Zhao Wu said, "We were fooled around by Zhang Sanlang. Uncle He was extremely angry and asked Zhang Jiaqiang for fifteen strings of cash. Five strings of cash were given as a tribute, Uncle He got three strings of cash, and we each got one string of cash, five hundred coins. The rest was used for drinking and..." He didn't dare to continue. He laughed dryly twice and said, "We solved a big case and seized so much money. I was also very meritorious, so I got four strings of cash as a reward, the same as Uncle He. The other brothers only got two strings of cash."

Xu Lanyin said, "I should take the reward, but Uncle He's forcing people to pay is blatant extortion, isn't that bad?"

Zhao Wu said, "Uncle He gave it to me, I can't refuse it. Don't worry, sister, for Zhang Sanlang's sake, the Zhang family won't dare to make a fuss about this. Besides, they were the ones who started it all, and it's different from the protection money they demanded last time. Uncle He is relatively lenient, as long as it's not excessive, the higher-ups won't care, otherwise they wouldn't dare to accept the five strings of cash."

Although Xu Lanyin disagreed with this approach, she knew Zhao Wu wouldn't dare refuse. She emphasized again, "No matter what, you absolutely cannot extort money from others. Especially those poor families. A little money can ruin their lives, and your own future could even be ruined."

"I know. If the Zhang family were poor, I would still help to intercede for them."

Zhao Wu picked up the brocade box and opened it. Inside were two silver hairpins. He smiled and said, "These are the hairpins I bought for my sister and aunt. The butterfly hairpin is for my sister, and the lotus hairpin is for my aunt."

Xu Lanyin said angrily, "Didn't I tell you not to buy us anything anymore? We should save the money. My mother just bought me a silver hairpin this morning."

Zhao Wu didn't respond to her words, and pushed the remaining two strings of cash to Xu Lanyin, saying, "I earned this for you."

Xu Lanyin shook her head and said, "I don't want it. You can keep what you earn."

Zhao Wu said again, "Then sister, please keep it for me. I still have several dozen taels of silver on me, so I'll use that first."

Xu Lanyin looked at the pile of money and thought it was a good idea for him to keep less money on him. So she said, "Okay, I'll keep it for you and keep an account. If you need it later, come to me."

After finishing her business, Xu Lanyin felt the smell of cheap perfume entering her nose. She sneezed and asked, "Where did you go before you went home?"

Zhao Wu was not used to lying to Xu Lanyin. He looked away and said, "Go, go buy some wine and braised meat."

"What about before buying wine and meat?" Xu Lanyin asked, his face darkening.

Zhao Wu was most afraid of her getting angry, so he quickly smiled and said, "Don't be angry, sister. I didn't do anything bad. I was just dragged away by Uncle He and his brothers to a private house..."

A private brothel, also known as a brothel, is where low-class prostitutes stay. It is managed by a brothel owner who leads one or several women, and the customers they receive are all poor peddlers or gangsters.

Xu Lanyin could tolerate Zhao Wu sharing a small portion of the extortion money; as long as the amount wasn't large, her superiors would turn a blind eye. After all, it was the norm in the industry; if he refused, he would be blocking someone else's path to wealth. But she couldn't accept him engaging in prostitution; not only was it disgusting, but it was also a matter of personal preference; no one would force someone into doing it.

She was so angry that she grabbed Zhao Wu's ears and twisted them a few times, glaring at him and scolding him, "If I had known you were such a loser, I shouldn't have saved you in the first place."

She pulled with all her strength, causing Zhao Wu to grimace in pain, tilting her head and begging, "Gentle, gentle, it hurts... Sister, listen to me. I was forced by Brother Wang to touch Xiao Taohong's breasts. It only took a moment, and then I broke free and ran away. Really."

Xu Lanyin twisted a few more times before letting go.

Zhao Wu rubbed his ears with a bitter face. Seeing that Xu Lanyin was still angry, he said frankly, "Don't be angry, sister. How can I look down on the women there?" He curled his lips and said disdainfully, "What kind of pat on the head is that? It feels like touching a steamed bun through a layer of cloth. I don't know why those people like it so much."

Xu Lanyin didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Why did they let you out?"

Zhao Wu said, "When Uncle He saw that I really didn't want to go, he told them that I was a good kid and not to scare me, so he told them to let me go." He was afraid that Xu Lanyin wouldn't believe him, so he assured him, "Really, I didn't lie to you, sister. I swear to God." Even he was a little puzzled as to why Uncle He let him go so easily.

When Xu Lanyin pulled his ear, she had already heard his inner voice and knew that he was telling the truth.

She looked at Zhao Wu, who was accompanying Xiao Xin. This child had a contradictory personality. Having been raised without parenting and through such experiences, he didn't quite understand human nature, yet he was adept at feigning knowledge of the world's dangers. He was the type who was both shrewd in some areas and naive in others. She was afraid he would be corrupted, or perhaps even willingly go along with the corrupt for revenge, which would ruin him.

Xu Lanyin sighed and said, "I'm still not sure whether it's right or wrong to let you be a constable."

Zhao Wu hurriedly said, "Being a constable is fine. Sister, don't worry, I won't learn bad things. I still want to go to the Six Gates. There are so many things to do later. How can I lose the big picture for the sake of a small thing?"

Xu Lanyin said, "It's good that you haven't forgotten your original intention. You must always remember it." She added, "Uncle He is not bad. At least he didn't force you to do anything you didn't want to do. He has some real skills. You can go to his house and give him some gifts during the New Year..." Only by knowing the real situation of his family can you know how to get along with him and whether you can have a deep friendship with him.

Zhao Wu nodded and said, "Yeah, I think so too."

Xu Lanyin wrapped up the cloth containing the large sum of money and did not take the gift. She let him take it himself and said, "Come over to eat after you take a shower. Then bring your dirty clothes over and I will wash them tomorrow."

She left the west wing and locked the door again.

When passing by the hall, Qin saw the heavy package and asked, "What is it?"

Xu Lanyin said that Zhao Wu received the reward and did not dare to mention the matter of "dividing the spoils".

Qin also felt that Zhao Wu shouldn't have too much money on him, so she said, "He trusts you, so you have to keep it safe and keep a good account."

Xu Lanyin agreed and went to her room to lock the money in the kang cabinet.

Zhao Wu came over after taking a shower, wearing the bamboo green cotton robe made for him by Qin. His wet hair was loose, and he looked handsome and upright.

Qin secretly regretted that the child was too good-looking and she didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse for him.

Zhao Wu placed the wine and braised meat on the table, then opened the brocade box as if presenting a treasure, saying with a smile, "We got a reward for solving a big case, and this is for my aunt and sister."

Qin was still happy, thinking that this child was grateful and remembered kindness. She said with a smile, "You have many other places to spend your money, why waste it? Yin'er and I have jewelry, so this hairpin will be kept for your future wife."

Zhao Wu stuffed the brocade box into Qin's hand and said, "Yours is yours, and mine is mine. I wasn't polite when Aunt made clothes for me, so why should you be polite to me? Besides, I don't even know where my wife is..."