Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 323 - 323 324 Servant_1

Chapter 323: Chapter 324 Servant_1 Chapter 323: Chapter 324 Servant_1 During this time, Qiao Yuanzhen’s life had been utterly desolate. He had eagerly awaited becoming a Scholar, but to his dismay, he faced the result of failure. Already a man of pride and arrogance, how could he withstand such a blow?

Besides, the Qiao family was, after all, a poor family. Without Li Qinghe’s financial support, he truly had nothing. Sons of wealthy families looked down on him with disdain, both openly and covertly. He had wanted to rise above them and slap their faces hard. Now, even that modest wish had come to naught.

All his rationality had completely collapsed. He hated that impoverished household to death, so he smashed it into pieces. He didn’t want to go back, spending all his silver on drowning his sorrows. Today, having spent even his last coin, he was kicked out.

Staggering through the streets, he bore no trace of a scholar’s demeanor, but was entirely a vile drunk, cursing and swearing.

“Li Qinghe, you damned bitch! You’ve sealed my fate! It’s all because of that shameless village woman blocking my luck. Qiao Muniang is even worse, they should all die!”

His ferocious visage was truly frightening to behold.

From the shadows, a man dressed as a guard asked the man in black in a low voice, “Master, what do you think of this one?”

The man in black curved his lips, “He seems to be a good choice, bring him to see me.”

“Yes.”

While Qiao Yuanzhen was cursing to his heart’s content, suddenly a figure descended from the sky, covered his mouth, and dragged him away. Qiao Yuanzhen was terrified, thinking he had encountered abductors. He struggled desperately but was much too weak to be a match for them.

In a pitch-dark mansion, only a small room was lit by a dim light. When Qiao Yuanzhen was thrown in, he immediately looked around in panic, only to find the room empty except for a man in black sitting at the top. The light in the room was too faint, and he couldn’t even see the man’s face, but there seemed to be an innate nobility about him that was frightening.

With a shrunken posture, Qiao Yuanzhen stuttered, “You, you, why have you kidnapped me? Let me tell you, I am a Scholar, not someone you can afford to offend so casually!”

The man in black slightly curled his lips and laughed mockingly, “Scholar? You are proud to claim such a title?”

Qiao Yuanzhen turned red with embarrassment, his lungs nearly bursting with anger, “Who exactly are you? What do you want?!”

The man in black’s eyes flashed with deep scorn as he spoke indifferently, “I know you have been quite disheartened recently. No money, no reputation to speak of; in essence, you’re worthless. Even as a Scholar, you’re merely a poor one. Yet, your pride soars high, and you’re filled with frustration.”

Qiao Yuanzhen nearly roared in rage, “Shut up! I don’t need you to tell me what kind of man I am!”

The man in black slightly frowned and snorted, “It seems you’re someone who can’t hold his tongue.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a guard stepped forward and kicked Qiao Yuanzhen several times, leaving him prostrate on the floor, unable to stand. For a moment, fear took hold of him; he knew this wasn’t his home where he could lash out at his parents. He couldn’t provoke this man and dared not be brazen anymore.

The guard had controlled his strength; otherwise, he genuinely feared crippling this frail figure in a few blows.

The man in black stood in front of him, the gold-trimmed boots at the forefront of Qiao Yuanzhen’s vision, an irritating sight.

“Do you know why I’ve sought you out? Because I want to help you. Power, money, dignity—all the things you can’t obtain, I can give you.”

Qiao Yuanzhen’s eyes brightened, as if he had seen the first light of hope.

“But I don’t like dogs that bite.”

By now, Qiao Yuanzhen could tell that this person was no ordinary man. If he had indeed encountered a noble, his life would be worth it. He quickly propped himself up and knelt down, kowtowing, “I was wrong, I was wrong. If only you could help me, I wouldn’t hesitate to toil like an ox or a horse!” His humble posture was nothing like his usual arrogance.

The man in black smiled satisfyingly, “At least you have some brains.”

Seeing that his act was working, Qiao Yuanzhen promptly kowtowed several more times, with resounding thuds, repeatedly saying, “Rest assured, master. If you can truly help me, I will be your servant! You may command me as you wish!”

The man in black curled his lips in a disdainful smile, waved at a guard who hurriedly and respectfully offered two shiny pieces of silver, probably amounting to a hundred taels, nearly dazzling Qiao Yuanzhen.

The man in black threw the silver on the ground, as if feeding a dog. Qiao Yuanzhen quickly cradled the silver in his arms, “Thank you, master; thank you, master!”

The man in black bent down and said, “This silver is not given to you for nothing. You must do a good job for me. If you are honest and sensible, there will be no lack of benefits for you, what’s a title or an official post? But if you can’t even handle a small task—”

The man in black dragged out his voice, obviously with a threatening tone.

Qiao Yuanzhen quickly kowtowed, saying, “It won’t happen, it won’t happen! Whatever orders you have, master, just say the word. I will do my utmost to serve you!”

“Now, there is only one thing you need to do.”

“Just command me, master!”

“Get close to the Yu Ze family.”

When Qiao Yuanzhen returned to the village the next day, it just happened that the Qiao Parents were about to take a cart to the town to report a case. Seeing him return, they were finally relieved.

Madam Zhao cried with snot and tears, “Oh, my child, you’re finally back. You’ve worried your mother to death. Where have you been these past three days?”

Upon glancing up, she saw the injuries covering Qiao Yuanzhen and her heart clenched, “Who did this to you? Which no-good son of a bitch doesn’t get struck by lightning? How dare they beat a Mr. Scholar, do you believe we could report them to the County Government Office?”

“Enough!” Qiao Yuanzhen roared, his face red to the roots of his neck. Half of his injuries were from welshing on a drinking debt, the other half from the mysterious man the previous night; both were a double humiliation. How could he bring himself to make a complaint to the government office?

Startled by his roar, Madam Zhao shivered and fell silent.

Qiao Dazhi glared at Madam Zhao then said to Qiao Yuanzhen, “It’s good that you’re back. Let’s go home, and stop causing a scene out here.”

As he spoke, he glanced around, clearly indicating not to disgrace themselves in public.

Once home, Madam Zhao heated some water to clean Qiao Yuanzhen’s facial wounds, but she couldn’t help asking, “Where have you been these past few days? You truly had your parents worried to death.”

Qiao Yuanzhen pursed his lips but did not answer her question. Instead, he asked, “I heard Qiao Muniang and her husband returned to the village yesterday?”