strokinit Chapter 41 Destroying a Family
Chapter 41 Destroying a Family
"Hey, Aunt Chunlan, why would I lie to you? This has been going on for ages at Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy. Chen Luo is right there. If you don't believe me, go ask him yourself!"
"There seems to be some misunderstanding here. Chunlan, you should go and ask them quickly."
"Go ask, go ask quickly, I also think it's weird."
"Tell us what you've asked when you get back."
The neighbors were all curious about what had happened to Chen Luo. Some kind of psychological factor made them unwilling to believe that Chen Luo had achieved such success. Seeing that Cheng Chunlan was the first to jump out and question them, and knowing that she had some old grudges with Chen Luo's father and often gossiped about the Chen family behind their backs, they all urged her to go and find out the truth.
"Why are you asking? Go ask yourselves!" Cheng Chunlan knew exactly what they were thinking, and couldn't help but feel annoyed. She turned and left after saying that.
She hurried home, took down the boiling kettle, plopped down on a stool, and irritably fiddled with the charred firewood in the stove with fire tongs. Her expression was unpredictable, and every now and then she couldn't help but go out and glance in the direction of Chen Luo's house, only to find that the crowd had not dispersed but had instead gathered in greater numbers. The more she looked, the more annoyed she became.
After an unknown amount of time, the door opened, and Huang Chen returned.
Cheng immediately stepped forward, "Do you know what's going on with Chen Luo?"
Huang Chen had just returned from his work at the county government office when he heard this seemingly random question. His expression was a mix of exhaustion and confusion. "What's going on?"
"Didn't you see? A bunch of people came looking for Chen Luo, saying that the private school is offering to waive tuition fees and recruit him!"
"..."
Huang Chen remained silent for a long time before saying, "A Luo has been accumulating knowledge and experience for a long time, and his progress in martial arts is rapid. He is no less capable than Song Ruokui. It is normal for the private school to come and recruit him."
Upon hearing this, Madam Cheng recalled her embarrassment in the crowd, and a surge of anger welled up within her. "Why haven't you mentioned that I'm your mother? You've kept this from me; they're all laughing at me!"
"What's the use of telling you? You just want him to be down on his luck," Huang Chen said impatiently.
Cheng held her breath, but could only manage a loud snort. "The higher you're praised, the harder you fall. Look at his smugness, who knows what tricks he's up to? Even if he gets into a private school, he might not get into the Qingyun Martial Arts School!"
"So?" Huang Chen looked at her.
Madam Cheng's eyes flickered. "You're my son, no less than him! Clerk Xu even came to apologize today, saying he had already reprimanded his daughter, and she had come to her senses. She hopes to finalize the marriage quickly and choose an auspicious day for the wedding. With Clerk Xu as your father-in-law, you might not necessarily fare worse than Chen Luo in Qingshan County!"
Huang Chen fell silent again, and after a long while, he suddenly said, "I don't want this marriage anymore."
Mrs. Cheng was stunned. "What did you say?"
"I said, I don't want this marriage anymore," Huang Chen repeated calmly.
"Are you insane!" Madam Cheng roared in anger. "Your mother has gone to so much trouble to get this marriage arranged, and you just say you don't want it anymore!"
Huang Chen sneered, "Do you think I don't know? His daughter suddenly changed her mind because the young master from the private school she had her eye on had an accident and died in Nanshan."
Mrs. Cheng was taken aback. "You...you knew?"
This was her biggest taboo lately. The marriage, which was originally a sure thing, was ruined when Xu Dianli's daughter became infatuated with a handsome disciple of the Jingyi Martial Arts Academy and wanted to cancel the engagement. This made Xu Dianli sick with anger, and she became the laughing stock in the neighborhood, worrying about it every day.
But who knew that fate would smile upon him? That pretty boy from the Jingyi Martial Arts Academy got into trouble a few days ago and actually died in Nanshan!
And so, the marriage was arranged again, but because of someone else's funeral, she didn't know whether to be happy or angry. She was also worried that her son would resent her, so she didn't tell him. But she didn't expect that Huang Chen knew about it.
"How could these things be kept from me while I'm in the county government!"
Huang Chen said coldly, "This was a marriage that had been agreed upon by both parties, but it was broken off after that young master from the private school seduced her. Now that young master is dead, Clerk Xu's illness has been cured, and his daughter has changed her mind. Isn't this just making a fool of the Huang family?"
"My son, it's because our family is weak, and their daughter is marrying down, so naturally we can only let them do whatever they want." Madam Cheng stared intently at her son, trying her best to soften her tone and soothe him: "You must be patient. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. When you become successful in the future, you can go and settle accounts with the Xu family."
"Endure?" Huang Chen suddenly flew into a rage, veins bulging on his neck, almost roaring, "He treats my Huang family like dogs and pigs, why should we wag our tails and beg for mercy!"
Cheng trembled with fright, "You..."
Huang Chen took a deep breath. "Mother, please don't say anymore. My mind is made up."
"If you break off the engagement, aren't you afraid of being harassed by Clerk Xu? Do you think you can still keep your position here?" Madam Cheng pleaded bitterly. "Do you know how much I paid and how many favors I had to do to get this position for you!"
"I never cared about this damn village head position. When you arranged all this, did you ever ask for my opinion?" Huang Chen's expression calmed down, and his tone carried a sense of relief as he said in a low voice, "Promotion and wealth are not what I want. I am not willing to live this kind of life forever. Now is the perfect opportunity to resign. Tomorrow I will return to Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy to practice martial arts."
"Go back to practice martial arts?"
Cheng was taken aback, then laughed angrily, "You think you can do it just because Chen Luo has become so skilled in martial arts? Do you even have that ability?!"
"Chen Luo is exceptionally talented, which I naturally cannot match, nor do I intend to compare myself to him. Martial arts do not require competing with others, but I am not content to live such a life. Even if I achieve nothing in my life, it doesn't matter. I, Huang Chen, only wish to have a clear conscience." Huang Chen finished speaking calmly and turned to leave.
As she watched his retreating figure, Cheng's eyes were already red. "My son, don't be confused!"
……
On the other side, Chen Luo was unaware of these twists and turns. He spent a lot of effort dealing with the various people from the private school, seeing off the villagers who came to watch the excitement, and even politely declining a few aunties who took the opportunity to propose marriage, before he was finally able to return to his house.
He took a deep breath, not letting the flattery cloud his judgment, but instead becoming wary.
He understood that from this day forward, he was now famous in Qingshan County, and even Neijing's father in Linzhou might know of his existence. If the other party decided to investigate him thoroughly, it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't have any suspicions.
He stayed at home for a few days to let the outside world's discussions about him subside before going to the outskirts of the northern county to find Lu Qun.
After having dinner with the Lu family father and son, and being plied with a lot of alcohol by Uncle Lu, Lu Qun finally sent his father away. "Ah Liang said that everything is normal and there's no news for the time being."
"That's good." Chen Luo breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he was safe for the time being.
"Ah Liang can't see you right now, but he asked me to convey his congratulations on reaching the fourth level of martial arts, which means you can now go to a private school to learn martial arts without paying tuition," Lu Qun said with a smile.
"The news has already reached Ah Liang?" Chen Luo was somewhat speechless. It seemed that his reputation was spreading faster than expected.
"Of course, you're a celebrity in Qingshan County now," Lu Qun said with emotion. "But now you're going to the private school too. From now on, I'll really be the only one left at Zhengyang Martial Arts School."
"Work hard and strive to reach the third level of strength as soon as possible," Chen Luo encouraged, adding, "But don't overdo it, or you'll ruin your health."
"I know." Lu Qun nodded, then remembered something, "By the way, do you know Huang Chen is back at our martial arts school?"
"Huang Chen went back to the martial arts academy?" Chen Luo was taken aback; he really didn't know.
"I heard he broke off his engagement with the Xu family, the county clerk. The Xu family made things difficult for him and stripped him of his position as village head. He had nowhere to go, so it seems he went back to farming, and just like before, he went to the Zhengyang Martial Arts School to practice martial arts every evening."
As Lu Qun spoke, he glanced at Chen Luo, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Now everyone is laughing at him. They all think that he thinks he can do it too because he saw that you have become successful in martial arts. They are all waiting to see him make a fool of himself."
"That's not what he thinks." Chen Luo shook his head. Even before he revealed his talent, he could clearly sense that Huang Chen was holding back a lot of anger.
I never expected him to be so resolute, even breaking off the engagement.