Xu Lanyin looked at the grief-stricken faces of the two, both large and small, and sighed inwardly. It seemed that the predetermined trajectory wasn't so easily reversed; those tiny wings hadn't managed to bring Gu Wangchen down.

She smiled casually and said, "The higher he goes, the more cautious he will be. On the contrary, he won't dare to push us into a corner."

Xu Mingqing shook his head and sighed, "You are so smart now, why did you act so stupid back then?" He comforted Qin for a few words and then went home.

Xu Lanzhou thought about it and decided to go to the Gu family to watch the fun.

He returned from the festivities, feeling even more depressed. The Gu family was bustling with activity. Not only had most of the village families gone to give gifts, but even some wealthy families and landlords from the town and county had come to give gifts. A relative of the Gu family helped to record the gift list, and two people from the village helped with the reception. Mrs. Gu certainly hadn't expected this; it must have been arranged by Gu Wangchen before he left. Moreover, Mrs. Gu rolled her eyes when she saw him and ignored him.

He glanced at Xu Lanyin. With such a foolish look on her face, how could she possibly outsmart the thoughtful Gu Wangchen? Not to mention the family money being lost, who knew how Gu Wangchen would deal with her in order to break off the engagement without damaging his reputation...

Xu Lanzhou explained the situation of the Gu family and his own concerns. "You better be careful. We can't defeat him, and the villagers will help him. Don't let him trick you."

Xu Lanyin sneered. Wasn't the original owner killed by Gu Wangchen, and even the whole family was ruined? She had foreseen his sinister intentions, so of course she couldn't do what he wanted.

Seeing Xu Lanyin remained silent, Xu Lanzhou continued, "If it really doesn't work out, we don't want the money anymore. You can take the initiative to cancel the engagement. If you can't afford to provoke me, you can afford to avoid me."

This kid is not bad. Although he is stingy, when there is a conflict between his family and money, he thinks of his family first.

Xu Lanyin shook her head. She didn't want to let Gu Wangchen get away with it so easily. She said, "The barefoot are not afraid of the shod. At worst, both sides will be destroyed. Gu Wangchen has passed the imperial examination, so he doesn't want to ruin his reputation because of money."

As the brother and sister were talking, Xu Lizheng and Xu Dashi arrived. Xu Lizheng was in his forties and was a relative of Xu Lanyin's family, but he was already three generations out of their kinship, so Xu Lanyin's siblings had to call him their third cousin.

The Xu surname is a prominent one in Xiaozao Village, with the majority belonging to the Xu family. Village Chief Xu's father, his second grandfather, is also the patriarch of the Xu clan. Together, they hold sway over the village, holding sway over everything. With the exception of the scholar who has yet to return to the village, they are the bosses.

Their family was also the richest in Xiaozao Village, owning more than 100 acres of land and a small hillside planted with pear trees.

Xu Lanyin had a bad impression of the village chief, Xu, and felt his family was dishonest. It was the original owner's fault for stealing the pears, but they were all relatives, and the pears weren't worth much. They should have privately educated the woman or demanded compensation, instead of making a big deal out of it. What would become of this young girl, bearing the reputation of a thief?

Xu Dashi had a sullen face, while Xu Lizheng was smiling with wrinkles all over his face.

He was an honored guest, so Xu Lanzhou quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "Third cousin is here, please come in for tea."

Xu Lizheng waved his hand and said with a smile, "Mr. Gu passed the imperial examination. It is the glory of our village and the glory of all the people in Xiaozao Village. Even in the whole Sanshi Town, there has only been one such man in a hundred years. Just now, the county magistrate's legal advisor also came to the Gu family and presented a gift on behalf of the county magistrate." His smile deepened as he said this, and he really felt that he was also full of glory.

He walked a few steps, hands behind his back, then stopped. His face suddenly turned serious, and he continued, "Recently, there have been some bad rumors in the village about Mr. Gu and the Miao family. I know it came from your family."

Xu Lanzhou said angrily, "Third uncle, those are not rumors, they are true. Gu Wangchen tricked my sister into selling the land, and he doesn't want to marry her..."

Xu Lizheng was even less happy and frowned and said, "Who could deceive a girl of Lan's age? She volunteered to send Gu Juren Cheng Yi. She is generous and has good vision. Didn't Gu Juren pass the imperial examination at such a young age? If they do this, it will be a good story. It's not as bad as you say. I have never heard Gu Juren say that he won't marry Lan Yatou. I won't agree if he dares to bully our Xu family girl like this. You must not ruin Gu Juren's reputation just because you feel sorry for those acres of land. You must know that our village has a Juren, and it is much easier for young people to find wives than before. If his reputation is ruined, our entire Xiaozao Village and the entire Xu family will be embarrassed." He pointed at Xu Dashi and said coldly, "These children are ignorant, but you are old enough to be ignorant. Go back and tell your grandma to keep your mouth shut. If you dare to spread those lies everywhere, I will be the first to disapprove. Don't say that I don't care about our relatives."

Xu Dashi clenched his fists, but dared not speak out.

Xu Lizheng put on a smiling face again and said to Xu Lanyin, "Girl Yin, you are so lucky. You will become the wife of a juren. Maybe you can even get an imperial decree in the future. If you get an imperial decree, it will be an honor for all the girls in our Xu family." He taught her earnestly, "Even after marrying into the Gu family, don't forget how much your parents and brothers have done for you and Juren Gu. You should help your brothers more..."

Even he felt his words were against his will, and he coughed a few times. Everyone knew that old woman Gu was mean and stingy, and she looked down on her daughter-in-law, so how could she possibly allow her to support her family? However, if she couldn't support them openly, she could support them secretly. In the future, when Gu Juren passed the imperial examination and became an official, he would have so much money that he could beat a dog. Any money that slipped through his fingers would be enough for their family to live on.

Xu Lanyin hadn't expected that the ancients' "collective consciousness" was even stronger than modern people's. Together, they perfectly interpreted the saying "putting the high and praising the low." Even before Gu Wangchen returned, these people were eager to praise him to the skies.

Xu Lanzhou said angrily, "With just those two people, who has the ability to pick up silver from between their fingers..."

Seeing Xu Lizheng's gloomy face, he had to swallow the rest of his words.

Xu, the village chief, reprimanded Xu Lanzhou a few times, then told them that Gu Wangchen had brought honor to the village and would bring more benefits to the village in the future, asking them to be more sensible and wise. Gu Wangchen was now the pride of Xiaozao Village. Not only the village chief, but even the villagers didn't want to hear anyone say bad things about him.

Afterwards, he went to the Gu family for dinner with a smile on his face, and said to Xu Dashi and Xu Lanzhou, "You are the future brothers-in-law of Mr. Gu. Now is the time to go to the Gu family and help them. Don't let outsiders talk about you."

Seeing Xu Dashi and Xu Lanzhou both sullen and unmoved, Xu Lizheng left. He simply couldn't understand this family's shortsightedness. Marrying Gu Juren was such a blessing; it was a blessing for his ancestors, and certainly for their own. Even if the Gu family mother and son truly wanted to regret it, they should have found a way to prevent it and force her to marry into the family...

Xu Dashi sighed a few times and went home to discuss with the old man Xu and his wife and his father.