The next day, Shen Qingyue tried making sugar once again.
This time, she finally succeeded in boiling down a perfect syrup.
Mixed with glutinous rice flour, it could be made into sweet cakes.
Without hesitation, Shen Qingyue set off for the county town to buy glutinous rice and some additional ingredients.
The previous two times she had gone to town, she’d taken the village’s ox cart for convenience.
This time, afraid that well-meaning villagers might insist on giving her grain again, Shen Qingyue conspicuously rode out in her family’s own ox cart.
Since she was doing business and needed to control costs, the cheaper prices on Back Street made it her first choice.
Her luck was good. At an elderly woman’s stall, she spotted high-quality glutinous rice and immediately stepped forward to ask, “Madam, how much is the glutinous rice?”
The old woman answered honestly, “Grain prices are rising these days, and glutinous rice is already more expensive than ordinary rice. Look at the quality of mine—it’s definitely top-grade. Sixty copper coins per jin is the lowest I can go.”
Shen Qingyue knew the market prices and understood that the woman wasn’t lying. She agreed readily. “You’ve got about twenty jin here, right? I’ll take it all.”
The old woman was overjoyed. The glutinous rice was the only surplus grain her family had—eating it themselves would be too extravagant. Selling it in town would let her exchange it for coarse rice and survive longer in these famine years.
“Altogether it’s twenty-one and a half jin. The extra half jin is free—consider it a gift to you, young master.”
Holding up the balance scale, she motioned for Shen Qingyue to look.
Just then, four local ruffians walked over and slapped the scale out of her hands, snarling:
“Hurry up and hand over the protection fee!”
The old woman shrank back in fear and asked tremblingly, “Isn’t Back Street exempt from stall fees? Why are you charging protection fees too?”
Zhao Mazi snorted, his spit nearly spraying her face. “Stall fees are stall fees—protection fees are protection fees. This is my turf. We didn’t collect before, but now we do!”
As he spoke, he snatched the rice sack from her hands and said arrogantly,
“If you don’t pay, forget about getting this bag of grain back!”
The old woman clutched the other end of the sack desperately. “This is the only surplus grain my family has, masters. Please have mercy—once I sell it, I’ll definitely pay the protection fee.”
Zhao Mazi glanced at Shen Qingyue and curled his mouth into a crooked grin, dragging out his words as he said to the old woman, “Fine! Once you sell it, half of it goes as protection fees. One coin short, and you’ll pay dearly!”
Hearing she had to hand over half the money, the old woman collapsed to her knees with a thud, sobbing as she begged, “Ten people in my household are waiting to eat. I still need to use the money from selling grain to buy coarse rice… Could you maybe take a little less?”
Zhao Mazi bared his teeth coldly. “No.”
Shen Qingyue knew Zhao Mazi.
He was the top hooligan in Pingyang County. The original owner of this body’s uncle was a constable at the yamen; in the past, Zhao Mazi would always show her a bit of courtesy when they met.
But today, even though Zhao Mazi clearly saw her there, he still came over to collect protection money. The sudden change in attitude was too abrupt.
Shen Qingyue frowned slightly, stepped forward, met Zhao Mazi’s gaze, and asked tentatively, “Zhao Mazi, we’re acquaintances. How about you spare this old woman the protection fee for my sake?”
The flesh on Zhao Mazi’s face twitched as he snarled, “Don’t try to claim connections with me. Dare to stop me from collecting protection fees and I’ll beat you too!”
The original owner’s two lackeys were drawn over by the commotion.
Seeing the scene, how could they tolerate it?
Zhang Tieshi strode over in a few steps, shoved Zhao Mazi aside, and shouted angrily, “Who do you think you are, talking to our boss like that!”
Feng Shuanzi was just as indignant. “Blind fool—do you know who our boss is? He’s Constable Zhang’s nephew!”
They had learned the art of borrowing others’ power to intimidate quite well.
Unfortunately, Zhao Mazi’s reaction was beyond their expectations.
“So it’s just Constable Zhang? I thought it was someone important.” Zhao Mazi sneered and signaled to the three men behind him.
“Dare to interfere with us collecting protection fees—beat them!”
The three followers rushed forward.
Their fists flew toward Zhang Tieshi and Feng Shuanzi.
Zhao Mazi’s men had practiced martial arts and knew some fighting techniques. They originally thought a few casual moves would leave Shen Qingyue’s group sprawled on the ground.
Who would have guessed that Shen Qingyue would flash forward, precisely clamp onto the two wrists swinging toward Zhang Tieshi and Feng Shuanzi, and twist sharply with her fingers?
The market instantly rang with pig-like screams.
She had snapped both men’s arms in an instant.
At that moment, the third follower’s fist was already coming at her from behind.
Without even turning her head, Shen Qingyue sidestepped and delivered a fierce backward kick straight into his chest and abdomen. He flew back like a kite with its string cut and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Zhao Mazi stood there dumbfounded, his heart full of confusion—when had Shen Qingyue become so strong?
Before he could think further, Shen Qingyue had already darted in front of him, grabbed his arm, and cleanly threw him over her shoulder.
“Done.” Shen Qingyue dusted off her hands.
The two lackeys were no less shocked than Zhao Mazi.
“Boss, when did you get so amazing?” Feng Shuanzi asked, curious and excited.
“What do you know? Boss has always been this amazing—she just didn’t show her true strength before!” Zhang Tieshi glared at him, his face full of undisguised admiration.
Feng Shuanzi was overjoyed, and a sudden idea popped into his head.
“Boss, how about we bring all the hooligans in Pingyang County under you and make them recognize you as their leader?”
“If they refuse, we’ll fight them and let them see our boss’s strength.”
Feng Shuanzi gave a thumbs-up. “Great idea!”
Shen Qingyue: “……”
She coughed lightly and cut off their fantasies. “I already told you—fighting and killing just makes us look uncultured. We have to learn to stay calm. That’s what makes us look unfathomable.”
“Besides, what would I want with a bunch of street thugs?”
“Are they worthy of being my underlings?”
The two lackeys shook their heads in unison. “No!”
Shen Qingyue spread her hands. “Exactly.”
Zhao Mazi stared at the high-spirited Shen Qingyue and sneered coldly, “So what if you’re strong? You offended people you shouldn’t have. You still won’t end well.”
Shen Qingyue narrowed her eyes. “Someone told you to deliberately come cause me trouble?”
Zhao Mazi endured the pain and forced out a cold laugh through clenched teeth. He didn’t answer her question, only gestured to his injured men to retreat. “We’re leaving!”
Shen Qingyue was just about to chase after them—
When a squad of yamen runners carrying blades came from the end of the street. At their head was Constable Zhang. He scanned the scene and boomed:
“Official patrol—no disturbances allowed!”
Shen Qingyue turned to him. “Uncle?”
Constable Zhang walked up to her and said in a low voice, “Come with me.”
After a brief hesitation, Shen Qingyue took out one tael of silver and two hundred copper coins and handed them to the two lackeys, signaling them to buy the old woman’s glutinous rice for her. Then she followed Constable Zhang away.
Constable Zhang didn’t take Shen Qingyue to the yamen, but instead brought her back to the Zhang residence.
Inside the main hall, Constable Zhang pointed at Shen Qingyue, exasperated. “Tell me—causing trouble before was one thing, but how did you dare provoke Changsheng Gambling House too?”
“Cheating at gambling houses isn’t rare. Who goes exposing it in public?”
“You’re just a powerless farmer—why poke this hornet’s nest?”
Shen Qingyue met his gaze, her voice not loud but every word clear. “A gambling house is a place that devours people without spitting out bones. I couldn’t just watch them chop off my father’s arm.”
Constable Zhang fell silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. “News of Changsheng Gambling House cheating still spread, and their business took a serious hit. You cut off their source of money.”
“They won’t let you go easily.”
“Changsheng Gambling House has always been ruthless. Anyone who got in their way before would lose a leg at best—and their life at worst.”
As he spoke, suspicion flickered in his eyes. “This time they only sent some street thugs to harass you. The methods are unusually mild, as if they’re wary of something. It’s truly strange.”
Shen Qingyue’s eyes turned cold.
What were they wary of?
Death, of course.
The two owners had probably been frightened by her words—afraid she would quietly eliminate them.
Shen Qingyue was from the twenty-first century, a law-abiding citizen. Killing was something she truly couldn’t bring herself to do.
But now that her life was being threatened, she had to use some means.
Her gaze deepened as she said solemnly, “Uncle, you don’t have to trouble yourself over this. I’ll find a way to resolve it.”
Constable Zhang flared up. “People call you a bully and you really think you’re something? With just this little ability, how are you going to solve it?”
A hard-to-read smile flickered at Shen Qingyue’s lips. “Aren’t they afraid of death? Then I’ll give them a proper scare.”
“How?” Constable Zhang frowned deeply. “Don’t act recklessly. If you really lose your life, your aunt will cry herself to death.”
After a moment of thought, he made a cautious suggestion:
“I have a sworn brother in Changzhou Prefecture. Famine is raging everywhere, refugees are flooding the roads. Your whole family could mix into the fleeing crowds and head south—it wouldn’t draw attention. Go hide for a few years first. When things calm down here, I’ll send word for you to come back.”
Shen Qingyue shook her head lightly. “Thank you for your kindness, Uncle, but the gambling house’s backers are officials in the prefectural city. If I leave, it might implicate you.”
“I’ll handle the gambling house matter myself.”