Another Way Out

At the dinner table.

Qu Qiaoyun finally could not hold it in any longer. She looked at her husband, who was eating with his head lowered beside her. "Yuzhi, don't you have anything you want to tell me?"

As she spoke,

she dismissed the servant women waiting on both sides.

Qu Lanlan, beside them, did not understand what was happening. Her hand, holding a pair of chopsticks over a dish, paused in midair. She looked at her mother, then at her father.

Qu Yuzhi's movements froze. He slowly set down his bowl and chopsticks, sat upright, and said solemnly, "You already knew. You even had people from the Seventh Branch cut in and take it away. Do you need me to repeat it all?"

Hearing that,

Qu Qiaoyun was first stunned. The corners of her eyes, lined with fine wrinkles, lifted slightly as she was about to speak.

But Qu Yuzhi shook his head and said in a deep voice, "You originally wanted to drive Second Dog out, but he was unfamiliar with the place. Where could he go after leaving this house? Pay rent to the rickshaw company and live in the slums near the edge of the Stockade? In a place like that, he would not survive for long."

"So I only wanted to find him a way out. If he entered a martial arts school and became an apprentice, he could move into the school dormitory. The conflict between us husband and wife would not keep escalating either."

"I know. I understand my status as well, so I have never used the Qu Household's connections."

"But Qiaoyun, Brother Li is a friend I made myself. Through a friend's connections, can't I find a path to survival for my nephew?"

Hearing those words,

not only did Qu Qiaoyun's emotions fail to ease, they grew even more agitated. She smashed the teacup in her hand. "Nephew! Again with the nephew? Qu Yuzhi, don't forget what surname you bear now!"

"How did the First Branch of the Qu Household disappear? Why has our vast Qu Household, a century-old lineage, declined year after year? Surely you have heard me speak of it before?"

"Years ago, the live-in son-in-law the First Branch brought in also brought two former relatives into the lineage. Back then, the lineage turned a blind eye, and my eldest sister carefully nurtured those two boys, pouring every resource into them. Those boys truly lived up to expectations and both became Martial Masters. Later, they even became renowned experts in Peace City. But what happened in the end?"

"My poor eldest sister raised two white-eyed wolves. Not only was she humiliated and killed, even her two daughters could not escape their poison."

"Afterward, the Qu Household sent out all its experts just to barely take down those two thieves. Yet many uncles and elders died as well, leaving the Qu Household gravely weakened. Among Peace City's Aristocratic Clans, we can no longer even rank among them."

"That lesson from the carriage ahead happened only a dozen-odd years ago."

"Our Fifth Branch does not want to walk the same old road to ruin, and the Qu Household does not want such a scandal to happen again."

Her almond eyes were wide with fury, yet tears kept falling.

What had happened to the Qu Household's First Branch was the pain of the entire lineage, and her pain as well.

When she thought of her gentle, close eldest sister dying so miserably in her own home, sorrow filled her heart, along with a lingering fear.

Seeing his wife like this, Qu Yuzhi felt some heartache. His tone softened considerably. "But Qiaoyun, you have seen what Second Dog is like. He is an honest, straightforward young man. Whenever he faces Lanlan, he never lets his gaze wander and always lowers his head respectfully. How could he possibly do something so rebellious and immoral..."

Qu Qiaoyun shook her head. "No. He may look honest and straightforward, but his mind is quick and he is quite clever. He wants to learn martial arts, wants to become literate. He is an ambitious person."

"That is merely a desire to improve himself."

Hearing his wife describe him that way, Qu Yuzhi could only laugh bitterly. "Quick-minded and eager to learn, wanting to advance and improve—those are natural for young people. Students like Lanlan also have ambition, don't they? Don't they want to work hard and become better?"

"And you have barely interacted with him. How can you hold such deep prejudice against him?"

"No. Anyway, I just think he has great schemes in mind."

Seeing her husband continually defend Jiang Jingnian, Qu Qiaoyun's expression gradually turned icy. She wiped away her tears and shook her head. "Qu Yuzhi, I only want to ask one thing. Will you choose that nephew of yours from the countryside, or will you choose the two of us?"

"...Qiaoyun, does it really have to come to this?"

Qu Yuzhi stared blankly after hearing that.

Qu Lanlan, beside them, looked equally bewildered. Then anger appeared on her face. "Father, you are still hesitating over something like this? If you ask me, hurry up and drive that jinx away. Ever since he came these past few months, this household has never had a moment of peace."

Then her dark, bright eyes shifted slightly. With a wronged expression, she said, "And the way he looks at me is completely wrong. It is like he wants to devour me."

"This is utter nonsense! Lanlan! He has always been exceedingly respectful toward you. Whenever he sees you, he bows. Yet you constantly curse and accuse him, and he only smiles along without saying a word."

"You do not get along like relatives, but like a servant and her master. Even after all that, you still slander him?"

Qu Yuzhi knew his daughter was fanning the flames and deliberately maligning Jiang Jingnian. He could not help flying into a rage.

With what had happened to the Qu Household's First Branch before them, his wife had always been especially sensitive about such matters.

Sure enough.

Hearing Qu Lanlan say this, Qu Qiaoyun's expression became even colder.

"Father, he is not my relative. He does not even share the Qu surname. He is just some mud-legged peasant who came from who knows where."

Qu Lanlan did not care.

In her eyes,

how could Jiang Jingnian, a mud-legged peasant from the countryside, possibly be worthy of being her relative?

"You!"

Qu Yuzhi was beside himself with rage and raised his hand to strike Qu Lanlan.

"Fifth Uncle!"

At that moment, Jiang Jingnian, who had just returned to the residence, hurried into the room and reached out to stop Qu Yuzhi's swinging palm.

He had not heard everything.

But when he entered the courtyard, he had caught bits and pieces of the latter half of the conversation. With a little deduction, he understood that Fifth Uncle and his wife were arguing over him.

And it seemed likely to spiral further and further out of control.

Seeing Jiang Jingnian enter, Qu Lanlan's anger flared up. She cursed repeatedly, "You reek of sweat. Who allowed you into our main hall? And if it were not for you, how would my parents have become so estranged? You jinx, you mud-legged peasant!"

After pausing for a few seconds, she added several extremely vile curses.

"Such filthy language, a disgrace to civility! A disgrace to civility!"

Qu Yuzhi was furious, but with Jiang Jingnian holding him back, all he could do for the moment was shake his head and sigh.

"Fifth Uncle, I have made you suffer because of me. If I achieve even a little in the future, I will repay you as a spring repays a drop of water."

Jiang Jingnian's expression turned solemn. He did not take Qu Lanlan's words to heart. He merely gave Fifth Uncle a deep bow, then rose and looked toward the middle-aged woman sitting in the seat of honor, her face frosty.

He bowed with clasped hands to Qu Qiaoyun. "Auntie, no matter what, thank you for allowing me to stay here these past few months. I will leave the residence now and find another place. I only hope you will not clash with Fifth Uncle again because of me."

Fifth Uncle's home could no longer shelter him.

As for the martial arts school, that opportunity was likely gone as well. Otherwise, things would not have escalated to this point.

After saying this, he left the main hall without looking back. He went to the side room to pack his belongings and prepare to leave the residence.

Qu Qiaoyun sat in the seat of honor and watched coldly without saying a word.

"Good, good, good! That jinx is finally leaving."

Qu Lanlan, meanwhile, clapped and cheered beside her, her delicate little face full of delight.

Ignoring his wife and daughter's reactions, Qu Yuzhi simply hurried after Jiang Jingnian and went to the side room in the courtyard.

In the damp, cramped room, Jiang Jingnian was wrapping his belongings in cloth. His tall, imposing frame had to stoop within the tiny room, and even stretching his body was inconvenient. Qu Yuzhi could not help staring blankly.

An indescribable feeling of misery

surged into his heart.

For no reason at all, Qu Yuzhi came to hate his own helplessness, and to feel helpless over both his and his nephew's origins.

In a world like this,

one's fate was basically decided from the moment of birth.

He had cast aside his dignity and luckily become a live-in son-in-law of the Qu Household. But his nephew might not have that same luck.

Perhaps the skyscrapers of Peace City would nail him firmly to the very bottom.

"Nephew..."

Qu Yuzhi stood in the doorway. For a moment, he did not know what to say and could only cover his face and sigh.

"Fifth Uncle, there is no need to say any more."

After packing his belongings, Jiang Jingnian looked at Fifth Uncle standing by the door and smiled. "My rickshaw company also provides shared dormitory lodging. It only costs two silver dollars in rent each month. Once I earn more money, I can move into one of those small pavilion rooms in the alleyways."

Rent in Peace City was not cheap. The lane houses leased by foreign real estate companies had better surroundings and public security, but monthly rent started at twenty-five silver dollars.

Next were the small pavilion rooms on the top floors of Shikumen houses. They were seven or eight square meters in size, with monthly rent of around eight silver dollars.

The worst were the slums, located near the boundary at the edge of the Stockade.

Public security was poor, the environment was wretched, people came and went constantly, and all kinds of people were mixed together. Most places were large shared dormitories, packed shoulder to shoulder, with monthly rent ranging from a few dimes to two or three silver dollars.

The lodging provided by the rickshaw company was just like that.

"...Sigh!"

Qu Yuzhi wanted to say something, but the words reached his lips and would not come out. He could only sigh.

"Here are your permit and other documents, along with several of my banknotes. You can exchange them at Ning City Bank and Shenghua Bank. But you must be careful. Do not flaunt your wealth."

Then he stepped forward and stuffed the documents, along with a kraft-paper envelope, into Jiang Jingnian's hands. "Take care."

Jiang Jingnian solemnly put away the documents. They were his legal identification in the foreign settlement. But he pushed the kraft-paper envelope back. "Fifth Uncle, I still have some silver dollars on me. There is no need to give me more money. I have plenty of strength. Though I do not earn much, I do not need your support."

"Take care of yourself. Look after your health."

With that, unwilling to make the atmosphere any more oppressive, he slung his luggage over his back, turned, and left.

"Nephew! Nephew!"

Watching his retreating figure, Qu Yuzhi stood there blankly for a moment. Then he walked out into the courtyard and called softly.

The garden was silent. Aside from the servant women standing beside the main gate, where could he still see his eldest nephew's figure?

The night was like water.

Only the tracks left by the rickshaw wheels remained on the ground in the corner by the gate.