Chapter Twenty-Nine: Liang Youcai

Something had struck Liang Mingxue’s head, drawing blood. Mrs. Chu, her chest heaving, supported him, trembling uncontrollably. The table they had been sitting at was overturned, and the bamboo basket they had brought was crushed underfoot. Standing on the other side was a group of people dressed in uniform attire.

They appeared to be a cluster of young men, clad in long robes and wearing scholar’s caps, each wearing an expression of arrogant superiority. Liang Yunqing strode forward, pushing through the crowd to stand in front of Mrs. Chu.

"Mother, what is going on?"

Seeing her daughter arrive, tears instantly welled up in Mrs. Chu’s eyes. She choked back a sob, pointed a finger at a young man across from them, and stammered, "Youcai, Liang Youcai..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a suave-looking man opposite her interrupted.

"You illiterate village woman, who gave you permission to call my name?"

The voice sounded unfamiliar. Liang Yunqing turned her gaze toward him, sizing him up from head to toe. The original owner’s memories slowly surfaced in her mind.

This was the eldest son of the Second Uncle, the golden boy the entire Liang family cherished and pampered. He had passed the prefectural examination at fourteen, becoming a distinguished scholar. He was a vague figure in the original owner's memories because Liang Youcai never returned to the village; ever since passing his exam, he had lived at the county academy. He spent his days studying with his peers, paying exorbitant tuition fees that consumed nearly the entire family’s annual income. Even the grandmother had willingly handed over her own funeral savings to fund his studies, hoping that one day her eldest grandson would pass the imperial examinations and lead the whole family to the capital.

Liang Yunqing clicked her tongue and shook her head. Looking at his puffed-up, arrogant demeanor, he didn't look like someone destined for a top imperial rank.

"Youcai, I am your eldest uncle. How can you hit people?" Liang Mingxue pressed a hand to the wound on his head. He was furious, but he dared not speak harshly, only questioning him weakly.

"Oh? You still dare to pretend to be our Youcai’s uncle?"
"Youcai, doesn't your family do business in town? Why do you have such poor relatives?"

The chattering questions from Liang Youcai’s companions erupted, each of them looking at him with the eager eyes of those waiting for a show.

"Pfft—" Liang Yunqing could not help but sneer aloud.

This mockery struck directly at his fragile pride. Looking at Liang Daya, who had always been timid and cowering at home, Liang Youcai immediately charged forward. He stood less than a meter away from Liang Yunqing, his face twisted with malice.

"How could I have such poor relatives! You cheap girl, is this any place for you to speak? You must have come here to beg for food!"

As he finished speaking, his companions behind him laughed out loud, and a proud expression immediately appeared on Liang Youcai’s face.

Liang Yunqing calmly set down the empty food box she was holding, blocked Liang Mingxue, who was about to step forward, and gazed calmly at Liang Youcai, who was a head taller than her. Her pale pink lips parted slightly, and she uttered a single, cold sentence:

"For the goods you've loaded, pay with your life."

The next moment, a crisp slap echoed through the entire first floor.

*Smack!*

With this strike, Liang Yunqing mobilized every ounce of her strength, executing the slap with the most efficient posture possible. Manager Yang, who had been looking for someone to help, froze in his tracks. The companions behind were also stunned, and the surrounding diners all turned to look. Liang Youcai was sent spinning a full circle and a half in the air before he hit the ground.

[I’ve boosted your strength for the host, so this system isn't entirely useless, right?]

*I’ll give you credit for being sharp this time.*

[Of course!]

"You, you, you! You hit me! Liang Daya, how dare you hit me?!"

Liang Youcai, wailing as he lay on the floor, clutched his swollen cheek. One of his companions spoke up at an inopportune moment, "Brother Youcai, do you really know these people?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you didn't know her? And she shares the surname Liang... could she really be your relative?" another man asked.

This put the fallen Liang Youcai in a state of panic. He shook his head frantically and shouted, "No! I don't know them! I don't have such poor relatives! She attacked me—I’m going to report this to the authorities!"

As he spoke, he scrambled to his feet, stumbling.

"Qing'er, why is he going to report this to the officials?" Mrs. Chu grabbed Liang Yunqing’s sleeve in a panic, fearing for her daughter’s safety. She urged, "We’re fine, don't let him report it."

"Father is fine, let's go stop him," Liang Mingxue said, disregarding the wound on his head; he was terrified at the mere mention of official authorities.

Liang Yunqing calmly held them back, then turned to the bloody, mangled wound on Liang Mingxue’s head and asked, "Father, what did he use to hit you?"

"I'm fine, don't hold me back. We can't let him report this."

Seeing their fear, Liang Youcai regained his confidence. Holding his cheek, he stood there, glaring viciously at Liang Yunqing. "You cheap thing, come over and kneel before me, and I might let you go."

"Brother Youcai is impressive!" The man who had been egging him on the most emerged from the crowd, mockingly draping an arm over Liang Youcai’s shoulder.

Flattered by the praise, Liang Youcai felt he had regained his standing. He looked at Liang Mingxue and Mrs. Chu with disdain and said unkindly, "Poor, backwater places breed unruly commoners. I, a scholar, am too lazy to argue with you."

Even a man as honest and thick-skinned as Liang Mingxue was stung by such insults. He tremblingly pointed a finger at him.

"Our family has fed and clothed you—how can you say such things?"

"Get lost! Who knows you people?" Liang Youcai picked up a chopstick holder from the floor and hurled it. It struck Liang Mingxue’s shoulder with a dull thud.

Liang Yunqing stood by, making no move to stop it. She knew that only by seeing Liang Youcai’s hypocritical and foolish face clearly for himself would her father understand that an ungrateful wretch was not worth the investment.

"Youcai, how could you hit your eldest uncle?" Mrs. Chu asked, supporting Liang Mingxue as he staggered back from the impact.

Liang Youcai stiffened his neck, refusing to admit that these people were his kin. Egged on and provoked by his companions, he truly intended to go to the authorities to seek justice for being slapped.

Watching someone so brainless manage to pass the scholar’s exam, Liang Yunqing stood in place, deep in thought. Was the examination in this era perhaps a bit too easy?

Seeing Liang Yunqing standing there in a daze, Manager Yang couldn't help but step forward. "Miss Liang, don't be afraid. Our Xike Restaurant will testify for you. Do you need my help?"

"Help me? There's no need."

Liang Yunqing waved her hand. Seeing that the commotion had reached its peak and noting the final glimmer of hope in her parents' eyes fading away, she stepped forward again. She moved between the two groups, first having Manager Yang lead her parents aside, then smiled at those so-called scholars.

"You gentlemen certainly possess a profound 'scholarly spirit,' much like the rising morning sun—commonly known as 'the riser' of incompetence."

"You!"

Detecting the insult in her words, the men who had been jeering glared at her. Then, one man pushed Liang Youcai forward and said, "Brother Youcai is peerless in his might. We shall leave this village woman for you to handle; we all look to you as our leader."

Being called their leader puffed Liang Youcai up. The swelling on his face hadn't even subsided, yet he held his head high and declared, "Leave it to me. Such a village woman has no place in refined society; I shall teach her a lesson."

Liang Yunqing looked at him with the gaze one would reserve for someone mentally deficient. Was this really a scholar?

"May I ask, did you truly earn your scholar’s title through examinations?"

The moment those words were spoken, Liang Youcai’s face turned green. He no longer cared about the pain in his face and immediately whipped his worn, white-washed sleeves, shouting loudly, "I am a distinguished scholar! How dare you question my talent! Liang Daya, is your skin itching for a beating?"

"Oh? So you do know my name, Cousin Liang~"