“Excuse me, Sir. Could you please help me call Su Ce from Shangxi Village? Kindly inform him that his sister is waiting for him at the entrance.”
Su Jin encountered a young man dressed in ordinary clothes outside the academy, seemingly like a student from the institution, and handed him a bag of eggs as she made that request.
Su Ce? That unsociable and gloomy individual?
The student looked surprised at Su Jin, but he did not turn down her request. He nodded meekly and headed towards the dormitory.
Su Jin waited for a considerable amount of time, but she did not catch a glimpse of either her brother or that student. Just as she was about to seek the system’s assistance to locate her brother, she saw the student rushing towards her in a panic.
“Su… Su Ce can’t make it. He was taken away by the teacher because… they claimed he committed theft,” stuttered the student.
Su Jin heard the news with a heavy heart but did not show any expression on her face. Nonetheless, the frigid pressure surrounding her caused the student to take a few steps in retreat out of fear.
“You can have all of these as a token of appreciation for informing me.”
After speaking, Su Jin shoved the bags of items she had purchased to the student before leaving in big strides.
The student was stunned. Wasn’t this… way too excessive? These would be sufficient to provide him with enough food to last for the entirety of next month.
His face lit up in joy at the unexpected windfall. He had no personal interaction with Su Ce and only helped out because of the eggs, which was enough to feed him for a day. After discovering that Su Ce was caught up with trouble, he returned to notify her because he couldn’t stand the arrogant actions of Yan Xing and the others. It was simply a mere act of sympathy as a fellow student.
Su Ce sure was pitiful, to be on the receiving end of the irk of that prodigal.
Su Jin went around the perimeters of the private school, found a secluded spot and casually flipped over the wall with ease. It was difficult for outsiders to gain access into the premises of the private school, so she chose to trespass instead. If she were to go through the formal protocols, it would have been too late by the time she obtained permission to visit.
With the help of the system, Su Jin navigated around her surroundings and steered clear of people along her way. Out of the blue, a commotion from the study room caught her attention. Su Jin immediately picked up her pace and headed over.
“Fine, since you insist on your innocence, then you should have no trouble explaining how you obtained this fine set of calligraphy tools. I wonder what kind of excuse you can spontaneously cook up.”
“That’s right, Su Ce. All of us here are well aware of the situation of your family. Even the books that you currently have were lent to you by the teachers. How could an individual struggling with food obtain calligraphy supplies of such quality?” A fellow student watching the scene echoed.
Yan Xing, who was dressed in extravagant attire, sneered and kicked a ink box on the ground by his feet with a malicious glint in his gaze.
“Are you aware of the value of an inkstone like this? It costs two taels of silver per piece. Can you even afford that? ”
Su Ce frowned in silence. Two taels of silvers!? Although he could notice that the ink was much better than what he usually used, he didn’t know it was that expensive. It carried the same value as one year’s worth of his tuition fees. How did Su Jin get these for him..?
Witnessing Su Ce lowering his head in silence, the onlookers presumed that he was ashamed after being caught for stealing. The surrounding gazes started to shift towards one of disdain.
“I never imagined that someone who is usually diligent and studious, and had never caused any trouble, would actually commit such a despicable act. As a scholar, how can one resort to theft?”
Even the private tutor, who was invited to preside over the case, couldn’t help but frown.
“May I ask when was young master Yan’s silver stolen? And are there any eye witnesses who caught me in the act?”
Su Ce heard the words of contempt around him and further bottled up his emotions. With a face devoid of emotions, as though he was observing the situation from a bird’s perspective, he inquired in a cold tone.
Yan Xing snapped his folding fan and sneered, “Ha, you still want to dispute? Alright, I’ll dish out every speck of dirt as you wish.”
He then gestured in the direction of someone with his finger. “Step forward and share with us the details of what you witnessed on that particular day.”
Emerging from the crowd was a student in a grey robe, small in stature, with a slightly pale complexion and a black mole at the corner of his eye.
Su Ce’s cold gaze swept over the man who came forward with sluggish movements. This person was a fellow student from the same class, Liu Jianren. Their paths barely crossed during the time he attended the school.
(So, it was him…)
Seeing that Su Ce was looking at himself with a melancholic gaze, Liu Jianren swallowed saliva and his eyes flickered, before proclaiming loudly, “As fellow classmates, it is my responsibility to intervene and prevent Su Ce from falling any deeper into the wrong path. Five days ago, I spotted you lingering in front of young master Yan’s room. Back then, I presumed you had legitimate affairs to attend to. It never crossed my mind that you would engage in thievery… The high quality calligraphy set in your possession serves as the ultimate proof. I have truly misjudged your character.”
After speaking, his countenance changed into one of sorrow and regret, as though he was lamenting his own misjudgement.
“Oh, I understand it now. You are the one who framed me.” Su Ce stared at the despicable person who was lying through his teeth. “The assertions you have made are merely an unsubstantiated one-sided story. Where is the proof to support your claims? As far as I can recall, I have never done anything to offend you in my time here.”
Liu Jianren feigned surprise. “You… being in possession of that expensive set of brush and ink is more than enough proof. What other means do you possibly have to afford those? Integrity is one of the main core values of a scholar. It is about time to set aside your stubbornness and fess up already…”
System#2250 hysterically pricked a small paper man with a needle1TL note: one of the more popular methods of voodoo/curse in Chinese culture, and urged Su Jin with a grin, “Host, there is no need to hold back. Please quickly serve that scum a can of whoop-ass to lift up my mood!”
Su Jin: “Your order will arrive soon…”
Before Su Ce could refute Liu Jianren’s allegations, Su Jin shoved her way through and emerged from the crowd.
“The stench of bullshit had even travelled past a couple of buildings…” Su Jin looked at the imbecile indifferently with her arms crossed. “The kind of being that presumes others must be unclean since they have dung in their own hands. Just because you can’t afford something, doesn’t mean others aren’t capable of obtaining it. This dogshit sure is good at smearing excretion all over the place.”
“See this banknote in my hands? I wonder how many sets of calligraphy writing supplies I can purchase with this? Su Ce is my family member, and I enjoy splurging money on him. Who are you to dictate what he can or cannot have in his possession? With your obvious lack of mental capacity, why even bother with studying? Go home and rear some pigs instead, imbecile.”
Following her impressive speech, she swung her feet and sent the man flying to the ground.
System#2250 lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke, “Thanks for the show, it felt satisfying.”
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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Thank you!
