TSWPF -Chapter 184 Denial

Liu Zhimou held Li Qingling’s hand and looked at Madam Liu as he spoke, “I have some acquaintance with the county magistrate. If I ask him for help, he should give me this courtesy.”

Hearing this, Madam Liu’s brows twitched. She almost forgot that Liu Zhimou was a scholar—someone she could not afford to offend.

Worried, she rubbed her hands nervously, her tone softer than before. “I told you, my son isn’t home. If you want to see him, wait until he comes back!”

She didn’t know exactly what her son had done to offend Li Qingling, but judging by her furious expression, it seemed like she wanted to tear him apart.

Because of that, she didn’t dare give him up.

Seeing Madam Liu’s evasive eyes, Li Qingling didn’t believe her. “I’ll say this once: if you don’t call him out, I’ll go in and find him myself.” She was certain that Li Laifu was at home.

“Li Qingling, why are you so stubborn? I’ve told you several times—he’s not home. If you can find him, go ahead. Just don’t cause a scene in my house!”

Seeing Madam Liu like this, Li Qingling had lost all patience. She grabbed Liu Zhimou’s hand and was about to step inside.

Madam Liu, furious, pushed Li Qingling with all her strength to stop her from entering.

Li Qingling was shoved back two steps and directly bumped into Liu Zhimou before coming to a stop.

Her face darkened as she glared at Madam Liu, her voice icy. “I’ll count to three. If you don’t step aside, don’t blame me for being impolite.” Without waiting for Madam Liu to respond, she began counting: “One…”

Seeing that Li Qingling was serious and would really barge in if she didn’t move, Madam Liu resorted to an old trick: she sat down at the courtyard gate, patting her thighs and wailing loudly.

In her mind, any tactic that could scare Li Qingling away was a good tactic.

Here it was again. Madam Liu had no other tricks left.

Li Qingling frowned and quietly watched Madam Liu put on a show.

Madam Liu cried and screamed for so long that her voice went hoarse. She peeked at Li Qingling, and seeing that Li Qingling remained unmoved, she grew angry.

She suddenly sprang to her feet, pointed at Li Qingling, and shouted, “Li Qingling, are you doing this on purpose?” She was convinced that Li Qingling was deliberately watching her cry like this; if it weren’t deliberate, she would have already spoken up.

Li Qingling raised an eyebrow and said coldly, “What exactly are you trying to say? Can you explain it clearly?”

“I said that you brat must be watching me on purpose!” Madam Liu’s throat was dry from all the wailing. She wanted to get Li Qingling out of the way quickly so she could go back and drink some water.

“Don’t put everything on me. If you want to cry and wail, what can I do to stop you?”

Though she was indeed doing it on purpose, she would never admit it.

In front of so many people, she wasn’t stupid enough to ruin her reputation.

“I phooey at you! Don’t dress up your words to sound noble. I see very clearly that you’re doing it on purpose!” Madam Liu spat at Li Qingling, which instantly darkened Li Qingling’s expression even further.

Li Qingling wiped the saliva from her face, her voice cold and full of iciness. “Uncle Zeng, send a few people over to drag her away.” This time, she had completely lost patience and didn’t want to waste any more time dealing with Madam Liu.

Zeng Tietou nodded and gestured to another worker. The two of them stepped forward, reaching out to grab Madam Liu and drag her away.

Before their hands could even touch her, Madam Liu screamed loudly, “Someone is trying to take advantage of me! Help!”

Madam Liu’s outcry made Zeng Tietou and the other worker extremely embarrassed, and they withdrew their hands.

They looked at Li Qingling silently, asking her what to do.

Seeing that this trick had intimidated Zeng Tietou and the other, Madam Liu was very pleased with herself.

Dragging her away wasn’t going to be that easy.

She would die before letting Li Qingling enter.

Li Qingling glanced at Madam Liu and instructed Zeng Tietou and the other worker to step back. She wanted to find two women to handle this.

Earlier, she hadn’t thought things through and had sent Zeng Tietou directly. In these times, a man laying hands on a woman would be criticized.

Zeng Tietou nodded and quickly brought two strong women to pull Madam Liu away without hesitation.

The two women acknowledged and stepped forward quickly.

Seeing this, Madam Liu’s face changed. She pushed their hands away and shouted, “Phooey! You lackeys only know how to kiss Li Qingling’s feet!”

Madam Liu’s insults made the women’s expressions grim. The two exchanged a glance and then grabbed Madam Liu’s hands, mercilessly dragging her away from the courtyard gate.

Madam Liu kept cursing and kicking, but she was outmatched and could do nothing but be dragged along.

Once Madam Liu was removed, Li Qingling stepped forward and entered. Just as she did, Old Li came out of the house, his face dark as he glared at her. “What do you want? Do you have to make such a commotion in my house to be happy?”

He had heard the conversation from inside but hadn’t wanted to see Li Qingling, so he stayed in the house.

Now that Madam Liu was being dragged away, he couldn’t just stand by.

“You’ve probably heard it too. I came here today to find Li Laifu. I won’t leave without seeing him.” Taking this opportunity, she intended to send Li Laifu to jail.

Li Laifu was cunning. If he got away, how could anyone find him in this vast world?

“Old man, help me! Help me!” Madam Liu shouted loudly when she saw Old Li.

Old Li cast a glance at his wife being dragged away. How could he be in a good mood seeing this?

“Xiaoling, even if we’ve cut ties, your blood still flows with ours. You shouldn’t treat an elder like this.”

Li Qingling glanced at Old Li with some sarcasm. She really didn’t understand his logic. They had cut ties—what was the point of saying this? Was he trying to soften her heart so she’d let Madam Liu go?

Old Li clearly didn’t know her at all. She would never soften her heart toward someone who treated her poorly.

“If people don’t offend me, I don’t offend them. But if they do, I will respond. This is my personal principle. Remember it well, think about it from time to time, and never provoke me.”

If Madam Liu hadn’t blocked him, he wouldn’t have needed this extreme measure. “Mr. Li, is Li Laifu really not at home?”

Hearing this, Old Li almost spat blood. He glared coldly at Li Qingling and ordered the women to release Madam Liu, warning that he would lose his temper if they didn’t.

The women glanced at Li Qingling for guidance. She nodded, and they immediately let Madam Liu go.

Madam Liu quickly got up and ran to Old Li, nervously clutching his clothes. She felt reassured as long as he was there—she didn’t need to think.

Old Li glanced at her but didn’t tell her to release him, then turned to Li Qingling. “What exactly do you want?”

“Didn’t I just say it? I told you several times—let Li Laifu come out. Don’t force us to act.”

“I already answered that. He’s not home. I don’t know where he went. If you don’t believe me, you can search around; maybe you’ll find him.”

This really treated her like a fool. Li Qingling snorted and ignored Old Li. She signaled Zeng Tietou to go in and bring Li Laifu out.

Zeng Tietou received the signal and led people inside.

Old Li roared in anger, “Li Qingling, don’t go too far!” He didn’t know what Laifu had done to make Li Qingling so furious. “If you have something to say, tell me. When Laifu comes back, I’ll pass it on.”

As he spoke, he blocked the doorway, trying to stop Zeng Tietou and the others. If they entered his home freely, where would his face be?

Li Qingling said, “Stop hiding things. I know Li Laifu is at home.” Madam Liu’s shifting eyes had already betrayed her. “Since you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you directly—Li Laifu poisoned my entire fish pond. How should this be resolved?”

The villagers gasped in shock. They didn’t expect Li Laifu to be the culprit. He was truly ruthless.

Old Li, furious, shouted, “Li Qingling, don’t think you can take revenge on our family by speaking nonsense! Laifu would never do such a thing!” How could his son be so cruel? He refused to believe Li Qingling.

Li Qingling remained calm, her tone even colder. “If I had no evidence, how could I have come to Li Laifu’s home?” She then looked at Zeng Tietou, signaling him to go inside and bring Li Laifu out.

Old Li and Madam Liu tried their best to block them but couldn’t stop Zeng Tietou’s group. Shortly after entering, they dragged Li Laifu out.

Li Qingling looked at Old Li and Madam Liu with mockery. “Weren’t you saying Li Laifu wasn’t home? Then who is this? A ghost?” Her words struck hard.

Old Li and Madam Liu blushed in embarrassment. They had lied about Li Laifu being away at his request.

Who could have imagined that Li Qingling’s resolve would be so firm that she would have someone brought out immediately?

Now that he was out, their earlier claims that he wasn’t home became a joke.

Li Laifu clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. He looked at Li Qingling and asked, “Why are you looking for me?”