Since the Jingzhao Prefecture arrested Luo Fengming, it was clear that he was on the responsible side and hadn't suffered any losses, so Luo Cuiwei wasn't too worried.
Luo Shouxing smiled wryly: "The punishment has been paid, but Young Master Fengming is probably afraid of being scolded, so he's still in Nanhuifang and hasn't returned yet."
"How come Luo Fengming is getting worse as he gets older? He's such a grown man, and he's too scared to come home after getting into a fight? What a pathetic guy!" Luo Cuiwei's face showed displeasure.
“No, the person he hit was that young master of the Zhang family…” Luo Shouxing sighed as he looked at Luo Cuiwei and added.
****
The "young master of the Zhang family" that Luo Shouxing mentioned is Zhang Wenping, the son of Zhuo Yu's second sister.
Because of Zhuo Yu, the Luo family and the Zhang family were considered cousins. Although the two families did not interact much on a regular basis, they still exchanged greetings during festivals. When the three Luo siblings saw Zhang Wenping, they would politely address him as their cousin.
Zhang Wenping's father passed away more than ten years ago. His mother raised him alone with a few acres of meager land on the outskirts of Beijing, and he was inevitably spoiled from a young age.
He had studied for a few years before, but for some reason, he abandoned his studies and went home to be a lazy bum. He has been idle for several years now.
Although Luo Cuiwei didn't know why Luo Fengming had made a move, she could guess with her toes that Zhang Wenping must have done something wrong.
Luo Cuiwei forced herself to enter the main hall and saw Zhuo's second aunt sitting on the ground, patting her leg and crying. Zhuo Yu was squatting beside her, crying and comforting her. Luo Cuiwei felt a headache coming on.
"Second Aunt, it's the dead of winter, sitting on the ground is cold."
Upon hearing Luo Cuiwei's voice, Aunt Zhuo's back stiffened slightly, and her crying gradually subsided.
In recent years, Luo Huai has been recuperating from his injuries and has not been involved in many affairs. Taking advantage of Zhuo Yu's gentle nature, the Zhuo family has become much more arrogant in their words and actions in front of her. In the past, they would often find fault with the Luo family and come to them to extort money. Now that Luo Fengming had indeed beaten Zhang Wenping in the street, Zhuo's second aunt naturally felt justified in her actions.
However, the Zhuo family all knew that Luo Cuiwei was not as muddle-headed and soft-hearted as Zhuo Yu. If anyone acted unruly or domineering in front of her, she would be more ferocious than anyone else.
Seeing Luo Cuiwei reach out to help her up, Aunt Zhuo, sobbing, took her hand and stood up.
Fearing that Luo Cuiwei was unaware of the situation, Zhuo Yu quickly wiped away her tears and explained, "Elder sister, it's also Fengming's fault for being so insensible today..."
“Uncle Shouxing told me,” Luo Cuiwei nodded to Zhuo Yu, then turned to Zhuo’s second aunt and said, “Luo Fengming is too ashamed to come back, so I’ll take some people to break his legs.”
Of course, this was just polite talk, but since she said it like that, Aunt Zhuo was speechless.
"I've sent A-Ling to fetch the silver and medicine. She'll go back with Second Aunt later to apologize to Cousin Zhang on behalf of Luo Fengming," Luo Cuiwei added.
Everyone knows that Xiahou Ling is highly regarded by Luo Cuiwei. Sending Xiahou Ling to apologize to Zhang Wenping is no different from Luo Cuiwei going in person. This is truly giving her a lot of face.
Aunt Zhuo wiped her face with a handkerchief and nodded her thanks.
But since it was her son who had been beaten, she couldn't help but feel indignant and complained to Zhuo Yu, "Feng Ming is so outrageous now, you should ask your brother-in-law to discipline him properly."
Sensing that she was implying that Luo Huai was complaining to her, Luo Cuiwei's face turned cold, and she smiled coldly, "I can understand that Second Aunt is a loving mother. I won't stop you from coming to Mother to vent your anger today. If Second Aunt wants to beat up Luo Fengming to get justice, I will personally go and bring him back for you; if that's still not enough, I won't say a word even if you beat me up too."
Over the years, everyone has seen clearly that Luo Huai, who is recuperating in the main hospital, is Luo Cuiwei's Achilles' heel.
Right now, the Luo family's most important northern trade route is completely blocked by the Huang family. Luo Cuiwei would rather lose face and go out to lobby and bend her knees than allow anyone to mention a single word of difficulty to Luo Huai, which shows how much she protects her father.
Seeing Luo Cuiwei's expression, Aunt Zhuo realized she had made a mistake. She glanced at Zhuo Yu sheepishly, hoping she could help smooth things over.
Perhaps it was because Luo Cuiwei's gaze was so frighteningly cold that Zhuo Yu remained silent for a long time.
Luo Cuiwei stared straight into the eyes of Zhuo's second aunt, which made her scalp tingle and she weakly lowered her eyes.
“Luo Fengming did this. You can vent your anger or demand compensation however you want. As his older sister, I will bear it all with him. I will not utter a single word back, no matter how much he hits, scolds, or demands I ask for,” Luo Cuiwei said clearly and firmly. “But if anyone disturbs my father’s peaceful rest, then we can’t celebrate the New Year.”
Anyone with normal hearing and a sound mind can tell how serious she is.
****
The Lingyinlou Restaurant has stood in Nanhuifang for nearly a century. Among the many restaurants in the area, it is a well-established brand with a long history. On weekdays, it has welcomed and seen off countless dignitaries and even princes and nobles, and has gradually become a place where news from all over the capital gathers.
At this moment, the large hall inside the Listening Pavilion was already packed with guests. Amidst the hushed conversations of women with perfumed faces and cigarettes, there were bound to be some interesting anecdotes.
The proprietress of Lingyin Tower was always adept at social interaction. Seeing Luo Cuiwei enter with two servants, she quickly greeted her with a smile: "What brings you here today? Miss Luo, it's been quite a while since you've had any..."
"I've come to see Luo Fengming." Luo Cui smiled and raised her hand, interrupting her pleasantries.
Seeing the storm brewing in her eyes, the shopkeeper hesitated, saying, "Miss Luo, you'll surely understand the difficulties of running a business."
News travels fast in the Listening Pavilion. The day before, Luo Fengming had been arrested by the Jingzhao Prefecture for assaulting someone in the street. He had barely stepped out of the Jingzhao Prefecture gate when the news had already reached the Listening Pavilion.
Afterwards, Luo Fengming went to Lingyin Tower, asked for a private room, and locked himself in to drink alone. At this moment, Luo Cuiwei came to the door again in a fierce manner. The proprietress knew from this attitude that her family was about to suffer collateral damage.
Luo Cuiwei took out a silver note and crumpled it in the shopkeeper's hand. "Any losses later will be on my account. If there's too much, I won't refund it; if there's too little, I'll make up the difference."
"The eldest daughter of the Luo family is truly a straightforward person." The shopkeeper's wife looked at the amount on the banknote, nodded with a smile, and pointed to a private room on the second floor.
****
The carved doors of the elegant room were bolted from the inside. A servant of the Luo family knocked, and Luo Fengming's slightly drunk voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
Luo Cuiwei gave a signal, and the two servants immediately kicked the door open.
This commotion was quite significant; even the lively and bustling scene downstairs seemed to freeze instantly, with everyone staring up in disbelief.
Luo Fengming in the Accord was completely dumbfounded.
Luo Cuiwei stepped inside, and the two servants outside immediately closed the door again.
"Sister, I..." Luo Fengming's refined and handsome face was slightly flushed with alcohol, but his eyes were mostly clear. He hurriedly stood up.
Seeing this, Luo Cuiwei was furious. She took a few steps over, picked up a wine jar from the table, and splashed it all over his face.
"Did you commit murder and robbery or set the city on fire?! You're too scared to go home for causing such a small commotion?! Is this all the worth of the Luo family's sons are capable of?"