The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 93 This Is Uncultured (1)_1

Chapter 93: Chapter 93 This Is Uncultured (1)_1

"They say I have no manners," Pei Qin turned her head to size up the skinny scholar with a face full of freckles. She glanced at Pei Wenli and asked, "We haven’t met before, have we?"

The scholar thought she was taking stock of him and trying to strike up a conversation, and hummed in disdain.

"Since we haven’t met and you don’t know me, where did you hear that I have no manners?!" Pei Qin asked again, with good temper.

The scholar replied without changing his expression, "When the eldest brother greeted you, you didn’t even bother to respond—is that what you call manners?"

Pei Wenli stepped forward to mediate, "Brother Shi Qian, my little sister is just straightforward by nature." Then to Pei Qin, he said, "Sister Daya, Brother Shi Qian is also forthright and he is in a bad mood today. Let’s not be too bothered by it."

The other two scholars looked on from the side with cold eyes, their expressions full of scorn for Pei Qin.

Pei Qin scoffed, "If not bowing and scraping or smiling to please you is being ill-mannered, then, buddy, you’ve really learned your books into the belly of a dog!"

"You... you dare insult me?!" Zhang Shiqian glared at her furiously.

"Insult you? I’m sorry, but that honestly wasn’t my intention before. It’s completely your mouth that started it, uttering ’no manners’ made it hard for me not to take notice of you!" Pei Qin said, stepping back and smiling, "I don’t know what your teacher taught you, but you definitely learned it all into a dog’s belly! Now that you’ve caught my attention, it is necessary for me to teach you what is truly being ill-mannered!"

"Ah... big sister..." Si Ya cried out in alarm, but it was too late to reach out a hand.

After finishing her piece, Pei Qin launched a kick and landed it squarely on Zhang Shiqian’s face, sending him tumbling off the bridge.

Zhang Shiqian’s face turned pale with fear, and despite his cries, he could not stop himself. With a splash, he fell into the river.

A succession of gasps and cries followed.

"Someone’s fallen into the water! Someone’s fallen into the water!"

"Quick, save them!"

Zhang Shiqian couldn’t swim, and while Bear River wasn’t deep, it was navigable by boats. In the cold weather, the water was icy and bone-chilling. He floundered desperately, screaming for help.

"Daya! You... you’re downright..." Pei Wenli glared at Pei Qin in shock and anger.

Pei Qin looked at him sarcastically, "Isn’t he your good brother? Then go save him!"

Save him?! Setting aside whether they could swim well or not, the water was bone-piercingly cold this chilly day.

Villagers by the river heard the shouts, and a crowd of people rushed out. Someone extended a long pole into the river for Zhang Shiqian to grab onto to be pulled up.

Someone had already called for a boat.

Zhang Shiqian was wearing a cotton robe which had soaked up water and was pulling him under.

After much struggle, they managed to rescue him; he was shaking all over, his face was ashen, and his lips were turning purple from the cold.

Pei Wenli angrily said, "Daya! Apologize!"

Si Ya was both anxious and annoyed, her little face turning purple. Whenever the eldest sister went out, she either spent money or caused trouble! And these were her elder brother’s friends, literate men a cut above the rest—just by saying a word, they hadn’t lost any flesh!

Those who had just seen Pei Qin kick Zhang Shiqian into the river were now looking at her with accusatory eyes. Someone directly questioned why she kicked someone into the river, "In this cold weather, a frail scholar falling into the river might not die but could lose half their life!"

"Trouble comes from the mouth! Lady, I don’t even know this person. Passing over the bridge and then getting cursed at for having no manners! My father may have died early, but my mother is still alive! Since this buddy here doesn’t know what being truly ill-mannered looks like, I kindly let him experience it! So he won’t make the wrong remarks in the future!" Pei Qin scoffed, picked up her basket, and told Si Ya and Wendong to leave.

The people around them had varying expressions—some blamed Zhang Shiqian for not knowing how to speak, others said that Pei Qin’s behavior was the very definition of ill-mannered.

Zhang Shiqian was beginning to regret saying that sentence that provoked Pei Qin, but after the regret, he felt even more resentful and furious, "This is just..."