275Chapter 262: Cannot Bear

Translator: 549690339

They had hoped for a good fight, especially the spectacle of Zhuang Ruman getting his head bashed in, but unfortunately, there was no fight.

What a waste of a good opportunity.

The onlookers, shaking their heads, left, but some stayed behind, still hoping for something to happen.

But the wait turned out to be quite long.

The midday sun was strong enough to make the crops wilt and people’s scalps hot, forcing even the most patient spectators to eventually leave.

Zhuang Ruman, and Mrs. Wang underwent lengthy negotiations, arguing over terms.

In the end, it was decided that Zhuang Ruman was to compensate Zhuang Wencheng’s family with ten taels of silver. He also had to explain the matter to Doctor Ge in the county town’s pharmacy so it wouldn’t affect Zhuang Wencheng’s medical studies there.

Moreover, Zhuang Ruman had to purchase gifts for Doctor Ge that cost no less than one tael of silver.

As Zhuang Ruman currently did not have cash on hand, he pressed his handprint onto an IOU, to be paid immediately after Zhuang Qinghe’s marriage. After settling this, Mrs. Wang led her people away.

“Sister-in-law, I should get going.” Zhuang Yutian had stopped by Mrs. Wang’s house for a short visit, he stood up after some small talk, “I need to rush back to the county town to take care of my shop.”

“Take care then.” Mrs. Wang saw him off and reminded him, “While you’re in the county town, please pay a visit to Wencheng and try to cheer him up.”

“That kid has always been reticent. After he dropped off Zhuang Qinghe, he didn’t say a word and just left. I plan to visit him with my brother tomorrow, but we can’t stay in the county town indefinitely.”

“It’s fortunate you’re in the county town and not too far away, you can look after him a bit since you practically raised him. Please ensure he doesn’t suffer any more hardship because of this incident.”

“Don’t worry, sister-in-law, I know. I rushed over when I heard about what happened. Mom was pretty upset at home too. She said to help wherever I can.” Zhuang Yutian replied.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang chuckled, “Auntie loves Wencheng the most.”

Mrs. Wen was frequently unkind to Zhuang Yutian and Zhuang Yucheng, but her concern for Zhuang Wencheng brought a sense of pride to Mrs. Wang. After reminding him a few more times, she saw Zhuang Yutian off.

Zhuang Yutian hurried home, briefed Mrs. Wen on the situation, and without taking the time to eat lunch, hurried off to the county town.

It was noon, and most of the households had started cooking.

However, the Zhuang Ruman family clearly had no intention of doing so.

They were furious that Zhuang Qinghe had used up all the house’s money and even caused them to lose so much silver.

Zhuang Ruman was fuming. He beat and scolded Zhuang Qinghe again. Even Mrs. Song, who usually protected Zhuang Qinghe, tightly rebuked her.

At this point, Zhuang Qinghe, who had been beaten, scolded, and was heartbroken because Zhuang Wencheng had rejected her, was on the verge of fainting. She lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

Zhuang Yuanzhong bit his lip, feeling a pang of guilt.

The idea to steal from home was his, given to Qinghe.

In his plan, he was going to find the money bag hidden under the roots of the wall, take the majority for himself, give the rest to Zhuang Qinghe, and let her escape.

Zhuang Qinghe was timid, so he assumed she wouldn’t run too far. Given her lack of awareness, she might turn back before even reaching the town.

When Zhuang Ruman and Mrs. Song realized she stole the money, they would certainly punish her. In this situation, no one would bother to calculate how much money was originally in the bag or how much Zhuang Qinghe had spent. They would simply assume that all the missing money had been spent by her.

Then, Zhuang Yuanzhong would be able to pocket the money smoothly.

Even if Zhuang Qinghe ever tattled on him, he would simply deny it. Knowing how he usually behaved, Zhuang Ruman and Mrs.

Song would probably believe him over Zhuang Qinghe.

Zhuang Yuanzhong had planned meticulously and had thought of all possible contingencies.

However, he had never expected that Zhuang Qinghe would run all the way to the county town to find Zhuang Wencheng, causing such a major issue.

He hadn’t expected Mrs. Wang and others to make such outrageous demands.

He hadn’t expected Zhuang Ruman and Mrs. Song to beat Zhuang Qinghe so brutally, almost half to death.

The thing he least expected was that Zhuang Qinghe hadn’t mentioned his name at all.

He didn’t know if it was because Zhuang Qinghe was heartbroken by Zhuang Wencheng’s rejection or because the beating was so severe that she couldn’t think of anything else.

In any case…

Zhuang Yuanzhong thought for a moment, then said, “Father, mother, you should calm down. Although sister shouldn’t have sought Zhuang Wencheng, she is back now, which is fortunate.”

“The matchmaker will be here soon. If she sees that sister was beaten and looks sick, it might make her husband’s family unhappy.”

Zhuang Ruman looked at his younger son, and his face softened significantly.

At least someone in the house wasn’t a complete fool.

“Hurry up and start cooking, we’ve been busy all morning and I’m starving. Also, help Qinghe into the house and wash her with salt water. Check if there’s any injury on her face or neck.”

As for the injuries on her body, as long as they weren’t visible, they weren’t a problem.

Mrs. Song and Zhuang Yuanzhong quickly helped the sobbing Zhuang Qinghe up and brought her inside the house.

The summer was getting hotter, and Zhuang Qingning was getting busier.

The sales of tofu skin had exceeded her expectations, forcing her to ask Ye Dayong to speed up the construction of the tofu skin workshop. At the same time, she was recruiting help from the village.

The first batch of mosquito repellent herbs were selling in Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng’s cloth shop along with mosquito repellent pillows and sachets. Because of the excellent efficacy, business was booming.

Accordingly, Zhuang Qingning had to prepare more mosquito repellent herbs, and buy more mugwort and calamus. The village couldn’t provide enough, so she started buying from the pharmacy in the town.

Seeing this, the pharmacist felt both happy and puzzled.

He was pleased at Zhuang Qingning’s frequent purchases, boosting his business. What puzzled him was why Zhuang Qingning bought so much mosquito repellent herbs. Could she use them all up?