CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: WIDOW SONG’S MOMENT OF ACTING

Lin Qiao reacted immediately, without thinking, she backhanded a slap with a "smack" sound, which sounded painful.

She had a bad temper and generally wouldn’t tolerate things.

Cough, temporarily ignoring the villain, she was "humble" to the villain to save her life.

Touching her behind, did he think his face was as handsome as the villain’s?

No, even if he was as handsome as the villain, she’d still have to be willing.

Liu Wu, thinking he was a tough guy, was stunned for a moment after being hit. Once he realized it, he held his face in disbelief and angrily shouted, "You damned dare to hit me?" Saying this, he reached to grab her hand.

Who knew that before he even touched her, this widow fell to the ground, crying, looking terrified and scared, "Please, don’t hit me, I’ll give you all my money."

Cough, Lin Qiao wasn’t a fool; why go toe to toe with him?

Liu Wu was stunned again, his pupils dilated; he couldn’t understand what this woman was saying, saying he hit her when clearly, she hit him.

And he didn’t even rob money!

Who the hell in their right mind would rob money in broad daylight?

He didn’t want to end up in jail.

"Widow Song, you damned brat!"

The commotion immediately attracted a crowd, and now the scene looked like a thug bullying a fragile woman.

There was an uproar of accusations, "Liu Wu, that thug, is out bullying women again."

"Such a scoundrel deserving a thousand cuts."

"Oh dear, isn’t that Widow Song? Liu Wu, you’re scum, bullying a widow."

See, the weaker side always garners sympathy; Lin Qiao subtly raised an eyebrow and then continued with tears and a pitiful act, "I’ll give it all to you, just don’t hit me, please."

The onlookers couldn’t stand it but dared not step forward; someone shouted, "Go call the Pavilion Chief."

No sooner had the words been spoken than two men walked in with knives, "What’s the commotion? Break it up!!"

"Pavilion Chief, Liu Wu is robbing the widow’s Silver Coin."

Someone quickly complained, afraid Liu Wu wouldn’t be caught, and added, "We all saw it."

Immediately, a few people echoed, "Yes, yes, we all saw it."

"Pavilion Chief, arrest him!"

Usually, Liu Wu had done wrong and wasn’t angry being pointed at like this; damn it, he didn’t steal the Silver Coin, at most just tapped a behind.

"Arrest your mother selling cunt! Arrest, arrest! Watch as I arrest you instead."

Pavilion Chief Jiang Ji frowned and reprimanded, "Liu Wu!"

"What? You dare act this way in front of me? Hmm? Wasn’t your last time in jail enough?"

Liu Wu was somewhat afraid of him; his arrogance diminished a bit, and he stubbornly shouted, "I didn’t break the law."

Seemingly with someone to stand up for her, the woman’s sobbing grew louder, "Pavilion Chief, he robbed my Copper Coin."

"This is... for buying ink and brush for my younger uncle; there’s only this left at home."

"You’re full of crap, I didn’t steal your Silver Coin; I just tapped your behind." Liu Wu’s eyes widened, wasn’t this widow different when she hit him earlier!

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Qiao, with tears in her eyes, stared at him, looking like a victim of slander. Her finger pointed, trembling, "If you want Copper Coins, I’ll give them to you. Why ruin my reputation?"

"If it were just me, a widow, at home, I’d just... I’d just endure it, but I have my younger uncle at home who needs to study; he can’t have his reputation ruined."

"If you insist on saying nonsense today, I-I-I... I’ll just crash into the wall here to prove my innocence."

Saying that, she stood up and rushed towards the wall; how could the crowd let her crash, they hurriedly stopped her, "Widow Song, we believe you."

"Don’t listen to his nonsense; that filthy thug says anything."

"He’s got a foul mouth, what decent words can come out of it."

"Auntie, don’t stop me."

Lin Qiao struggled a bit, seemingly unable to struggle free, and with a breakdown of emotions, she cried, "Everyone bullies a widow like me, I really can’t live anymore."

With each word she said, Liu Wu’s crimes deepened, and Jiang Ji’s face grew more unpleasant, directly determining Liu Wu’s crime, "Liu Wu, stealing others’ money, twenty lashes."

"I’m not a thief, if I stole anything, let lightning strike me this instant." Liu Wu was so angry his eyes were about to pop out, this damned widow was slandering him!

"If getting struck by lightning was useful, you’d be dead by now."

Jiang Ji, without thinking, reprimanded harshly and then told the person beside him, "Xiao Ju, seize him."

Xiao Ju immediately stepped forward to grab Liu Wu. Liu Wu struggled and shouted, "I didn’t steal."

A thug with a history of bad deeds speaking is like farting; Jiang Ji would stop being Jiang Ji if he believed him. "Take him away."

"Let go of me, now!"

Liu Wu couldn’t break free, so he angrily glared at Lin Qiao, "Wait for me, when I get out, you’re done."

This idiot is so naive; honestly, Lin Qiao wasn’t afraid of him, but she had to act scared.

She trembled, and big tears fell one by one.

So weak and helpless that it evoked sympathy.

If only Widow Lin were a bit uglier, no one would have been so sympathetic.

The crowd secretly cursed Liu Wu for being despicable, even wanting to rob the widow’s Silver Coin.

"Liu Wu, you never change; this time I’ll ensure the authorities punish you severely, you must learn a lesson."

Filled with anger, Jiang Ji reprimanded again, gesturing for Xiao Ju to take him away. After they’d left, he turned to Lin Qiao, comforting, "It’s all right now, don’t be afraid, he doesn’t dare do anything."

Lin Qiao lowered her head and nodded slightly, choking up, "Tha... thank... you... Pavilion Chief."

"It’s my duty."

Jiang Ji glanced at the encircling crowd and raised his voice, "All disperse, aren’t you worried about the heat?"

Immediately, the onlookers dispersed, leaving a few women to comfort Lin Qiao. After a while, Lin Qiao calmed down, wiped her tears, "Aunties, thank you, I won’t delay your work any longer."

"Try to look on the bright side, people like him will face retribution," one of the women comforted her.

Lin Qiao raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye again, softly saying, "Okay."

Suddenly, the uncle selling buns stuffed two buns into her basket, saying honestly, "Haven’t eaten lunch, have you? Eat two buns to fill your stomach."

"Uncle, no, you’re having a tough time too." Lin Qiao quickly took out Copper Coins from her pocket and asked, "How many cents?"

The uncle waved his hand, "I won’t take it, eat, it’s not anything valuable."

Lin Qiao insisted on giving him two cents and then walked away with her basket, appearing pitiful.

The woman watching her sighed, "Ugh, such a pity."

...

The "pitiful" widow entered the book pavilion at this time, her gaze fell on a row of rice paper, some good and some bad.

"Shopkeeper, how much is a sheet of rice paper?"

Her voice was a bit hoarse, sounding somewhat delicate.

First of all, let’s make it clear, she wasn’t acting at this moment, her voice was really hoarse.

She cried too hard earlier, her eyes were swollen from crying, and her throat was hoarse as well.

"Two cents a sheet." The shopkeeper scrutinized her clothes, which were made of coarse linen. He chuckled and pointed to the rice paper at the very edge, the poorest quality paper.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help clicking her tongue, two cents a sheet, paper is a consumable and can’t be reused, it was quite expensive.

"What about a brush?"