Chapter 75: Suddenly Submissive

Old Zhou's mouth opened slightly, his heart pounding with panic.

The county magistrate took a sip of tea and said slowly, "It wasn't easy for Zhou Yuan to secure a position in the capital."

Old Zhou froze in shock.

"Is there any way?"

The magistrate understood the meaning behind Old Zhou's question and gently shook his head.

"To be honest, if Zhou Huaishan were just an ordinary person, there might be a way. But now, he's the top-ranked scholar, and the provincial exams are just around the corner. So many eyes are on him, and besides..."

The word "besides" made Old Zhou's heart sink. He stared intently at the magistrate.

"Besides, many people already know about what happened at the tea shop today. If I were to arrest Zhou Qing, how do you think the public would react?"

Old Zhou felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.

If Zhou Qing were arrested, everyone would quickly realize that Zhou Huaihai had tried to confront Zhou Qing but ended up getting beaten instead.

After all, Zhou Huaihai had indeed brought nine bodyguards with him at the time.

And considering what had happened before...

Old Zhou felt like his heart was tangled in knots, unable to calm his frustrations.

The magistrate sighed and patted Old Zhou's shoulder.

"Grudges are better resolved than deepened, especially among family."

That promissory note... as long as you don't try to harm them, it poses no threat to you at all!

Why be so fixated on it?

Old Zhou lowered his head in a daze. Even as he left the magistrate's residence, his mind was still buzzing.

How had things gotten this bad?

Walking down the bustling street, hearing the noise around him and feeling the crowd move past, Old Zhou felt a heavy weight in his chest.

Could it really be that there was no way to deal with Zhou Qing and Zhou Huaishan?

Was it truly impossible to retrieve that promissory note?

No, it couldn't be!

He had to get it back!

He couldn't let Yuan suffer because of this!

As Old Zhou fumed internally, his eyes suddenly lit up—right in front of him, Zhou Qing and Shen Li were walking toward him.

Zhou Qing was holding a piece of beautifully colored silk, chatting and laughing with Shen Li.

Old Zhou felt a surge of bitterness rise in his throat.

Why?

Zhou Huaihai was lying unconscious in bed, and the one responsible was here laughing and joking!

Old Zhou's eyes burned with rage as he charged at Zhou Qing.

"You wretched girl!"

Old Zhou raised his hand, ready to slap Zhou Qing across the face.

Shen Li reacted quickly, stepping in to block the blow.

Initially, Shen Li thought about grabbing the old man's arm and tossing him aside.

But considering that this was Zhou Qing's grandfather, he merely blocked the slap.

Seeing that he couldn't hit Zhou Qing, Old Zhou's anger erupted like a volcano. He glared at her with the ferocity of a wild beast.

Zhou Qing, startled by the sudden attack, looked at Old Zhou and calmly asked, "Who are you, old man? Do we know each other?"

That single sentence was like fuel to Old Zhou's already raging fire.

"You ungrateful child! Is that how you speak to people? That's your elder uncle you're talking about! Have you no shame?"

Like a crazed beast, Old Zhou tried to claw at Zhou Qing, disregarding Shen Li's attempts to hold him back.

But with Shen Li in the way, he couldn't touch Zhou Qing.

The more he failed, the more frenzied he became, attracting a growing crowd of onlookers.

Zhou Qing stood calmly behind Shen Li, watching Old Zhou coldly.

"My father has no parents, I have no grandparents, nor do I have an elder uncle. But I do have a piece of paper with a handprint on it. If you keep pestering me, don't blame me for bringing that paper into this! Do you want to pay up like Zhou Huaihai did?"

Old Zhou couldn't handle the blow of those words and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Zhou Qing didn't even glance back at him. She pulled Shen Li along and turned to leave.

Just after they left, Zhao Dacheng appeared by Old Zhou's side.

In his left hand, he held a small notebook, and in his right, a brush dipped in ink. He began scribbling furiously.

"On this day, at this time, in this place, Zhou Bingde publicly slandered Zhou Qing, violating the fourth clause of the promissory note. He owes 100 taels of silver and has not paid."

Four or five of Zhao's rowdy friends stood by him.

One held the ink, another bent over to serve as a table, and another read the notes aloud in a booming voice.

Having been provoked at Yunhai Bookstore earlier that day, Zhao Dacheng felt that he needed to do something. He couldn’t let himself fall into decline any further.

As the former top dandy of Qinghe County, he couldn't bring shame to the local troublemakers!

From that day on, he vowed to shadow Zhou Huaihai and Zhou Bingde.

With Zhao and his friends causing such a scene, Old Zhou felt lightheaded and dizzy. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qing, oblivious to what had just happened, was already on a mule cart leaving Qinghe County.

The disturbance caused by Zhou Huaihai and Zhou Bingde hadn't riled Zhou Qing much.

After all, she had 1,000 silver notes in her pocket. Who had time for anger?

When she had first arrived in this world, she was so poor she couldn't even afford an egg.

Now, she had a 2,000 tael fortune.

If every time Zhou Huaihai caused trouble, it ended like this, she wouldn't mind him doing it a few more times.

After all, it was a wild way to get rich!

Shen Li glanced at Zhou Qing, feeling a bit sad.

Silly girl.

Clearly, she'd been bullied, but she was still so happy.

But since Zhou Qing was happy, he wouldn't bring up anything unpleasant.

The two of them joked and chatted as the mule cart clip-clopped along, heading toward Qingyang Village.

As soon as they reached the entrance, they heard the sound of Zhou Ping wailing like a ghost.

Zhou Huailin stood there, holding a wooden stick, his face green with fury.

"Stand still!"

When Zhou Ping saw them entering the yard, he dashed behind Zhou Qing as if she'd appeared to save him.

"Big sister, help me! Father's going to kill me!"

Zhou Huailin, furious, pointed the stick at Zhou Ping. "Come here! How dare you tell your sister!"

Zhou Ping clung to Zhou Qing’s back.

"No! If I stand still, you'll hit me!" Zhou Ping shouted back, "If you promise not to use the stick, only your hands, then I'll stand still."

Was this what people called being "bravely submissive"?

Hahaha...

Zhou Qing laughed and pulled Zhou Ping out from behind her. "What did you do this time?"

Zhou Ping looked up at her with bright, innocent eyes.

"I cut up my sister's clothes and made a new outfit for the pig. It fits really well."

Well, it sure fit!

"Pfft, hahahahaha..."

Zhou Qing couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

As she laughed, she noticed Zhou Yao standing there with a strange expression, holding a piece of clothing she recognized.

"Yao, I..."

Zhou Yao interrupted her, "Big sister, your clothes were cut up to make a new outfit for the chicken."

After saying that, Zhou Yao gave her a look as if to say, Let's see you laugh now!

Zhou Ping immediately let go of Zhou Qing's waist and bolted.

"I was wrong! I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

He shouted as he ran.

Zhou Huailin chased after him, stick in hand.

Zhou Qing's smile gradually faded as she turned to see Zhou Huaishan standing in the doorway.

Catching Zhou Qing's gaze, Zhou Huaishan felt guilty and quickly turned back inside, locking the door behind him.