Famine and Chaos: Weaving Cloth in Exile to Escape the War

Shen Qingzhou naturally noticed the disdain in Zhou Wanning's eyes.

Shen Qingzhou sneered, his face growing increasingly gloomy.

Did he give Zhou Wanning too much face?

In recent years, since he gained a foothold in the court, the Zhou family has secretly reaped countless benefits and done countless favors in Yangzhou by taking advantage of his name and power.

He knew perfectly well what was going on, but he was too lazy to care. He felt that the Zhou family was alright, at least they had given him a lot of money as a filial offering, and Zhou Wanning had given him a son, so there was no harm in keeping him.

But now, he's just a tiger fallen into the plains, slightly injured. Although the injury is embarrassing and he needs her help to clean it, she's so disgusted and so reluctant to help.

If you're not even willing to do this little thing for him, what kind of affection are you talking about?

Shen Qingzhou was never short of people who wanted to curry favor with him.

Beautiful, talented, and from good families—he can have them at his beck and call, as long as he's willing.

He kept her around only because of his son, and because she was relatively well-behaved, obedient, and virtuous.

If even this last bit of use is no longer needed, then there's no point in keeping it.

Shen Qingzhou coldly said to Zhou Wanning, "Since you are unwilling and feel that it would dirty your hands, then tomorrow morning, I will have someone send you back to your hometown in Yangzhou. From now on, whether your Zhou family is good or bad, it will have nothing to do with me, Shen Qingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wanning trembled, and her face turned even paler.

Go back to Yangzhou?!

No, no!

She absolutely cannot go back!

She knew some of the inside story about Shen Qingzhou's true purpose in being exiled.

He was nominally a family member of a disgraced official, but in reality, he came to the Northwest on a secret mission from the emperor. Given time, he would eventually make a comeback and return to the capital, and his future was limitless!

However, she also knew that Shen Qingzhou didn't love her at all, or even any woman. He was keeping her around only to ensure he had an heir.

Now, Shen Qingzhou's words mean that he is going to abandon her as a pawn!

Once she is sent back to Yangzhou and loses Shen Qingzhou's protection, her Zhou family's assets will soon be devoured by other clansmen until nothing is left!

As for herself, a mistress sent back by Shen Qingzhou, her reputation was ruined, what hope did she have for the rest of her life?

No, she must stay by the child's side, stay by Shen Qingzhou's side, and become his legal wife.

From now on, she will be able to enjoy endless wealth and luxury thanks to her son.

"Brother Qingzhou! I didn't! I didn't mean to!" Zhou Wanning rushed to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), tears streaming down her face. "I just... I just didn't react for a moment! I'll go get some water! I'll wash you up right away! Please don't send me away!"

Without further hesitation, Zhou Wanning turned around and stumbled out of the room to fetch water from the kitchen.

Shen Qingzhou looked at Zhou Wanning and sneered, thinking that she was at least sensible.

However, this woman cannot be allowed to stay.

When the child gets a little older, it's time to send her to where she should be.

More than an hour later, Zhou Wanning, enduring extreme nausea, washed Shen Qingzhou clean from head to toe and dried him off.

Then, following Wang Mama's instructions, she also applied medicine to Shen Qingzhou's chrysanthemums.

Looking at the chrysanthemum that was bleeding profusely, Zhou Wanning vomited again while applying the medicine.

After Shen Qingzhou finally changed into a clean set of undergarments and got everything ready, Wang Mama, seeing that Shen Qingzhou's life was not in danger and the medicine had been applied, did not stay any longer. She handed over several bottles of ointment and instructions to Zhou Wanning before taking her leave.

At this point, Shen Qingshan and Shen Wangshi, who had been waiting anxiously outside the door, were finally allowed to enter the house.

"Qingzhou! How did you get all these injuries?" Madam Shen rushed to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) as soon as she entered. Seeing Shen Qingzhou's still swollen and bruised cheeks and her weak appearance, tears welled up in her eyes again. "And what happened to your face...?"

To be honest, Shen Wangshi was summoned by the Liu family to the Liu residence early this morning to take Shen Qingzhou away. Shen Qingzhou was unconscious the whole way, and she didn't have time to ask Shen Qingzhou how she got injured.

Shen Qingshan asked with a worried expression, "Qingzhou, what happened to your injury?"

Seeing the heartache and worry on his elder brother and sister-in-law's faces, Shen Qingzhou felt a pang of guilt.

In fact, he never told his brother and sister-in-law the real purpose of his exile. This was not only to keep it a secret, but also to protect them.

We can only keep them in the dark, making them suffer and live in fear in this harsh and cold place.

In this world, the only people who are truly good to him without considering personal gain or loss are probably his brother and sister-in-law, who raised him as their own son.

Everyone else, whether it was Zhou Wanning, his former colleagues who fawned over him, or even Liu Mingxuan who claimed to love him...

They all had various motives towards him.

However, Shen Qingzhou would never tell his brother and sister-in-law that he was gay, let alone explain the cause of his injuries.

If his elder brother and sister-in-law, who treat him like their own son and wholeheartedly hope that he will bring honor to the family, knew the truth, they would definitely not be able to accept it.

Fortunately, Zhou Wanning had given birth to a son for him, so he had not failed his brother and sister-in-law in raising him and had given an explanation for the continuation of the Shen family line.

So, Shen Qingzhou lied without batting an eye, saying, "I just tripped and fell while working at the mine, and bumped my face. I'm fine, brother and sister-in-law, I'll be alright in a few days."

"Huh? You can fall and hurt your face like this?" Madam Shen looked incredulous; the injuries on her face clearly showed she had been beaten.

"Qingzhou, tell your sister-in-law the truth, were you bullied at the mine?... It's all that jinx, Jing! If her father hadn't embezzled disaster relief funds, causing us to be exiled to this godforsaken place, you wouldn't be suffering like this!"

"Sister-in-law, brother, I'm sorry to have worried you. No one bullied me." Shen Qingzhou shook his head, his eyes suddenly reddening.

Bully?

He was indeed bullied.

But how could he tell his brother and sister-in-law about this?

He always thought that Liu Mingxuan loved him.

But who knew that they would be inseparable that very night.

They used to be inseparable, but they always had medicine. But that night, they just couldn't find the medicine.

He and Liu Mingxuan could only be carried back to the Liu residence.

After learning about their affair, Master Liu almost had his son's buttocks cut off in an attempt to save him.

However, in order to survive, Liu Mingxuan actually agreed. His eyes were filled with hatred for him, and all the love he once had for him was gone.

Fortunately, he had someone prepare cooking oil, which saved his backside.

However, he was still beaten half to death by Master Liu.

He remembered this grudge.

Once he returns to the capital, he will make sure the Liu family can never rise again.

This was the first time Madam Shen had seen Shen Qingzhou cry, and her heart ached terribly. Her anger surged: "Qingzhou, you better take good care of yourself! I'm going to find that bitch and settle the score! I'll make her kowtow and apologize to you!"

As she spoke, she charged out aggressively.

"Sister-in-law! Don't rush!" Shen Qingzhou quickly called out to Shen Wangshi, "Revenge isn't something to be rushed. There's something more important right now that I'd like to ask you about first."

Madam Shen stopped in her tracks: "What is it? Qingzhou, ask away."

Shen Qingzhou's face darkened. "Sister-in-law, have you noticed anything strange about the Jing family lately?"

When I saw Jing Zhichun today, he was in so much pain from his injuries that he didn't have time to think about it properly.

Now that I've calmed down, the more I think about it, the more something seems off.

When did that woman, who was always timid and submissive in front of him, and respectful and obedient to her brother and sister-in-law, almost to the point of being weak, suddenly dare to hit someone?