A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 32 Out with the old, in with the new

The servants in front of the second gate retreated like a tide, and the view suddenly opened up, finally revealing the two people facing each other.

Sister You Er couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Ah!"

Immediately, he pounded his chest and touched the hairpin on his head, regretting that he only had so little to his name and had not been able to earn more money.

Then, remembering that You Sanjie had lost the hairpin and would likely have to make up for it from her, she grabbed You's arm, looked at You Sanjie, and complained, "You've never even met Master Qing, so why won't you listen to your elder sister?"

Sister You was also somewhat dazed. She had thought Liu Xianglian was handsome enough, but she hadn't expected that Wang Qing on the other side was just as good-looking.

However, she retorted defiantly, "We haven't even competed yet! Who knows who will win or lose? What if he's just all show and no substance, making Second Sister happy for nothing!"

She wasn't exactly trying to save face.

The two are quite different, one feminine and the other masculine.

Given her preconceived notions and her competitive nature, Sister You was unwilling to contradict herself so quickly and fall in love with someone else.

Upon hearing this, Sister You felt a little apprehensive. She wanted to cheer for Wang Qing, but she was also worried about being laughed at, so she could only cheer him on in her heart.

She had to consider the distinction between insiders and outsiders, but the servants watching in the front yard didn't have this concern.

Although Liu Xianglian had some skills, he was quite well-known in Jia Zhen's circle.

But compared to Wang Qing's muscular physique, it seems insignificant.

Except for a few stewards who were not short of money, who were deliberately trying to curry favor with Jia Zhen and support Liu Xianglian, almost all of them were dismissed by Wang Qing.

Of course, these servants knew their master's personality well, and they only bet thirty or fifty coins on Wang Qing, not daring to place too much bet.

Money determines one's stance, and the servants cheered for Wang Qing with great enthusiasm.

Wang Qing, however, remained unmoved and instead took the opportunity to steal glances at the women at the second gate.

Those who practice martial arts are required to be observant and attentive to their surroundings. The commotion caused by Jia Zhen driving away his servants was so great that it naturally could not be hidden from him.

Originally, he also wanted to see what Jia Zhen and Liu Xianglian were up to.

Unexpectedly, that bastard Jia Zhen not only gambled with himself, but also made a big fuss about it. It's like watching a monkey show.

If it weren't for the overall situation and the fear of straining relations and affecting future plans, he would have already stormed off.

Unexpectedly, the gonging and drumming attracted Lady You, Qin Keqing, and the two beauties of the You family to watch the battle.

Although among the four women, only You Shi had been seen, who else in the Ningguo Mansion could dress as a married woman besides Qin Keqing?

And that captivating charm and allure, even from this distance, still moves the heart.

As for the other two, they were clearly positioned closer to Lady You, and they were also rare beauties. How could Wang Qing not guess their identities?

He thought to himself, could it be that Jia Zhen not only wanted to embarrass him, but also wanted to take the opportunity to make Qin Keqing smile?

If the enemy wants to do something, you should do the opposite.

Wang Qing sneered inwardly. Under the gazes of the women, he flicked his long sword, twirled it, and pointed it diagonally at the ground with an air of nonchalance. He looked at Liu Xianglian with a calm expression and secretly made a mental note of Jia Zhen's mistake.

Wang Qingyun remained calm and composed, but Liu Xianglian, who was already in a weaker position, gradually began to lose his composure.

With a roar, he shouted, "Take this!" and drew his sword to stab.

Even though they had confidence in Wang Qing, they had never seen him in person before, and the room immediately fell silent.

Wang Qing remained calm and composed, neither dodging nor avoiding the attack. He raised his hand, flipped his wrist, and slammed his long sword against Liu Xianglian's sword.

A crisp "clang!" rang out, followed by a hissing sound of metal scraping against metal.

After the first strike, Wang Qing's sword wrapped around Liu Xianglian's sword, drawing a semi-circular arc. With his superb arm strength, he parried and struck simultaneously, almost causing Liu Xianglian to stumble.

With just one move, he discovered that Liu Xianglian was nothing more than a showy but empty-headed figurehead.

However, Wang Qing did not press his advantage; instead, he adopted a defensive stance.

The layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details; the women inside the second gate could clearly only watch the spectacle.

While defeating an enemy in one move is impressive enough, it is too brief and appears overly aggressive.

Wang Qing intended to leave a deep impression on the women so that he could put a bad word to Jia Zhen.

So, what followed was simply a matter of responding to each move with ease and composure.

Liu Xianglian, unable to break through Liu's defenses and seeing his effortless skill, seemed to become enraged, and his moves gradually became distorted.

While calmly dealing with the situation, Wang Qing secretly pondered how to leave the women with an unforgettable impression of his dashing charm.

Before long, he spotted an opening in Liu Xianglian's defenses and suddenly thrust his sword straight at his face.

Previously, he had been on the defensive, but suddenly he switched to offense. Liu Xianglian was caught off guard and hurriedly raised his sword to block.

Unexpectedly, Wang Qing feinted and used the force of Wang Qing's block to flip his wrist and lay the sword horizontally.

Immediately, with a press of his wrist, the blade swiftly slammed heavily onto his shoulder.

In pain, Liu Xianglian instinctively bent his knees, trying to absorb the force from his shoulder.

Wang Qing pressed his sword firmly against Liu Xianglian's shoulder, taking advantage of his height and the height difference caused by Liu Xianglian bending his knees. At the same time, the sword was pressed firmly against Liu Xianglian's neck, making him look like he was receiving a salute.

Immediately afterward, before Liu Xianglian could react, she turned around gracefully, seemingly facing Jia Zhen watching from the second gate, but actually giving the women inside the second gate a full view. She then put her other hand behind her back, leaving Liu Xianglian with only her profile, and said calmly, "Thank you for the courtesy!"

Liu Xianglian's face flushed instantly, and after a long pause of uncertain expression, he let out a heavy sigh, sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Brother Wang, for showing mercy!"

Seeing that he didn't beat around the bush, Wang Qing also put away his arrogance and said frankly, "It was just luck, Brother Liu, you're too kind."

With these words, the duel was considered over, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Inside the second gate, Sister You Er was no less impressive. Her delicate hand, gripping Madam You's arm, trembled incessantly, her pretty face flushed red, and her eyes, as she looked at Wang Qing, seemed to be overflowing with tears.

Suddenly, he was startled and nervously shook Yu's arm.

Madam You clearly understood what she meant. She patted her hand and instructed Yindie, "Go tell the master to get things outside sorted out first. We don't need to rush with our own people."

Sister You seemed a little uneasy, watching Yindie go to deliver the message until Jia Zhen nodded, at which point she finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked away.

Glancing at Qin Keqing, who seemed somewhat lost in thought, he said with a hint of regret, "It's a pity that my brother-in-law didn't accept Rong-ge's daughter-in-law's bets, otherwise he could have earned two hundred taels in such a short time."

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing withdrew her gaze and said leisurely, "What is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force. It was never my place to get involved..."

After saying that, she seemed a little listless and bowed gracefully to Madam You and the other two women, saying, "Madam, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, please forgive me, I am a little tired."

"Then go and rest!" Madam You said with concern. "Should we have Rong-ge'er go find a doctor to take a look?"

"It's nothing, I just caught a bit of a chill in the wind. I'll be fine after resting for a while."

Madam You nodded and said to Baozhu and Ruizhu, "You two, quickly accompany Rong's wife back to rest. If anything goes wrong, remember to tell me."

After watching Qin Keqing leave, Madam You and Second Sister You turned their attention away, only to find that Third Sister You was in a daze, standing there silently without saying a word.

Madam You quickly stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and shook it, saying with a hint of reproach, "I told you not to join in the commotion. Now that you've lost, why are you so reluctant to give up?"

Startled by her sudden movement, Sister You swung her arm and muttered, "Who's reluctant to part with it? They just find it boring."

Her mind was filled with images of Wang Qing strolling leisurely and gracefully, and Liu Xianglian bowing and scraping.

On the stage, Liu Xianglian was dashing and heroic, but when facing Wang Qingshi, he was like a monkey being played, utterly pathetic.

Without comparison, there is no harm. The two figures, with their two completely opposite appearances, formed a strong contrast, which collided back and forth in You Sanjie's mind, causing her to feel a strange feeling in her heart, and her expression gradually became unnatural.

Sister You was quite disappointed in her, and said, "I told you long ago to follow my lead and place your bets, but you insisted on doing it your own way."

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Oh right, my brother-in-law said that if he loses, it's on him. Later, you should say something nice to him and get the hairpin back."

Sister You scoffed, "A bet's a bet, and I refuse!"

Madam You thought she was just being stubborn and quickly said, "Alright, I'll talk to your brother-in-law later and ask him to return the hairpin to you. At worst, I'll just give up what I won."

Sister You snorted coldly and retorted, "Out with the old, in with the new! Who cares?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the figure in the front yard who had stepped into the hall, stomped his foot, abandoned the two of them, and strode away.

Left behind were Madam You and Second Sister You, looking at each other in bewilderment.

……