Chapter 390: Chapter 399: Can’t Find Any Evidence That You’re Human
Shen Qu never thought that Shen Hua would come back.
He stood at a deep place, gazing at her.
The girl was still as haughty as ever, looking at him with eyes full of contempt and disdain.
Despite still being as proud as a peacock, it seemed she had opened up quite a bit. One could faintly see the beauty she would become in the future.
For some reason, Shen Qu’s heart trembled.
Shen Hua was always like this.
She had always looked down on those from the second household.
She looked down on him even more.
That disdain of hers was never hidden, not even slightly.
She had said.
——"When uncle left the family to start his own household, we still had to rescue him even though our household is barely scraping by. Neither the legitimate son nor the bastards are any good, I think these people are all ungrateful, maybe we are raising a pack of ungrateful wolves."
She had also said.
——"Oh? So you are Shen Qu, that bastard from my uncle’s side? I advise you to stay away from me, otherwise, if you get hurt or maimed, don’t blame me, I’ll make you regret it."
Even after he was officially adopted into the main family, he never received a good look from Shen Hua.
Of course, he kept all these incidents in mind, Shen Hua’s attitude towards him was not a concern to Shen Qu.
After all, wasn’t he the ultimate winner?
When Shen Hua left, it was no different from fleeing in a panic. He purposefully chased her to Shengjing, wanting to bring her back, solely because her face as a girl could bring him many benefits.
Unfortunately, even after the clan elders visited last time, she still refused to bow her head, and he also failed to bring the girl back with him.
Shen Qu was slightly stunned for a moment, soon suppressing all his emotions; he quickly stepped forward, displaying hypocrisy to the fullest.
"Yangyang."
"When did you return?"
He exclaimed with great surprise: "It’s good that you are back, Mama and I think of you all the time."
Shen Hua smiled mockingly.
"Such words, do you think I would believe them?"
"Shen Qu, I know exactly what kind of lowlife you are, and I’ve never found any evidence of your decency, so spare me your act."
Someone in the crowd soon reacted.
"I was wondering why this girl looked so familiar, is she from the Shen Family?"
The departure of Shen Hua led to various speculations among the people of Fengzhou City.
Some say Shen Qu is intolerable, forcing the main family’s only descendant to death.
Some say Shen Hua climbed onto a high branch and went off to enjoy a life of pleasure.
But the most common talk was of the former kind.
When Shen Hua stood in front of the Shen Residence, barely able to remain standing, many people witnessed the scene, the girl frail, with clear tears rolling down, and even blood traces on her forehead from being struck by a sharp object.
She sobbed miserably and innocently.
——"I angered my step-brother, which led to me being kicked out."
The Shen family is huge and wealthy, aren’t they? Can’t they even support one girl?
Indeed he is not her real brother, thus he dared to disfigure her face.
The face of the girl, which is more important than her life itself.
Because of this, the people of Fengzhou City looked down on Shen Qu.
Yet Shen Qu knew how to manipulate people’s hearts, and he had been distributing porridge and doing good deeds for months.
He took care of everything personally, never retorting against the unfavorable words said against him, always showing a reluctant resignation whenever people mentioned it.
——"It’s me, the brother, who is not competent enough. Knowing her temper is prideful, I should have catered to her every need."
This statement was enough to provoke speculation.
Over time, his reputation began to improve.
What really happened with the Shen Residence, no one knows.
Even though both parties stick to their statements, no one can truly determine who is telling the truth and who is lying.
Right now, the public is merely interested in the spectacle.
Shen Qu asked: "Are you planning to leave again this time?"
Shen Hua ignored him.
Shen Qu had figured it out.
Marquis Cui from Marquis Yangling Mansion must have long been weary of this concubine. That’s why Shen Hua has now returned.
"Yangyang, you should return to the residence with brother. Your courtyard has been continuously cleaned."
Shen Hua ignored him.
Shen Qu was not discouraged, nor did he show any signs of being annoyed or embarrassed.
He spoke gently and reassuringly, "You look quite well. Has your health been restored?"
Shen Hua finally decided to respond, somewhat indifferently, "Yes, when nobody is poisoning the medicine, naturally one gets better."
Everyone was shocked.
Poisoned?
And Shen Qu was momentarily stunned.
In everyone’s mind, the only possible poisoners could be him or Mrs. Xue.
Murmurs quickly spread among the crowd.
"Poisoning? To commit such an act, it’s really inviting divine punishment."
Everyone’s gaze naturally fell upon Shen Qu.
Shen Qu forced a smile, "How could this be? I was unaware of such a matter. It’s good that your health has improved. Daddy, resting below, would be relieved. Yangyang, as the girl of the Shen Residence, your safety is of utmost concern to Mama and me, and we would never allow harm to come to you through your medicine. I will investigate this thoroughly and give you an explanation."
His attitude was impeccable.
In just a few words, he managed to clear his own involvement.
Quickly, he left in haste.
Shen Hua scoffed coldly and turned back inside.
"Lady, he left just like that?" Ningzhu asked.
Shen Hua disdainfully replied, "Of course he had to rush back."
Dogs biting dogs.
The girl lightly touched the jade pendant at her waist. She had all the time in the world to gradually wear these people down and send them to hell.
No rush.
With no more excitement, the crowd soon dispersed. News of Shen Hua’s return also spread.
And Li San was up to the task.
He patrolled back and forth outside the embroidery workshop with a few hefty fellows.
Whenever someone approached the embroidery workshop, the menacing gazes of the hefty fellows would shift towards them.
— Ding-dong, ten taels credited.
— Ding-dong, thirty taels credited.
— Ding-dong, sixty taels credited.
Delightful sounds.
"Shopkeeper, we haven’t done any business today. If they come again tomorrow..." the old woman from the embroidery workshop fretted.
Manager Cheng, exhausted by several months of hard work which seemingly aged him, said, "What can be done? If they enter the embroidery workshop, at least we can chase them away, but that’s the street, not Shen Family’s territory. Can we stop them from walking there?"
"Last time the County Magistrate married off his daughter, the festive garments delivered were not very satisfactory to the County Magistrate. The young master has always been working to facilitate relationships among the officials, even utilizing relationships with the Prefect from the Yue Family in the second branch, yet he hasn’t managed to show his face to the new magistrate till now."
The business of the embroidery workshop being stagnant is one thing, but the decline and lesser profits were another.
Manager Cheng had a bad feeling.
"Could these people be sent by the Zhou Family?" the old woman asked again.
"Who knows?"
Manager Cheng said, "There are more than just the Zhou Family who want our embroidery workshop subdued."
His gaze drifted outside.
The scene opposite was festive, like the celebrations of the New Year, with fireworks scattered all over.
Just then, Li San was causing a commotion outside.
"Don’t guess anymore, our master is neither from the Zhou Family nor the Wang Family."
Li San: "The lady asked me to inquire, Manager Cheng, would you need a coffin? Out of past affection, she would offer it at a discount."
"Please convey this message to Shen Qu. Our lady is looking forward to the day he closes his eyes and kicks the bucket."
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