozu blushed. "Third Aunt, I didn't ask you to do that."
"Yeah, you didn't ask me to do it, but your grandparents did, and you didn't stop me, did you?"
"Third Aunt, I know what Grandpa and Grandma did. They know they were wrong."
"But can my child come back to life?"
"Third Aunt, they didn't do it on purpose."
"Just say what you want. Don't go around in circles."
"Third Aunt, Third Uncle's military service is to contribute to the court. You are his wife, so no matter what, you can't divorce him."
Qiao Mai sneered and looked at the eldest grandson of the Tian family, who was dressed like a scholar.
"So you want me to go back and continue being tortured by your family, and you're going to brush off the fact that you killed my child?"
Her voice suddenly became loud, attracting the people in town and the surrounding people in the shop.
More and more people gathered, and Tian Yaozu was about to fly into a rage out of humiliation.
"Third Aunt, I've already told Grandpa and Grandma. They won't torture you anymore."
"Ha, won't torture? Do you know that a leopard can't change its spots?"
"Madam Qiao, please speak with more respect."
"Oh, you're gonna stop pretending? You're dressed properly. What Third Aunt? You're just calling me that in front of outsiders. In fact, I'm just a servant of your Tian family in your eyes."
"You, you village woman. You're really unreasonable!"
"You've only been studying for a few months and already calling me a village woman. It's as if you're not a village boy. Don't forget that your grandparents and your parents are all villagers. Where is the knowledge you studied?"
"Well said, well said. Someone like him is not worthy of being a scholar."
With the uproar of the commoners, Tian Yaozu could not stay any longer. He roared in exasperation.
"Madam Qiao, don't think we can't do anything to you just because you left the Tian family. You've ruined my family's reputation everywhere in town. I won't forgive you!"
Qiao Mai rolled her eyes and shouted.
"Everyone heard it, right? He said I ruined his family's reputation. I, Qiao Mai, stay at home and in the shop every day. I don't go out or step outside. On the other hand, when the old couple from the Tian family came to cause trouble that day, they were the ones who revealed their scandals. Everyone can testify for me. If anything happens to me in the future, it was Tian Yaozu who got someone to do it."
Shopkeeper Lu took a step forward. "How dare he? Does he treat me as a decoration? He does not even has a title yet, but he dares to come out and threaten my people. Where is the law in your eyes? Qiao Mai is mine. If anything happens to her, I'll go to court and sue you."
"That's right. Sue him. What scholar? Pfft, get lost and go back to the village to farm."
Tian Yaozu wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. In his mind, he had given Qiao Mai respect by coming here personally. If she didn't know how to appreciate favors, he would not let this woman off when he became an official.
But now, he regretted coming over. He regretted even more that he shouldn't have come up with the idea to let his grandparents come over and stir trouble.
Not only was there no way to end this, but it also implicated his reputation.
Qiao Mai curled her lips and looked at this little child.
"Go back and study properly. Let your teacher teach you manners and shame. Don't act like a scholar and look down on others."
"Get lost!"
"Get lost!"
The people's denouncement continued. Tian Yaozu turned around and rushed out of the crowd like a madman.
Today was the most humiliating day of his life. He swore he would not let Qiao Mai off if he had the chance.
He wanted to cut Qiao Mai into eight pieces to relieve the hatred in his heart.
There was no more excitement to watch, and the people had dispersed. Lu Sanniang patted Qiao Mai's shoulder.
"Sister, I will always support you. What you said today was so satisfying."
"Don't be happy too early. That family is narrow-minded."
"I, Lu Sanniang, am not afraid of anything. If he dares to take revenge on me, I will ruin his career. He's nothing but a scum. He came out to show off just because he could read a few words. Doesn't he know how many eyes I have?"
"How many?"
"Two!"
"Haha!"
The news about the Tian family of Peach Blossom Village in Tianshui Town had escalated again, and it spread like wildfire.
The teacher of the private school called Tian Yaozu to the study. If he didn't think this student has potential, he would have chased him out of the school.
"Yaozu?"
"Sir, please speak!"
"Your family did something wrong."
"I know, so I went to invite Madam Qiao home. My grandparents also promised to treat her well in the future."
"You didn't know she sold herself?"
"I know."
"Then is your family willing to pay off her debt?"
Tian Yaozu was taken aback and did not know how to answer. The teacher sighed.
"Think twice before you act. Your family first tortured her, then kicked her child dead. I heard she went into early labor. You let her sleep in the firewood room. For three days and three nights, no one cared. You want your grandpa and grandma to turn into a new leaf. Do you think it's possible? Not to mention helping her pay off the twenty taels of silver."
Tian Yaozu lowered his head, and his eyes flashed with a vicious light. If it weren't for the fact that he had no other place to study, he really wanted to leave this private school. What kind of teacher was this? Instead of helping his student, he was speaking up for outsiders.
"The student knows his mistake."
"In the future, don't go to that Madam Qiao again. Focus on your studies."
"Yes, sir."
This matter seemed to have passed just like that, and the people of Tianshui Town gradually forgot about it.
In the blink of an eye, it was May, and the weather was getting hotter. Qiao Mai's health recovered after three months of recuperation.
She persisted in exercising every day and gradually regained her former skills. Now, it was not a problem for her to take down three strong men alone.
If it was a surprise attack, she could even take seven or eight.
Fighting and grappling techniques seemed to have grown into her body.
She had heard that people in ancient times knew inner energy. She did not want a master, but she wanted to have a martial arts technique scroll. With her comprehension, she could learn it if she read it a few more times.
Fortunately, there were stun batons, silent pistols, machine guns, heavy machine guns, and a small steel cannon in her space. Even if she met an expert, she could still deal with it as long as she adapted to the situation.
In the past three months, she had handed over five palace fans and a screen to Lu Sanniang. Even Ruxin and Ruyi had produced two pieces of embroidery. Although they were not as good as Qiao Mai's, they were still more expensive than ordinary embroidery.
Qiao Mai's embroidery alone was worth a lot of money.
The screen was sold for a thousand taels of silver, and a palace fan was sold for five hundred taels because it was double-sided embroidery of different colors. It was even rarer than ordinary ones.
The remaining four palace fans were also sold for 150 taels. Even Ruxin and Ruyi's were sold for 50 taels each, making Lu Sanniang overjoyed.
"Sister, thanks to you, I've earned more in the past two months than I can earn in a year."
"Same here. If it weren't for you, the shopkeeper who has a glib tongue and connections, I couldn't have gotten so much silver."
"Hehe, have you thought about what to do with the silver?"
"First, buy a house and register my household registration. Then, I'll buy two acres of land to plant crops."
"What? You're farming?"
"Ah, in the eyes of outsiders, I'm a servant of your family. I don't know anything. Of course, I have to farm."
"How can there be such a rich servant?"
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