strictlysupreme Chapter 275 Betraying a Benefactor
Chapter 275 Betraying a Benefactor
Just as he was about to throw the silver needle, the door to the small room opened. Afu's mother chased after him, wielding a kitchen knife. Seeing this, the man didn't flee; instead, he pulled the hairpin from his shoulder and walked towards Afu's mother.
Seeing this, Afu's mother pointed the blade of the kitchen knife at the man: "You surnamed Zhu, don't think I wouldn't dare to kill you!"
The man ripped open his clothes and yelled at Afu's mother, oblivious to everyone else, "Come on, kill me! A life for a life. If I die, you'll be beheaded too. If you die, who will raise your son? You can't expect your in-laws, can you? Don't forget, in their hearts, your son is the bastard child you and I had."
Afu's mother tensed up: "Shut up! Shut up! I have no romantic relationship with you, so why do you keep framing me and harassing me?"
The sleazy-looking man stepped forward and grasped Afu's mother's hand: "Who told me my family is poor? Who told me I can't find a wife? Your husband doesn't like you, so why not give you to me? Listen to me, your husband is dying soon. After he dies, you and this inn will remarry and marry me. I swear, I will never look down on your son. I will make him a good little helper working for us."
"You surnamed Zhu!" Afu's mother gritted her teeth and struggled to break free.
Caught off guard, the man never expected Afu's mother to actually attack him. Unfortunately, the woman was too weak, and he only managed to scratch her. Enraged, the man kicked Afu's mother. She fell to the ground, the cleaver slipping from her hand.
The man grinned maliciously, picked up the kitchen knife, straddled Afu's mother, grabbed her hair, and held the blade to her neck. Afu's mother stubbornly raised her head; she wasn't afraid of death, she was only afraid that if she died, Afu would be left unattended.
Lu Zhiyuan was mesmerized; she wanted to see if Afu's mother could turn the tide on her own.
As a passerby, she might intervene to help those in need, but how many times could she actually help her? If what the man said was true, their lives as a widow and her child would certainly be difficult. Running an inn, welcoming and seeing off guests, inevitably meant encountering all sorts of people. The fact that she hid a kitchen knife in her bedroom indicated that similar incidents occurred frequently, and she had to rely on herself to deal with everything.
The door opened, and a cool breeze carrying the scent of rain rushed in.
It was Lu Yun. He had heard the commotion downstairs and came to ask Lu Zhiyuan whether they should offer assistance to Afu and her son. Without a word, a single glance between them was enough for Lu Yun to understand her meaning.
In the backyard, Little Afu tiptoed out carrying a stick.
The man didn't notice the movement behind him; by the time he heard the whoosh of the wind, it was too late. He'd been hit on the head with a stick, and blood was flowing from his wound.
Afu was weak and didn't inflict fatal damage on the man. As he swung the stick to strike again, the man grabbed it. The man pulled him violently forward, and Afu fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Afu's mother roared and knocked the man to the ground. Instead of immediately catching Afu, she picked up the stick that Afu had dropped and, without thinking, started hitting the man.
The first blow landed on the man.
The man stamped his foot in pain, brandishing the kitchen knife and snarling, "Crazy woman, you're asking for it!"
The second blow landed on the man's arm.
The man's arm was numb, and the kitchen knife fell to the ground.
Little Afu saw it, crawled over and picked up the kitchen knife.
Little Afu was covered in mud and water, but his eyes shone with an eerie light. Like his mother, he held the knife guarded in front of him, ready to strike at any moment.
The third blow landed on the man, but with much less force than before, giving him an opening. Seeing that the mother and child were about to be at a disadvantage again, at the man's mercy, Lu Yun held up her umbrella and landed on the man's head.
The man was enraged when someone stepped on his head. He held the ropes up, wanting to knock the person who stepped on his head off.
Lu Yun held an umbrella in one hand and a sword behind his back in the other. He spread his legs and landed on the man's shoulder. With a hard stomp, the man felt a heavy pain in his shoulder and wanted to kneel down.
Unwilling to admit defeat, he held his breath, his cheeks bulging painfully.
With a "crack" sound, it broke somewhere, and the man lay on the ground, cold sweat dripping down his knees.
Lu Yun landed lightly. Afu threw away the kitchen knife, ran over and hugged his leg: "Big brother, will you teach me martial arts? He's a bad guy, Afu wants to protect Mother."
Once she had recovered, Afu's mother pulled Afu over, and the two of them knelt on the ground to express their gratitude, despite the increasingly heavy rain. Lu Yun looked upstairs, and the mother and son followed his gaze to Lu Zhiyuan.
Without any hesitation, they kowtowed to Lu Zhiyuan.
Lu Yun: "Is there a place to keep people in the post station?"
Afu pointed towards the stables.
Lu Yun nodded, picked up the man, and walked towards Ma Peng. Next to the haystack was a small room filled with odds and ends. He frowned and looked around for a moment, then turned to Afu and said, "Do you have a rope? A sturdy one, to tie him up."
Afu wiped his face, ran quickly back into the house, and took out a bundle of rope.
When Afu and her son changed their clothes and were about to go to the guest room to thank Lu Zhiyuan, they found Lu Zhiyuan standing at the door with an umbrella. They couldn't refuse their savior. But inviting her inside felt too shabby, and they were afraid of offending their benefactor. Hesitating for a moment, Lu Zhiyuan spoke up: "Can we come in? I brought some medicine for you and Afu to apply."
The room was small but very clean. Inside were a large bed and a small bed, separated by a curtain. There was a small table and two small stools. Besides an oil lamp, a teapot, and a sewing basket, there was also a book for early childhood education.
The book is a bit old, with obvious stains, but not many creases.
The book cover had a name written on it, but it wasn't Afu.
“The book belongs to Afu’s father, who was a scholar.” Afu’s mother tossed her hair. “It was something he used when he was a child. We found it in an old box.”
"Guo—"
“Guo Kuan, courtesy name Tianming.” Afu’s mother sighed and looked pleadingly at Lu Yun, who was standing outside the door holding an umbrella: “Afu is sleepy. Could you please take him to the guest room to rest? He doesn’t need to sleep in your bed. There’s a recliner in the guest room. Afu can sleep on that one.”
Lu Yun nodded, gesturing for Afu to come out. Afu looked back several times, anxiously asking, "Is Mother going to speak with Madam? Is there something Afu shouldn't hear?"
Lu Yun held up the umbrella without turning around, his voice reaching Afu's ears through the falling rain: "Everyone has secrets, and they can choose who to share them with. I'm not telling Afu because Afu can't listen, but because Afu is still young and it's not the right time for him to hear that secret."
In the small room, Afu's mother took off the broken hairpin from her hair.
"The post station was left to me by my parents. The Guo family were merchants who often stayed at the post station. It wasn't just for rest, but also to make friends with merchants from all over the country. Over time, they became friends with my parents, and Guo Kuan and I were childhood sweethearts. Guo Kuan's father offended someone, and that person came to seek revenge. They came to the post station, and my parents died saving Guo Kuan and his father. I became an orphan and was taken in by the Guo family. Later, they arranged a marriage between Guo Kuan and me. One reason was to repay their kindness, and the other was because they felt we were childhood sweethearts and innocent friends."
Afu's mother's eyes reddened: "He was willing when this marriage was arranged, but after studying for a few years and passing the imperial examination, he looked down on me, an orphan."