Chapter 28 - 27: Are You Even a Man?

Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Are You Even a Man?

"County Magistrate Sun... really fell?"

"Really! Absolutely! Fell into the hands of that Xiao Qilang, even being left with a life is considered lucky!

My brother-in-law holds a small official position in the capital. He once casually talked with us about the Seventh Son of the Xiao Family, saying that this Seventh Son has the nickname of ’the black-faced evil god’ in the court, and his methods are ruthless. People who get targeted by him, even if they don’t die, they’ll lose a layer of skin!

It’s said he had been targeting County Magistrate Sun for a while, and it was only because of that Peng Shi case in Hutou Village that the sordid deeds of County Magistrate Sun were exposed so quickly! It turns out the old man had been taking bribes from Peng Shi to cover up crimes like forced abduction and murder of innocent civilians!

Yesterday, Xiao Qilang personally led people to the Peng Family, and they dug up more than a dozen women’s bodies from the backyard, tsk tsk tsk, it was even more spectacular than a mass grave, many people vomited on the spot. it is said that these bodies were handled by Peng Shi’s wife, and County Magistrate Sun was aware of it! Let alone this old County Magistrate Sun, even the Peng Family is doomed this time.

Sadly, the Third Son of the Peng Family just earned his degree in the spring examination and was waiting in the capital for an appointment. Now, it’s feared he may never receive it."

"Oh my god, such things actually happen? That County Magistrate Sun truly deserves his fate!"

"What’s this among the rest? That old man has done plenty of vile things, this is just one of them. I have a distant relative who works as a servant in the county government, and he said that recently Xiao Qilang has been interrogating County Magistrate Sun, forcing him to confess all his dirty deeds. It’s said the man can’t even commit suicide if he wants to and is nearly driven insane by the torment."

"Tsk tsk, but Xiao Qilang is truly remarkable, only spending a few days in our Anping County and broke such a big case already. When is he leaving Anping County? He should stay longer and solve a few more cases."

"He won’t leave so soon. It’s said he came to Anping County to investigate a case. Now that County Magistrate Sun has fallen, he is temporarily taking the County Magistrate position in Anping County, making it impossible for him to leave any time soon."

"Is that so? By the way, what kind of case can warrant the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice to visit our county town for investigation..."

The speakers are two men eating noodles by the roadside at a noodle stall.

Upon hearing that familiar name, Xu Jing couldn’t help but pause her steps; listening to the news of more than a dozen women’s bodies being exhumed from the back of the Peng Family’s yard, her gaze darkened momentarily, a cold glint flickering in her eyes.

The result is just as well, those poor women at least could be brought to light again.

Their families can perhaps find some solace now.

Not interested in further talk, Xu Jing was just about to continue walking when several men’s cursings came from not far away—

"If you don’t want to sell, stop messing around! You think I have nothing better to do all day than sit here waiting to stare at your shop?"

"I’ve wasted my effort spreading the word that there’s a shop on Liuyun Street for sale. What a waste of energy!"

Xu Jing looked up and saw at a nearby medical clinic, two men were walking out with dark expressions, followed by a young woman dressed in a light yellow blouse and a blue-sashed six-panel skirt, profusely apologizing, bowing repeatedly.

"The matter was not well thought out by us, and we have wasted your time. It’s our fault, we will visit with my brother another day to apologize."

The woman appeared very young, around sixteen or seventeen years old, tall in stature, with bright eyes and slim eyebrows, an air of intelligence, indicating she was a strong-willed girl.

Beside her stood a man in an indigo robe, whose eyebrows shared some resemblance to hers, appearing slightly older.

At present, he followed beside the woman with a rather reluctant expression, seeming as if he wanted to say something but dared not. After the woman finished apologizing, she glanced at his face, clearly exasperated, shot him a fierce look, and forcefully pushed his back to make him apologize to the two men as well.

The two men finally walked away with discontented faces. No sooner than they departed, the woman put her hands on her hips, angrily saying, "Brother, this trouble was your doing, leave it to me to deal with after you’ve made a mess and you just sulk the entire time! Just because I’m your sister, does it mean I’m doomed to clean up after you all day long?!"

The man’s face clearly full of accumulated resentment, and upon hearing this immediately jumped up, speaking loudly, "Cheng Qingqing, you as a girl should not always have such coarse words on your lips! What trouble did I cause? After Father passed away, the clinic couldn’t be sustained by just the two of us! I just wanted to sell the clinic before we starved to death. It’s you who insists on not allowing the sale!"

"So now you have a reason?"

The girl was equally infuriated, her lips trembling as she said, "Cheng Xianbai, are you even a man?! This clinic was passed down from our paternal grandfather, kept for a lifetime by Father! You were the one meant to inherit it. If not for your restless spirit and your need to venture into business with your band of misfit friends, Father would have transferred the clinic to you long ago!

You came back home burdened with debt from a failed business venture, and it was Father who emptied half the household savings to settle it for you! Back then you swore to Father that you would never act recklessly again, that you’d diligently follow Father to learn medicine and inherit the clinic, and that night Father was so happy that he knelt all night before our great-grandfather’s memorial, saying there was hope for the Cheng Family yet.

Yet now, not even half a year after Father’s passing, you’re talking about selling the clinic, his most treasured possession. How do you justify this to Father in the heavens and to the promises you made to him?"

As the girl expressed her emotions, her eyes reddened, tears quickly gathering, as if a downpour would follow any moment.

The man, seeing this, panicked, clumsily saying, "Why the tears now? Qingqing, my good sister, Brother admits it is indeed Brother’s fault, Brother is incapable.

But... Brother was young and foolish, wasted several years, then finally decided to come back and learn medicine from Father. Who knew Father would leave us so soon..."

As the man spoke, his eyes reddened as well, "Brother’s medical skills are mediocre at best, you never wanted to learn medicine from Father, it was only after Brother’s foolishness that you started learning, and your skills aren’t much advanced either.

The two of us not fully trained even make for a whole Zhuge Liang.

We can deal with minor ailments, but more complex illnesses leave us at a loss.

Former patients also don’t trust us anymore, and as you see, since Father left, our clinic’s business has been declining, this can’t go on. We still have to eat, you will eventually need to marry, instead of wasting away, we should grit our teeth and sell the clinic, using the proceeds to start some other business.

Rest assured Qingqing, Brother is not abandoning everything Father taught us, I plan to enter the medicinal herb trade, applying the knowledge Father taught us..."

"No!"

The girl shot him a fierce look, passionately saying, "Before Father passed away, I promised him I would guard Xinglin Hall with you. I cannot break my promise to Father!"

"Qingqing!"

The siblings grew more agitated as they argued, seeming to forget they were standing in the middle of the street.

As their dispute reached an impasse, with neither willing to back down, a soft and pleasant female voice suddenly interjected—

"Since neither of you seems to be reaching a conclusion, how about considering my idea?"