Chapter 5: Irritable

Cheng Wu is two years older than Zhou Qing, but he still calls her 'Sister Qing.'

There's a reason for this.

When they were kids, Cheng Wu bullied Zhou Yao, and Zhou Qing gave him a solid beating, which made him submit.

Not only does Cheng Wu call her 'Sister Qing,' but many kids in the village do too.

Cheng Wu's family delivers vegetables to the town every day. This year, after Zhou Qing turned 15, she wanted to go to the town to see if there were any ways to make money, so she often went with Cheng Wu.

This is why, when Zhou Qing first transmigrated here, Sun scolded her for wandering around all the time.

"Sister Qing, how is Uncle Huaishan's leg?" Cheng Wu asked worriedly while driving the mule cart.

Zhou Qing, with a stalk of foxtail grass in her mouth, leaned against the vegetable basket behind her. "It's fine, but he'll need about ten days to recover."

"It takes a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal. Sister Qing, you should persuade Uncle Huaishan not to rush back to the fields just because he can't stand grandma's nagging. If he ends up with a crippled leg, it'll be your second household that suffers."

The sunlight shone on Zhou Qing's face, making her skin look like honey.

Cheng Wu wanted to say that even if Uncle Huaishan really became crippled, he would be willing to help take care of him with her.

But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

He feared that if he did, they wouldn’t even be able to remain friends.

Zhou Qing acknowledged his concern with a simple "Hmm."

"When we get to town, just drop me off at the calligraphy shop by the city gate."

Cheng Wu looked puzzled, "Calligraphy shop? Are you going to buy something?"

"Yes, I want my father to study."

Cheng Wu...

"Uncle Huaishan? Study?" his expression was as if he had been struck by lightning.

Zhou Qing spat out the stalk of grass in her mouth. "I need your help with this. If my grandma asks, just say that the money for the writing supplies was lent to me by you, okay?"

"Of course, Sister Qing. I’ll do anything you ask. But why does Uncle Huaishan suddenly want to study? Will your grandparents agree?"

Zhou Qing stared into the distance. "Whether they agree or not, my father is going to study."

"How much money will Uncle Huaishan need for his studies? Sister Qing, I have..."

Zhou Qing cut him off immediately, "My father's education cannot be paid with your money."

Cheng Wu...

If you marry me, then you could use it. This thought swirled in his mind, but he still didn’t dare to say it.

As they drove the cart and chatted, the cart rattled all the way to the town.

When they reached the city gate, Zhou Qing jumped off the cart. Cheng Wu smiled, "Sister Qing, I'll come pick you up after delivering the vegetables."

The calligraphy shop was right next to the city gate, in a secluded spot with much lower prices than elsewhere.

Zhou Qing couldn’t understand why a calligraphy shop would be in such a place.

"Brother Qiang, are you really planning to marry Zhou Qing from Qingyang Village?"

Zhou Qing was about to enter the shop when she overheard this, making her turn to see where the voice was coming from.

Next to the calligraphy shop was a tea stall.

Two young men were sitting in a corner, drinking tea and talking, with a pile of stuff on the table.

"Why would I lie to you?" Wang Qiang said smugly, shaking his crossed leg. "My mother said we would propose in three to five days."

"Did the Zhou family agree?"

"Zhou Qing's father is a coward. The Zhou family’s eldest branch calls the shots, which means it’s up to us."

"Zhou Qing is pretty, but her temperament isn’t great."

"Once she's at my place, if she doesn't behave, I'll break her leg!" Wang Qiang laughed arrogantly.

"You're the man, Brother Qiang!" his companion gave him a thumbs up. "Since we're in town, how about a visit to the Hongxiu Brothel?"

"Let's go!"

Wang Qiang grabbed his things and started humming a tune.

Zhou Qing stood with her arms crossed behind him. "Wang Qiang."

Hearing someone call his name, he turned around, and upon seeing Zhou Qing, he was so startled that he plopped back down in his seat halfway.

"Y-You... what are you doing here?"

"I’m warning you, do not come to my house to propose!" Zhou Qing glared at him, getting straight to the point.

Wang Qiang...

After a pause, he sneered, "Marriage is a matter decided by parents and matchmakers, not us."

Zhou Qing didn’t bother arguing. She grabbed a broom standing outside the tea stall and started whacking him with it.

Thanks to the original Zhou Qing's unruly nature!

When she decided to beat up a scoundrel, she did it.

So satisfying!

Wang Qiang never expected Zhou Qing to suddenly start hitting him. He instinctively tried to dodge, but his foot caught on the stool leg, and with a thud, he fell to the ground.

Zhou Qing raised the broom and started hitting him like she was threshing grain.

Wang Qiang's companion, seeing him getting beaten, was so scared that he immediately backed away.

Damn!

Shrew!

Wang Qiang, hit by the broom, rolled on the ground in pain, shouting, "Are you crazy? How dare you hit me? Stop!"

"If you dare to come to my house to propose, I'll beat you every time I see you!"

Zhou Qing's broom rained down on Wang Qiang like a storm.

Wang Qiang couldn't withstand the pain and, after a few howls, started begging for mercy, "S-stop."

After a good quarter-hour of beating, Zhou Qing finally stopped. "Are you going or not?"

Following the principle of a wise man not taking immediate losses, Wang Qiang gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not going."

"Get lost!"

Zhou Qing put the broom back in its place, clapped her hands, and watched Wang Qiang leave.

The surrounding onlookers...

It was the first time they had seen a woman reject a marriage proposal this way!

Impressive!

At the entrance of the calligraphy shop, a man dressed in a dark robe watched Zhou Qing with a meaningful smile.

Zhou Qing brushed the dust off her clothes and walked towards the calligraphy shop.

"Miss, we meet again."

Zhou Qing looked up and saw a handsome young man, though dressed a bit old-fashioned, smiling at her.

Zhou Qing...

Do I know him?

She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly remembered.

The generous young man!

"It's you! Have you recovered?" Zhou Qing smiled and glanced at his leg.

The man's lips curled into a gentle smile, "Thanks to your help yesterday, I'm fine now. Are you here to buy something?"

Zhou Qing nodded and entered the calligraphy shop.

"Are you here to buy something too?"

The man shook his head, "This is my family's shop."

Zhou Qing...

"Your family's shop, huh~~" Her tone change.

How about giving me a discount!

Seeing Zhou Qing, the man couldn't help but laugh, "I forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Shen, given name Li. Li as in 'encourage.'"

Zhou Qing grinned broadly.

Shen Li smiled warmly, "What would you like to buy?"

Zhou Qing scanned the shop and grinned, "Brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone."

With that, Zhou Qing took out her piece of silver without a hint of embarrassment, "Here, I'll use the silver you gave me. Just give me whatever these are worth. I need more paper and ordinary ink."

You wouldn't dare give me something too shabby, would you?

Shen Li glanced at the silver, didn't take it, and just smiled as he turned and went behind the counter.

There, an elderly man of about fifty was standing. Shen Li whispered a few words to him, and the old man turned to fetch an inkstone and brush, along with a thick stack of paper.

"Is this enough?" Shen Li smiled at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing...

Even though she didn't know the market prices, she could tell that the brush and inkstone were high-quality goods.

"It's enough, but I think my money isn't."

"You don't need to pay."

"I can't accept something for nothing."

"Consider it my way of repaying you for saving my life."