Chapter 130: Brushing Off
On this matter, Su Yaoguang respected Zhang Zhaodi’s decision.
Wei Shi and Zhang Laosan were her parents, who had the grace of giving her life. As their daughter, Su Yaoguang could only support her decision unconditionally and could not decide for her.
Zhang Zhaodi had originally felt some pity, but this phrase “sending off beggars” was like splashing a bucket of cold water on her, making her calm down.
“Since you look down on it, then don’t take it.” Zhang Zhaodi said, “Go ahead and make a fuss. The officers are outside. As soon as you start making noise, they’ll immediately arrest you and lock you up in prison. That prison is full of condemned prisoners. If you catch a sickness, no one will care for you. Locked up with those people, you only have one path to death.”
Hua Shi tugged at Zhang Jizong: “This place is too unlucky. We need to hurry back to the village. Otherwise, what if the child catches the sickly aura?”
“Fifty jin. Give us fifty jin of cornmeal and twenty jin of rice, and we’ll leave right away.” Zhang Jizong said, “And you need to send a cart to take us back.”
“I only have fifty jin in total. If I give it to you, what will the rest of us drink, northwest wind? I already said twenty jin, not one jin more.” Zhang Zhaodi said, then shouted outside, “Officer elder brother…”
“Alright, alright, twenty jin it is.” Wei Shi hurriedly interrupted Zhang Zhaodi. “We walked for several hours when we came earlier. If you make us walk several more hours, these old bones will be done for. You have to send us back.”
“I’ll send you.” Wang Huanzhi said.
“No. Your body is weak. Once you catch the sickly aura, you’ll get sick more easily than ordinary people.” Zhang Yingdi disagreed.
“I’ll send you.” Su Yaoguang said, “This time not driving the ox cart, but the horse-drawn carriage. I need to go fast and come back fast.”
Zhang Laosan sized up Su Yaoguang, his eyes full of scheming: “Yaoguang girl is growing more and more beautiful. You haven’t had an arranged meeting for marriage yet, right? I have a nephew…”
“Grandpa, I already had a wedding.” Su Yaoguang interrupted Zhang Laosan and said to Zhang Pandi and Zhang Yingdi nearby, “Trouble second aunt and third aunt to bring out twenty jin of cornmeal and five jin of rice.”
Zhang Laosan was full of displeasure: “Getting married so young to who? Such a fine young lady, and no one helped her find a good family. This fertile water shouldn’t flow to outsiders. Rather than cheapening outsiders, better to…”
Zhang Zhaodi’s eyes were full of disgust.
If she could exchange this body full of blood, she really wanted to sever ties with them.
Hua Shi looked at the clothes on Su Yaoguang, her eyes full of jealousy: “I say, Yaoguang girl, we don’t have much grain, but clothes shouldn’t be lacking, right? Look at our clothes, all torn. You didn’t even buy a few sets of clothes for us elders.”
“Aunt, we can’t even pay the rent for our shop. Could you lend me some money to tide us over first? Once our business turns a profit, I’ll buy you clothes, how about that?”
“Stingy.” Hua Shi pursed her lips, “Such a big shop, and you say you have no money? Who would believe that?”
“Such a big shop isn’t ours. Bad luck—we just started doing business and ran into this natural disaster. You saw earlier, our shop now has no business at all except for the sick patients.”
Su Yaoguang sent them back to the village. On the way back, they kept asking this and that, but Su Yaoguang pretended not to hear amid the wind noise. She urged the horse to go quickly. What was originally an hour’s carriage ride, she shortened by at least half. When she delivered them to the village, the villagers heard the commotion and came out to watch, only to see Su Yaoguang unload twenty jin of cornmeal and five jin of rice, then drive the cart away.
“Zhang Laosan, who was it that just sent you back, and gave you so much grain?”
“My granddaughter.” Zhang Laosan said proudly, “My eldest daughter and granddaughter opened a big shop in the city, very wealthy! This time, they even used a horse-drawn carriage.”
“Then why did you come back? Why not stay in the city enjoying good fortune?” The villagers asked sourly.
Zhang Laosan snorted coldly: “Gold nest or silver nest is not as good as my own dog kennel. I have a son and grandson—why go live in another family’s house? A daughter only needs to bring things home; can’t count on her for anything else.”
“I think it’s not that he doesn’t want to stay, but his daughter won’t let him! That Zhang Zhaodi woman is no pushover. They want to take advantage of her family, but she may not let them!”
“Bullshit. My daughters all listen to me. Whatever I tell them to do, they do…”
“Bao Shan dad, the child is hungry. Let’s hurry inside and make something to eat!” Hua Shi looked at the cornmeal and rice on the ground, swallowing saliva.
“I think it’s not the child who’s greedy, it’s you who’s greedy, right? All day doing nothing, just knowing how to eat and be lazy—why doesn’t it choke you to death?” Wei Shi muttered, then said to Zhang Jizong nearby, “Hurry and move the things inside. Do you want the whole village to know we have grain?”
Although villagers grow their own fields and most have surplus grain at home, no one knows how long this natural disaster will last, so they must guard it well.
After sending off Zhang Laosan and the others, Su Yaoguang drove the horse-drawn carriage back. When she passed the official road, she saw people blocking the way, so she quickly urged the horse to turn and rush past them from the side.
In the current chaos, she absolutely must not be a good Samaritan. She could not pick up pedestrians by the road.
As she rushed past those people, she vaguely heard cursing. Clearly, she had successfully avoided trouble just now.
Su Yaoguang made it back to the city before dark.
After entering the city gate, she relaxed mentally and physically, so she didn’t drive so hurriedly.
When passing an alley, she saw several tall strong men blocking a slender-built man wearing a veiled hat. She recognized that figure—it was that Zi Zhan Young Master.
She drove the horse-drawn carriage over: “What are you doing?”
Those men saw Su Yaoguang appear, their gazes lingering on her horse-drawn carriage, green light in their eyes.
In the current chaos, there were many miserable people, and many who robbed houses.
“Stinky girl, mind your own business. Perfect, we’ll take you too.” Those men charged at Su Yaoguang.
Su Yaoguang glanced back at “Zi Zhan Young Master” and saw he was in a relatively safe position, so she ignored him, clenched her fist, and fought those strong men.
One fist knocked a strong man’s head askew.
Everyone watched the strong man fly out, their expressions stunned.
They were dazed only for a moment, with no chance to daze further, because Su Yaoguang’s fist swung toward them.
Su Yaoguang quickly took down the four strong men. She turned back to Zi Zhan Young Master standing in the corner and said, “Are you alright?”
Zi Zhan Young Master saluted Su Yaoguang: “Many thanks, young lady. I will visit another day to give proper thanks. I have urgent business today, so I take my leave first.”
“Wait…” Su Yaoguang called to him. “Where are you going? I’ll take you.”
“Zi Zhan Young Master” froze in place, hesitated, then said: “I’m going to Jiuhua Alley, just ahead, very close.”
“Perfect, it’s on the way. I’ll give you a ride, get on!” Su Yaoguang scooted over to the side.
