Chapter 24 - Fight

“Jiao Jiao!” Shen Ziyang hollered and wanted to push away Hong Yi, who was blocking him. He walked over in large strides toward Shen Ziqiao.

Shen Ziqiao was reading about the region she was in and she got deeply startled when Shen Ziyang hollered at her. She raised her head and saw the brat in front of her. She knitted her beautiful eyebrows and asked, “What? It feels like you saw a ghost.”

“Shen Ziqiao, it is one thing if you do not act like a girl from a wealthy family, but you are so stubborn and unruly that you made Grandmother ill from anger. There is no cure for you.” Shen Ziyang pointed at Shen Ziqiao’s nose and scolded as if glancing at a lump of mud that couldn’t support a wall.

“The Old Madam has fallen ill?” Shen Ziqiao raised her eyebrows. Heaven was that nice to me?

“Look at you. You do not seem like you are going to reflect upon yourself or anything. Do you not feel guilty? Do you not feel shameful?” Shen Ziyang felt bitter and hateful, hating himself for not scolding this stubborn woman sooner.

Shen Ziqiao lazily leaned against the wooden chair and said, “What does this have to do with me?” She had nothing to do with that Old Madam getting sick. Why should she feel guilty?

That answer prompted Shen Ziyang to go on a long rant about how the Old Madam had worked hard to manage the family and, as her grandsons and granddaughters, they needed to show filial respect and not provoke her. They needed to bring happiness to the Old Madam. Then, he started talking about the story of the 24 Filial Exemplars, attempting to guide Shen Ziqiao back on the right track. Spit splashed everywhere as he was extremely passionate in his speech.

The maids in the study all widened their eyes.

Shen Ziqiao treated it as him singing as she continued to focus on reading her book, too lazy to listen to this brat’s nonsense.

He had a dry mouth after giving such a long speech. Shen Ziyang thought that Shen Ziqiao would at least know where her mistakes were, but who knew… She only paid attention to her book.

Shen Ziyang almost collapsed from anger before he suddenly walked over and snatched the book out of Shen Ziqiao’s hands. “It is one thing if you do not know how to be dignified and virtuous, but you are also unfilial. No wonder you cannot get married and even a fool does not want you.”

“I am not filial?” Shen Ziqiao stared at him, chuckling, not bothering to grab her book back. “How am I not filial to the Old Madam?”

“You… You know what you did.” Shen Ziyang was angry, but he didn’t know what Shen Ziqiao had done to anger Old Madam in reality. But hearing Mama Li talk about Old Madam being uncomfortable, he thought of Shen Ziqiao.

Shen Ziqiao sneered and leaned against the back of the chair, staring at Shen Ziyang in disdain. “What are you thinking? You probably got incited by someone and came here, asking for a scolding.”

That Old Madam probably doesn’t wish to see me doing fine again!

“You are clearly not being filial to Grandmother.” Shen Ziyang said. He had often seen Shen Ziqiao getting into an argument with Grandmother. Which granddaughter would fight with their grandmother?

“According to the forefathers, there are three types of unfilial people. One  — They abandon their family and bring injustice to them. Two  — They do not serve as officials or earn money to support the poor family. Three  — They do not get married or they break relations with their ancestors. I did not bring injustice to the Old Madam nor can I work to support the family. Even more, do not mention marriage. How am I being unfilial? Tell me.” Shen Ziqiao grabbed a fresh date and took a bite, smiling at Shen Ziyang.

Shen Ziyang was stunned, clearly not expecting Shen Ziqiao to say this and retort. “You.. You are twisting my words and forcing logic with your own words.”

“Wow, these are the words of the ancestors and you dare say that I am twisting words and forcing logic. It seems like you are even more intelligent than the ancients. Then tell me. What is wrong with my words?” Shen Ziqiao almost placed her legs on the table, but she thankfully held back the urge on time. She was in a different place than she was in the past. She couldn’t be acting too casual.

Shen Ziyang’s face flushed from anger and then he suddenly cried. “You are twisting the words and forcing logic and you are muttering nonsense. You do not even recognize any words, so how do you know the ancestors’ words? You’re lying, you’re lying!”

“You only cry when you cannot win over someone else. Are you still a man? It seems like you are merely an overgrown infant.” Shen Ziqiao’s heart didn’t soften because this brat started to cry. It was his fault for provoking her first.

“Shut up!” Shen Ziyang sniffled and hollered, grabbing an item and throwing it in Shen Ziqiao’s direction.

Shen Ziqiao was caught off guard and it hit her forehead, immediately turning red. “You little quail egg. You dare to hit me? Do you not want to live anymore?”

After scolding him, she threw the half-eaten dates at him.

When Shui Lian and Shui Ying saw that the two masters began to fit, they hurriedly rushed over. Each of them pulled one master and one said, “Fourth Master, just talk. Please do not resort to violence.”

“Third Miss, Fourth Master is still a child, so please do not bother with him.”

Yet, Hong Ying didn’t care about what was happening. She immediately walked over to Shen Ziqiao and delivered big and red dates over.

Shen Ziyang cried, saying, “You all are helping her! You all are helping her!”

“You are the one who came to lose face and you dare to throw a tantrum!” Shen Ziqiao glared at him unhappily. She had been enduring this little brat for a while.

“I am going to tell Grandmother that you are bullying me!” Shen Ziyang was pulled back by Shui Lian and he kicked the table firmly.

Shen Ziqiao grabbed the peach and harshly threw it, saying, “Scram!”

He really thought she would be so easily bullied? That anyone could just trample over her?!

The peach hit Shen Ziyang’s nose and two streaks of blood slid down his nose, dropping on his chest.

Shui Lian and the other maids were all dumbstruck. How… Did it come to this point?

Speaking of which, Shen Ziyang was just a ten-year-old. He was so pampered by the Old Madam that he thought he was the best in the family. Seeing his blood, he didn’t even dare to cry anymore.

It seems like this got out of hand! Even Shen Ziqiao was a bit shocked. Who knew that this boy would have a nosebleed?

It really is...

After all, she was an adult. How come she lowered herself to pick a fight with this child? She was beginning to act more and more like a child!

“Lift your head. Hong Ying, moisten the handkerchief with water…”