Chapter 71: Encounter

Zhou Qing hadn't finished her bowl of wontons when Shen Li returned.

"So fast?"

Drinking the soup with dried shrimp scattered in it, Zhou Qing said, her mouth still full of flavor.

Shen Li hummed, "There wasn’t much to handle."

When there's no common ground, even a word is too much!

As they were talking, a familiar figure caught Zhou Qing's eye.

Zhou Huaihai was getting down from an exquisitely decorated carriage, supported by the driver.

Two men, around his age, greeted him with beaming smiles.

"Brother Zhou!"

Zhou Huaihai adjusted his expensive robe, clasped his hands in greeting with a slight smile, and a touch of arrogance in his demeanor, "Sorry to keep you waiting, brothers. Some matters at home delayed me."

Before leaving, he had received a letter from Zhou Yuan. Besides updating him on his situation in the capital, Zhou Yuan had sent back a thousand taels of silver.

As he stepped down, Zhou Huaihai glanced toward the tea shop.

Frowning slightly, he asked, "Is this the place?"

A man dressed in a stone-blue robe chuckled and said, "Brother Zhou, the other day you mentioned wanting wontons. We searched every wonton shop in town and found that this one is the best. It's just a bit out of the way."

With that, the two men made a welcoming gesture.

"Since we’re here, Brother Zhou, why not give it a try?"

Zhou Huaihai looked around with disdain in his eyes and took a step forward reluctantly, "A place like this—I'd advise you two to avoid coming here too often. Getting food poisoning would be a minor issue, but a death? Now that's no joke."

With that, the three of them sat down at a table directly behind Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing exchanged a glance with Shen Li, then lowered her head, slowly sipping her wonton soup.

The two men had already ordered, and the shopkeeper quickly brought out three steaming bowls of wontons. 

The large wontons, with chicken broth as a base, were topped with chopped green onions and dried shrimp, sending out an enticing aroma with the rising steam.

Zhou Huaihai picked up a wonton with his chopsticks and tasted it.

The two men beside him watched expectantly, and when he had chewed a couple of times, they eagerly asked, "How is it, Brother Zhou?"

Zhou Huaihai replied, "It's quite good, I must admit. But the location of this shop is truly filthy!"

The two men looked around in confusion. The shop seemed clean enough.

Zhou Huaihai sneered, "I’m not talking about the hygiene. I mean this location is dirty!"

"A dirty location?"

Zhou Huaihai cast a glance at the calligraphy shop next door.

"You probably don’t know!"

Sensing there was more to his words, the two men immediately asked, "Brother Zhou, what’s the story?"

Zhou Huaihai sighed.

"During the county exam, the top scorer should have been Sun Jin, the son of Brother Sun. But do you know why the top spot went to that country bumpkin Zhou Huaishan?"

Hearing this, Zhou Qing paused, her action of sipping soup momentarily halted.

Shen Li’s gaze, cold and sharp, locked onto the men sitting behind Zhou Qing.

"Why?" The two men were extremely curious.

Zhou Huaihai took another bite of wonton and, after chewing slowly, finally said, "It’s all because Zhou Huaishan has a talented apprentice!"

"A talented apprentice?"

"That apprentice is the owner of that calligraphy shop! Before the exam, the owner of the calligraphy shop gave the county magistrate plenty of gifts. So tell me, who else would the top scorer be if not him?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Li’s already cold gaze turned even more frigid.

Seeing Shen Li about to get up, Zhou Qing placed a hand on his, motioning for him to remain seated.

Shen Li looked at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing leisurely put down her chopsticks, then pulled out a piece of paper from her chest pocket.

Seeing the paper, Shen Li’s eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't help but smile, his gaze filled with fondness as he looked at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing winked at Shen Li, shook the paper lightly, then stood up and walked toward Zhou Huaihai.

Zhou Huaihai, with his back to Zhou Qing, had no idea what was about to happen.

"But Zhou Huaishan is just a country bumpkin. How did the owner of the calligraphy shop become his apprentice?"

Chewing another wonton, Zhou Huaihai’s eyes glinted with malice, "Zhou Huaishan’s daughter came of age this year. Who knows what tricks she pulled!"

The insinuation was clear.

The two men beside him chuckled.

"And how does Brother Zhou know this?"

Just as Zhou Huaihai was about to answer, Zhou Qing patted him on the shoulder.

The two men, startled, looked up to see Zhou Qing.

Zhou Huaihai turned around, and seeing Zhou Qing, he was so shocked he almost choked on his wonton.

Zhou Qing gave his shoulder a firm pat, then sat down beside him.

With a slap, she laid the piece of paper on the table.

The writing faced the two men, upside down to Zhou Huaihai. But even upside down, Zhou Huaihai recognized it instantly—it was the document from that night when Wang Qiang’s parents had made a scene and left their handprints.

Zhou Huaihai’s face turned an ugly shade of purple.

Zhou Qing raised an eyebrow. "I’m curious—how do you know all this?"

Zhou Huaihai, panicking as the two men glanced at the document, immediately tried to grab it.

But from behind, Shen Li flicked a peanut at Zhou Huaihai’s knee, causing him to stumble back into his seat just as he was about to stand.

Zhou Qing calmly retrieved the paper, folded it neatly, and extended her hand toward Zhou Huaihai. "Two hundred taels! One for slandering my father, another for slandering me."

Zhou Huaihai, though startled, had somewhat regained his composure.

"You really carry that with you?"

Zhou Qing rolled her eyes. "What’s it to you? Now, pay up!"

"Are you trying to rob me? This is the county, not the countryside, where you can behave like a ruffian!" Zhou Huaihai looked at her with disdain and shouted, "Get lost, or I’ll report you to the authorities!"

Zhou Qing smiled slyly. "Fine, let’s report it! Let’s go ask the county magistrate exactly what gifts Shen Li gave him! If anyone backs out, they’re a coward!"

With that, Zhou Qing slammed the table and stood up.

Propping one foot on the bench, she stared menacingly at Zhou Huaihai.

The commotion quickly drew onlookers.

Isn’t that the girl who fiercely rejected a marriage proposal last time?

The two men beside Zhou Huaihai had gotten a good look at the contents of the document. They had a rough idea of what was going on.

Brother Zhou, it seems, had spoken ill of someone in front of the wrong person.

People watching were thrilled at the unfolding drama.

Someone in the crowd sneered, "Who do you think you are, daring to challenge Brother Zhou? Do you even know where Brother Zhou’s son is employed?"

Zhou Qing ignored the man, keeping her eyes on Zhou Huaihai. "Unless your son has become the emperor, there’s no way you can deny this black-and-white document with a red handprint. Now, are we going to the county office or not? Hurry up, don’t waste my time!"

Zhou Qing’s tone was rude, and Zhou Huaihai’s face turned purple with rage.

The crowd began whispering among themselves.

Waving his hand, Zhou Huaihai wore his usual disappointed expression.

"How can you speak to me like that? Hasn’t your father taught you any respect for your elders? And he's the top scorer? With that attitude?"