The servant looked around nervously. Seeing that no one had noticed, he finally relaxed a little. He was just about to speak when he saw a group of people coming up the steps. His heart tightened, and he hurried forward, grabbing Grace Carter's horse reins and pleading, “Miss Grace, please get off the horse! Otherwise, I’ll lose my job.”

“Ah! You’re Uncle Richard.” Grace Carter recognized him too. She quickly dismounted, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment, “I got scolded badly by my father this morning, I forgot!”

……

“Ha! Look, who is that?”

“Frying pan!”

The crowd immediately burst into laughter. They were a group of The Bolton Family youths who disdained the academy’s food and had gone out drinking together, only to run into Grace Carter.

Grace Carter had always been boisterous since childhood, often used by adults as a negative example to educate their children: “If you’re that wild, you’ll end up like Grace Carter, and who will marry you when you grow up!”

“Remember, when you grow up and take a wife, never marry someone like Grace Carter!”

Because of things like this, Grace Carter was well-known; there were few in Taiyuan City who didn’t know her, though opinions about her varied. These young scions rarely saw girls at the academy, and today, by chance, one appeared—and it was the famously wild girl of Taiyuan. Instantly, they were interested, stopping in their tracks and surrounding Grace Carter, mocking her without restraint.

“Frying pan, make me a couple of eggs next time, don’t just cook for Sammy alone.”

……

“Second Miss, you should go!” The servant, seeing that the other side had numbers and were all The Bolton Family youths, didn’t dare interfere further and quietly urged Grace Carter to leave.

But Grace Carter grew stubborn. Anger burned in her eyes as she turned and pulled a huge frying pan from her saddlebag. It gleamed with a dark greenish light and weighed at least twenty jin. She stepped forward, holding the pan across her body, and snarled, “Anyone who’s not afraid to die, come at me!”

The The Bolton Family youths, emboldened by their numbers, didn’t take her seriously. Grace Carter’s stubbornness only made them more excited. One of them even half-knelt before her, raising both hands high, eyes half-closed, feigning intoxication as he shouted, “Come on! Do it! If I die by frying pan, I’ll be a romantic ghost!”

The others burst out laughing, “Go on, do it! He wants to be romantic.”

Grace Carter bit her lip, swung the heavy frying pan, making a “whoosh~” in the air, and brought it down hard on his head, “I’ll smash you half to death, let you go crazy!”

Seeing she was really going to hit him, the The Bolton Family youth turned pale with fright. He spun around, scrambling to escape, but was a step too slow—the frying pan landed squarely on his shoulder, sending him rolling. Clutching his shoulder, he couldn’t get up.

“You dare hit me? I’m going to tell your father!” As he spoke, he realized his shoulder might really be ruined and started crying in fear.

“Enough!” David Bolton walked over slowly, his face dark. He swept his gaze over the crowd and shouted sternly, “The family head is about to arrive. How dare you still fool around here?”

The crowd panicked, each lowering their heads in silence. David Bolton turned, his face cold, and pointed at Grace Carter, asking the servant, “Did you let this woman in?”

“Eldest Young Master, no!” The servant panicked, dropping to his knees.

“Pack your things and get out now. If you’re slow, I’ll break your legs!”

Tears in his eyes, the servant kowtowed to David Bolton and stumbled away.

Grace Carter watched his retreating figure, feeling sorry for him. She suppressed her anger and gently explained to David Bolton, “Young Master Bolton! I’m here to find someone, it has nothing to do with him. Please spare him!”

David Bolton glanced at her arrogantly and asked, “You’re the second young lady of the The Carter Family, right? Who are you here to see?”

“Eldest Young Master, she’s here to see Henry Bolton, the eighteenth young master from the sixth branch!” At this moment, a sycophantic servant rushed to answer before Grace Carter could reply. The servant behind David Bolton with a small mustache, named Peter Bolton, was actually in his twenties despite being called a page. His eyes darted slyly, his signature little mustache twitching, and he added, “The one who talked back to you this morning!”

Just as a prairie fire often starts from a single spark, the page’s low words instantly ignited the hatred in David Bolton’s heart. He stared at Grace Carter, his gaze icy and venomous.

“Second Miss, you should remember your status. Jinyang Academy is a place for scholars, not for riffraff to wander in, and certainly not for medicine peddlers to set foot in. If you want to find someone, wait outside!”

Though David Bolton didn’t mock her as crudely as the other The Bolton Family youths, his words were a hundred times more vicious. The implication was that the The Carter Family was beneath even the lowest classes. Grace Carter, though a bit slow to react, understood this perfectly. Her face flushed bright red, and her anger exploded uncontrollably. She pointed at David Bolton and cursed, “You bastard! Do you even speak like a human being?”

“Truly a wild woman with no upbringing. Throw her out!” David Bolton shouted angrily, and several people moved to seize her.

“Who dares touch me!” Grace Carter raised the frying pan high, shouting furiously and decisively, “Anyone who lays a hand on me, I’ll smash their brains out!”

Chapter Four: Playing the Pipa (Part Two)