Mrs. Su-Hua became more and more vexed by her words. She picked up a bamboo stick and fiercely whacked it against Lui Muyi.
Was it Pan’er’s mother?
Lui Muyi dared not resist and dodged frantically, but still got hit several times, making him gasp in pain!
"Auntie, you’ve misunderstood. There’s really nothing between Pan’er and me, Auntie..."
Still calling her Pan’er?
Mrs. Su-Hua was so upset that she could hardly take a breath. She pushed Su Pan’er aside and continued to whip Lui Muyi mercilessly.
"Pan’er, is that a name you gave her too? I will beat you to death, you rascal who tarnishes the reputation of a decent woman, you damn hooligan!"
Lui Muyi stumbled and fell to the ground.
Mrs. Su-Hua remained relentless, cursed furiously, and swooped down to continue her brutal beating.
Upon seeing this, Su Pan’er was taken aback. She hurried to stop her, "Don’t! Mother, you misunderstood him, I was just giving him silver banknotes to buy a carriage. Mother, you really got it wrong!"
"Bah! I saw it with my own eyes, he was bullying you. The truth is right in front of my eyes. Do you think my eyes are blind, and everything I see is false? Huh!"
The more Mrs. Su-Hua scolded, the angrier she became, almost to the point of being cannibalistic.
Her blows became more forceful.
"What’s going on here?"
On his way home from farewelling Old Qin, Qin Yi heard Mrs. Su-Hua’s loud scolding. He hurried over to see her hitting Lui Muyi and asked out of confusion.
"Mother-in-law, what’s happened? And Young Master Lui, you..."
At this moment, Lui Muyi was in a terrible state. His hair had been loosened by the bamboo stick, his clothes dirtied from rolling on the ground, and his face and arms were marked with cuts. He looked completely disheveled.
Qin Yi was here?
If he found out that some Young Master Lui was messing around with Pan’er, that would be disastrous!
"No, nothing! I just found this rascal here looking so guilty, I thought I’d met a thief!"
Mrs. Su-Hua explained with a dry laugh.
Even though she spoke these words, she finally stopped her attacks.
She covertly glanced at Qin Yi.
Qin Yi stood under the shade of a tree, his face shadowy due to the leaves blocking the sunlight, and he looked somewhat forbidding.
"Lui Muyi, how are you now? Are you okay?"
There was no hint of the tense atmosphere from Su Pan’er. On instinct, she rushed forward to grab Lui Muyi’s hand, intending to help him up.
"Cough, cough..."
Mrs. Su-Hua coughed desperately.
Halfway through reaching out, Su Pan’er suddenly retreated her hand. How could she again forget the need for propriety? This was ancient times and there were so many rules to obey. It was truly troublesome!
This scene was squarely caught by Qin Yi. His gaze was deep, as he swiftly moved to stand in front of Su Pan’er, seemingly blocking her way, "Yes, indeed! Young Master Lui, would you like Pan’er to check your wounds? We wouldn’t want any fatal injuries to be overlooked."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! It stings... it hurts so bad..."
Lui Muyi playacted, wincing and moaning in pain as he covered his wounds, "Ah! My face... It isn’t disfigured, is it?"
The damn Young Master Lui!
With his mock-human and dog-like behavior, he still had the audacity to feign pity to gain sympathy. No wonder Pan’er was fooled by him!
With a forced smile on her face, Mrs. Su-Hua sarcastically chuckled twice, "It’s just a small injury. For a big man like you, is there really a need for this drama?"
She sneaked a glance at Qin Yi. His gaze was calm, revealing nothing.
"Auntie, you have such a great sense of humor, he he he... naturally it hurts when I’m injured!"
Lui Muyi said, giggling while covering his face.
"What’s all the racket about? Don’t you all need to rest... Good Lord! Young Master, what happened to you?"
Overlord Tiger, who had been dozing lazily in the shade, was startled by the commotion and looked up just in time to see Lui Muyi all battered. This caused quite a stir, and a crowd quickly gathered around Lui Muyi.
"Ouch! It hurts, don’t touch!"
Despite his protests, the crowd of servants helped him into the house.
"Mother-in-law, please come in and sit."
Qin Yi called out with a smile.
"Oh, right away!"
Mrs. Su-Hua hurriedly responded, fiercely pinching Su Pan’er’s hand and giving her a look that said ’pray for good fortune’, before she finally entered the house.
Inside, it was apparent that Lui Muyi had tidied up a bit. His hair was neatly combed, and there were fresh red marks all over his face and arm, some still seeping with blood. His elegant clothes were stained with dirt, making him look quite disheveled.
When the two entered, Overlord Tiger and the others immediately fixed their gazes onto Mrs. Su-Hua, their faces displaying indignation.
Mrs. Su-Hua, feeling irritated, sat down pompously in the middle, staring back at Overlord Tiger.
"Mother-in-law, have some tea."
Qin Yi quickly offered the refreshment and turned to pour a cup for Lui Muyi, pushing it forward, "Young Master Lui, please have some tea."
A smile was visible at the corner of his mouth, his eyes twinkling with amusement, showing his good mood.
Mrs. Su-Hua responded with a simple nod while inspecting Lui Muyi with her eyes.
With his hand on his wounded face, Lui Muyi winced in pain: "Thanks for the kindness Scholar Qin. Ouch! This injury really hurts, it’s killing me! Easy there..."
Overlord Tiger, who was about to apply medicated cream, was startled and dared not come closer.
He quickly wiped his forehead, a look of distress on his face.
"Young Master, when Master sees your injuries, what will we do? Will he not whip all of us? Dear lord! We are so screwed now!"
"Watch your tongue! I will explain everything to my father. Ouch, it hurts!"
Lui Muyi cried out in pain.
Those behind Overlord Tiger were furious but dared not speak, their glares at Mrs. Su-Hua became even colder.
Mrs. Su-Hua felt uncomfortably under their gaze.
After some inconsequential small talk, she got up in a hurry, using an excuse about having something to do at home. But she still held on to Su Pan’er’s hand: "Dear son-in-law, you stay here and keep Young Master Lui company! Pan’er, you can walk me out."
"Auntie, take care!"
Lui Muyi managed to wave at them, grimacing from the pain.
As Su Pan’er followed her out, and when no one was paying attention, Mrs. Su-Hua quickly pulled her behind a haystack. After a careful look around, she finally whispered.
"Pan’er, will you tell me what really happened?"
"What do you mean? Mother, I don’t understand what you’re saying."
"What’s not to understand? I’m asking you about what happened earlier?"
"Mother, don’t be mad. What could have happened between him and me?"
Su Pan’er frowned: "As I already explained, I asked Overlord Tiger to help me find a cheap carriage for sale. I wanted to buy one. And unexpectedly, Young Master Lui brought a carriage along today. I was just trying to pay him. He insisted that I was giving him too much and refused to take it. Then, mother, you charged in. Mother, don’t you trust Pan’er?"
"This isn’t about me trusting you."
Mrs. Su-Hua looked around again to make sure no one was nearby, then continued: "Rumors are spreading like wildfire out there! They’re saying you and Young Master Lui have something going on, and that Qin Yi ran off with Su Yue’er. What on earth is going on with you all?"