Quick Transmigration: Refusing to Be a Victim's Child

"you!!!"

Shao Zhili clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force. He wished he could punch the other person's disgusting face hard.

However, he suppressed his anger, and after much restraint, he finally grabbed his son, who was throwing a tantrum nearby, and shoved him right in front of the man.

Shao Xingyuan stumbled from his father's sudden push, nearly falling heavily to the ground. He barely managed to regain his balance when a servant picked him up like a chick, tucking him under his arm. He struggled wildly but couldn't break free.

He was immediately terrified and burst into tears, turning his head in horror towards Shao Zhili's direction, stretching out his arms and crying out in a sob:

"Father, save me! Bad people are kidnapping Yuan'er! Yuan'er is so scared..."

Shao Zhili tensed his back, subconsciously touched his injured leg, and after a moment of silence, reached out to take the paper handed to him and signed it.

The man contentedly took back the contract of sale and was about to leave when Shao Zhili suddenly grabbed his arm like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, gritting his teeth and saying:

“I don’t care who’s behind you, but the child is innocent. If you have any problems, come at me. Don’t make things difficult for a child.”

"Yuan'er...you can take him away, but he is ultimately of the Marquis's bloodline, that's an indisputable fact. If you dare to deliberately humiliate this child, it won't just be me who loses face."

Shao Zhili knew that given his current situation, if the child stayed by his side, he would probably have a hard time growing up safely. It would be better to harden his heart and give him away, so that the child might have a chance to survive.

Upon hearing this, the man glanced at Shao Zhili with some surprise, then forcefully withdrew his hand and said calmly:

"Young Master Shao, you should take care of yourself first. If you can't bear to part with the child, then take him back. We don't do things like forced buying and selling."

Shao Zhili didn't speak, but stared intently at the group as they gradually disappeared into the distance. Only after their figures vanished from sight did he slowly squat down and carefully pick up the loose silver coins from the stall, one by one, and put them into his pocket.

Before he could even pack up his stall, he heard footsteps approaching from afar, growing clearer and clearer.

Before he could even look up, he saw an old woman rush towards him like a madwoman, grab his hand, and burst into tears.

"Wow--"

The broken silver in Shao Zhili's hand fell to the ground again during the tug-of-war, making a crisp sound.

He looked at his mother, who was cupping his face in her hands, her eyes filled with pity and love. His previously restrained expression suddenly twisted, and an uncontrollable surge of anger welled up in his heart.

Without thinking, he forcefully pushed the other person to the ground.

"what--"

Caught off guard, the old woman twisted her ankle and fell straight to the ground, letting out a painful scream.

"Old lady!"

Upon seeing this, Granny Wang and the other servants were terrified and rushed forward to help the old lady up.

But as soon as she helped her mistress up, the old lady showed a look of great pain, and her left ankle visibly swelled up rapidly.

Granny Wang was both shocked and furious. She glared angrily at Shao Zhili and loudly questioned him:

"Second Young Master, what are you doing? The Old Madam is your own mother! How could you be so cruel to her?"

The maidservant beside her was even more indignant and spoke with righteous indignation:

"The old lady has been so worried about you and Young Master Sun lately that she has lost her appetite and lost a lot of weight."

Now that I've finally come up with a way to find you, how can you take your anger out on the old lady?

Hmph, if you're so capable, why don't you make a move on the Marquis!

Bah! He's just a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong!

The little maid's cheeks puffed up with anger, looking as if she was about to rush up and fight Shao Zhili to the death.

Her protective behavior towards her master caught the attention of Granny Wang, who couldn't help but glance at her again, secretly pleased.

But in Shao Zhili's eyes, this scene was interpreted as these unruly servants daring to disobey their master and defy him because of his current predicament.

Already seething with anger, he suddenly flew into a rage, kicked the maid in the stomach, knocking her to the ground, and roared angrily with a gloomy expression:

"You dog of a servant, how dare you lecture me?!"

"She has no right to discipline you, but your mother certainly does."

Despite the excruciating pain in her ankle, the old lady struggled to her feet with the help of Granny Wang, her eyes filled with heartache and disappointment as she looked at Shao Zhili.

"Zhili, when did you become so despicable? What did I do wrong to deserve this treatment from you?"

Looking at the old lady, Shao Zhili's resentment had not dissipated; on the contrary, it had intensified.

"Mother? You still know you're my mother? If it weren't for you giving me a bunch of money of dubious origin under the guise of doing what's best for me, how could Yuan'er and I have ended up on the streets, in such a miserable state?"

As Shao Zhili spoke, he slammed his right leg hard, his expression growing increasingly gloomy and twisted, as he hysterically roared at the old lady:

"My leg could have been healed with proper care, but because of your stupidity, I've become a cripple."

Look at me now, are you happy? Are you satisfied? Ah!!!

-

The old lady was stunned by Shao Zhili's words. She opened her lips slightly, trying to explain, but her throat felt like it was choked by a wad of cotton, and she couldn't make a sound for a moment.

"...Good, good! This is the good son I raised with so much love and care!"

The old lady stared at Shao Zhili, speaking slowly and deliberately, her tone filled with heartache:

“I went to great lengths and braved all kinds of hardships to come out and find you, just in case you were hungry or cold outside. And even at home, I was always thinking about you, you scoundrel.”

For you, I even risked estrangement from your sister and the others. But I never imagined... that after all I did, I'd end up pleasing no one.

This time, the old lady's heart was truly broken.

She never imagined that her usually filial and sensible second son would harbor so many grievances against her.

This makes all her recent actions seem like an absurd joke.

The old lady's eyes filled with pain, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

“Shao Zhili! Dare to put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, among the three of you siblings, haven’t I loved you the most? When you did those outrageous things, when did I not cover for you and take the blame for you every time?”

Even now, I still think of you, my unfilial son, all the time. But what about you?

You keep saying that the things I gave you were of dubious origin, and you blame everything on your mother. A grown man like you has absolutely no sense of responsibility! You...you've truly disappointed me!

The old lady's tearful outburst left Shao Zhili speechless and finally brought some clarity to his muddled mind.

Seeing the old lady turn to leave, Shao Zhili panicked and rushed forward, kneeling down with a thud. He tightly grasped the old lady's clothes, sobbing uncontrollably:

"Mother!!! Are you really going to abandon your child?"

"Now my elder brother treats me like an enemy, and my father and younger sister avoid me like the plague. My child... my child can only rely on you now!"

At this point, Shao Zhili burst into tears. Ignoring the old lady's reaction, he raised his hand and slapped himself repeatedly, apologizing profusely.

“It’s my son’s fault. He shouldn’t have taken his anger out on you for other things.”

But now that her son has suffered a great calamity, is physically disabled, and has lost Yuan'er, he panicked and spoke recklessly to his mother..."

"What did you say? Yuan'er is missing?"

The old lady was shocked and hurriedly interrupted her second son, grabbing his arm tightly with both hands and anxiously asking him questions repeatedly.

Shao Zhili's gaze swept over the scattered silver pieces at his feet, his eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded with a pained expression:

"Now my son is penniless and can only barely make a living by selling calligraphy and paintings. Just now, due to a moment of carelessness, I lost Yuan'er."

"It's the son's fault for being useless; he deserves to be punished. If the mother is angry, she can scold and beat him as she pleases; the son will never utter a word of complaint."

As he spoke, Shao Zhili grabbed the old lady's hand and slapped it against his own face.

The old lady abruptly shook off his hand, swayed, and shouted angrily:

"Enough! What time is it? You're still making a scene here. Explain yourself clearly: when did Yuan'er get lost?"

"I gave you so much money last time, how come you've fallen on hard times and have to sell calligraphy and paintings to make a living?"

Shao Zhili's eyes flickered slightly. Looking at the old lady's seemingly genuine appearance, he quickly recounted how he had been falsely accused of theft and ended up homeless.

"Today I brought Yuan'er here to sell some calligraphy and paintings to exchange for some rice and flour to fill our stomachs. I never expected that Yuan'er would suddenly throw a tantrum and insist on going back to the Marquis's mansion to find you."

The son was so annoyed by his father's noise that he yelled at him a few times. Unexpectedly, the child was stubborn and ran away without saying a word.

The son, who had difficulty walking, could only watch helplessly as his son blended into the crowd and disappeared without a trace.

As Shao Zhili spoke, he touched his right leg with a sorrowful expression, his tone filled with grief.

Seeing her second son in such a disheveled state, the old lady felt as if her heart was being torn apart, and she completely forgot about the time he had just pointed his finger at her and berated her.

A hint of guilt flashed in her eyes as she secretly felt that it was all her fault for not being careful enough, which had ended up harming her second son.

So she quickly instructed the servants accompanying her:

"Wang Mama, quick, send everyone out to search for Yuan'er. Whoever finds him will be richly rewarded!"

Upon hearing this, Granny Wang did not act immediately. She glanced suspiciously at the scattered silver pieces on the ground, then turned to Shao Zhili and asked:

"I wonder where the Second Young Master got all this money. He doesn't seem to be living in poverty as you described."

"I just ran into an old friend who knew of my current predicament and thus offered me some help. Why is Granny Wang interrogating me like this instead of looking for him? What are your intentions?"

As Shao Zhili spoke, his expression towards the other person carried a hint of coldness.

"Second Young Master, you misunderstand. This old servant was only concerned about your safety, which is why I spoke out of turn."

Granny Wang glanced at Shao Zhili's thumb, which still had specks of red on it, and her suspicions grew stronger.

But before she could delve deeper, she was impatiently interrupted by the old lady:

"Granny, you should hurry and find more people to search for Yuan'er. Time is of the essence. We can talk about anything else later."

Upon hearing this, Granny Wang glanced at Shao Zhili standing to the side, looked at the old lady, hesitated, and finally could only bow in agreement before turning and leaving in a hurry.

The young maidservant seized the opportunity and quickly approached the old lady, trying to ingratiate herself by helping her up.

Seeing this, Shao Zhili limped forward, making a gesture to help, but was stopped by the old lady.

The old lady looked at her second son's slightly lame leg, and her nose tingled with a touch of sadness.

"My poor son, I've brought you three cartloads of things this time. You can take them all with you later."

"Don't worry, this time everything was prepared openly and honestly. There's no need to worry about being falsely accused by someone again."

As the old lady spoke, she even thought about writing a document later to state that all the valuables were gifts she had given to her second son.

Shao Zhili was slightly pleased and was about to speak when, unexpectedly, Wang Mama, who had just left, rushed back in a panic, saying anxiously:

"Madam, something terrible has happened! All the carriages we brought earlier have disappeared..."

"What did you say?!!"

The old lady's voice suddenly rose, startling the pearl hairpins at her temples, which trembled wildly.

"Who dares to be so audacious in broad daylight, daring to forcibly seize my Jingyuan Marquis's carriage? Granny, you must send someone to... Ouch..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly stood up in a fit of rage, accidentally aggravating her ankle, which was swollen like a bun, causing her face to contort in pain.

"Ma'am, be careful!"

Granny Wang rushed forward and saw that the sprained area was red, swollen, and shiny. She was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Your injury can't be delayed. This old servant will take you to a doctor first!" After saying that, she was about to call on a strong maid to carry her.

Unfortunately, the old lady's mind was preoccupied with the lost carriages. She angrily pushed away the servant girl squatting in front of her and said:

"Granny! What time is it? How can you still not distinguish between what is important and what is urgent?"

Your most important task now is to take my invitation from the Marquis of Jingyuan's residence and make a trip to the yamen. I refuse to believe that anyone will dare to act arrogantly towards our Marquis's residence.

The old lady frowned at Wang Mama, who was still standing there, and urged, "Mama, what are you standing there for? Quickly send someone to report to the authorities!"

"Master, master..."

Granny Wang stood there somewhat awkwardly, still whispering her advice:

"How about I take you to see a doctor first? Also, the Second Young Master's leg injury needs to be treated promptly."

"We can discuss reporting this to the authorities when we get back to the Marquis's residence...it's not too late then."

Hearing this, the old lady became even more displeased, feeling that this dog servant had repeatedly disobeyed orders today, and that he was deliberately taking advantage of his seniority by her side.

Therefore, her face immediately darkened, and she was about to speak when her second son stopped her.

Seeing Wang Mama's hesitant expression, Shao Zhili had already guessed what was going on. His eyes darkened slightly, and he said in a deep voice:

"Granny, were those carriages... taken away by my elder brother?"