Volume 1, Chapter 23: Qiao Xun Hangs by a Thread

Jiang Xian’s eyes were filled with admiration as she subconsciously held Tangtang’s warm little hand.

Feeling the warmth radiating from her palm, Tangtang turned her head to meet Jiang Xian’s gratified expression.

Jiang Xian reached out and stroked the little girl’s smooth, dark hair. "Our Tangtang is so well-behaved, truly wonderful!"

Tangtang, who had been slightly slumped, immediately stood up straight.

"Hmph, what is there to be proud of? Just wait for that jinx to drag your entire Jiang family to ruin!" Zhao Jinniang sneered, her words dripping with malice as she twisted her bulky waist and turned to head home.

"Ah!!!"

Zhao Jinniang fell flat on her back. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, looking down at the ground to find not a single thing that could have tripped her. She couldn’t fathom how she had stumbled on perfectly flat ground, and the pain made her grimace.

Already stout in build, she rolled on the ground like a rubber ball, causing Jiang Xian and the others to burst into laughter.

"You demons of laughter!" Zhao Jinniang shouted in shame and humiliation, scrambling to her feet and running toward her house.

With a smile on her face, Jiang Xian called out, "Brother Daniu, let’s go!"

"Right!"

Chen Daniu urged the donkey cart forward. It wasn't until they had been out of Taoyuan Village for a while that he sighed, "Sister Xian, you’re the only one in our village who can handle that couple, Chen Sanlaizi and his wife. Anyone else would be at a total loss with those thick-skinned people."

Jiang Xian laughed. "It’s nothing. As long as I don't feel embarrassed, then it's the others who will. The truth lies within the reach of my fist!"

Chen Daniu felt inexplicably fired up. He nodded vigorously in agreement. "That’s right! You’re absolutely right, Sister Xian! Every time I help people in the village bring this or that, I get blamed if it’s not to their liking. If the price is a few coins over, they try to haggle it down, leaving me in a real bind.

If I help, I get taken advantage of; if I don't, it seems heartless since we’re all from the same village and see each other every day. I’ve always been afraid of running into villagers at the entrance of the village, but after your words today, I’ve benefited greatly. I’ll learn more from you in the future!"

"Haha, Brother Daniu, just remember: whenever someone wants to take advantage of you, just mention the transport fee. It works like a charm!"

"Got it!"

Chen Daniu felt even more favorably toward Jiang Xian. Although the Jiangs were newcomers, the family of three acted with much more integrity than the locals. They never took advantage of anyone, but they also made sure no one in the village could take advantage of them.

Usually, the three of them were amiable and easy to talk to, but when they turned cold, the villagers didn't dare to provoke them easily.

Chen Daniu thought to himself that in the future, he would give Jiang Xian a discount on her shipments and ask her for more advice on how to be both thick-skinned and intimidating.

Jiang Xian stroked Tangtang’s smooth little head and whispered, "Tangtang, did you hear what Mommy and Uncle Daniu were talking about?"

Tangtang nodded vigorously. "I heard, Mommy!"

"Good. You must remember: no matter who wants to take advantage of you or asks for a favor, regardless of whether they are close or distant, refuse them all. By being difficult to talk to, you can save yourself most of the trouble, and others will actually respect you more. Once you become a pushover, everyone will try to exploit you and mock you as a fool behind your back. Do you understand?"

Tangtang opened her wide, clear eyes and nodded, seeming to half-understand, a look of growing admiration in her gaze.

Mommy is truly amazing!

She decided she would definitely learn more from Mommy in the future!

...

Chen Daniu was driving the donkey cart leisurely. As they neared Junxi County, he spotted a person lying on the side of the road. The man was beaten black and blue, looking quite serious, yet strangely familiar.

"Brother Daniu, stop for a moment!" Jiang Xian called out.

Chen Daniu pulled the reins in time, and the donkey snorted in pain as it stopped by the roadside.

Jiang Xian carried Tangtang off the cart and walked toward the injured man. Upon closer inspection, it really was Qiao Xun.

"Qiao Xun? Scholar Qiao?" Jiang Xian crouched down and gently shook him.

Tangtang looked on with great curiosity. "Oh, Mommy, why is Uncle Divine Lord sleeping on the side of the road?"

"Er... he must have accidentally fallen!" Jiang Xian explained. She gave Qiao Xun another nudge, but seeing no reaction, she immediately called to Chen Daniu on the cart, "Brother Daniu, come give me a hand! It’s Scholar Qiao!"

Chen Daniu hurried over to help Jiang Xian lift the unconscious Qiao Xun onto the back of the cart. Jiang Xian climbed back on with Tangtang and urged Chen Daniu to hurry to the Songhe Hall in the county.

Qiao Xun’s face was pale and bloodless, and his body was ice-cold. There was no telling how long he had been lying there.

Jiang Xian stared at his thin, fragile frame, and her heart stirred.

Who on earth had this unlucky guy offended? Not only had he lost his potential for greatness, but he was also covered in misfortune, and now he had been beaten and abandoned on the roadside. If they hadn't run into him in this bitter winter weather, he could have frozen to death!

Because saving a life was urgent, Chen Daniu picked up the pace.

In fifteen minutes, they reached Junxi County. With a person and cargo on board, Jiang Xian offered ten coins to the guard at the city gate, and the cart passed through smoothly, heading straight for Songhe Hall.

Songhe Hall.

"Doctor, help!"

Chen Daniu rushed into the hall with Qiao Xun on his back, with Jiang Xian following closely behind, carrying her basket and holding Tangtang.

The doctor on duty immediately came forward, directing Chen Daniu to place the man on a bed in the inner room. Several other doctors gathered around, while Chen Daniu and the mother-daughter duo stood in the main hall, gasping for air, their hearts still pounding.

Shen Juntao, with a bandage on his forehead, bruises at the corners of his mouth and eyes, and his arm in a sling, was preparing to leave with two sidekicks. He was still spouting threats: "Next time I run into that bastard Qiao Xun, I’ll beat him until he loses every tooth in his head!"

Thinking of it made Shen Juntao furious.

Earlier today, he and some other students from the county academy were heading to the Sifang Hall for a poetry gathering when Qiao Xun suddenly rushed over and shoved him. He didn't know where that unlucky guy got the strength, but he pushed him so hard that he hit his head against a stone pillar by a shop, and a passing carriage had scraped him in several places.

Shen Juntao, unable to swallow his anger, had taken a few people and beaten Qiao Xun up. The wretch couldn't take a beating and fainted, so Shen Juntao couldn't be bothered with him. He simply tossed a string of coins to Jiang Jinyan and Wang Jinbao, telling them to take Qiao Xun to the clinic, and didn't care whether he lived or died.

Shen Juntao’s two lackeys—Jiang Jinyan, a scholar from a humble background, and Wang Jinbao, the son of a grain shop owner—saw that Shen Juntao was displeased and quickly began to flatter him while badmouthing Qiao Xun.

Just as they were leaving, Shen Juntao turned and saw Jiang Xian holding the doll-like little girl. He ran up, exclaiming in surprise, "Heroine Jiang, it really is you!"

Jiang Xian frowned at Shen Juntao’s disheveled appearance and asked curiously, "Second Young Master Shen, haven't you been watching what's above you while walking these past few days?"

"I have! I was just about to say thank you. You told me to watch out, so on the way back, I made a point of looking up. Who knew that when I passed Tianwei Pavilion, a flower pot fell from their balcony, but I dodged it just in time! If it weren't for you, I would’ve been bleeding and broken, if not dead or crippled by now!"

Thinking of that massive pot hitting his head, Shen Juntao didn't dare to imagine the consequences.

"Oh, then why are you in such a state?" Jiang Xian pointed at his injuries.

Shen Juntao snorted coldly, "It’s all that treacherous Qiao Xun. He intentionally pushed me, causing me to hit that stone pillar, and then a carriage came by and scraped me up!"

After saying this, Shen Juntao kindly warned her: "Heroine Jiang, you’re such a kind person, don't be fooled by that dog Qiao Xun. He’s full of malice and has done all sorts of terrible things at our academy. You must stay away from such a vile, shameless person so you don't get dragged down with him."

Jiang Xian looked curious. "Second Young Master Shen, what did Qiao Xun do to make you hate him so much?"

She hadn't had the chance to ask last time, but today she finally had the time to satisfy her curiosity.

Shen Juntao curled his lip, seemingly reluctant to speak ill of others, but then continued: "It’s nothing, just remember this, Heroine Jiang: don't get too close to him. He is selfish and devoid of virtue, thinking only of himself. At critical moments, he will treat those closest to him as stepping stones to climb higher. He is truly heartless."

Jiang Jinyan and Wang Jinbao chimed in: "That’s right. Qiao Xun is notorious in our academy. He framed Brother Shen for cheating on an exam, causing him to lose his qualification to take the test. He also framed Li Zhiyuan, causing the instructor to revoke Li's status as a state-subsidized student so that he could take that spot and get the government subsidy himself."

"Moreover, Qiao Xun often steals our brushes and paper, and deliberately ruins our reputations outside. He looks refined, but he has all sorts of filthy motives and methods. Phew, it's a disgrace to study in the same academy as him."

Shen Juntao became even angrier. If Qiao Xun were just an insignificant person he didn't know well, he wouldn't hate him this much.

But Qiao Xun had once been the friend Shen Juntao considered his best. Being stabbed in the back by his best friend was something Shen Juntao could never get over.

Their relationship used to be so close. When they were studying at the Shen family’s private school, Shen Juntao had fallen into a well due to his own mischief. Qiao Xun had jumped in without regard for his own life to save him.

Shen Juntao had believed they would be best friends for life. It was Qiao Xun who had changed him, leading him from a wayward, spoiled rich kid to a man of reason and character. They had passed the county and prefectural exams together.

But ever since Qiao Xun became the top student in the county and prefecture, he was surrounded by more and more sycophants, and he gradually seemed like a different person. They had less time to visit the study together, until finally, when cheating was discovered during the academy’s major exam, the evidence was found in Shen Juntao’s book chest and dormitory.

Shen Juntao received a serious disciplinary mark; if he repeated the offense, he would have his scholar status revoked and be expelled.

The only person who could have gotten close enough to frame him was Qiao Xun. Shen Juntao recalled hearing others mock him for being stupid, for not realizing that he was being used as a stepping stone by Qiao Xun—a young master of Songhe Hall acting like a lackey for a poor scholar—all because Qiao Xun wanted the reward for the top score and, having failed to cheat himself, decided to frame Shen Juntao.

At the time, Shen Juntao hadn't believed it and had gotten into a brawl with the others, but they had all insisted they saw Qiao Xun plant the evidence.

He had been furious. From then on, the two former best friends became sworn enemies.

Wherever Qiao Xun went, Shen Juntao would inevitably show up to mock him and lead the academy in isolating him for being a man who would stop at nothing to climb the social ladder.