You Are Leaves Bathed in Sunlight, We Are Roots Rotting in the Soil

"Ah Ming, is this your life now? Spending your days either fighting and killing or just drinking and being idle. Come, go home with me." The beautiful woman's throat bobbed slightly, her eyes filled with heartache. She pulled Chen Jingming, wanting to leave.

"Chen Zijin! Are you sick? I told you I don't need you to worry about me. You and that man can go back to your big house in Prefecture City and enjoy your wealth and luxury. My mother and I will live in the Bamboo Raft Houses and live a simple life! We have nothing to do with each other!" Big Eyes Chen Jingming's face turned ugly, and he shouted excitedly.

"This is..." Fang Xuan glanced at the woman, then seemed to remember something. He patted Chen Jingming's shoulder and said,

"Big Eyes, you can't write two 'Chen' characters differently. Be nicer to your sister. You two talk, we'll leave first."

With that, Fang Xuan prepared to leave. After all, this was Chen Jingming's family matter, and he wasn't in a position to interfere, nor did he have the right to.

"Brother Xuan, I'm not going back with her, I'm going with you! This woman is crazy. Ten years ago, she went to Prefecture City with that man, leaving a huge pile of gambling debts for my mother and me. Now that they've become successful in Prefecture City, that man's health is failing, and he's brought her back, wanting me, his son, to take care of him... How can there be such a good thing in this world? When they didn't need me, they threw my mother and me away like trash. Now that they need me, they come looking for me again? What do they take me for? A dog that gets kicked when they're unhappy and gets a bone when they're happy?"

Chen Jingming pushed away the hand that was tightly gripping his wrist, then quickly followed Fang Xuan, who had turned to leave.

Chen Zijin watched the backs of Chen Jingming and Fang Xuan as they left, biting her lip tightly, her face pale.

"Ah Ming, how can you speak so harshly? What happened back then wasn't what you think... Why have you become like this? I remember you were very well-behaved and kind when you were little..."

Chen Zijin murmured to herself, then seemed to think of something. She bit her lip and quickly followed, blocking Chen Jingming, Fang Xuan, and the others.

"Chen Zijin, are you not listening?"

Chen Jingming was about to curse.

Fang Xuan patted his shoulder, then looked at Chen Zijin, trying to appear friendly.

"Ah Ming's sister, right? Some things shouldn't be said by me, but Ah Ming is my sworn brother, so I'll take the liberty of saying a few words. To be honest, Ah Ming doesn't hold any hostility towards you, it's just that Uncle Chen did some things back then that weren't very thoughtful. It takes more than a day for ice to freeze three feet deep. If you want Ah Ming to acknowledge Uncle Chen again... To be honest, it's not very realistic right now.

I'll stop here. It's up to you whether you listen or not."

Chen Zijin glanced at the silent Chen Jingming, then looked back at Fang Xuan.

She took a deep breath, her eyes turning cold and disgusted.

"Fang Xuan, right? I've heard of you. You're Ah Ming's older brother, a notorious Ruffian in Pingjiang County. Ever since Ah Ming started following you, he stopped studying in school and followed you in bullying the market and running rampant in the countryside, living a life that's neither human nor ghost every day! Over the years, you've led Ah Ming to do many dirty things. I wasn't here before, so I won't hold it against you!"

"But now I'm back. If you truly consider Ah Ming your sworn brother, then keep your distance from him! People like you might die on the streets any day, but my brother Ah Ming is different. He's going to pass the imperial examinations and achieve great things in the future! I don't want him to be like you, living a life hated by everyone in this small county town, unable to even guarantee if he'll be alive tomorrow! So, whether I'm asking you or begging you, please let him go, don't harm him anymore!"

"Shut up!!!"

Before Fang Xuan could speak, Chen Jingming's face had turned completely red. He pushed her away forcefully and cursed fiercely:

"Chen Zijin, you don't know anything at all. If you say one more word about Brother Xuan, don't force me to act!"

"I don't know? Chen Jingming! Wake up! I'm your sister by blood! And this Brother Xuan you're talking about is a complete scumbag! He oppresses the common people and lives off their blood and sweat! Ah Ming, listen to me, don't continue to be so foolish. In a few days, you and Mother will come back to Prefecture City with Father and me. If you want to study and pass the imperial examinations, I can hire the best tutors in the entire Prefecture City to teach you. If you want to practice martial arts, I can also invite those Entering Realm martial artists from the martial arts school to teach you!"

"Following this rotten person will only drag your life into the abyss with him!"

Chen Zijin was equally agitated, tears streaming from her eyes.

She wiped her eyes and looked at Fang Xuan with disgust.

In her opinion, all of Chen Jingming's current troubles were brought about by Fang Xuan.

"It seems Miss Chen is indeed very dissatisfied with me."

Fang Xuan, who had been about to leave, put his raised foot down. He patted Chen Jingming's shoulder, signaling him to relax, then looked at Chen Zijin with a calm gaze. After thinking for a moment, he spoke calmly:

"Miss Chen, you are absolutely right. People like us live on the edge of a knife, with no tomorrow. Ah Ming did indeed become a Ruffian after following me. But have you ever considered how a pair of orphaned mother and son who owe a huge debt should live in this world? You only see the current Ah Ming fighting and killing all day, but do you know why the formerly well-behaved Ah Ming became like this? I'll tell you the reason, because there was no other way. If he didn't join them, he would truly be bullied to death!

You don't know anything. All you do is condemn with your words, using morality. You don't know that after you and Uncle left, those ruffians from the gambling dens came to collect debts. It was I, this ruffian you see as detestable, who took on the debt for him! You also don't know that Auntie suffered from asthma a few years ago. It was us ruffians, relying on the money earned from those dirty deeds you speak of, who scraped together enough to hire a doctor for Auntie!

Miss Chen, you are different from us. You can live a life of ease and comfort in the Prefecture City every day, being your pampered young lady, without worrying about being bullied, without worrying about whether you'll have food tomorrow. You can speak of morality with a light heart, and judge a person's good or bad from a high position. But we are different. If we aren't fierce enough, not wicked enough, someone will be collecting our corpses the next day!"

"Alright, for Ah Ming's sake, I'll stop here. I won't interfere with the path Ah Ming chooses to take."

As his words fell, Fang Xuan glanced indifferently at Chen Zijin and stepped away.

"Miss Chen Zijin, right? You're Big Eyes' older sister, so I won't lay a hand on you. But if you dare to speak about Brother Xuan like that again next time, don't blame me for not giving Big Eyes face!"

One Line Sky, Water Monkey, and Chu Chong coldly glanced at Chen Zijin, then quickly followed Fang Xuan away.

Chen Jingming said nothing, only looked at Chen Zijin with disappointment and left alone.

On the empty ten-mile long street, Chen Zijin stared blankly at Fang Xuan's retreating figure, silent for a long time.

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