Chapter 9 Looking for Trouble

Qin Ruo left the house and wandered around the village along a small path.

Changhe Village was located in Datong Township, Taihe County, Ganzhou, in the northwest of the Great Sheng Dynasty. It was a remote place, with mountains stretching as far as the eye could see.

The mountains rose and fell, forming a basin-like terrain below them.

At this time of year, the leaves were turning and falling, covering Changhe Village in a blanket of autumn colors.

The entire village had only a hundred or so households, not big, not small.

After walking around, Qin Ruo had a good grasp of the village.

Just as she was about to turn back, several people suddenly jumped out from the side of the road and blocked her path.

The woman at the head of the group was thin and gaunt, with prominent cheekbones and a mean look on her face. It was Zhu Shi, Zhao Dala’s mother.

Behind her were several women from the village who were known for loving to watch the drama unfold.

Zhu Shi exchanged a look with Wang Jiaojiao, who was hiding in the crowd, and immediately pointed at Qin Ruo and began to scold her.

“You shameless little b*tch! Three days ago, you went into the mountains with my Bao Gen. Now he’s gone, did you hide him?”

Zhu Shi rolled her eyes and fiercely lunged at Qin Ruo, trying to tear her clothes.

Qin Ruo frowned slightly and dodged Zhu Shi’s attack with ease.

“You little b*tch, you dare to dodge? Why did you come back, but my Bao Gen didn’t? What did you do to him?”

Zhu Shi received a nod of encouragement from Wang Jiaojiao, and she became even more excited.

The women watching, although they scoffed at Zhu Shi’s words, who didn’t love a good show?

Zhao Dala’s real name was Zhao Bao Gen. His nickname was enough to tell you he wasn’t a good person.

Zhao Dala’s previous wife had been worn down by him and his mother.

Knowing the Zhao family’s background, no decent family was willing to marry their daughter into it.

The Qin family girl was known for being a pushover. Now that Zhu Shi was harassing her, it was possible that Zhao Dala would actually get a wife for free.

“Qiuxi, you too. You and Bao Gen clearly have feelings for each other. Why did you play hard to get before? You rejected the Zhao family’s proposal, and now you’re hiding Bao Gen…”

Tian Shi, the daughter-in-law of Old Sun’s family at the head of the village, saw this and immediately squeezed out of the crowd, covering her mouth and laughing.

The malicious intent in her eyes was obvious.

Everyone knew that Zhao Dala’s mother, Zhu Shi, had gone to the Qin family with half a pound of pastries to propose marriage, but she had been chased out by Qin Laotai.

She was deliberately trying to stir up trouble and make things difficult for them.

Tian Shi thought of Qin Qiuxi’s mother, Shen Shi, who looked like a vixen and made the men in the village lose their minds. She was furious.

Thankfully, heaven had eyes, and Shen Shi had died.

As for  Qin Huaizheng, the short-lived ghost of the Qin family, he wasn’t a good person either.

When he was alive, he would hunt and never share anything with them.

Now, he had gone into the mountains and hadn’t returned. Serves him right!

Even Qin Laotai was an annoying old woman.

She would put on airs whenever she mentioned her grandson, as if he were already a high official.

She wanted to see how Qin Laotai would face people after  Qin Qiuxi had done such a disgraceful thing.

Tian Shi naturally understood Zhu Shi’s intentions.

She didn’t mind helping Zhu Shi make the Qin family lose face.

“You little b*tch, if you don’t hand over my Bao Gen today, I’ll make you pay.”

Zhu Shi felt more confident with someone backing her up. She ignored everything and lunged at Qin Ruo again.

Qin Ruo listened to Zhu Shi calling her a little b*tch and remembered Zhao Dala’s behavior. Her eyes suddenly turned cold.

She raised her foot and kicked her hard.

Zhu Shi’s entire body flew backward and landed on the ground, howling in pain.

“Murder! Murder! The Qin family…”

Qin Ruo stood there, looking down at Zhu Shi with cold eyes, interrupting her.

“If you’ve lost someone, go report it to the officials. If you say I’m hiding someone, then show me the evidence. Maybe he did something wrong and was punished by heaven.”

“You dare to target me? You better think about whether you have the ability to do so!”

Zhu Shi was stunned for a moment. She wanted to continue to argue and scold, but the words kept getting stuck in her throat.

Early this morning, Wang Jiaojiao, the niece of the headman, had secretly approached her and whispered something in her ear.

Wang Jiaojiao told her that she had seen Bao Gen and Qin Ruo go into the mountains together three days ago.

A man and a woman going into the mountains together, who knows… what might happen.

Since Bao Gen hadn’t returned, why not make this a fact?

The Qin family couldn’t afford to lose face, they would definitely marry Qin Qiuxi off.

Zhu Shi knew her son’s character very well. He must have had his eye on the Qin family girl.

Since the opportunity was right in front of her, how could she refuse?

Before this, Zhu Shi had brazenly gone to the Qin family to propose marriage for her son, Zhao Dala.

She thought that the Qin family had produced a scholar.

If  Qin Zian passed the exam in the future, he would be on the fast track to success.

If her Zhao Dala married  Qin Qiuxi, they would have this connection, and her family would surely benefit from it.

Even getting Bao Gen a small official position wouldn’t be a problem.

If Qin Zian didn’t pass the exam, it wouldn’t matter. The Qin family girl was a good hunter and could make money.

The key was that she was weak-willed. Once she was married, she could control Qin Qiuxi, which meant controlling the entire Qin family.

Zhu Shi was increasingly excited about the prospect. As soon as the original owner had just turned eighteen, she couldn’t wait to propose marriage to the Qin family.

However, as soon as she opened her mouth, she was chased out by Qin Laotai, making a spectacle of herself in front of the villagers.

Zhu Shi felt humiliated and had been looking for an opportunity to get revenge.

Wang Jiaojiao approached her and asked her to cause trouble at the Qin family. She agreed without hesitation.

Her son was always out and about, often not returning home for three or five days.

She wasn’t worried about him being gone for a few days. She had no idea that Zhao Bao Gen had already been eaten by wolves and was still daydreaming.

At this moment, Zhu Shi’s heart was pounding.

The Qin family girl’s eyes were terrifying, like she was looking at a dead person, so evil.

Usually, she wouldn’t dare to say a word, no matter how much Zhu Shi insulted her.

The women watching, seeing this scene, didn’t dare to speak.

Tian Shi’s face changed repeatedly, and she quietly took a step back.

She couldn’t believe that  Qin Qiuxi would actually attack Zhu Shi. She was crazy!

“Tian Shi, you said that Zhao Dala and I have feelings for each other? Did you see it? You’re so blind, you might as well lose your eyes!”

“You want to ruin my reputation? I’m not Li Chuncao! Heaven just told me that you’ve done too many bad things, your good days are over.”

Qin Ruo approached Tian Shi, pointed to the sky, and her eyes had a chilling coldness.

Tian Shi’s words were all about confirming the relationship between her and Zhao Dala.

She was ruining someone’s reputation with her mouth, pushing them to their death, just as ignorant and vicious as Zhu Shi.

A few months ago, Zhu Shi and Tian Shi had used the same methods to force Li Chuncao, the eldest daughter of the Li family, to her death.

Tian Shi’s eyes darted around, not daring to meet Qin Ruo’s gaze. When Qin Ruo mentioned Li Chuncao, she looked guilty.

“Li… Li Chuncao committed suicide, what does it have to do with me? Don’t talk nonsense.”

Tian Shi was terrified. She squeezed through the crowd and ran away.

She even lost one of her shoes but didn’t dare to turn back to pick it up.

Wang Jiaojiao gritted her teeth, secretly cursing Zhu Shi and Tian Shi for being useless. She stomped her foot angrily and then quietly slipped out of the crowd.

Qin Ruo glanced at Wang Jiaojiao’s retreating figure and walked away.

She didn’t pay any attention to Zhu Shi, who was still lying on the ground, or the women who were standing there dumbfounded.