46: Chapter 46 A Bad Idea

In the dilapidated hut of the western courtyard, the flickering flame of the bean-oil lamp danced wildly, startled by the wind Qiu Shuzhen brought in with her.

'Mother—!'

The cry, choked with sobs like a frightened young animal, carried Qiu Shuzhen as she threw herself into Qiu Zhiruo's open arms.

Her shoulders shook violently, the suppressed sobs breaking free at last, instantly soaking a large patch of Qiu Zhiruo's faded, coarse cloth lapel.

'Wuwu... He... How dare he... say such things... Wuwu...'

Qiu Shuzhen cried until she was breathless.

Ding Qing's icy, resolute, sentencing-like words echoed over and over in her mind.

Each word was like a knife, stabbing painfully into her heart.

He clearly... clearly had looked at her that way in the locust grove, she had distinctly felt that flicker of something different under the moonlight.

So why, why could he still draw such a cold, clear line?

As if everything she had so carefully woven, all her little schemes, were nothing but dust in his eyes, easily crushed with a flip of his hand.

Qiu Zhiruo held her daughter's trembling body tightly, her fingers digging so deeply into the fabric of the girl's fiery red skirt that her knuckles turned white.

Anger, resentment, heartache... a tumult of emotions flashed across her face.

'My good girl, my good girl, don't cry... Mother is here...'

Qiu Zhiruo's voice was hoarse, laced with barely suppressed fury and a deep sense of helplessness.

She patted her daughter's back gently, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

'That damned brute, that heaven-struck block of wood, what the hell does he know! He's just a stone that can't be warmed!'

She gnashed her teeth, wishing she could rush out and tear Ding Qing apart right then.

But that towering, mountain-like figure, that terrifying power that had subdued dozens of guards in an instant, that icy, palpable Evil Qi...

It was like a cold shackle, nailing her fiercely to the spot.

The gap in strength was too vast!

Going up there would only invite humiliation, or even... death.

'Mother saw it all, he clearly likes you, likes you very much!'

Qiu Zhiruo's voice suddenly rose, taking on a sharp edge.

'But this cursed bastard, he just has to put on airs, pretend to be all high and mighty, spouting nonsense about the Li family not being allowed to fall into chaos! What a load of horseshit!

Isn't it just that he can't bear to part with Fatty Li's offerings, coveting a comfortable nest, and now he puts on a show lecturing us?'

'Pah! Men are no good, every last one of them! All hypocrites, heartless bastards who pull out... pull out and forget!'

Qiu Shuzhen's crying hitched for a moment amidst her mother's sharp curses.

The grievances and shame in her heart seemed ignited by her mother's anger, burning even fiercer.

Yes, he clearly... why did he have to hurt her heart like this?

His domineering declaration, 'This person is mine to deal with tonight,' still echoed in her ears, yet in the blink of an eye, it had turned into cold expulsion and warning.

The immense drop made her heart feel as if it were being sawed by a blunt knife, more painful than mere failure in her schemes.

Seeing her daughter's tear-streaked, heartbroken, pitiful appearance, a ruthless glint flashed in Qiu Zhiruo's eyes.

They couldn't drive him away, couldn't fight him. Soft tactics he wouldn't fall for, hard ones... were just asking for death.

So what to do?

Just sit and wait for death, waiting for Fatty Li's greasy bulk to press down on them?

An even more terrible, more desperate idea, born of the sharp cunning unique to a woman of the streets, suddenly sprouted in her heart.

'My good girl, don't cry... Shedding tears for that brute isn't worth it!'

Qiu Zhiruo suddenly cupped her daughter's tear-stained face, a sly, street-smart smile blooming on her gaunt features.

'Isn't Ding Qing determined to protect Fatty Li? Wants the Li family to be peaceful and stable? Fine! We'll let him protect them!'

'Mother?' Qiu Shuzhen asked through tear-blurred eyes, not understanding immediately.

'He's afraid we'll target Fatty Li, right? Then we won't touch him!'

A shrewd light shone in Qiu Zhiruo's eyes as she lowered her voice, a hint of triumph in her tone.

'We'll just grant Fatty Li his wish. You! Marry him!'

'What?!'

Qiu Shuzhen instantly forgot her tears, her almond-shaped eyes widening in shock. She was thunderstruck, speechless with astonishment.

Marry Steward Li? That greasy, lecherous-eyed dead fatty?

Just the thought of it made her stomach churn.

'Let me finish!'

Qiu Zhiruo clamped a hand over her daughter's mouth, her gaze blazing.

'It's a marriage, but also an act. A show for Ding Qing to see, and even more so for Fatty Li. We'll hold the ceremony with him, enter the bridal chamber with him!'

Humiliation and terror instantly welled up in Qiu Shuzhen's eyes. She was about to struggle and protest when Qiu Zhiruo pressed down harder, her voice dropping even lower.

'On the wedding night, in the pitch dark... after that pig Fatty Li drinks the nuptial wine, will he even be able to tell who's who? At that time, Mother will go in your place!'

Qiu Shuzhen froze completely.

She even forgot to struggle, staring at her mother in disbelief.

'Let Mother... go with Steward Li...?!'

A flicker of imperceptible embarrassment crossed Qiu Zhiruo's face, but it was quickly replaced by her sharp resolve.

She even adopted a crude, nothing-left-to-lose air.

'What's there to fear! What storms haven't I weathered in my life? Close your eyes, just think of it as being nuzzled by a pig. What's the big deal!'

'As long as we can find the tomb of the Prince of Jing'an and get our hands on that wealth rivaling nations, what's a little humiliation?

When the time comes, the world will be ours! We'll take the mountains of gold and silver, leave this place far behind! Even if Ding Qing has heaven-defying skills, can he turn the whole world upside down searching for the two of us?'

'Let that brute exhaust himself searching for a needle in a haystack!'

These words were like a bucket of icy water, jolting Qiu Shuzhen completely awake from her heartbreak.

She stood petrified, filled with nothing but utter absurdity and speechlessness.

She looked at her mother's beautiful yet cunning, calculating face, now etched with a desperate resolve.

Looking into those eyes burning with boundless greed for wealth, for a moment she didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

'Mother! This method... this method won't work!'

Qiu Shuzhen finally found her voice again, laced with tears and strong resistance.

'It has to work!'

Qiu Zhiruo's tone was ironclad. Her hands gripped her daughter's shoulders tightly, her nails almost digging into the flesh.

'It's the only way. Do you really want to be defiled by Fatty Li? Or do you want to be driven out of Stonefort City by that Ding Qing like a stray dog, to continue living exposed to the elements, uncertain of tomorrow?

Think of the mountains of gold and silver beneath us, think of our carefree life in the future. Endure a little for calm seas!'

'It's settled!'

Qiu Zhiruo's voice held a bewitching, unyielding force.

'Tomorrow you go tell Fatty Li to set a wedding date!'

'As for that brute Ding Qing... Hmph, doesn't he want to protect the Li estate's peace? Then let him protect us mother and daughter too.'

Seeing the almost fanatical light in her mother's eyes, Qiu Shuzhen knew further opposition was futile.

For the sake of that legendary Treasure Trove, her mother was truly willing to risk everything.

She opened her mouth, but in the end, no words came out. She merely lowered her head in defeat, allowing her mother to pull her back into an embrace.

Qiu Zhiruo held her daughter, but her gaze stretched past the dilapidated window, fixed intently on the direction of the eastern annex.

'Ding Qing... Let's see how you handle this little play, old woman!'