Chapter 142: Beatdown
Shang Wan glanced at the crowd of servants and old women, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. “You all should have some self-awareness too. With so many people blocking the doorway of someone’s apothecary, how can they do business? And you’re from a prominent family, yet you don’t even understand this basic reason?”
The servants and old women looked at each other in dismay. This Third Young Madam seemed different from before.
Shang Wan had no intention of wasting words with strangers. She turned to enter the apothecary, but heard Madam Lu scolding those around her, “Grab her and slap her mouth!”
Shang Wan: Ha?
Is this person sick?
Hit her? Seriously?
Evidently, Madam Lu was serious.
Her gaze was icy cold. She was determined to give Shang Wan a public lesson, to make her know that she could not be defied.
Things like this had happened before.
Back at the Lu Residence, Madam Lu would often punish the original host by making her kneel and copy Buddhist scriptures for her. She even specifically chose times when Lu Chengjing was at the county school to punish the original host, leaving no one who could plead for her.
The original host often couldn’t get up from kneeling, her knees bruised and swollen.
Every time this happened, Li Shi would come to ask the original host for help, making her drag her painful knees to help manage household chores, without giving the original host a chance to refuse.
The original host was truly pitiful, toyed with by this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo.
But that was the past. Now as Shang Wan, if Madam Lu dared make her kneel and copy Buddhist scriptures, she would dare feed all the Buddhist scriptures to Madam Lu! Not a single character spared!
The maids and old women didn’t dare disobey Madam Lu’s order and stepped forward to grab Shang Wan.
Shang Wan didn’t even lift an eyelid, kicking one after another a zhang away.
Silence, dead silence.
Shang Wan coldly swept her gaze over the remaining maids and old women. Her murderous glare scared them all into shrinking back, not daring to step forward again.
Madam Lu’s face alternated between green and white. Shang Wan actually dared to strike at her people. The world had turned upside down!
Seeing the servants and old women all fearing Shang Wan like a viper or scorpion, shrinking back and not daring to advance, a surge of anger rushed straight to her forehead.
“Shang Shi, you’re something else!”
“Thank you for the compliment.” Shang Wan’s lips curved slightly, revealing an innocent smile. “If this madam wants to teach me a lesson next time, why not do it personally? As for them…”
Shang Wan pointed at the two old women lying motionless in the distance. “They’re all taking beatings in your place. As their master, shouldn’t you show some gesture?”
“I don’t need you teaching me how to do things!” Madam Lu snorted coldly and stormed off with a flick of her sleeve.
Li Shi hurriedly followed. Halfway there, she turned back to look at Shang Wan. Meeting Shang Wan’s icy gaze, she immediately turned her head away and hastily followed Madam Lu into the carriage.
Shang Wan pursed her lips. She had thought this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo would be harder to deal with?
Just this?
This was just a minor episode. Shang Wan didn’t take it to heart at all. When she got home, she didn’t even mention it.
Unexpectedly, the next day people from the Lu Residence came to the village.
It was a steward named Liu. On the first day Shang Wan transmigrated, the big bump on her forehead was his handiwork.
Zhang Er had led him here. He was working in the field when he heard Steward Liu was looking for the Lu Xiucai Scholar’s family. Thinking he was Lu Family relatives, he kindly brought the man over.
Steward Liu had just stood still and opened his mouth when Xiao Huan grabbed the broom nearby and swung it at him.
“Who let you come to our door? Get lost!”
She couldn’t forget how ugly his face was when he drove them out of the residence back then, not even letting them pack a single piece of clothing.
Bullying others with power, bah!
Steward Liu was caught off guard and took a direct hit from the broom. He yelped and ran around holding his head.
Seeing Aunt Xiao Huan beating the bad guy, Yuan Yuan hurriedly waved her little arms, directing Xiao Hui to join in the fun too.
A gray wolf suddenly leaped out from the side, scaring Steward Liu into screaming, “Mom!”
He tripped over his feet and fell flat on his face in public.
At Chu Xu’s strong insistence, Shang Wan had helped him move the soft cushion closer to the doorway, so he could poke his head out and see the excitement outside.
Now seeing Steward Liu fall flat on his face in public, he burst out laughing. The gloom from days of recovering from injury vanished, his cat-like eyes sparkling with vigor.
Zhang Er stood stunned, leg still lifted in mid-stride. Wasn’t this man Lu Family relatives? Could he be an enemy instead?
Xiao Huan didn’t miss the chance with Steward Liu fallen. She grabbed the broom and beat him mercilessly, more smoothly than a mother beating her son.
Steward Liu took a beating right on the head and face, howling miserably. He kept shouting “Third Young Master” over and over, seeking help from Lu Chengjing.
What was Lu Chengjing doing at this moment?
He and Shang Wan were watching the show from the side. No matter what Steward Liu wanted to say, he had no interest in listening.
Shang Wan casually recounted the dispute at the apothecary doorway to him.
Lu Chengjing’s gaze was indifferent. He took Shang Wan’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I used my leg to kick.” Shang Wan gripped his hand back, raising her brows. “If I had really beaten Madam Lu, what would you do?”
This question was tricky, much like “If your mother and I both fell into the water, who would you save?”
Lu Chengjing pursed his lips and said slowly, “Niangzi is not one to make unreasonable trouble. If it really happened that way, she must have provoked you first. Niangzi should do as she sees fit, no need to consider me.”
“So understanding?” Shang Wan tilted her head to look at him. “What about the grace of birth and nurturing? Aren’t you afraid others will poke at your backbone?”
“Right and wrong are for others to judge. What’s there to fear?” Lu Chengjing said. “She gave birth and raised me, not Niangzi. Moreover, we’ve been expelled from the clan. Aside from blood relation, all other ties are cleanly severed. If because of me, Niangzi suffers grievance, I would not wish it in my heart.”
Shang Wan reached out and poked his chest. “You say that, but doesn’t it hurt here?”
Lu Chengjing’s brows and eyes shifted slightly. He pursed his lips and said nothing.
Shang Wan stared at him for a moment and said softly, “Actually, if you spoke up for her, I could let her off by a bit.”
Lu Chengjing suddenly raised his eyes and rejected without thinking, “No need.”
His tone was a bit urgent, gripping Shang Wan’s hand with slight force, repeating, “No need.”
Shang Wan lowered her gaze, looking straight into the depths of his eyes, not missing that trace of undisguisable panic. She asked, “Why?”
Lu Chengjing didn’t dodge, his gaze sincere. “I’ll handle it well, so you won’t be put in a difficult position.”
Shang Wan withdrew her hand from Lu Chengjing’s grasp and patted his head instead, saying nothing more.
Lu Chengjing’s worried heart finally settled. Unknowingly, a layer of cold sweat had broken out on his back.
He always felt that if he hadn’t answered just right earlier, his wife would unhesitatingly abandon him.
Shang Wan: Sting operation.
Lu Chengjing: Daily worry that wife will leave him T^T.
“Get far away! Come once, get beaten once!” Xiao Huan wielded the broom to chase Steward Liu half a li out, not even giving him a chance to speak.
Steward Liu slunk away out of the village and returned to the Lu Residence to complain.
How exactly he complained is another matter for now.
Meanwhile, after Shi Tou learned that Steward Liu had come to the door, he grumbled at Xiao Huan for handling him alone without notifying him.
He had been beaten badly by Steward Liu back then. No matter what, he had to get revenge.
Shi Tou asked Xiao Huan, “You’ve vented this time. Next time Steward Liu comes, don’t move. Let me beat him.”
“Whoever gets to him first wins.” Xiao Huan chopped the bones with resounding thuds.
Shi Tou placed bones on the cutting board while saying, “Sis, I’ll call you sis, okay? Just leave him to me! Worst case, I’ll beat the front half, you beat the back half.”
