Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Translator: Silvery Butterfly
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“Young Master Jin, how could you forget so easily? Don’t you remember this face?” The man leaned forward, his pale face flickering in the dim light. He patted his legs. “You must remember these useless legs, don’t you?”OQhniwegbxLgrBwRQtwiAOkrBRIEJb

Xiao Bao forced his mouth open, “……It’s you……”eINjOFcACPvjCJnofhRdwhbIAwPtSc

“Young Master Jin finally remembers. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day? I thought I’d never have this chance in my lifetime.” After speaking, he began to laugh to himself.ICjQvJWqOdSfgHvAsjLNdGbvFbrvaT

Xiao Bao moved his body instinctively, shielding his parents behind him. “This is between you and me. If you have a grudge, take it out on me.”OuiqkwiHeKPiDoifgHIadZgnJiqISt

“Heh, what a hero you are. Of course, I’m coming for you. Do you know the price I paid to get here?”CBjHOZqLlDrmqzKdwIvXYZWVphMXmA

Madam Jin suddenly rushed to the bars, kneeling before the man and begging, “Young Master Qi, Xiaobin, for the sake of the friendship between your father and our family, please let Xiao Bao go. You were both young and naive back then. We’ve always felt guilty……”KucmtANpJVUvdxOrWXrGdhoDgyZckq

“Shut up!!” The man’s face contorted, and he suddenly shouted, “Guilty, my ass!! I was my father’s only son, and I became a cripple. Do you think my father could swallow that?! Do you think I can?! If it weren’t for the wealth and power of your Jin family, we would never have taken this lying down!! I’ve spent my whole life waiting for this day!! Waiting for the day when I can crush your Jin family beneath my feet to avenge my legs!!!!”eWVCHaQRWPYPgvOxdBQHTYdJfQkgyZ

Master Jin also crawled to the bars, his voice trembling, “What happened back then is beyond judgment now. Over the years, we’ve compensated you greatly. Xiaobin, your father’s success today is entirely because of us. That incident happened so long ago. Please let Xiao Bao go. Uncle Jin apologizes to you. Please let Xiao Bao go.” He then forcefully kowtowed to Qi Xiaobin.ChQOSMnybJWWkPFaGWINZLkcZahVxp

“Father!! Mother!!” Xiao Bao rushed over and pulled his parents up, shouting, “I’ll take responsibility for what I’ve done. How can you kneel to him!!”yOTYzftCdRMBfxgdSkkFnlWWbPCHXI

No matter how useless or cowardly Jin Xiao Bao was, he could never allow his parents to kneel to someone because of him!!!duePLePYchBNDOJMmBgchvHavOxxwL

Master Jin anxiously said, “Why do you still care about that at this moment?! Xiaobin, let Xiao Bao go. Although our mansion has been confiscated, we still have private treasures. They’re all yours. Just let Xiao Bao go.”FvCSZKqRqWqLDzUvCkGmbAMUqSiQPM

Qi Xiaobin sneered, “Do you think I’m a fool? Even if you have treasures, they won’t fall into my hands. Going after them would be pure suicide. I don’t want money. No amount of money can buy back my legs!!!”jyUPolrFzVBojaRYyiuCwsYozrlFTw

With a gesture from Qi Xiaobin, two men stepped forward, opened the cell door, and dragged Xiao Bao out. No matter how much Master and Madam Jin cried and begged, it was useless.jANWTcHITCQceUkEdssBusnCfpnkzQ

Qi Xiaobin glanced coldly at the two elders, “You two are lucky. Someone is protecting you, so you’re untouchable. But as for Jin Xiao Bao, no matter the cost, I will make him pay for my legs!”PDQOkrNAvSKHVVFdimbJYvSRwccuwu

Xiao Bao’s face turned ashen, and he was dragged out of the cell without resistance. He was trembling all over, terrified of whatever he was about to face.DjDwtaTviggSSNaCLfuQidlQgiLFdY

The cries of his parents seemed distant as he was dragged through the dark corridor towards his dreadful fate, memories of his enmity with Qi Xiaobin swirling in his mind.vewKxijlBRlFrZUCIKmtDAUasIpMJw

Ironically, it was again related to the Xue family.lXRprkJvRrEKJoReoIkQxICiPRcJOo

That year, he was sixteen, a reckless and arrogant age. Throughout Jiangnan, he was known to have his way and be greeted with applause wherever he went, basking in endless glory.MvMVBRZjmgLwpcBONoOacYjMdZlxqh

One time, he was drinking and having fun with a few friends at a brothel. They were in high spirits when suddenly they heard a woman’s piercing cries and pleas for mercy from the next room.pKLCgvmXaEfLPhqoGcCecJrlvDMeji

He asked the girl accompanying him, and each one looked terrified, with a hint of resentment in their voices. They explained that the next room held the son of a county official from Suzhou. The position wasn’t very high, but he was still untouchable. This man was notoriously cruel and perverted in his treatment of women. It was said he had already killed a maid in his own home. No girl wanted to serve him, but he always came with a few strong bodyguards and couldn’t be driven away. He was very domineering, and the brothel madam dared not defy him, so they had to draw lots. Whoever drew the short straw was unlucky, as she had to encounter him.xzzgWcfqwUiXOhWvPQoCpqgXCiuPUE

He was at the age of full of vigor and vitality, and was drunk. He wouldn’t have taken a small county official’s son seriously even on a normal day. At that moment, he was even less inclined to care and rallied his friends to administer justice.ceNmkOOAwLXPXWRnMoluVVqBkJzYHZ

He hadn’t planned to do much, just asked Zhao Cai to teach the man a lesson. Unexpectedly, the man bore a grudge.kApdiigIpTtmtTfFCWnJnZawMoQPBp

When he thought the matter was over, he went to a temple to donate incense money one time. It was drizzling that day, and as he turned to leave, there were dozens of long steps beneath him. Qi Xiaobin suddenly rushed out, trying to push him down. He saw it out of the corner of his eye but couldn’t dodge in time. Just then, Xiao Yu’s brother, Xue Minyu, who had some martial skills, happened to be nearby and pulled him back. Qi Xiaobin couldn’t stop his momentum and rolled down the steps, crashing into a carved wooden bench at the end of the railing. The bench, weathered by years of exposure, was unstable, and three large Taihu stones, each weighing over a hundred pounds, toppled onto Qi Xiaobin’s legs.RmzSCeXWeWeuGWQmKCnEmdPeYMouym

The county official was initially unwilling to let it go, but faced with the powerful Jin family, he had to accept more compensation and was promoted with their help. Thus, the matter was quietly resolved.RZUkODikMinBZPzzDSTYkhwpDklrrr

At the time, he didn’t think much of it, believing Qi deserved it. He didn’t even remember his face.NbeGNVoytAVQnIeSAnPBfdBfPUaFep

Instead, he was grateful to have met Xiao Yu’s brother, Xue Minyu. Xue was upright yet cheerful and generous, never pretentious or disdainful of his wealth. They got along very well. Once, after drinking together, he found the family heirloom jade pendant Xue Minyu had left in the carriage and personally returned it. Little did he know it would be their last meeting……WhVqWQemlrRCUNfLLUSEEWUVUSIHEY

The memories were vivid. Xiao Bao never imagined that after so long, he would fall into this man’s hands, at his mercy.VAbpTLkeDlriWBvPpVjgKATYEuhgvq

When he was roughly strapped to the torture rack, his limbs spread wide in a “大” shape, Jin Xiao Bao couldn’t help but wonder how things might have been different if he hadn’t been so reckless in his youth and interfered in that affair back then. Yet, if he hadn’t done so, he wouldn’t have met Xue Minyu and wouldn’t have become Xiao Yu’s gege. Even if he could choose again, he would still want to be Xiao Yu’s gege.fKWWRFbDrQBfucTRRyJCiCaTLTVgxK

Xiao Bao turned his head away, not wanting to see Qi Xiaobin’s sinister, triumphant smile, but he couldn’t control the trembling that shook his entire body.YiGKHVNSlMtqraCeFrDDpeVFXyTaSh

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