FID – Chapter 300

“Stop right there, the both of you! You bitchy man and woman tarred with the same brush! Who are you calling gossip? Tell me clearly!”

Fu Yuxian was so livid that her body trembled and her eyes turned red.

A burst of laughter erupted around her; everyone was laughing at her!

Fu Yuzheng admitted in person that she deliberately pushed her into the water that day. As long as she seized the opportunity to hold on to this point, and spread Fu Yuzheng’s viciousness, the rumors would change directions!

This man ruined it all!

“Miss, you’d better keep your mouth shut if all that ever comes out of it is bitch. The Fu family is also considered a respected figure in the capital. Haven’t they taught you this kind of virtue?”

Looking at the woman standing in front of them who refused to give way, Liu Zhixia frowned.

“We do not want to entangle with you, so please give way, Miss. Men and women should display a prudent reserve. You’re already in disgrace. If there is any touching amidst the pushing and shoving later, it will discredit my reputation. For scholars, reputation and integrity is the most important.”

The hoots of laughter around intensified.

“Miss Fu, you’d better give way. What if you’re accidentally touched, will you say that the scholar acted frivolously toward you, or that he defiled someone else? That won’t be easy to dispute!”

“With Miss Fu’s reputation in the capital now, it will be difficult to marry a good family in the future. Say, you guys don’t think she’s just waiting for someone to bump into her so she can turn around and put the blame on him, do you?”

“That’s highly possible. That scholar grew up nicely with good looks. If he can pass the imperial examinations in the future, he will also be a good son-in-law!”

The words that reached Fu Yuxian’s ears turned increasingly nasty. She trembled with rage. Her face turned blue and white, but there was no way she could stop the two in front of her!

Otherwise, it would be the same as confirming her intention of shifting the blame to others!

In the end, she could only watch as the man and woman passed her side by side and went away.

Even as she passed by, Fu Yuzheng smiled and told her, “Thank you, Miss Fu, for your kindness!”

Thank her for her kindness! This was to thank her for not “tarnishing” that man’s innocence!

The maid accompanying Fu Yuxian only showed an indignant expression when they disappeared. “Miss, Fu Yuzheng is too arrogant…”

“Snap!” Fu Yuxian turned around and gave the maid a slap on the face, her eyes sharp. “Don’t speak when you shouldn’t! When she bullied me just now, where the hell were you!”

The crowd once again shook their heads in heated discussion.

“I used to think that this Miss Fu is a proper lady, but I didn’t expect her true face to be like this. She’s comparable to a marketplace shrew!”

“When all is said and done, she’s just from a poor, humble family. Without family heritage, they’re not as good as the former Yu family!”

“You don’t say. She’s a concubine’s daughter. Even if she changes her identity, she can’t hide her petty nature!”

Fu Yuxian rushed out of the crowd with all her might, not having the face to stay any longer!

Walking far away, the hustle and bustle at the back was no longer relevant to them.

Fu Yuzheng looked at the man beside her for a while before she spoke, “I pushed her on purpose that day.”

“Yeah, you’ve just said that.”

That was it?

“I knew what would happen to her after she fell. Her reputation will be tarnished.”

“Hmm.”

The man’s voice was always breezy, and no real emotion could be heard from him.

Fu Yuzheng squeezed her eyes tight and finally asked what she really wanted to ask, “Don’t you think I’m vicious?”

“If I were you, I would do the same. Kindness and hatred have a clear distinction. Isn’t it right to be vindictive?”

To the woman’s astonished gaze, Liu Zhixia lightly said, “Do you want to condemn yourself to endure and let others trample on you in exchange for a good reputation of being kind-hearted?”

The man’s eyes were deep, and his words were vaguely taken for granted. His reply was exactly what he thought deep inside. It wasn’t to comfort her, nor to please her.

Fu Yuzheng took a deep look at the man and said, “I thought you were a bit pedantic. You hesitated for a long time about moving out of the royal residence.”

Liu Zhixia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I was not being pedantic. I have to think about everything for our Nannan. Otherwise, I probably can’t enter our house.”

“…”Fu Yuzheng’s eyes widened, feeling a little incredulous at his words.

“Our family has an unwritten rule. Men can endure humiliation for the sake of the greater good, but we can never let the women in the family suffer the slightest grievance. Nannan is our family treasure. All the women in our family are treasures.”

The man’s gaze fell on her when he said this. His eyes were deep and seemed to carry a different meaning.

Fu Yuzheng’s heart inexplicably panicked for a moment. She quickly averted her eyes, not daring to meet his eyes.

The corners of her mouth, however, inadvertently quietly raised.

“Every family I’ve seen focuses on men. I didn’t expect your family to be an exception. It’s very special.” Her words were simple, but through it, she revealed her curiosity about the Liu family. Women were treasured; what was it like to have that kind of family?

“Very special indeed.” Thinking of Xinghua Village and home, warmth floated in Liu Zhixia’s eyes. “My father and grandfather often admonished me and my brother to marry a virtuous wife. A good wife is enough. Whoever is inclined for more, they’d break our legs.”

“Pfft! They really say that?”

“Yeah. There is also Nannan. She said that since ancient times, it is said that men have a hard time raising a family. But in her opinion, women are no better.

When a woman marries, she needs to run the household, serve her parents-in-law, be in harmony with her sisters-in-law, and give birth to children, which is even harder and heavier than men.

It is not easy to carry a baby for a whole term. Each delivery is equivalent to walking to the gates of hell. A man, who does not know how to appreciate and cherish someone and has insatiable desires, is a douchebag. He must be expelled from the family.”

Liu Zhixia grinned wider at the thought of his sister’s principles.

He didn’t know how that little head came up with so many strange and bizarre perceptions and speeches.

But the whole family thought that she had a point.

“Douchebag?” This novel word made Fu Yuzheng’s eyes widen.

“A rogue among rouges is called a douchebag.” Nannan said it.

Fu Yuzheng covered her lips and laughed. The cold color in her eyes faded and was tinged with a watery glow, clear and remarkably charming.

“That’s a good use of the word.” Her dad was a vermin among vermins.

“I think so too.”

The four eyes met and moved away as if nothing had happened.

The conversation suddenly fell silent there.

After a while, the man led the woman into the bookstore, picked out some ink brushes, and suddenly spoke.

 “If you have a chance in the future, you might as well visit as a guest. You should like it there.”

“Okay.”

Go as a guest.

To Xinghua Village, Liu’s house.

It was just a casual conversation between the two of them, but in her heart, she actually looked forward to it.

On the other side, Liu Yusheng, Qian Baihao and Qian Wanjin had already left the capital and stopped in front of a manor house an hour and a half later.

“The tea mountain behind this manor is the one we will buy. Go and take a look first, and then we’ll talk to the proprietor about the price when you are satisfied.

If you are not satisfied, there is another place that is not too far from here. We should be able to make it back and forth today,” Qian Wanjin said.