Zhou Youcheng couldn’t beat Zhou Ning to begin with, and now that Zhang Xiaoyi had joined in, he was beaten so badly he couldn’t fight back at all; his face was even scratched up by Zhang Xiaoyi.

Zhou Youcheng screamed in pain as he was beaten. Zhang Xiaoyi kicked him twice more to vent his anger before finally letting him go.

Zhou Ning rubbed his wrist and stood up. “If you dare to bother Yi-ger again, I’ll beat you every time I see you!”

Zhou Youcheng curled up into a ball like a boiled shrimp, wailing, “Zhou Ning, our families are related! You two just wait—just wait!” Seeing that Zhou Youcheng still dared to rant, Zhou Ning frowned and dragged him toward the

steep slope, threatening, “Zhou Youcheng, if you dare to spread any nonsense once you get back, I’ll toss you down there right now.”

The bottom of that steep slope was covered in rocks and thorns—if he fell, he’d be impaled like a hedgehog! Zhou Youcheng thought Zhou Ning was crazy to actually try it!

“Ning-ger, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t say a word when I get back. Please spare me—I’m your own little brother! Just let me off the hook.”

Only then did Zhou Ning drag him back up. Zhang Xiaoyi, still fuming, kicked him one last time. “Ning-ger, let’s go!”

Zhou Ning glanced at Zhou Youcheng, who was lying on the ground, causing Zhou Youcheng to flinch in fear. Zhou Ning was no ordinary ger—he struck right where it hurt the most, and it killed him!

“Don’t go blabbing about this when you get back.”

“Got it, got it,” Zhou Youcheng nodded repeatedly.

The two finally left. Zhang Xiaoyi, who’d been harassed by Zhou Youcheng, was still shaken by the experience.

“Ning-ger, thank you so much.” 

“No problem. Does that Zhou Youcheng come by to bother you often?”

Zhang Xiaoyi snorted. “Don’t even mention it. I’ve never seen anyone so shameless. Even when I’m holed up at home, he finds an excuse to come over under the pretense of buying herbs. I came up to the mountain today to pick some honeysuckle and goji berries, and who knew that bastard would chase me all the way up here.”

Zhou Ning frowned upon hearing this. “How long has this been going on?”

“Over a year now, ever since he passed the Tongsheng exam.” Zhang Xiaoyi’s face twisted with anger. “Ugh, just because he passed a Tongsheng exam, he thinks he’s some kind of delicacy. He—he actually tried to molest me! Ugh! I’ve never seen anyone so shameless!”

“Does your father know?”

Zhang Xiaoyi shook his head. “I didn’t tell my dad. If word gets out, it’ll only reflect badly on us as gers. Thank goodness I ran into you today. If anyone else had seen it, people would start gossiping about me and Zhou Youcheng, even though there’s nothing between us.”

Zhou Ning understood. Gers and women valued their reputation above all else. It wasn’t just their own reputation that mattered—if anyone else in the family had a bad reputation, it would affect the matches they were considered for. Take Nanger, for example: because his father had a bad reputation, the families they considered for him weren’t exactly reputable either.

Zhou Ning walked Zhang Xiaoyi home, and only then did he pick up his basket and head home. He’d originally been carrying some grass seeds to feed the chicks, but the basket had fallen to the ground during the scuffle, and now it was empty.

“Oh my, what happened to you, Ning-ger? Why are you covered in dirt?” Granny Wang was picking vegetables at her doorstep when she saw Zhou Ning looking like that and asked.

“I—I accidentally fell.” 

“You really need to be more careful.”

“Oh, thank you, Auntie.”

Zhou Ning went home and deliberately found a corner out of sight in the main hall to brush the dirt off his clothes.

Shen Linchuan was currently in the vegetable garden picking eggplants and cucumbers. Knowing his husband loved eggplants, he was planning to make minced pork stir-fried with eggplant for dinner when he spotted his husband acting all sneaky.

“Ning-ger, where have you been?”

Zhou Ning was startled—how had Shen Linchuan managed to sneak into the vegetable patch?

“I went to the back mountain.”

Shen Linchuan could tell at a glance that he was lying. How could he know? The guilt was clearly written all over his face.

Shen Linchuan stepped out of the vegetable patch and helped pluck a blade of grass from Zhou Ning’s head.

“Why is your hair all messy?” 

“It… it got caught on a branch.”

Shen Linchuan leaned his handsome face close to Fulang’s, staring intently at the flustered man before him. “Zhou Ning, I must say, this is the first time you’ve ever lied to me. It’s quite a novelty.”

Zhou Laoshi Ning shook his head. “I didn’t.”

“Huh? You’re not lying?” Shen Linchuan’s expression darkened. “Spill the beans. Where did you go? You went to the back mountain once, so how did you end up covered in dirt? Hmm?”

Zhou Ning conceded defeat and tugged at Shen Linchuan. “Keep your voice down.”

 “Then just tell me quickly.”

Seeing he couldn’t hide it from Shen Linchuan, Zhou Ning had no choice but to tell him everything. He trusted Shen Linchuan; he knew he wouldn’t go blabbing about it to others. As soon as he heard that his Fulang had gone out to fight,

Shen Linchuan hurriedly pulled him inside and started undressing him. “Did Zhou Youcheng hurt you?”

“No, no, he’s no match for me.”

Shen Linchuan stripped Zhou Ning like peeling an onion. His clothes hung loosely around his waist, revealing a tanned, muscular body. Shen Linchuan circled him, inspecting him closely. Seeing no injuries, he finally relaxed.

“How dare a grown man hit a ger!”

Seeing that Shen Linchuan wasn’t angry, Zhou Ning finally relaxed. Although Shen Linchuan had never lost his temper with him before, if he were to put on a stern face, even his own father would be a little intimidated.

“Zhou Youcheng isn’t a match for me.”

Shen Linchuan poked Fulang’s head. “You’re actually proud of that? But it’s okay if he hits you—you’ve got your man to back you up.”

Zhou Ning smiled, revealing a small fang on his right side. Shen Linchuan found it irresistibly charming, but he cleared his throat, put on a stern face, and admonished, “Just don’t get hurt. If you run into someone you can’t beat, don’t charge in recklessly.”

“I know, I know.”

Shen Linchuan helped his Fulang adjust his clothes. He hadn’t expected Zhou Youcheng to have a thing for Zhang Xiaoyi; he hadn’t heard the young women in the office mention it either.

“Was Zhou Youcheng’s beating severe?”

“It’s not too bad. I’m just worried he’ll go around spreading rumors when he gets back. What’s left of Yi-ger’s reputation then?” 

“If he’s got any sense at all, he wouldn’t dare say anything.”

After all, he’s got some academic credentials under his belt, and he’s planning to take the Xiucai exam next year. Zhou Youcheng is just using a young ger’s reputation to threaten him, without giving a thought to his own reputation.

Zhou Youcheng waited on the mountain until the two had left before daring to come down. His whole body ached from the beating, and his face burned with pain. When had he ever suffered such a humiliation? Zhou Ning and Zhang Xiaoyi, just you wait!

Zhou Youcheng limped home. As soon as Hu Caiyun saw her precious son covered in blood, she screamed, “What happened? Who dared to hit you!”

“Mother, it was Zhou Ning who hit me!”

As soon as Hu Caiyun heard it was Zhou Ning who’d hit him, she was so furious that she grabbed Zhou Youcheng and headed straight for the Zhou family’s house, cursing all the way.

“Everyone, come and see! Zhou Ning even hits his own brother! Is there no justice in this world?”

Hu Caiyun’s outcry drew the attention of many passersby. Zhou Youcheng had originally intended for his mother to go to Zhou Ning’s house and make a scene, but he hadn’t expected her to start shouting the moment they stepped outside. After all, he was a scholar! With so many people staring at him, how could he possibly save face?

Zhou Youcheng began to regret it. Covering his face, he tried to run back home. “Mother, please stop! It’s just brothers roughhousing!”

“Just brothers roughhousing! Is this roughhousing?! Look at the state he’s beaten you into! No way—I’m going to the eldest son’s house to demand an explanation!”

Hu Caiyun dragged Zhou Youcheng toward Zhou Ning’s house, shouting all the while. Before they even reached the doorstep, Shen Linchuan and the others heard the commotion.

A smirk tugged at Shen Linchuan’s lips. “Here they come.”

I was just afraid he wouldn’t show up. If he didn’t, Zhou Youcheng would have to swallow his pride. But now that he’s here, he won’t be leaving so easily.

“Second Aunt is always a handful.” 

“It’s fine.”

Hu Caiyun had already dragged Zhou Youcheng over to the door. “Ning-ger, Ning-ger! Come out here, you little rascal!” 

Shen Linchuan came out with Zhou Ning. “Auntie, what’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter? Just look at what Zhou Ning has done to my Youcheng!”

Shen Linchuan nearly burst out laughing at the pitiful sight of Zhou Youcheng. His Fulang had said it wasn’t a big deal, so he hadn’t thought much of it. But now he saw that his face was all scratched up, half of it swollen, and he was limping as he walked.

Shen Linchuan muttered under his breath, “You scratched that yourself. It’s so dirty. You’d better wash your hands thoroughly with soap nuts later.” 

“It wasn’t me—it was Yi-ger who scratched him.”

“Then you’ll have to take a good bath tonight too—you’re covered in dirt.” 

“Okay.”

Hu Caiyun was furious. Not only were the two across from her ignoring her, but they were also leaning their heads together, whispering about who knows what—they clearly didn’t have any respect for her as an elder!

“Shen Linchuan, Zhou Ning!”

“Yeah, we’re here.” Shen Linchuan replied with a smile. “I was wondering what was going on. Oh my, Brother Youcheng, what happened to your face? Second Aunt, with it looking like this, why haven’t you taken Brother Youcheng to see a doctor yet?”

“Pfft! Your Zhou Ning hit him hard. This isn’t something we can just let slide!” 

“I wonder why my Fulang would have struck him?”

Hu Caiyun didn’t know either, so she turned to ask Zhou Youcheng, “Youcheng, tell me—why did that little brat hit you?”

Zhou Ning’s heart sank, terrified that Zhou Youcheng might drag Zhang Xiaoyi into this. As a newlywed, he himself wasn’t in any real trouble, but the Yi-ger was currently in the midst of matchmaking—he couldn’t let that bastard Zhou Youcheng ruin his reputation!

“It’s because of what happened on the back mountain…”

Zhou Youcheng had barely begun when Shen Linchuan cut him off. “Brother Youcheng, you’d better explain this properly. Don’t let people misunderstand my fulang. If the Provincial Commissioner finds out about this, it might ruin your chances of passing the imperial exams. Don’t you agree?”

Zhou Youcheng’s face darkened, and he nearly ground his teeth to dust. Shen Linchuan!

Country folk are just peasants—they don’t know anything about the Provincial Education Commissioner. He currently holds the title of “Tongsheng,” but if Zhang Xiaoyi reports him to the Commissioner, it’ll be a lose-lose situation. His personal integrity will be tarnished, and if it gets serious, he might not even be allowed to take next year’s provincial exams!

It’s that Shen Linchuan again! Zhang Xiaoyi is just a country ger who doesn’t understand these things, but Shen Linchuan certainly does!

Zhou Youcheng’s expression shifted repeatedly. “I accidentally rolled down the slope into the bramble thicket behind the mountain. It was Ning-ger who kindly pulled me out.”

Hu Caiyun’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Youcheng, what nonsense are you spouting? Your face is clearly scratched from being clawed!”

“No, Mother, it’s just a scratch from the thorns. It—it has nothing to do with Ning-ger.”

“Didn’t you say at home that Zhou Ning hit you? Go on, say it! I’ll skin him alive!” Hu Caiyun couldn’t let this slide; as she spoke, she moved forward to strike him. Shen Linchuan glared at her. “Just try to lay a finger on my Fulang!”

Just then, Zhou Da returned riding his mule. From a distance, he saw a crowd gathered outside his house. He dismounted from the mule cart and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Zhou Da pushed through the crowd and entered, just in time to hear Hu Caiyun shouting that his son, Ning-ger, had hit someone.

Before Hu Caiyun could speak, Shen Linchuan interjected, “Father, Brother Youcheng has fallen and injured himself, but Second Aunt insists Ning-ger hit him. Brother Youcheng himself says it wasn’t him.”

Zhou Da took a look. Zhou Youcheng’s injuries were quite severe; there wasn’t a single patch of unbroken skin left on his face. By tomorrow, his face would be swollen like a pig’s head.

“Youcheng, did Ning-ger hit you?”

He wasn’t blind—the face clearly showed signs of being struck. But he was protective of his own ger; his ger would never lay a hand on anyone without cause. The harder the beating, the more certain it was that Zhou Youcheng had done something terribly wrong.

“Uncle, no, no, I fell on my own. Mom, let’s go, let’s go.”

Zhou Youcheng had originally planned to have his mother come over and make a scene. He’d been beaten—he couldn’t just take it lying down. He’d intended to use the crowd to spread the story that Zhang Xiaoyi had tried to seduce him but failed, and that Zhou Ning had beaten him up as a result. He was a man, so it didn’t matter much to him, but Zhang Xiaoyi was just a young ger.

Who knew Shen Linchuan would step in? Now he’d not only been beaten but had to swallow this humiliation as well. The anger welling up in his chest nearly choked him to death.

Zhou Da was even more convinced that Zhou Youcheng must have done something shameful—otherwise, why would he have admitted to it?

Zhou Youcheng admitted it, but Hu Caiyun wouldn’t accept it. She had only this one son—and he was the only Tongsheng in the whole Dayangshu Village. He was destined for a career in the civil service!

“Bullshit! It’s obvious your Ning-ger beat him up! Big Brother, if you don’t give me a proper explanation today, don’t think this will just blow over!” “

But Youcheng said he bumped into it himself. My Ning-ger is an honest boy—you can’t pin this on him.”

Zhou Da certainly wouldn’t admit it—why should he?

“Big Brother, you’re being completely unreasonable! My son Yicheng is a Tongsheng, and his tutor is a Juren. Even if I take this to the authorities, you’d still have to give me an explanation!”

When Zhou Da heard that Hu Caiyun was threatening to sue him by leveraging her connections, his face turned cold. “Second Brother’s wife, it’s been me, his uncle, who’s been supporting Youcheng’s education all these years. If it weren’t for me, the pig butcher, how could your son Youcheng have gone to town to study?”

Hu Caiyun was momentarily stumped. “That—that’s a completely different matter!”

Hearing that his mother wouldn’t let it go and still intended to inform the schoolmaster—and that she might then bring up the matter with Zhang Xiaoyi, leaving another black mark with the education official—he thought, Where would he, a scholar, put his face then!

“Mother! I told you I bumped into it myself! Let’s go home!”

Zhou Er also rushed over—he’d heard about it from the village kids. As soon as he arrived, he saw the commotion in the courtyard. Without a second thought, he walked up and slapped Hu Caiyun across the face. “What’s all this fuss about? My older brother is the head of the household—it’s not your place to be yelling like that!”

Hu Caiyun clutched her face and let out a cry. “Zhou Er, how dare you hit me!” 

“Big Brother, I’m sorry. She’s an ignorant woman—please forgive her, please forgive her.”

Zhou Er dragged Hu Caiyun back home. She refused to stop, continuing to curse—one moment at Zhou Ning, the next at her own husband. Zhou Youcheng also hurried home, holding his sleeve up to shield his face. When had Zhou Youcheng ever suffered such a humiliation before?

The onlookers in the courtyard had all dispersed. Only after everyone had left did Zhou Da ask what had happened. The two didn’t hide anything and told him the whole story. Zhou Da was somewhat surprised. “How could Youcheng… Oh…”

Zhou Da let out a long sigh. He’d watched Zhou Youcheng grow up; his family had spent a great deal of money on his education.

He just didn’t know when that boy who used to call him “Uncle” had changed so much.

Now that he’d made something of himself, he looked down on his pig-slaughtering uncle, showed no respect for his elders, and was even secretly pursuing some young man behind his back. When had this boy become like this?

“Father, Second Aunt must be harboring a grudge against us. From now on, our two families should keep our distance; we should just mind our own business.”

Zhou Ning nodded in agreement. “Father, Shen Linchuan is right. You shouldn’t dwell on any brotherly affection. It’s always our family helping theirs—how can Uncle Shen not have a shred of pity for all your hard work?”

“I know, I know. Oh, how did things come to this? Never mind that I’ve helped his family plenty over the years—even if you, Ning-ger, did hit him, it shouldn’t have led to him threatening to report us.”

Over on the other side, Zhou Er dragged Hu Caiyun back home, with a crowd of onlookers trailing behind them. As soon as Zhou Er stepped inside, he slammed the door shut, not giving the onlookers so much as a friendly glance. He, Zhou Er—his son was a scholar with an official title to his name. Why should he let others make a spectacle of him!

“Speak up! What exactly happened?”

“Father, it was Zhang Xiaoyi who seduced me first!”

“Zhang Xiaoyi? Why are you dragging Zhang Xiaoyi into this again?”

“I was just trying to help Zhang Xiaoyi carry his basket today when Zhou Ning saw me, and he beat me up like this.”

Hu Caiyun, covering her face, continued to sob and curse, “You Zhou Er, not only did you fail to stand up for your own son, but you even hit me!”

Zhou Er was far more level-headed than Hu Caiyun. “There were so many people just now—why didn’t you say anything then?

He’s just a young ger; did you really come out on the losing end here?”

“It’s all because Shen Linchuan threatened me with the Academic Commissioner. If the Commissioner finds out, at best I’ll get a black mark on my record; at worst, my exams will be postponed. That would ruin my career prospects!”

“The Education Commissioner? What Education Commissioner?” Hu Caiyun didn’t understand what Zhou Youcheng was talking about; all she knew was that her son had been beaten up!

Hearing his son’s explanation, Zhou Er understood perfectly well—it was nothing more than a young lad’s first stirrings of romance.

“You, you! Why do you act just like your mother, without thinking things through!”

“How am I not thinking? Just look at what a mess Youcheng is in! He went to the eldest son’s place and didn’t even bring back a single feather!” Hu Caiyun jabbed Zhou Er hard in the side with her elbow—that bastard actually hit her in public!

Zhou Er had no patience for her right now; he was busy scolding his son.

“The year is already halfway over. The New Year’s celebrations are barely over, and it’ll be time to take the imperial exams soon. Instead of focusing on your studies, you’re fixated on some country boy. Once you pass the exams and become a Xiucai, what kind of family won’t you be able to find? Even a girl from town would do. By then, the Yi-ger won’t even be fit to tie your shoes!”

“What? You’ve set your sights on the Yi-ger? No way! He’s just a young ger—and a country ger at that! No, no!”

As soon as she heard this, Hu Caiyun started shouting again. After all, her son was a Tongsheng!

“Father, I don’t intend to marry Yi-ger. Once I pass the provincial exam, just letting him serve as a lowly attendant would be a great honor for him.”

“Pah! He’s just a young ger. He got you beaten up like this—I won’t even let him set foot in our house!” Hu Caiyun certainly wouldn’t look down on a country ger.

Zhou Er shook his head. “You two, what were you thinking, causing a scene at Big Brother’s house? It’s wheat harvest time now. If we’ve offended Big Brother, who’s going to help us with the work? You two have no sense at all.”

“But we can’t just let Cheng get beaten up for no reason!”

Zhou Fang, leaning against the doorway and hearing every word, casually popped a sunflower seed into her mouth. “Mom, stop making such a fuss. He had it coming—why was he hitting on that young ger?”

Hu Caiyun glared at her daughter. “Shut your mouth! You’re siding with the outsiders!”

Zhou Fang rolled her eyes, spat out the sunflower seed husk from her mouth, and muttered, “For getting involved with that young man, getting beaten is the least of his worries.”

Zhou Er’s head was throbbing from the commotion. He knew exactly what was going on. Now, not only did he have to swallow this humiliation himself, but he’d also offended his older brother. “Come on, Big Brother isn’t the type to hold a grudge. Even if the guy doesn’t show up, we’ll still have to borrow that mule from them.”

“Are you just going to take this beating lying down, Youcheng?” Hu Caiyun was clearly indignant.

“What else can we do? The two of you put together aren’t even a match for Shen Linchuan. Just wait until next year when I pass the Xiucai exam—then he’ll be the one sucking up to us. Hmph!”

Zhang Xiaoyi was on edge at home. Although Zhou Youcheng had been scolded by Ning-ger, there was no telling if he might turn on them later—after all, Zhou Youcheng’s mother, Hu Caiyun, was no pushover.

Zhang Xiaoyi idly flipped through the herbs at home. “This won’t do. I need to go check on Ning-ger.”

Zhang Xiaoyi packed some mint and lotus seeds to help with the heat, picked up his basket, and set off to find Zhou Ning. He hadn’t gone far when he overheard a group of women and fulangs gossiping. “Tsk, just look at Zhou Youcheng’s face—it’s clearly been scratched by someone.”

“He must have done something shady; otherwise, he wouldn’t have suffered this humiliation.”

The moment he heard them mention Zhou Youcheng, Zhang Xiaoyi’s heart sank. “Auntie, what’s wrong with Zhou Youcheng?”

“You haven’t heard? Zhou Youcheng got injured somehow and went to Ning-ger’s house to cause a scene. Then, out of the blue, he claimed he’d just bumped into something.”

Seeing that Ning-ger hadn’t been dragged into it, Zhang Xiaoyi finally relaxed. He hurried off toward Zhou Ning’s house again.

“If you ask me, Zhou Youcheng deserved to get beaten. Otherwise, Hu Caiyun would’ve gotten way too full of herself.”

“You’re absolutely right. He’s just a Tongsheng now, and Hu Caiyun’s already looking down her nose at everyone. If he goes on to become a Xiucai or a candidate for the provincial exams, then Hu Caiyun might actually take a fancy to a country bumpkin like us.”

“Zhou Youcheng is eighteen this year. After he passed the Tongsheng exam, families came to propose marriage, but his family looked down on them. Hu Caiyun is just waiting for him to pass the Xiucai exam next year so she can climb the social ladder.”

“And they wouldn’t even look at us? Aren’t they just a bunch of country bumpkins too…”

Zhang Xiaoyi didn’t hear what the others said after that; he was in a hurry to find Zhou Ning. From a distance, he could already see smoke rising from the chimney of Zhou Ning’s house.

“Ning-ger, are you home? I’ve brought you some herbs to beat the heat.”

Zhou Ning was stoking the fire in the kitchen when he heard his name called and came out. Zhang Xiaoyi peeked inside and saw Shen Linchuan rolling up his sleeves and stir-frying vegetables. He knew Shen Linchuan often cooked at Ning-ger’s house, but this was the first time he’d seen him do it.

Zhou Ning took the basket. “Thanks. I’ve got to work in the fields these next couple of days, so I’ll brew this up to drink.”

Zhang Xiaoyi pulled Zhou Ning aside and asked him quietly. Zhou Ning explained, “At first, Zhou Youcheng was about to make a scene, but when Shen Linchuan mentioned the Academic Commissioner, Zhou Youcheng suddenly changed his tune.”

“The Provincial Education Commissioner? Right, how could I have forgotten? Zhou Youcheng is such a show-off, and with the Commissioner there, if he leaves a stain on his record, we’ll see if he can even keep his status as a Tongsheng!”

“Even though we’ve got him by the throat, Yi-ger, don’t be foolish and go reporting him. You’re just a young ger—it’s bound to cause a stir.”

“I know. Thanks a lot, Ning-ger. And please thank Shen Linchuan for me too. If it weren’t for the two of you helping me out, this wouldn’t have been so easy to brush under the rug.”

“We’re good friends—have you forgotten?”

Zhang Xiaoyi smiled. “Right, we’re the best of friends!”

Zhang Xiaoyi’s steps were a bit lighter on his way back. Ever since Zhou Youcheng had been pestering him, he’d been scared but hadn’t dared tell anyone else. Now, at last, the matter was settled.

Pfft, that bastard Zhou Youcheng. He’s just a Tongsheng—if he’s like that to someone he fancies he wouldn’t amount to anything even if he were a candidate for the Juren examination! Let’s see if he dares to harass me again!