Chapter 337 - 337: Tracking

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ji Xiang thought for a moment and felt that Madam was right. If she died, it would be over. Wouldn’t it be better to let her live and suffer? Ji Xiang cupped his hands. “Madam, I understand what you mean.”

Li Yu waved her hand and smiled. “Alright, go and help!”

After Old Madam Wang sent Li Yu away, she went to Madam Lin’s courtyard angrily. She hit Madam Lin with her walking stick and pointed at her as she scolded, “You vicious woman, you can even bear to kill your own sister. I was really blind to agree to Zheng’er marrying you…”

Madam Lin knelt on the ground in a daze and allowed Old Madam Wang to scold her. She did not dare to reply and only hoped that Old Madam Wang would let her off.

Old Madam Wang was tired of scolding. She looked at Madam Lin in disgust and turned to instruct, “Granny Tang, pack up Madam’s things and send her to the temple.”

“Granny, please spare me for the sake of the two children!” Madam Lin knelt in front of Old Madam Wang and begged.

Old Madam Wang didn’t even want to look at Madam Lin. “If it weren’t for the two children, I would have sent you to the manor. You’d better pray obediently in the temple and leave a good reputation for the children. If you don’t want to go to the temple, take the divorce letter and leave!”

When Madam Lin heard this, her face turned pale and she knelt there on the verge of collapse. In an instant, she seemed to have aged ten years. She stammered, “I’ll go, I’ll go.”

On the morning of August 8th, the entrance of Tongzhou’s tribute courtyard was filled with candidates and their relatives. Liu Changmin, Zhao Cai, and Ah Lei also sent Li Qing and Li Fengqi to the examination hall.

Li Qing looked at them and cupped his hands with a smile. “Uncle, Brother Ah

Cai, go back! There’s no need to guard outside. I’m not a weak scholar.”

Liu Changmin smiled honestly and waved his hand. “Ah Qing, your aunt told me to wait for you to finish the exam before going back.”

When Li Fengqi heard this, he also smiled and bowed to Liu Changmin. “Uncle, please go DaCK! rm line.”

“It’s fine. I’ll wait outside.” Liu Changmin smiled and handed him the examination basket.

Zhao Cai smiled at Li Qing. “Young Master Ah Qing, Master told you not to be too nervous. Madam said that you’re still young. If you can’t do it this time, you can take the exam next time.”

Li Fengqi looked at Zhao Cai in surprise, but Li Qing smiled happily. “Alright, my sister is still the open-minded one.”

The people sending the candidates looked at Zhao Cai in surprise and thought to themselves, “To be able to say such things on such a day, this family is really generous.”

As they spoke, the door of the tribute courtyard opened. Li Qing and Li Fengqi walked towards the entrance with the examination basket.

At the corner of the notice wall of the tribute courtyard stood a gray-haired man in dire straits. He looked blankly at Li Qing, who was walking into the tribute courtyard, and thought to himself how Li Qing could participate in the academy examination?

The man watched as the confident and calm Li Qing entered the examination hall. Then, he turned his gaze to Liu Changmin, who was standing at the side dressed like a rich man. He looked straight at him and muttered to himself,

“Why…’

Liu Changmin sensed the man’s gaze and turned to see the man under the wall. Their gazes met and the man fled in panic.

“Why do I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before?” Liu Changmin looked at his limping back and thought for a while, but couldn’t figure out where he had seen him before.

Zhao Cai turned around and realized that something was strange with Liu

Changmin’s gaze. He asked, “Uncle, what happened?”

“Someone was staring at me just now. I think I’ve seen him somewhere. I can’t remember where.”

“What kind of person is he? I’ll chase after him and see,” Zhao Cai asked cautiously.

Liu Changmin gestured at Zhao Cai. “He’s this tall. He’s wearing an old gray robe and has gray hair and a crippled leg.”

“Stay here and don’t leave. I’ll take a look.” Moneymaker squeezed out of the crowd and looked around.

He found the man Liu Changmin had mentioned in front of the Teacher Temple and slowly followed behind him. He watched him limp to the two thatched houses in the corner of the west city and saw him stumble into the house.

Zhao Cai quickly walked around the back of the house and heard a woman complaining loudly, “Guisheng, where did you go so early in the morning? Your father twisted his waist yesterday. Why didn’t you think of a way to help your father? Oh! Today is the eighth day of the new year. Don’t tell me you went to the tribute courtyard again. You can’t take the exam now, so why are you still going?”

The woman nagged. Zhao Cai muttered to himself behind the house, “Guisheng? Guisheng.” Zhao Cai frowned and thought for a while before getting up. “Oh! Zhang Guisheng, isn’t it just the family who despised Madam and broke off the engagement? They even coveted Madam’s parents’ money. It looks like they suffered retribution!”

At this moment, Zhang Guisheng’s hysterical shout came from the house. “How can I help you? How do you want a crippled person like me to help you? Who did I see outside the tribute courtyard? Li Qing! Even that brat went to the tribute courtyard to participate in the academy examination. Also, that good-for-nothing uncle of his is dressed like a rich person. Look at how our family has become like this?”

Zhang Defa lay on the bed and looked at Zhang Guisheng as he shouted. He sighed heavily. “Guisheng, you only know how to blame me. What can I do with my old bones? It wasn’t easy for me to beg the shopkeeper of the grain store to let you be the accountant, but you were unwilling. The family is relying on me to do carrying work and your mother to wash people’s clothes. Do you know that we don’t have enough food at home? I can’t move now. The family at the corner of the grain store’s lantern alley is your second uncle’s family. Go find him and borrow some silver from him to buy a few ointments for me. I’ll apply them and go to work.”

“Second Uncle?” Chen Zhaodi walked to Zhang Defa’s bed. “Is Second Uncle also in Tongzhou? Why haven’t I heard you mention it?”

Zhang Defa clutched his chest and coughed a few times. He shouted at Chen

Zhaodi, “How can I have the face to see him? If he asks about Guixiang and Guisheng, what should I say? Should I say that Guixiang was sold by us and that Guisheng’s wife ran away with someone?”

Chen Zhaodi also shouted at Zhang Defa, “Why are you shouting at me? Didn’t you spend money to marry that bitch to Guisheng? I told you that bitch was a jinx. She hasn’t been good ever since she arrived at our house!”

Zhang Defa was so angry that he grabbed the shoe by the bed and threw it at Chen Zhaodi. “I don’t blame you, but you still dare to blame me. Guixiang has been spoiled by you. If she hadn’t pushed that girl Li Yu into the bathtub, I wouldn’t have to compensate the Li family with that silver…”

“Stop arguing. I’ll go borrow money.” Zhang Guisheng roared at the two people who were making a scene and rushed out the door to Lantern Lane. He found the house at the corner and hesitated before raising his hand to knock on the door. “Who is it?” A man’s voice came from the house. Then the door opened and a bearded man looked at Zhang Guisheng and asked, “Who are you looking

When Zhang Guisheng saw the man, he thought to himself, Could he be Second

Uncle’s son-in-law? He cupped his hands at the man and said, “Big Brother, is

Zhang Decai here?”

“Zhang Decai, do you think the family that originally lived here? The old couple checked out and went to seek refuge with his eldest daughter.”

“Does Big Brother know where his daughter lives?” The man shook his head. “I’m not sure. They’ve been gone for half a month,” the man said and closed the door.

Zhang Guisheng walked back dejectedly. When he reached the corner, he saw a thin girl with a backpack walking in front. Zhang Guisheng suddenly thought of the thin girl who was always hiding timidly in the corner and secretly looking at him. An inexplicable sadness surged in his heart..