"Dogs can't change their habits, and from their appearance, I can tell they're seasoned professionals. You taught them a lesson today, and that might keep them quiet for a while. But once they recover and forget their pain, they'll surely go back to their old ways and harm someone else. Do you really think everyone is like us and isn't afraid of them? Most people would panic after an incident like this, and in their panic, they'd surely fall into their trap," Qi Zhenzhen said. "Although we can't kill them, we can send them to the yamen."
"There's no yamen in town. To send someone to the yamen, we have to go to the county seat, which is eighty li from our town. Who would go to deliver them? Us? Besides, they haven't committed serious crimes like murder or arson. At the county yamen, they'd at most get a few board beatings, nothing serious," Zhang Xiaoniu said. "Don't worry about it. There are too many injustices in this world. Even the emperor can't manage everything. Why are you concerned? At most, when you encounter such situations in the future, you can lend a hand."
Indeed, what Zhang Xiaoniu said was right. One should just do their best within their own capabilities.
"By the way, why are you in town? Aren't you supposed to be returning to the capital today?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"I'm buying some things to take back. I'm going home, and it wouldn't be right to go back empty-handed. The people I share a room with have treated me well," Zhang Xiaoniu said. "It's not good for me to only take and not give."
He's learning about reciprocity now, no longer the naive young man he was.
"Alright, you figure out what to buy yourself. Mingyue and I need to hurry back. It's already this late; if we don't go faster, we'll miss Grandpa Yu's cart," Qi Zhenzhen said, and then pulling Song Mingyue, she hurried away.
Zhang Xiaoniu swallowed the words he was about to say. He had been thinking of asking Zhenzhen to help him buy things, but now... he'd just buy them himself.
The two of them ran a bit and just managed to catch the ox cart. Each gave Grandpa Yu two copper coins and found a spot to sit.
Besides people from Xinghua Village, there were also women from other villages traveling the same route on the cart.
"What a pretty young lady," a woman with an unfamiliar face struck up a conversation familiarly. "How old are you this year? Are you betrothed? Do you want Auntie to find you a good young man? I guarantee he'll be from a well-off family, and you won't have to worry about food or clothing after you marry."
Song Mingyue blushed, while Qi Zhenzhen remained expressionless, ignoring the woman.
"Matchmaker Song, you're quite something. Matters of marriage are discussed with elders. How can you be so forward, speaking so directly to young ladies? Are you bullying them or what?" a woman from Xinghua Village glared fiercely at Matchmaker Song.
The matchmaker wasn't displeased by the retort. She feigned hitting her mouth with her hand twice. "Look at me, I can't control my mouth when I see pretty young girls. I always want to find a good husband for beautiful girls. Please don't take offense, young ladies. I won't say any more."
Song Mingyue wanted to reply, but Qi Zhenzhen pulled her back, and she swallowed her words again.
Matchmaker Song, having gotten nowhere, didn't speak again until they got off the cart.
The ox cart stopped at the village entrance, and the people on it got off one by one. "Mingyue, if you encounter people like that, just ignore them. Do you believe that if you respond to her, she'll latch onto you? This person is a matchmaker, and her tongue is not something you or I can handle."
"But if we ignore her, will she spread rumors about us later?" Song Mingyue was a little worried. Her mother had told her that matchmakers should not be offended lightly, otherwise, it would not only affect their own reputation but also implicate any siblings of marriageable age in the family.
"Don't worry. When she spreads rumors, she'll have to investigate first. Your grandfather is the village head, so she definitely wouldn't dare. Such things can be easily investigated. As for me, I don't care." Qi Zhenzhen appeared indifferent. If this Matchmaker Song really ruined her reputation to the point where no one would propose to her, she would actually thank her.
Song Mingyue couldn't fathom Qi Zhenzhen's thoughts and wanted to persuade her, but Qi Zhenzhen pushed her forward. "Stop nagging me. Let's hurry home and show Grandma Song and Aunt Song your filial piety."
After sending Song Mingyue away, Qi Zhenzhen walked home leisurely. She suddenly stopped, her expression one of realization. She finally remembered why the calligraphy in the bookshop owner's copybook looked familiar. She had indeed seen it before; it was the same handwriting as in the family letter that Second Brother Zhang had brought from Xiaoniu.
This meant that the unnamed recluse praised by the bookshop owner was Gu Sinian?
Tsk, truly remarkable. Not only skilled in martial arts but also in literature. Was this truly the son of a noble family? Wasn't it said that sons of noble families were often dissolute?
They knew each other, so perhaps she could ask Gu Sinian for a copy of his calligraphy later. It might be possible to make a fortune by reselling it.
"Sister." Qi Yi's voice was heard. Qi Zhenzhen looked up and saw Qi Yi standing at the doorway.
"It's so cold today. Why aren't you inside getting warm? Why did you come out?" Qi Zhenzhen ran a few steps forward and took Qi Yi's hand.
"There's a... person at home." Qi Yi didn't know how to describe the person. He paused and simply said "a person."
"You child, if it's not a person, could it be a ghost? Is it a village woman asking Mother to come to our house to work?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"It's not an aunt or elder from the village, it's a stranger I've never seen before. I originally wanted to stay by Mother's side, but Mother sent me out," Qi Yi grumbled. "I saw Mother seemed very excited."
A stranger, and Yun Shi was very excited.
It must be an old acquaintance, and for Yun Shi, a very important old acquaintance.
Oh no, it could also be an enemy.
"Let's go in and see."
The door to the main room was tightly shut and couldn't be pushed open; it was bolted from the inside.
Putting her ear to the door, she could faintly hear Yun Shi's intermittent sobbing.
Qi Zhenzhen was anxious but couldn't break down the door. She had no choice but to wait patiently outside. After about another fifteen minutes, she heard the rustling sound of a bolt being drawn, and the door opened from the inside.
Yun Shi's eyes were red and swollen, and the person sitting on the chair also had red-rimmed eyes.
"Mother, who is this?"
Qi Zhenzhen linked her arm through Yun Shi's, suppressed the shock in her heart, and asked calmly.
No wonder Qi Yi's tone was strange when he mentioned the person earlier; he truly couldn't find words to describe this person.
The face was pockmarked, with scars of varying depths, old and new, crisscrossing it. Only a pair of eyes were bright and shining.
Seeing Qi Zhenzhen's scrutiny, the person calmly picked up a specially made veiled hat from the table nearby, covering their face.
"He, he is an old acquaintance of Mother's, and also a student of your maternal grandfather," Yun Shi said after some hesitation.
Qi Zhenzhen knew about her maternal grandfather; he was a renowned great scholar in Da Feng, with thousands of students. It was said they were all exceptionally talented individuals, but this one...
His talent was hard to say, but his appearance was astonishingly ugly.