Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 116

The old man had once passed the Xiucai exam. Although he later failed to advance further, in the eyes of the villagers, that still set him apart. Because of this, he became the head of the village. He even named his eldest son Shen Heju in honor of his scholarly success. But unfortunately, when it came to the next generation, not a single one of his sons succeeded in their studies. Among the grandchildren, however, there was one, Shen Changge.

The old man still pinned his hopes on Shen Changge, hoping he would pass the imperial exams and bring honor to the family. But before the exams could even come, Shen Cuihua eloped with Liu An, and Shen Changge, in a fit of rage, joined the army in the northwest.

Cuihua’s elopement was already a disgrace to the family. Adding to that, her actions had driven Shen Changge to enlist, so the old man’s anger and hatred toward Cuihua knew no bounds.

While they were talking, they had already arrived at Shili Town. Since Shen Changyun had been to the Weixuan Shop before, he easily guided the ox cart right up to the front.

Ying Su nimbly jumped down from the cart, and before her feet could even settle, two figures suddenly darted out from the corners by the doorway.

Startled, Shen Changyun quickly hopped down with his lame leg and moved in front of Ying Su to shield her. That instinctive gesture softened Ying Su’s heart. But the two men who rushed over dropped to their knees in front of her with a loud thud.

Shen Changyun glanced down and nearly had his jaw drop. Pointing at the kneeling figures, he stammered, “You… it’s you two…!”

Ying Su also recognized them. They were the same two ruffians from the alley the day before. A knowing smile tugged at her lips.

The commotion made passersby stop and watch, whispering among themselves. The noise even drew shopkeepers out to look. Liu Chuncao, seeing it was Ying Su, hurried over, but when she noticed Shen Changyun at her side, unease flickered across her face.

The two men on their knees reached out, trying to grab Ying Su’s legs, but she quickly sidestepped them. They scrambled to speak, “It was us brothers who were wrong yesterday! We beg you, young lady, please forgive us. We’re here to apologize!”

It looked like Lu Da must have said something to them. Ying Su folded her arms across her chest, tilted her chin, and looked down at them. “You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not the one you should be begging.”

The two glanced at each other. Then one of them, quick-witted, shuffled on his knees toward Shen Changyun and said ingratiatingly, “Little brother, it was our fault. We’re here to apologize to you!” With that, he slapped himself hard twice across the face.

The other immediately followed suit, slapping himself too. The onlookers stared in shock at the scene.

The two had gone back to report to Lu Da, only to get a vicious scolding. Lu Da jabbed his finger at them and roared, “If you want to throw your lives away, fine, but don’t drag me down with you! Tomorrow, you will kneel outside the young lady’s shop. You don’t come back until she’s no longer angry!”

The two were dumbfounded. Who would have thought that an inconspicuous young woman had such a powerful background? One muttered nervously, “But what if she never forgives us? Are we supposed to kneel until our legs break?”

Lu Da cursed them again, “If she doesn’t forgive you, then you kneel there till you die!”

He struck them hard across the shoulders, scolding through clenched teeth, “Do you idiots even know who she is? Lord Ba calls her his sister! He personally said that she’s under his protection, no one can so much as touch a finger of hers! You have no idea how dangerous she really is. If she takes this to heart, even ten lives of yours won’t be enough!”

Remembering that, the two couldn’t help trembling. They knocked their heads to the ground repeatedly, pleading, “Please, little brother, be magnanimous. Don’t take it to heart. It’s all our fault. We were blind and didn’t know our place.”

Shen Changyun stared at them in shock, unable to react at first. Then excitement spread across his face. He shot Ying Su a sly look, cleared his throat with exaggerated seriousness, and said, “In that case, you’d better not go around bullying the vendors in the market anymore. Every stall out here is someone’s livelihood. As for protection fees in the future…”

“We won’t dare anymore, we won’t dare…” The two interrupted quickly.

The crowd immediately began looking at Shen Changyun with new respect. Some even gave him a thumbs up. A proud smile spread across his face.

Across the street, Shopkeeper Li was also among the crowd. His assistant whispered, “Shopkeeper, aren’t those the thugs from West Street who collect protection money? They’re usually so arrogant!”

Shopkeeper Li’s expression changed. His heart clenched as he stole a glance at Ying Su. Seeing she wasn’t paying attention to him, he quickly slipped back into his shop, still rattled.

The assistant asked, “Shopkeeper, what’s wrong?”

Shopkeeper Li glared at him and said nothing, but in his mind he thought, ‘For those two to be groveling to that woman… she must be formidable. Luckily, she doesn’t know our shop stole her designs.’

But then he frowned. Or does she? No, he had to find Shi Yuan and get some answers. With that thought, he couldn’t sit still any longer and went out to find him.

Out on the street, Ying Su finally said coolly, “You may get up now.”

The two ruffians scrambled to their feet and quickly explained, “Our boss actually planned to come apologize to you in person today, but something came up at the docks and Lord Ba had to go there.”

Ying Su raised an eyebrow. “Something at the docks?”

Lately, there had been noticeably more gangsters on the streets, and their hands had been less than clean. It hadn’t been like this before. She had assumed it was just because many officials and wealthy families were traveling in July, attracting shady types. But now it seemed there was more to it.

“Seems to be a matter involving the Canal Gang, but we don’t know the details. Our boss has been busy day and night,” they said.

Ying Su nodded and waved them off.

Shen Changyun grabbed her sleeve excitedly, his face still full of disbelief. “Heavens! Second Sister, was that real? Those arrogant bastards actually knelt on the ground begging me?”

Ying Su chuckled and nodded. “It was real.”

Just then, a voice called from the crowd, “Young Lady Cuihua…”

Ying Su turned to see Officer Zhou. Smiling, she said, “So it’s Officer Zhou. Why don’t you come inside the shop and sit for a while?”

Cfficer Zhou grinned, flashing white teeth, and waved his hand. “No need, I’m busy. I just wanted to give you a word of advice.”

Glancing around, he stepped closer and lowered his voice, “I see you’ve had dealings with Wang Ba’s people. Best keep your distance for now. Shili Town isn’t very safe these days.”

Ying Su immediately caught the weight in his choice of words. She raised her eyes and looked at him seriously. “What’s happening in Shili Town?”

Her bright, clear gaze was dazzling up close, more beautiful than the brightest star in the night sky. Officer Zhou’s ears turned red in an instant. He coughed lightly to cover his fluster and said, “It’s nothing major. Just… if you’ve got nothing pressing, don’t get too close to Wang Ba and his men.”