Chapter 26: You Won't Get a Single Penny!

In the courtyard, old Mother Han, her hair disheveled and wild with rage, brandished her cane, ready to strike.

"This..."

Du Qingqing, who had just stepped through the gate, froze in astonishment. Gentle and serene by nature, she had never witnessed such a scene before.

"Senior sister, you're here."

Cheng An hurried forward to greet her, nodding at Gu Xiaorou behind her. He said with an embarrassed smile, "My apologies. There is a bit of a situation at home; please forgive the spectacle."

"What is this..."

"What is going on?"

Young Gu Xiaorou had never encountered such "family secrets" before and stood there, momentarily stunned.

"Oh my!"

Yao Chunhua, sharp-eyed, quickly bustled over with a sycophantic smile. "What breeze has blown you here? And why didn't the esteemed Mr. Gu come along?"

"Greetings, Auntie."

Gu Xiaorou gave a sweet, polite smile and added, "I came with my cousin. She was worried that Cheng An might be punished, so she came to help explain the misunderstanding."

"Is this the daughter of the esteemed Mr. Du?"

Seeing outsiders present, Lady Liu quickly composed herself and approached with a smile. "Oh my, what trouble for you two young ladies to come all this way! It’s nothing, really... just a misunderstanding."

"Hah!"

"So, you've brought reinforcements?"

Qin Dongzhi glared at Gu Xiaorou and Du Qingqing without a shred of courtesy. Instead, she sneered with a sharp, mocking tone, "Two wet-behind-the-ears girls, daring to meddle in someone else's family affairs? Have you no shame?"

"You..."

Du Qingqing frowned, glaring at Qin Dongzhi.

Cheng An quickly stepped in to soothe the situation. "My apologies, senior sister. My family’s situation is indeed quite complicated. Perhaps you should head back; I can handle this."

"That won't do!"

Du Qingqing mustered her courage and said, "I certainly can't leave now. Looking at their attitude, they might actually resort to violence!"

Cheng An offered a bitter smile inwardly. *You vastly underestimate the thickness of Mother Han and the Qin woman's skin. Violence? Tearing the house apart would be the least of it.*

As a well-bred young lady, Du Qingqing could never master the vulgar tongue-lashings of a shrew, so she could only steel herself and try to reason. "Cheng An was impulsive in this matter, but..."

"But what?"

Qin Dongzhi cut her off immediately. She spat, "Are you deaf? What business is the Cheng family to you? Your father is just a schoolteacher; what’s so special about that?"

"Dongzhi..."

Cheng Dahai’s expression shifted slightly. He wanted to intervene, but it was already too late.

The young girl’s eyes welled up with tears, turning a bright red.

"Father!"

Cheng An’s face darkened, his anger mounting. "Go to town right now and fetch the magistrate’s men! And Mother, go call the village chief... If they want to make a scene, let’s make a scene! Let the three neighbors and five villages see exactly who is in the wrong here!"

"Well said!"

Lady Liu looked at her son with immense pride. *Indeed... a child who has been to school is different! Not only is he articulate and logical, but his presence is much stronger than before.*

"You cannot report this to the authorities!"

Cheng Dahai’s expression was stern. He glared at Cheng Dashan and said, "Third brother, in the end, this is just a family matter! If you report this, regardless of the magistrate's ruling, how will the neighboring villages laugh at the Cheng family?"

"Do you want to make the Cheng family the laughingstock of all Heixi Village?"

Cheng Dashan cared deeply about his reputation. That was why, no matter how much he was bullied in the past, as long as Mother Han threw a tantrum, he would swallow it to avoid gossip.

But this time, Cheng Dahai miscalculated.

"Haven't we been the laughingstock of the Cheng family enough?"

Cheng An said coldly, "Last time, Grandmother clearly had money but forced Father to hand Mother over to the magistrate! Did Big Uncle care about reputation then?"

People in this world who have no shame are only emboldened by those who care too much about it.

Hearing his son’s words, Cheng Dashan’s gaze hardened. "Yao Liu is right! Since Big Brother wants an explanation, let’s go to the authorities! Let the truth be judged there!"

He looked at his wife. "Cuiyun..."

Lady Liu grinned. "Right away!"

"Stop!"

"No one is going anywhere today!"

Cheng Dahai panicked, stepping forward to block the courtyard gate.

Cheng An chuckled, his eyes full of mockery. "Big Uncle, are you so afraid of the authorities? Are you worried it will interfere with this year’s academy examinations? Or is there something shameful you're hiding that you don't want exposed?"

The moment the words left his lips, the courtyard went dead silent.

"Though, I suppose..."

Cheng An continued to twist the knife. "If a scholar’s reputation is ruined, what talk is there of taking the imperial exams? Even if you had the talent of a top scholar, the imperial court would likely have no use for you!"

"You little beast!"

Cheng Dahai ground his teeth in fury. He hadn't expected that after only a few days of school, this brat would have such insight, speaking clearly and with such sharp edges.

Looking at his own son, Cheng Dahai felt even more hatred.

He ignored the mocking Cheng An and looked at Cheng Dashan. "Third brother, regardless of everything, your son struck first. My nephew has suffered greatly; is it too much to ask for some compensation?"

*Money?*

Seeing the earlier display, he had braced for them to tear the house down! Cheng Dashan subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. He felt that if this could be solved with money, it would be for the best; otherwise, with Mother Han’s current behavior, she would only escalate the chaos.

But Qin Dongzhi was not satisfied. She felt that letting Cheng An off this easily was too generous.

"Husband..."

"You fool, shut up!"

Cheng Dahai glared at his wife, then turned to Mother Han. "Mother, no matter what, Yao Liu is still a child of our Cheng family. Even if he made a mistake, a small punishment should suffice. We must not lose all face."

"Eldest son, you..."

Mother Han was also displeased, but remembering the debts her son had incurred outside, she could only grit her teeth. "Third brother, your little beast hit Xiaoyuan. For the medicine, the damages, and the recovery—give us one string of cash, and this matter is settled! Otherwise..."

"You won't get a single copper!"

"..."

Several pairs of eyes locked onto Cheng An.

"You little beast, you..."

Mother Han’s eyes widened in fury, as if she wanted to devour him.

Cheng An ignored her and continued, "Today, either we go to the authorities, or we continue this farce! Money? You’ll get none!"

What he really meant was...

Times had changed! Before, they were living under someone else's roof and had to compromise to survive. Now, with his parents finally awake, the family had been reborn.

He was not cold-blooded. If the people of the Cheng family had even a shred of conscience, he would have hoped for a harmonious family. But the reality was—his uncle’s family was greedy and bitter, and his grandmother, Mother Han, was poisonous behind a kind face.

What was the use of such a family?

Knowing their nature would never change and that they would continue to cause trouble, it was better to tear off the mask now and avoid being held hostage in the future.

"Fine, very fine!"

Mother Han trembled with rage. She raised her cane and pointed it at Cheng Dashan. "Third brother, this is the good son you’ve raised! If I had known he would be this unfilial, I should have strangled this beast at birth!"

"Third brother, do you really want to burn every bridge?" Cheng Dahai still tried to threaten them.

Cheng An, tired of their bickering, said coldly, "Big Uncle, there are already enough people in the Cheng family. You don't want to have to feed two more mouths, do you?"

"..."

Cheng Dahai looked at him in alarm, his heart sinking.