Chapter 108 City Streets 8

Chapter 108: Town Streets 8

The two girls dared not stop; they ran for their lives!

The entire path was downhill. Mai'er and Banban stumbled down hand in hand, the still-damp, muddy ground staining Banban's new skirt with a large, black smudge.

But she couldn't stop to wipe it off; she could only pull Mai'er's hand and run forward. Behind them, the wind howled, accompanied by Zhu Wanzhang's furious curses.

"Ah!"

"Yikes!"

The two kept glancing back at the pursuing Zhu Wanzhang, not paying attention to the path ahead. They didn't see the tall man rounding the corner and walking toward them, and ran straight into him.

"Mai'er?"

It was Song Qingfeng who spoke. He held a few lush cypress branches in his hand and looked in surprise at the two girls, whose faces were ashen with fear.

Luo Mai'er, who had been bravely holding on, crumpled at the sight of Song Qingfeng. She burst into tears, pulling Qin Banban with her as she hid behind him.

Qin Banban's face was even more bloodless, ghostly pale, her hands trembling so much she was too shaken to speak.

Song Qingfeng looked in the direction they had come from and saw a menacing-looking man emerge up the hill—none other than the pursuing Zhu Wanzhang.

Zhu Wanzhang had been grinning creepily and chasing them just a moment before, but the next instant, he saw Song Qingfeng standing like a dark-faced guardian god in front of Qin Banban and Luo Mai'er.

Zhu Wanzhang: "Huh?!"

Slippery as ever, he turned and fled the moment he saw Song Qingfeng, wasting no time at all.

Song Qingfeng started to chase, but the girls grabbed his clothes from both sides—clearly, the two girls were too terrified to let go.

He could have caught him, but judging by Qin Banban and Luo Mai'er's state, they were too scared to go back alone.

After a moment's thought, Song Qingfeng said, "I'll take you home first."

The two nodded in unison, not uttering a word.

No one spoke the entire way back. Song Qingfeng remained silent, not asking what Zhu Wanzhang had done, simply escorting them home without a sound.

Normally, Luo Mai'er was quite talkative, but now she was too terrified to say a single word.

When they returned home, people were still gathered in front of the Qin family's courtyard—still queuing for Spring Festival couplets.

Someone called out, "Qin Tongsheng, your sister's back?"

Qin Rongshi didn't think anything of it at first, assuming his sister had returned from picking flowers on the mountain. He put down his brush and looked up.

He saw Qin Banban hiding behind Song Qingfeng, her face pale as a sheet. Her flower basket was gone, and the hem of her skirt was stained with mud, as if she had fallen along the way.

"Banban?"

Qin Rongshi immediately stood up and walked out, a frown creasing his brow.

Hearing her second brother's voice, Qin Banban's eyes brightened a little, and she rushed out. "Second Brother!"

The commotion at the gate quickly drew the attention of Liu Guyu and Cui Lanfang, who were busy in the kitchen. They hurried out as well.

Qin Banban first hugged Qin Rongshi, but the moment she saw her mother emerge, she let go and ran to her.

Cui Lanfang had never seen her daughter like this before. She was worried sick and asked anxiously, "What happened? What's wrong?"

Qin Banban bit her lip, unable to speak. Cui Lanfang quickly looked at Luo Mai'er, who had gone out with Banban.

Perhaps the noise at the gate was too loud, because Lin Xingniang and Luo Qingzhu, who lived across the street, also came out to see what was happening. They soon realized it involved their own family.

"Mai'er! What's going on?"

Lin Xingniang hurried over and hugged Luo Mai'er, checking her over from head to toe to make sure she wasn't hurt.

Seeing Song Qingfeng there as well, Luo Qingzhu instinctively looked at him. Before he could even ask, Song Qingfeng stepped closer and whispered, "I ran into them on Xiaoliu Mountain. Zhu Wanzhang from the village was there too."

He didn't elaborate, only hinting at what had happened.

Luo Mai'er, having regained her composure by then, wiped her tears and said, "It was him! It was Zhu Wanzhang! He blocked our path on the mountain, wouldn't let us leave, and kept pestering us, pulling and grabbing at us!"

She was still terrified, tears falling heavily, but her voice was loud and clear.

The villagers watching understood immediately. Everyone in the village knew Zhu Wanzhang—he was notorious for being idle and shameless. He must have seen the pretty girls alone and latched onto them!

With just those few words, Qin Rongshi could already piece together what had happened.

His face turned dark with rage, as gloomy as the bottom of a pot. His eyes were sharp and cold, filled with stormy clouds.

Without a word, he strode out the door, heading straight in the direction of Zhu Wanzhang's house.

The villagers who had been waiting in line for Spring Festival couplets hadn't expected such trouble during the New Year. One by one, they rolled up their red paper, pocketed their eggs, pastries, and coins, and followed to see what would happen.

Liu Guyu, unable to rest easy, said, "I'll go check," and hurried after them.

If he couldn't rest easy, how could Cui Lanfang and Lin Xingniang?

Not only were they uneasy, they were also furious. They stormed out after him.

Meanwhile, Zhu Wanzhang had stumbled back home, his face a mix of anger and fear. He muttered curses to himself while rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

"Ruined my plans!"

"Those little sluts, just looking down on me!"

"What's so great about them!"

…

Zhu Wanzhang's original plan had been to abduct Qin Banban. Even if he did nothing else, her reputation in the village would be ruined.

Then the Qin family would have no choice but to marry her to him! The Qin family was prospering, and Qin Rongshi was on track to become an official. If he became the Qin family's son-in-law, he'd live a life of luxury forever!

What a pity—his plan had failed completely!

He sighed in regret while continuing to curse.

Despite his fierce cursing, he was actually terrified!

He had already started packing his belongings and money, planning to flee the village and lay low for a while!

He hadn't gained anything, and the girls had gotten away. That wretched girl must have gone back to tell on him—he had to escape quickly!

Zhu Wanzhang slung a bundle over his shoulder and clutched a tattered money pouch as he headed out. The moment he stepped out the door, he saw a large, noisy crowd breaking into his yard and rushing toward him.

His mouth gaped in terror, and he immediately tried to bolt into the house.

"He's here!"

"Drag him out!"

Ever since Liu Guyu had taught the villagers how to make fertilizer, their farmlands had all increased in yield. Now, the Qin family had the best standing in the village. Word had spread, and many came to help. A crowd stormed into the house and dragged Zhu Wanzhang out.

"Wha—what're you doing! What do you want?!"

Zhu Wanzhang was horrified, covering his face and screaming.

Someone shouted, "Don’t you know what we’re doing? Don’t you have any idea what you’ve done?!"

Zhu Wanzhang stammered, his eyes darting around slyly, and immediately spotted Qin Banban, who was being protected by Cui Lanfang and Liu Guyu.

"Oh… it’s—it’s because of Banban! This isn’t my fault! Didn’t she wear flowers right in front of me on purpose? Wasn’t she all dolled up just for me? Coming onto—"

Before he could finish, Qin Rongshi, who was standing at the front, moved into action.

Qin Rongshi didn’t say a word. His eyes were pitch-black and burning. While glaring fixedly at Zhu Wanzhang, he removed his outermost wide-sleeved robe.

The robe was loose and would just get in the way if he had to fight.

One moment, he handed the removed outer robe to Liu Guyu; the next, he hiked up his sleeves and strode over. Without giving Zhu Wanzhang a chance to finish speaking, he grabbed him by the collar and socked him directly on his face.

Blow after blow rained down on his face, shattering his nose and splattering blood everywhere.

Everyone present froze for a moment. Liu Guyu was especially stunned—it was the first time he had ever seen Qin Rongshi in such a furious rage. His eyes were icy and sharp, totally empty of feeling, filled only with a fury that seemed to press down like a gathering storm.

His movements were brutally efficient, each punch landing solidly. At first, Zhu Wanzhang tried to speak, but Qin Rongshi grabbed him by the hair, lifted him up, and punched him again across the cheek. His left eye was bruised, his right eye swollen, and blood poured from his nostrils.

Zhu Wanzhang spat out a mouthful of bloody foam—two teeth floating in it.

"Ugh… stop… stop hitting me…"

Zhu Wanzhang raised a hand, still trying to speak, but the next moment, Qin Rongshi slammed him down hard onto the ground. Dizzy and seeing stars, he couldn’t get up for a long time.

But Qin Rongshi still didn’t seem satisfied. He glanced around and spotted a hoe leaning upside down against the fence. He walked over, picked it up, and stomped on the blade to snap off the handle.

Seeing Qin Rongshi’s ferocious expression, Zhu Wanzhang, who had no strength left to stand, flinched back and scrambled away.

"What—what else are you going to do? A st—student scholar, you think you can just hit people? I’m going to report you to the village head… Ah!"

Before he could finish, Zhu Wanzhang let out another scream. But Qin Rongshi didn’t stop because of his cries of pain—instead, he swung the wooden handle down hard, again and again, on his arms.

"Ah…"

"It hurts! Stop… stop hitting me!"

In the end, Zhu Wanzhang slumped on the ground like a broken dog, his body twitching occasionally. His right leg and right arm were both broken.

A collective gasp went up. The villagers stared at Qin Rongshi in shock—they never expected such a cultured scholar to be capable of such brutality.

Even Cui Lanfang, his own mother, was startled and instinctively covered Qin Banban’s eyes.

But soon, the villagers snapped out of their shock. Instead of fear, they felt satisfaction.

Especially those with daughters or sons—they raised their hands and cheered.

"Well done!"

"Well done!"

Banban pulled her mother’s hand away from her eyes and stared intently as Qin Rongshi beat the man.

Luo Mai'er quietly slipped over, clutched Qin Banban’s arm, and whispered, "Banban, your second brother is amazing! He should beat him hard! Make sure he avoids you from now on!"

As she spoke, she tugged at Qin Banban’s sleeve, pushed it up to check, then sighed in relief. "Phew… good thing he only grabbed you through the sleeve! Otherwise, it would’ve been too disgusting!"

There was still a red mark around Qin Banban’s wrist where Zhu Wanzhang had grabbed her, and a black handprint was smudged on her sleeve.

Banban didn’t say anything. She was holding a handful of plum flowers—she had torn them off in anger when Zhu Wanzhang said, "she wore flowers right in front of me on purpose." Even now, her hand trembled as she held the flowers.

Liu Guyu was still holding Qin Rongshi’s robe, his eyes fixed intently on him. He could see that Qin Rongshi’s anger hadn’t subsided—his eyes were like black pools, giving off a bone-chilling cold. His gaze toward Zhu Wanzhang was like a sharp blade, flaying his skin piece by piece.

Coming to his senses, Liu Guyu stepped forward and pulled Qin Rongshi back, stopping him from continuing.

"Erlang."

It was fine to let off steam by beating someone, but he couldn’t actually kill him—that would only throw his own life away in return. The cost wasn’t worth it.

Liu Guyu held Qin Rongshi back and said quietly. Then he worked open Qin Rongshi’s fingers and took the hoe handle from his grasp.

Qin Rongshi took a deep breath. It took him a while to shift his gaze away and look at Liu Guyu. The cold intensity in his eyes hadn’t faded yet.

Liu Guyu didn’t speak. Silently, he led Qin Rongshi to the water vat, dipped two ladlefuls of water, and carefully washed the blood from his hands, turning them over to clean every part.

At that moment, Qin Banban also let out a long exhale. Then she stepped out from Cui Lanfang’s embrace.

She walked forward and stopped about five steps away from Zhu Wanzhang. Chest lifted and head held high, she looked down at the broken heap on the ground as if he were a worthless pile of mud.

Then, she opened her palm and carefully pinned each red plum flower back into her hair, one by one.

Her hands were still trembling. These were indeed the same flowers she had torn off out of fear and disgust. But now, Qin Banban was putting them back, one after another.

The bright red plum flowers glowed radiantly, lighting up her hair like gems.

She didn’t say a word, but her gesture said it all.

Cui Lanfang quickly walked over and steered Qin Banban away from that disgusting scene.

Behind them, the still-angry villagers spat at Zhu Wanzhang and cursed loudly.

"Pah! Trash! A toad wanting swan meat—why doesn’t he piss and look at himself!"

"Wearing flowers for you to see? Who do you think you are?!"

"The empress wears gold and jewels! The fairies in heaven wear heavenly robes! Are those for you to see? You really think you’re special!"

…

The taunts kept coming.