"I swear Iâm going to beat you to death today!"
Old Uncle Shen became furious as soon as he saw Shen Qiu standing with the son of the Zhang Family, especially because the young man looked slick, clearly no good at first glance.
"I knew it, where did you get all those clothes and jewelry every day? Didnât you say they were bought by Dayong?" While asking, Old Uncle Shen lashed the rope in his hand at Shen Qiu.
"Iâm going to beat you to death today, your mother could prove her innocence with death, but look at you, shamelessly fooling around with a man, how could I have a daughter like you?"
Old Uncle Shen was so angry he didnât care about airing the familyâs dirty laundry or who was around, even speaking out about Shen Qiuâs motherâs death.
Upon hearing Old Uncle Shenâs words, Yang Chuxia realized that Shen Qiu had been so deceitful; she had wondered how, with Old Uncle Shenâs temperament, he had never noticed Shen Qiuâs numerous new clothes and jewelry. So, all the suspicion had been pushed onto Uncle Dayong.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Shen Qiu cried out in pain as the rope whipped her, causing her to jump up and down. "Why are you so angry as soon as you return?"
"Why am I angry? The scandal at the JĂčdĂ© Tower is the talk of the town, and you still want to hide it from me? Dayong is such a good man, are you blind? Ignoring someone so good, are you hell-bent on courting death with someone like him?"
Old Uncle Shen was a man who couldnât sit still. Although he received living expenses from his son each month, he still wanted to earn extra money for Shen Qiuâs dowry.
His last job was to watch over a house, but when the house was sold, they didnât need him anymore. He had been looking for a new job due to his age, which made it hard to find work. He had been unsuccessful for several days. Today, when he heard that JĂčdĂ© Tower was hiring dishwashers, he thought of giving it a try. Just when he arrived, he overheard a discussion about a marriage arrangement involving a girl who was engaged but still clinging to the son of the Zhang Family. The girl they were talking about was named Shen Qiu.
Initially, he thought it must be someone with the same name, but after asking around, he discovered they were indeed talking about his daughter Shen Qiu.
"Iâll beat this pair of shameless dogs to death!"
When Old Uncle Shen was younger, he faced years of gossip because of Shen Qiuâs mother. Now, to be gossiped about because of his daughter was more than he could bear. Shen Qiuâs actions were a violation of his deepest taboo.
So when Old Uncle Shen struck, he was merciless, and even the son of the Zhang Family got beaten.
The whipping of the rope made the Zhang Familyâs son cry out in pain, "You old fool, how dare you hit me? Do you have a death wish?"
Meanwhile, he said to Shen Qiu, "Whatâs wrong with your old man? What does us being together have to do with him?"
"Pah, I donât care if my daughter remains unmarried for life, becoming a nun in her own home; I would never agree to her marrying you."
"You old fool, donât be ungrateful. Shen Qiu has already returned that hairpin; if she doesnât marry me, what else can she do?"
Although the son of the Zhang Family was nothing good, he did have some real feelings for Shen Qiu. Surprisingly, even being beaten didnât make him want to run away.
"Exactly, Dad. Are you really going to beat me to death?" Shen Qiu seized the opportunity to speak. "Dad, how can you blame me for this? If someone gives me gifts, should I not accept them? And how is Yang Dayong any good? Just a rough man who doesnât understand anything, not thoughtful at all, not a bit caring."
Yang Chuxia, who had not yet left, couldnât help but laugh when she heard this. "Shen Qiu, if my Uncle Dayong is so bad in your eyes, why did you so stubbornly refuse to give back the token of affection?"