Yin Wuyan looked at the plump girl sitting on the ground with disdain. Since he had started his studies at the age of three, he had always used high-quality Xuan paper; this cheap rough paper had never appeared in the study.
Zhan Feiyu feigned ignorance and smiled, thinking that poverty could stump even a hero! She was merely being thrifty and economical!
Besides being fat and stupid, he was also poor, stingy, and miserly! Yin Wuyan withdrew his gaze, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the sword clean. He casually tossed it, and the blood-stained handkerchief landed on Zhan Feiyu's leg.
The plain white brocade handkerchief was stained with blood, but it was still evident that it was made of silk. In the sunlight, the handkerchief gleamed. It was made by a highly skilled embroiderer who had woven silver threads into it. This handkerchief alone was worth at least one tael of silver, enough to buy twenty sheets of rough paper.
"Little girl, let me help you up." Seeing Yin Wuyan leave, a pockmarked auntie nearby quickly walked over, her greedy eyes fixed on the brocade handkerchief on Zhan Feiyu's leg. If she could wash off the blood, it would be clean, and she might be able to sell it for a hundred copper coins at the fabric shop.
"Thank you, Auntie. I can get up myself." Zhan Feiyu was a step ahead, tucking the handkerchief into her chest. She smiled at the pockmarked auntie, whose expression had turned unpleasant, and climbed up from the ground.
Hmph! Not getting any advantage, the pockmarked auntie glared angrily and turned to walk back. The carriage had overturned many stalls, and perhaps she could find something good.
"Xiao Yu, are you alright!" Li Shi rushed over, pulling Zhan Feiyu into her arms. Her voice choked with emotion and self-reproach, "I'm sorry, Xiao Yu. Mother was dazed just now. Mother wishes she had died instead!"
The familiar embrace, the familiar scent. But thinking of how Li Shi had pushed her out of danger in an instant, Zhan Feiyu's face was blank. After a moment of silence, she said, "Mother, I only fell. Don't cry."
It was normal to lose reason and judgment in extreme panic. Mother's actions were just instinctive. Zhan Feiyu hugged Li Shi with her small arms, patting her back with her chubby paws to comfort her.
The mad horse was killed, and the panicked crowd calmed down. A man in his twenties ran over and kicked the beggar on the ground, "Did you push my mother?"
"Yes, this lame beggar is the culprit! He startled the horse just now!"
"Still trying to run! I'll beat you to death!"
Zhan Feiyu looked back. The beggar, surrounded by the crowd, swung his crutch fiercely. Taking advantage of the crowd's evasion, he slipped away. If his left foot hadn't been a bit lame, his escape speed would have made it hard to tell he was limping.
The man wanted to chase, but he was worried about his frightened mother. He could only curse fiercely and kicked away the crutch the beggar had dropped.
"Mother, are you alright?" Zhan Feiyu also hated the beggar who had disappeared without a trace. If he hadn't pushed her earlier, her mother would have been in danger, and she herself would have almost been trampled to death by the mad horse.
"Mother is fine." Li Shi lovingly stroked Zhan Feiyu's head, then quickly picked up the dropped items and put them into her basket.
Just as Zhan Feiyu and the others were about to leave, resigned to their bad luck, a cry of panic and distress rang out, "Madam, Madam, are you alright?"
The attendant pushed through the crowded masses, crying and rushing towards the overturned carriage. When he lifted the blue curtain, everyone discovered a woman slumped unconscious inside the carriage.
Unlike the coarse cloth worn by the people on the street, the woman was wearing a purple silk and green short jacket. Her coiled hair was adorned with a silver hairpin inlaid with pearls, and she wore a white jade bracelet on her wrist. While her attire was not overly luxurious, owning a carriage and an attendant certainly marked her as a wealthy individual.
"Isn't that Madam Zeng from Baofeng Fabric Shop?" someone recognized the woman's identity.
Baofeng Fabric Shop was the largest fabric shop in Shangsi County. The Zeng family had been in the fabric business for generations, and they were considered incredibly wealthy.
"Oh my goodness, Madam Zeng is bleeding!" an observant woman exclaimed.
The crowd looked closely and saw that blood had already soaked through Madam Zeng's skirt. Recalling the news from a few months ago that Madam Zeng was pregnant, everyone's hearts sank. Could she have miscarried?
The attendant knelt on the ground with a thud, his forehead hitting the ground heavily. He cried and pleaded, "Please, everyone, lend a hand and help send my madam to the medical clinic. I will kowtow to you all!"
Many hands make light work! Madam Zeng was sent to the medical clinic by the crowd. Zhan Feiyu and Li Shi were also about to leave when the pockmarked auntie from before returned.
The pockmarked auntie carried a deformed paper bag in her left hand, having picked up some dropped pastry. In her right hand, she carried a basket filled with items.
"The Zeng family is known for being overbearing. Madam Zeng had this child after five years of marriage. That lame beggar startled the Zeng family's carriage. Even if he flees to the ends of the earth, the Zeng family will not let him go!" The pockmarked auntie lived in Osmanthus Alley behind South Street and was now showing off her knowledge to those nearby.
Suddenly, the pockmarked auntie darted forward and picked up the wooden crutch that had fallen on the ground. She cocked her chin at the stunned Zhan Feiyu, "I picked this up first!"
The lame beggar had dropped his crutch while running. The pockmarked auntie held the crutch and smiled triumphantly, thinking that she was still too young to contend with this plump girl.
"Mother, let's go." Zhan Feiyu looked speechlessly at the showing-off pockmarked auntie. Jinlin Village was surrounded by mountains on both sides; there was no shortage of wood for furniture, let alone a crutch.
Seeing Zhan Feiyu simply leave, the pockmarked auntie felt like she had punched cotton, making her furious. She yelled, "This crutch is quite new. It might sell for a few dozen copper coins, or it could be sawn up and used as firewood."
On the other side, in the wine shop, Old Man Qian placed a braised fish on the table and said obsequiously, "Master Ma, my son caught this in the river last night. I'm offering it to you as a fresh delicacy."
"Thank you," Head Constable Ma said with a hearty laugh, then turned to Zhan Lao Er, who was sitting beside him, "You try some too. Old Qian's skill in braising fish is also top-notch."
"It's truly delicious." Zhan Lao Er picked up a piece of fish. It was fresh, fragrant, and spicy. If Head Constable Ma could drink alcohol at noon, it would have been perfect with some wine.
After eating and drinking with tea as a substitute for wine, Zhan Lao Er felt that Head Constable Ma was in a particularly good mood today, which meant his request would have a better chance of success.
After Granny Wang the matchmaker visited in the morning, Xiao Yao Shi, after some deliberation, decided to first accept one hundred taels of betrothal gifts from Landlord Zhu and then ruin Zhan Feiyu's reputation later, profiting as much as possible. However, Zhan Lao Er already had his own plans.