Chapter 212:
What she gave him was not just two taels of silver.
She gave him all ten taels she had on her, leaving only a little over one tael in broken silver, and she didn’t dare tell the old man!
Li Gui coaxed her, saying he needed to spend some silver this time for the autumn exam to buy some insider exam questions.
She also thought he could have more connections, double insurance…
He said that once he became a high official in the future, he would definitely hire a few young maids to serve her, this old lady, and make sure she enjoyed blessings!
If the old man found out, wouldn’t he skin her alive…
Her eyes expectantly watched Li Gui kneeling on the ground wailing in tears, but Li Gui nodded to her!
Zhou Shi tumbled and fell sitting on the ground, at a complete loss.
Luo Zhi’er’s eyes lingered on the two of them. Something was off. Would Zhou Shi tremble and collapse on the ground as if soulless over two taels of silver?
Didn’t she still have over ten taels?
Was there some inside story they didn’t know about?
Sure enough, Zhou Shi couldn’t hold back. She was afraid Li Gui had been deceived!
“Gui’er, tell me, were you deceived by someone?”
“Tell Mother where that private brothel is? Mother will go confront her, that whore slut who’s been ridden by thousands and slept with ten thousands, living off men!”
“Seduce anyone but a proper student from Donglin Academy. She just wants to find some fool to redeem her in the future! Mother is going to get the silver back!!!” Zhou Shi shrieked and wailed.
Li Gui shook his head repeatedly: “No, Mother, she didn’t deceive me. Don’t go!”
This matter was him going to her door on his own. She wouldn’t come to the academy to seduce him!
Teacher Fan trembled at her cursing words, thinking it would be terrible if she went and damaged the academy’s reputation.
He hurriedly said: “Do you think a place like that can open without some backing? Li Gui’s mother, you’d go for nothing, and might even come back carried horizontally!”
This was not Teacher Fan exaggerating. It was fact!
Since ancient times, those who open gambling houses, brothels, private brothels are all fearless types, with some thugs backing them up!
“It’s not worth it for those two taels of silver!” Teacher Fan sighed.
“But…” Zhou Shi hemmed and hawed, wanting to say something but stopping… suddenly hiccupping in anxiety! Unable to catch her breath, glaring white-eyed in panic!
“But what? Oh! You old woman, all you know is to gasp! Didn’t we say it’s settled!”
Old Li Tou’s eyes bulged like cow eyes. Every time it was this woman messing around. He shouldn’t have let her handle the money!
Who did she think she was, daring to go find someone?
Now she had angered herself into this state. Which time wasn’t it her causing trouble? Either bad ideas or holding them back and making things worse…
All the silver at home had been squandered by her and her sons!
Thinking about it gave him a headache and chest tightness. He even suspected he had heart disease…
“Old man, it can’t be settled. We have to go find them. Our Gui’er was cheated. It’s not two taels, it’s ten taels. Where does a trip to a private brothel cost ten taels? That’s enough to marry a virgin maiden!!”
Zhou Shi slapped her thigh, and with one breath, finally wailed out!
“What…”
Old Li Tou’s vision went black, nearly tumbling to the ground. He steadied himself against the persimmon tree nearby. What evil had he done?
“Death-seeking woman!”
Stuck with such a woman and son?
One so useless, the second one the same!
Seeing Li Gui before him, he recalled Li Lei, and all the recent misfortunes one by one came to mind. Day after day of unrest, all pinned on Li Gui.
“Beat you to death, you unfilial son! Father will beat you this rebellious son to death!”
“Father sees if you’ll talk or not? Where did the silver go?”
A bloody welt immediately appeared by Li Gui’s eye, hands covering his face as he wailed!
“Please, Dad, don’t hit anymore!”
Old Li Tou showed no mercy, continuing with the next lash viciously on his back. Zhou Shi had no mood to pull him anymore!
Old Li Tou didn’t believe ten taels of silver were all given away on that one trip!
“Will you talk or not?”
Luo Zhi’er also felt it impossible. What exactly was this Li Gui hiding?
Just now wailing in tears, now beaten like this yet keeping silent. Could there be something even bigger waiting for them?
Thinking about it made her faintly uneasy!
After Old Li Tou delivered over a dozen lashes, Li Gui closed his eyes and fainted.
Whether real faint or fake, he had at least succeeded. Old Li Tou, panting with rage, stopped.
Seeing no one pull him, looking around: Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Brother’s Wife, Third Brother and his wife all had cold, angry faces!!!
Wishing he would beat Li Gui to death!
He might also be tired from beating.
Luo Zhi’er knew Old Li Tou also intended to put on a show for them.
After all, the brothers had toiled for over a decade just to let Li Gui study. They had listened to the two elders, and now this outcome—where could they put their old faces?
Afraid of rebellion, no face to see Luo Zhi’er, afraid the brothers would be upset and come demanding explanations!
Demanding silver!
Where could they get it from?
“Hmph! No one is allowed to help him today. When he wakes, make him keep kneeling here!”
“If he kneels to death, it’s on me!”
Teacher Fan left grudgingly. Having completed his task, he had nothing to say and rose to bid farewell!
He had anticipated the scholar’s parents’ reaction. Any parents facing such out-of-control behavior would react normally!
Li Gui was naturally faking faint, squinting to see Li Sanmao politely seeing Teacher Fan off!
Seeing Dad hunched over going into the house and not coming out, probably lying down!
Seeing Oldest Brother holding back Eldest Sister-in-law who wanted to run over…
Seeing Chen Shi looking at him with disdain!
Seeing Mother with a lost expression, ignoring him fainted on the ground.
Seeing Third Sister-in-law expressionless, her mouth corner seemingly hooked…
He didn’t care about these. He only wished…
In contemplation, suddenly a fat figure approached, looking down coldly at him!
Seeing him fainted, first kicked him!
Li Gui inwardly hated!
Suddenly her lip corner hooked, and she rummaged in her sleeve for something. “Fifth Uncle, just tell where those ten taels of silver really went?”
Li Gui didn’t move, eyes tightly closed!
“Like that, huh…”
Then “Pfft!” A sound, and Li Gui broke out in cold sweat all over!
A cry of alarm around him. He felt something wrong, slightly opening his eyes…
He saw a Turkic curved knife stabbed into the ground before him, its sharp blade only one millimeter from his eye!
Luo Zhi’er saw his eyelids twitch, body trembling…
“Will you talk or not?”
“Luo Zhi’er, what are you doing?”
Zhou Shi now saw the real knife at Li Gui’s side and got scared.
This fat hoof, wouldn’t kill Gui’er over those ten taels?
“That silver you already handed over to me. How I use it is our old couple’s business. You, you step away! Take the knife away!”
Luo Zhi’er ignored her, continuing to the person on the ground: “I know you’re awake. This silver didn’t come easy for me. How can you not say?”
Xiao Zhou Shi, Chen Shi and the others also really wanted to know.
Just didn’t expect this Luo Zhi’er to be so bold! Daring to bring a knife!
Luo Zhi’er pulled out the Turkic curved knife with mud. “Since you won’t say, the silver your Third Brother and I spent on you before can’t be wasted. I’ll take one of your fingers as compensation!”
With that, she sliced toward his finger!
Li Gui’s body shook, silently pulling his hand back.
