Chapter 152
Li Zhiwei's heart gave a jolt.
Didn't she tell Xu Qingshi not to come out?
Why did this little rascal come out on his own?
"Madam, it's this brat!" Deng Hong, seeing Xu Qingshi emerge, pointed at him excitedly and said to Huo Yunlan.
"Miss Li, didn't you say your Li family had no children? Now, this child of yours has injured my daughter. Shouldn't you give our Qin family an explanation for this?" Huo Yunlan said, looking at Li Zhiwei with disdain.
Li Zhiwei's face paled slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm and looked at Huo Yunlan, saying, "Madam Qin, he's just a child, and he's new to Li'an County. How could he possibly bully your daughter? There must be some misunderstanding here, right?"
Thinking of the servants lying all over Changfeng Street earlier that day, Li Zhiwei actually felt it was possible that the people Xu Qingshi brought with him had indeed injured them.
However, Qin Keyun was just a little girl; those guards shouldn't have laid a hand on a harmless child.
Thinking this, her expression improved a bit.
The servants from the Prince's estate knew their limits. Those people must have provoked Xu Qingshi to get beaten; they had it coming.
But, facing the aggressive Huo Yunlan, Li Zhiwei still firmly shielded Xu Qingshi behind her.
"You little brat, what kind of man hides behind a woman? Was it you who bullied my daughter? How dare you bully someone from my Qin family? You'd better be prepared to face the Qin family's wrath!" Huo Yunlan ignored Li Zhiwei and instead glared viciously at Xu Qingshi behind her, hurling threats.
"Qingshi, go inside first," Li Zhiwei said softly to Xu Qingshi behind her.
After all, Huo Yunlan wouldn't dare do anything to her. At worst, they could just compensate with some silver.
Seeing Huo Yunlan so furious now, Li Zhiwei also wondered to herself, could Qin Keyun really be seriously injured?
But now was not a good time to ask.
"Mother... Pretty sister, since I caused this trouble, let me handle it myself," Xu Qingshi almost called her 'mother' again but managed to correct himself in time. He looked at Li Zhiwei with hopeful eyes, unafraid of the shrieking woman before him.
Besides, he hadn't done anything to that annoying girl; he just didn't like strangers getting close to him.
Seeing Xu Qingshi's pleading look, Li Zhiwei nodded.
Children always had to learn and grow. She was here anyway, and with so many servants around, there was no need to worry about what Huo Yunlan might do.
"I didn't bully your daughter. She saw I was good-looking and wanted to take me back with her. I didn't want to, so I accidentally pushed her!" Xu Qingshi, having received Li Zhiwei's permission, stepped forward and said to Huo Yunlan with a firm gaze.
"Besides, I don't like her. Why should I go with her? I refused, and she had people try to kidnap me by force. I'm not stupid enough to just stand there and let her have her way. What, is Li'an County run by your Qin family? Are people not allowed to refuse?" Before Huo Yunlan could say anything, Xu Qingshi asked with a sarcastic look.
"Hey, you little devil! It's your good fortune that our young lady took a liking to you. Not only did you refuse her, but you also pushed her. You're simply despicable!" Deng Hong was not pleased upon hearing this.
Huo Yunlan then took a good look at the excessively handsome child before her.
She actually believed a fair bit of what Xu Qingshi said.
This sounded exactly like something Qin Keyun would do.
But knowing was one thing; right now, she would absolutely not admit it.
"Hmph! Since you admit you pushed my daughter, that's the fact. Now, because of your push, my daughter is seriously injured!" Huo Yunlan thought to herself that she disliked Li Zhiwei and the Li family anyway. This was a perfect opportunity to humiliate Li Zhiwei properly.
Thinking this, her gaze grew even sharper.
"Is your daughter made of bean dregs? Does she shatter from a fall like that? Then you'd better make a few more. Otherwise, she might just rot away." Xu Qingshi pondered for a moment before saying with a puzzled expression.
"Pfft!" Li Zhiwei was also amused by Xu Qingshi's words. Made of bean dregs?
She remembered that just a few days ago, Xu Qingshi saw someone selling tofu on the street and asked curiously about the white stuff beside it. She had told him it was bean dregs.
Who would have thought the child would already use 'bean dregs' to mock someone today.
A fresh mind indeed, very clever.
"You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?" Huo Yunlan didn't expect such a small child to have such a sharp tongue.
"Didn't you say your daughter fell and was about to die?" Xu Qingshi asked with an inquisitive look.
Huo Yunlan was taken aback. Had she said that?
Li Zhiwei also didn't expect Xu Qingshi to be so formidable in a verbal spar, even managing to stump Huo Yunlan.
"You little brat, my mistress never said any such thing," Deng Hong said after carefully thinking back, quite certain.
"If she's not dying, then what is your mistress doing here at the Li residence, throwing her weight around? Clearly, it was your daughter who lacked propriety, trying to snatch someone off the street in broad daylight just because she found them good-looking. Can't people refuse and resist? If one day she takes a fancy to the Emperor's throne, will she snatch that too to sit on?" Xu Qingshi asked impatiently.
He thought to himself, this woman is so foolish, much more foolish than those people in the capital.
He couldn't be bothered to argue with her.
If he weren't afraid this madwoman might harm his mother, he'd have his men drive them away directly!
"You impudent child! You injured my daughter and now you dare spout such lies here!" Huo Yunlan had never been challenged like this before, especially not by such a young child. She was instantly furious.
"Men! Seize this person who harmed our Qin family's young lady!" Huo Yunlan didn't want to waste any more words.
This person dared to harm her daughter; the Qin family must have their revenge for this insult.
"Madam Qin! People of my Li family are not yours to seize as you please!" Li Zhiwei quickly stepped in front of Xu Qingshi and reprimanded.
She thought to herself, Huo Yunlan must be tired of living. How else would she have the nerve to try and arrest someone in broad daylight?
Didn't she bother to find out how County Magistrate Cao was removed from his post?
"Hah, Li Zhiwei, I advise you to be sensible and not stand in my way. Otherwise, the combined wrath of the Qin and Huo families might be more than your Li family can bear," Huo Yunlan said, looking at Li Zhiwei with a sneer.
In the past, she might have been somewhat wary of the Li family. But ever since the Li family gave away most of their assets as Li Zhiwei's dowry, she hadn't given the Li family a second thought.
A Li family like this was simply no match for them.
