Chapter 44

"Many thanks for your rescue, sir. Otherwise, if I had fallen into the hands of those bandits, I would have had to die to preserve my chastity!" Although she could not bow in the carriage, the beautiful woman still lowered her head and thanked Zhou Chong.

"Madam, you are too kind. It is our duty as scholars to help when we see injustice!" Zhou Chong also bowed in return, while inwardly he felt a bit of a pity. From the age, attire, and their conversation, he could tell that the beautiful woman was already married. Although Zhou Chong was not the type to covet a beautiful woman, as a man, he still felt a natural sense of regret.

Taking this opportunity, Zhou Chong took another look at the two people beside the beautiful woman. The little girl with a clear voice had already hidden behind the woman, looking shy. However, children are naturally curious, so the little girl peeked out from behind the woman, secretly observing Zhou Chong.

The little girl looked about the same age as Duo'er, with a delicate and beautiful appearance, even cuter than Duo'er. From this, it was clear that the little girl had inherited her mother's beauty. Even at such a young age, it was evident that she would grow up to be a rare beauty.

As for the woman driving the carriage, Zhou Chong was taken aback. From their conversation, he knew that the woman driving the carriage was the beautiful woman's younger sister, so he had expected her to be beautiful as well.

However, what he saw was a disheveled figure. She wore a tattered cotton jacket of indeterminate color, covering her body completely. Her face was smudged with dirt, and it was unclear what she had smeared on it. Because of the driving, she had sweated a lot, and the dirt on her face had run in streaks, making her look even more pitiful. Fortunately, Zhou Chong already knew she was a woman; otherwise, he might have mistaken her for a small, thin coachman.

A beautiful woman with her daughter, and her sister deliberately dressed as a dirty coachman, traveling alone in a carriage through the heavy snow to Songjiang Prefecture, and at a time close to the New Year. There was no doubt that they had a story that was not widely known.

Zhou Chong had just met them for the first time, and although he had saved their lives, he did not feel it was appropriate to directly ask about their background, nor was he particularly interested. However, he decided to see them through to the end. The carriage was damaged, so Zhou Chong helped the three women slowly get down.

"Ah, you are injured!" As the beautiful woman and her daughter got off the carriage, the coachwoman suddenly noticed blood on Zhou Chong's back and exclaimed in surprise, showing concern and wanting to check his wound.

"Thank you for your concern, but it's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. Once the others arrive, someone will help me with it," Zhou Chong quickly stepped back a few steps. Joking aside, Zhou Chong was injured on his buttocks, a place he could not let a woman see, or he would be too embarrassed to face anyone.

As Zhou Chong stepped back, the beautiful woman and the coachwoman saw where he was injured. Both women were extremely embarrassed, especially the coachwoman, who thought about helping him bandage the wound just a moment ago, making her even more ashamed. Fortunately, her face was covered with dirt, so no one could see her blushing, but her ear tips, which were exposed, turned bright red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Zhou Chong.

Just as Zhou Chong and the others were feeling a bit awkward, Wang Lun finally returned with help. Since Zhou Chong did not want too many people to know about his injury, Wang Lun only brought his own servants and his carriage. Adhering to the principle of seeing things through to the end, Wang Lun invited the three women to get into his carriage. As for their damaged carriage and the four unconscious bandits, his servants would handle them.

Zhou Chong's injury was not severe, but the wound was long. The beautiful woman had also hit her head, so it was best to have a doctor check them. Therefore, Wang Lun had the driver take them to a clinic first. The doctor bandaged Zhou Chong's wound in the back room and gave him a new set of clothes bought by Wang Lun's servants.

Although Zhou Chong's wound was not deep, it affected his buttocks and thighs, making it difficult for him to walk. He could not take large steps, as it would pull on the wound, so he could only take small steps, which was very inconvenient.

While Zhou Chong was being treated at the clinic, Wang Lun sent someone to inform the Zhou family. Xu, the steward, rushed to the clinic in a hurry and saw Zhou Chong coming out of the back room. He immediately ran over to support him, saying, "Young master, take it easy. Where are you injured? Is it serious?"

Zhou Chong, seeing that there were many people in the clinic, did not want to admit that he was injured on his buttocks, so he vaguely replied, "It's nothing, just a minor flesh wound. It will be fine in a couple of days!"

"Are you sure it's nothing? Lady Wang and the others are very worried. Let me see how serious it is," Xu said, feeling Zhou Chong's arms and chest with his hands, trying to find the wound. Unfortunately, he could not find it after searching.

"Alright, I'm not seriously injured. We can talk about this when we get home. Where are Uncle Wang and the others?" Zhou Chong, realizing this, pushed away Xu's fat hands. He had just looked around the main hall of the clinic and did not see Wang Lun or the three women, only two servants from the Wang family.

However, just as Zhou Chong finished speaking, Wang Lun walked in from outside. Seeing Zhou Chong come out, he immediately smiled and asked, "How are you feeling, Chong? Does the wound still hurt?"

"Uncle, the doctor has treated the wound. It will be fine in a few days," Zhou Chong immediately bowed and replied.

"Hmm, good. As the saying goes, the young are to be feared. I only knew you were talented, but I didn't expect you to be skilled in combat as well." Wang Lun was becoming increasingly curious about Zhou Chong. Since the Zhou family's downfall, Zhou Chong's performance had repeatedly exceeded his expectations. However, his expression soon changed, and he added, "But remember, the main purpose of combat skills is to protect yourself. If you act like those martial people, it will tarnish your identity. Always remember that you are a scholar!"

After the Tumu Fort Incident, military officers in the Ming Dynasty were completely overshadowed by civil officials. The status of military officers was similar to that in the Song Dynasty. Not only were they highly disregarded in the imperial court, but they were also looked down upon by all levels of society, with scholars being the most representative. Wang Lun's words deeply reflected the attitude of scholars towards military people.

Although Zhou Chong did not agree with Wang Lun's words, as he had lived by his combat skills in his previous life, his current identity was different. He had long learned to play his role, so he smiled and replied, "Uncle, you are right. I will remember your advice."

Seeing Zhou Chong's sincere expression, Wang Lun nodded in satisfaction. Then he remembered something and said, "By the way, the two women we rescued have left. They wanted to pay for your medical expenses before leaving, but I thought it would be difficult for them to take care of a child, so I refused their offer. Also, they seemed to have their own troubles, so I did not try to keep them."

Hearing that the beautiful woman had left, Zhou Chong, as a normal man, felt a bit disappointed. After all, this was the first time in his two lives that he had saved a beauty, but the beauty was already married, and he was not really a hero.

Although he was disappointed, Zhou Chong quickly put it out of his mind. Wang Lun had already paid for the medical expenses, and Zhou Chong knew that the woman was not short of money, so he did not refuse. Then Wang Lun sent Zhou Chong back to the Zhou family residence in his carriage. When Lady Wang and Zhuo'er saw Zhou Chong, who was having difficulty walking, they were so heartbroken that they cried.

"Brother, where are you injured? Let me and Lady Wang see how serious it is!" As soon as Xu helped Zhou Chong into his bedroom, the tearful Zhuo'er immediately asked with concern.

"Haha, it's nothing, just a minor injury. I'll be fine in a couple of days!" Zhou Chong, looking a bit embarrassed, replied from his bed. From the moment he entered the courtyard, Lady Wang and Zhuo'er had been asking about his injuries and wanting to check them, but he had managed to avoid them.

"You can't even lie down, and you say it's nothing. Let Lady Wang see if you are injured on your back!" Lady Wang was also heartbroken and crying. Zhou Chong had lost his mother at a young age, and she had raised him. In her heart, Zhou Chong was no different from her own son, so she was more anxious than anyone else to see him injured.

"Aunt, I'm really fine!" Zhou Chong was flustered by the tears of Lady Wang and Zhuo'er, but the location of his injury was too embarrassing to mention, especially with Zhuo'er present.

"Why won't you let us see? It must be very serious, and you are worried about scaring us, so you don't want us to see!" Concerned, the more Zhou Chong tried to avoid it, the more Zhuo'er worried.

Seeing this, Zhou Chong felt he could not hide it any longer. Finally, he could only pull Lady Wang over and whisper the location of his injury to her. Lady Wang, hearing this, smiled through her tears and said, "Chong, you are really something. I changed your diapers when you were a baby. What haven't I seen? Now you are embarrassed to show me?"

Zhuo'er, standing nearby, saw her mother's sudden change from crying to laughing and, being very intelligent, quickly guessed that her brother must have been injured in a private area. This made her blush, and she shyly spat at Zhou Chong and ran out of the bedroom, probably not daring to see him again that day.

There is a saying that misfortunes never come singly. While Zhou Chong was recovering from his injury, a conspiracy against the Zhou family was brewing in Songjiang Prefecture.