Chapter 27: If You Can't Handle It, Don't Start Trouble
The oil in the frying pan was bubbling with splashes. In front of Lin Ruanyuan's stall stood a scholar with an old folding fan, crossing his arms as if he intended to protect her.
Although Lin Ruanyuan didn't consider herself disabled.
The scholar had his back to her and looked ready to fight anyone who approached.
Lin Ruanyuan was an assassin in her previous life and had only recently arrived here. She still had her ruthless streak.
She was also not good with words, so when facing these troublemakers, she would rather use her hands than be pushed around.
But this sudden appearance of the scholar left her unable to throw the hot oil she had prepared.
Even though she found him somewhat annoying, Lin Ruanyuan couldn't really throw hot oil on someone who was kindly trying to help her.
"Hey, you scholar, minding quite a lot of business, aren't you?" Aunt Fu sneered, not taking the scholar seriously at all.
She didn't hold back because of the scholar; she was afraid of Lin Ruanyuan's hot oil.
"A young lady trying to make a living is hard enough, how can you trouble her?" The scholar stood firm, showing no intention of backing down.
"You scholar, you failed the local exams and still dare to lecture us?"
"That's right, you couldn't even pass the local exams, your fiancée broke off the engagement, and you still have the nerve to wander the streets?"
The chestnut seller and the bun vendor taunted the scholar in unison.
Lin Ruanyuan glanced at the scholar's thin back. So he was a down-and-out scholar, no wonder he was so poorly dressed.
"What does this have to do with bullying the girl? Why bring me into it?" The scholar, though hit where it hurt, blushed but didn't back down from protecting Lin Ruanyuan's stall.
"You like meddling, but you're afraid of being mocked?" the chestnut seller said.
"You're the laughingstock of Changping Town and still dare to meddle in others' business? You're just asking for trouble," Aunt Fu mocked, not letting the oil burns on her hands stop her from ridiculing the scholar.
"Laughingstock? It's just a failed exam. I'll try again in three years. Your attitudes of kicking someone when they're down truly show you're only fit for petty trades."
The scholar retorted with righteous indignation, undeterred by their mockery.
"Even migrating geese know to protect the weak, yet you, as humans, bully a stammering girl. You're no better than animals."
He continued, his words sharp and fast, as if borrowed and eager to be returned.
Lin Ruanyuan felt dizzy from listening, realizing after a while that he was scolding them.
What a guy, not a single dirty word, but he still managed to insult them thoroughly.
If she was confused, the ones being scolded were even more at a loss. What did geese and trees have to do with them?
"You scholar, I advise you to move. Today, we will drive this stammering girl away, and if you interfere, we'll beat you too."
The chestnut seller rolled up his sleeves, his eyes fierce.
"Fight? Do you think the county government will let you off easily? If you dare lay a hand on anyone, you'll be jailed for three to five days."
The scholar still blocked Lin Ruanyuan, unwilling to budge.
Despite his bold words, Lin Ruanyuan noticed his fingers gripping the old fan were trembling.
Clearly scared but still standing up for someone else. This scholar must be crazy from too much studying.
"Jail us for three to five days? You think you're still the future son-in-law of the county magistrate? She left you, so stop showing off."
The chestnut seller sneered, full of disdain.
Lin Ruanyuan coldly observed from behind, noticing a hint of jealousy in the chestnut seller's eyes.
She wasn't quite sure if the jealousy was directed at her or at the scholar.
"Cancel the engagement if you want. It's a blessing not to marry such a snobbish person." The scholar's ears turned a bit red when the topic of the broken engagement came up.
However, he still raised his neck and spoke loudly.
"Daring to call the county magistrate's daughter snobbish? You must be tired of living."
The person arguing with the scholar finally lost patience, took a few steps forward, and pushed the scholar away from the stall.
The scholar, being merely a bookworm with no physical strength, stumbled forward from the forceful push.
After stumbling several steps, he barely managed to stand firm.
Meanwhile, the man who pushed the scholar reached out to drag Lin Ruannan out from behind the stall.
He thought his movements were quick enough that the stuttering girl wouldn't have time to splash him with oil, so he sped up his actions as soon as he got close to the scholar, acting swiftly and decisively.
What he didn't know was that Lin Ruannan had been an assassin in her previous life.
As an assassin, her ability to sense danger was naturally higher than that of an ordinary person.
The moment he approached the scholar, Lin Ruannan saw the ruthlessness in his eyes.
Her previously relaxed hand instantly gripped the frying spoon still in the oil pot, and just as his hand reached out to grab her, she poured a ladle of scalding oil over his hand without hesitation.
If he wanted to grab her, he should taste what it feels like to be deep-fried first.
Although the fire under the oil pot had been reduced, the oil was still boiling hot.
Even if the oil wasn't hot enough to cook through, it could still scald a layer of skin.
"Ah!" The young man who wanted to buy chestnuts tried to endure the pain at first, but the scalding oil was too painful.
As the pain intensified, his screams grew louder.
The other stall owners were already frightened by this ladle of oil; no one dared to approach, fearing that the stuttering girl might splash them with the same ladle of oil.
Even a few splashes of hot oil hurt, let alone a whole ladleful in one place.
The scholar, who had just managed to steady himself, was startled by the shrill screams. When he turned around, he saw the young man who had pushed him lying half on the ground, wailing in pain.
The hand that had been splashed with hot oil was swollen and blistered in places.
With such a commotion, a crowd had already gathered around.
Seeing the miserable state, the onlookers couldn't help but wince.
Lin Ruannan watched him struggle and wail on the ground with an expressionless face, a cold sneer in her heart.
Coming out to cause trouble without any ability was courting death.
He should be thankful there were so many people around; otherwise, she wouldn't have let him leave here alive.
Lin Ruannan had no objection to others selling chestnuts and competing for business, as everyone needed to make a living. But if they couldn't compete and decided to cause trouble, she wouldn't tolerate it.