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Chapter 215: An uneasy slave
“It’s on the way, why bother to ask you to run over?” Lian Fang Zhou smiled, watching Ah Jian and Lian Ze help move the two baskets into the kitchen. She smiled, asking: “How is the new well?”
“This slave was also thinking about it. As soon as I opened the door this morning, I hurried to check. Fortunately, nothing happened!” Madam Li said with a smile.
When Lian Fang Zhou heard her say this, half her heart instantly relaxed and she went out with Lian Ze and Ah Jian to take a look. Sure enough, the water was really clear and quiet. Because the well had been built with the best blue bricks, she didn’t see any cracks and was relieved.
“Are those people still hoden? Have there been any troubles the past few days?” Ah Jian asked, looking over at the place where the twelve workers lived.
“It’s good, it’s okay, nothing, nothing!” Madam Lu said with a smile.
Lian Fang Zhou’s eyes flashed. She could clearly see the hesitation flashing in Madam Li’s eyes and how Zhang Xiu’er lowered her head.
Suddenly alert, Lian Fang Zhou stared at Madam Lu and asked: “What happened?”
“No, nothing…” Madam Li trembled, and she lowered her head subconsciously. She was not a liar and was in front of her master. Her breath was short and she had a guilty conscience.
Ah Jian and Lian Ze glanced at each other and Ah Jian said, “Let’s go inside the house first and sit down.”
Lian Fang Zhou nodded and watched them walk inside, asking herself: what had happened to the Li family?
Madam Li’s stubbornness and timidity caused Lian Fang Zhou to become a little impatient. Frowning, she said: “Well, what the hell do you have to say? If you don’t speak, you are shielding subordinates! I’ll call them over one by one and ask them. If there is anything wrong, you will be punished!”
“No!” Madam Li cried out, her knees softening as she knelt down in front of Lian Fang Zhou, sobbing.
“Miss!” Zhang Xiu’er couldn’t help crying out as she also knelt, kowtowing to Lian Fang Zhou: “Miss, please forgive this slave!”
Lian Fang Zhou’s heart tightened and she frowned, opening her mouth to ask. Suddenly, Madam Li stretched out her hand and pushed at Zhang Xiu’er, begging: “Miss, could you let Xiu’er go out first?”
Impatient, Lian Fang Zhou nodded.
Zhang Xiu’er got up and left obediently.
Only then did Madam Li cry and intermittently explain everything.
Lian Fang Zhou was furious.
It turned out that Li Si had actually assaulted Zhang Xiu’er and it was more than just rude words. Last night, when Zhang Xiu’er had gone out to bring tea to Qin Feng And Su Zi Ji, Li Si was so daring as to try and hold her down and force her.
Frightened, Zhang Xiu’er had struggled to escape and had run home crying. The family was furious but they dared not speak up. After all, it was the woman who was normally blamed for this sort of thing. The mother and daughter had almost cried all night.
“You are really foolish!” Lian Fang Zhou had turned blue with anger hearing this and said bluntly: “Even if I had not asked, you should have taken the initiative to report it to me! Why did I have to ask you over and over again? Were you planning on not telling me? Were you planning on having your daughter suffer this loss for nothing? Do you think last night was just a fluke, what if there was another time? How many ‘flukes’ would you put up with!?”
Madam Li’s face turned pale as she covered her face and cried bitterly. “It’s not that this slave didn’t want to say it, but this kind of thing is really… this slave, this slave… please don’t match our Xiu’er to Li Si! Nothing happened between them last night!”
“What are you talking about?” Lian Fang Zhou thought she had misheard and said: “Why would you think that?”
Madam Li just cried, unable to say anything other then begging.
Actually, she didn’t need to say anything, Lian Fang Zhou understood after thinking about it a little.
After all, hadn’t it been like this since ancient times? Whether tricked or forced, after having carnal relations, a woman’s innocence was gone, and she would not have a good reputation. Apart from marrying the man who ruined her innocence, there was no other option!
Even if that man was a villain, she could only submit to fate!
Thinking of this, Lian Fang Zhou hesitated.
Li Si needed to be punished severely— not just severely, she also could not keep him anymore. If she dealt with him, she also had to make the matter public, not only to convince everyone but also to warn the monkeys.
However, doing it this way would inevitably damage Zhang Xiu’er’s reputation.
Lian Fang Zhou couldn’t think of a good solution so after a while she said to Madam Li, “You get up first. Don’t let Xiu’er walk around alone these days. Not only at night! There are only a few people in this big courtyard, no one would know what was happening out of sight. Watch yourself! Li Si, that bastard, I won’t spare him, don’t worry!”
Madam Li’s face turned pale and she said anxiously: “Miss, I beg you, don’t talk about this matter! If you do, Xiu’er’s reputation will be ruined!”
“The one with a clear heart are clear, what are you afraid of?” Lian Fang Zhou frowned, watching Madam Li’s pale face. Then she said: “Okay, I know what to do! Don’t let Xiu’er go out today. Let her rest inside the house. I will deal with this as soon as possible!”
“Yes, Miss…” Madam Li said with her head down, watching Lian Fang Zhou go. She still was not sure if Lian Fang Zhou had promised not to make the matter public or not and her thoughts couldn’t help but go up and down.
Lian Fang Zhou took two deep breaths to ease her emotions and called Lian Ze and Ah Jian to go out together to Ziaohuaguo Mountain.
Lian Ze couldn’t help asking: “Sister? What happened? Why is your face so ugly?”
“Huh?” Lian Fang Zhou was stunned and subconsciously touched the side of her face, saying: “Is it so obvious? I thought I hid it well?”
Ah Jian couldn’t help but scoff. “Such a face is said to be well hidden? Take a mirror and look at yourself!”
Lian Fang Zhou sighed softly. “You are the closest and most trusted people beside me and there is nothing I can’t say to you. But after you hear it, don’t tell anyone else!” She said before explaining the matter.
“This is outrageous! Too shameful!” Lian Ze said bitterly. “How could there be such a shameless person! Sister, Xiu’er is an innocent and good girl! We can’t let her be bullied. Isn’t he afraid of her parents asking him to settle accounts?”
Ah Jian raised an eyebrow: “I didn’t notice that Li Si was such a schemer, what a good plan! Fortunately, nothing happened last night! If Zhang Xiu’er had really been ruined by him, Zhang Xiao Jun and his wife would be even more furious. Is there a second option besides marrying Zhang Xiu’er?”
“This, this—” Lian Ze was dumbfounded, feeling frustrated and suffocated in his heart. “So this is how it is! It’s obvious that Li Si is no good, to think of such a cheap plan. It really seems there is no other way…”
Lian Ze suddenly shouted ‘ah’ and hurriedly asked: “Sister, is it possible that his matter could not be made public? Otherwise, there will be rumors. Could it be that we can’t do anything to Li Si?”
TN: I’m not 100% on this, but I think Li Si targeted ZX partly because if he married her, he might be able to have a cushy job at the compound rather than being a field worker. It’s not stated, but Ah Jian’s reaction makes me wonder if that was the case.