Loss of property rights

Shen Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his jawline taut, staring intently as Hu Zi took the shrunken silver pouch from Ling Zhan.

The bag was so light, it seemed to be silently mocking his past extravagant spending.

—This is outrageous!

His chest heaved a few times, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Hu Zi's serious little face and Ling Zhan's calm, expressionless face, before he swallowed back the roar that was about to come out. The street was bustling with people; he, Young Master Shen, couldn't afford to lose face like that!

With a sudden flick of the hem of her long, bright red silk gown, Shen Yan turned and strode towards the busiest part of South Street with a deliberate, dignified gait. Her figure and the sheen of the silk stood out starkly against the drab streetscape, drawing the attention of passersby.

"Tiger," he said without turning his head, his voice drawn out with an unquestionable command, "remember, first go to 'Yun Jin Ge' and buy a few feet of the finest moon-white cotton cloth to make an undergarment. Then go to 'Fu Ji' and buy five catties of braised pork, the kind with a good balance of fat and lean, glossy and smooth..."

There was complete silence behind me, except for the sound of wheels rolling over the road.

He turned around impatiently—

Tiger clutched the money pouch, his little face as taut as an iron plate, his eyes resolute: "Father, Mother said this money is the lifeline for buying grain, not a single copper coin can be wasted!"

Shen Yan's eyebrows shot up to the top of his head instantly: "Scattered flowers?! Undergarments! Close-fitting garments! This is a scrambled flower pattern?!"

He could hardly believe his ears.

"Mother said there's still half a bolt of cotton cloth left from the last purchase, so we should use it up first." Tiger said firmly, leaving no room for compromise.

Shen Yan choked on his words and almost fainted.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and compromised: "Fine! Put the undergarments aside for now! The braised meat! The children are growing, they need to eat some meat!"

“Mother said,” Tiger shook his head like a rattle-drum, “that the butcher shops in town are raising prices ridiculously high. If we go to the village butcher at the market, we can save ten coins.”

Shen Yan: "..." He felt a surge of heat rush to the top of his head, and his vision went black.

—They've rebelled! They've completely rebelled! Ling Zhan! You've raised a fine son of yours!

He whirled around, his feet barely touching the ground, his crimson robes almost flying off, and charged straight for the "Yun Jin Pavilion." The innkeeper's old face, so familiar it was almost a fawning smile, was already adorned with a sickeningly sulphurous finger that precisely poked at a piece of shimmering, jewel-blue silk.

"Shopkeeper, this horse! Wrap it up for me!"

The smooth, cool touch finally eased the frustration he had felt for two days.

I'm already fantasizing about how this fabric will make me look incredibly handsome.

"Alright! Young Master Shen, the same old rules, remember..." The shopkeeper grinned from ear to ear.

"No!" A clear child's voice, like an awl, suddenly punctured the bubble of slumbering fantasy.

The eldest daughter had appeared behind him like a ghost, her little hands tightly clutching another, even bulging money bag—clearly the living expenses Ling Zhan had given her. Her face was so serious it could freeze. "Dad! I'm in charge of the money for clothes! It's the allowance set by Mom. If you buy this…this rag, you can forget about eating meat this month!"

"Butt...butt cloth?!"

Chen Yan's voice suddenly rose, his ears turning bright red, half from anger and half from embarrassment. He abruptly lowered his voice, squeezing out the words through clenched teeth: "Big girl! Your father! Will only buy! One! Bolt! of! Cloth!"

Da Niu didn't back down at all, puffing out her little chest: "Mother said that this material is precious and delicate. It will be ruined if it gets a little dust on it. It's not as good as coarse indigo cloth, which is sturdy and durable, and can be used for working in the fields!"

"Go...go to work in the fields?!"

The string of "reason" in Shen Yan's mind snapped with a "bang." He abruptly flicked his sleeve, and the silk slipped off the counter with a "whoosh." The shopkeeper scrambled to catch it, but Shen Yan, like a peacock with its feathers ruffled, stormed out of the shop without looking back, leaving behind only a sentence wrapped in ice:

"--go home!"

"Bang!!!"

The courtyard gate was kicked so hard by Shen Yan that it made a loud noise, and the door panel hit the earthen wall, causing dust to fall.

The chickens pecking at food under the eaves were startled and flew away in a flurry, flapping their wings as they darted into their coop.

Ling Zhan, with the four children, was slowly unloading the things from the car when he heard the noise. He looked up and saw Shen Yan's fiery red figure, filled with thunderous rage, rushing into the main room, leaving the four children looking at each other and shrinking back.

"Ling! Zhan!"

Shen Yan, who had been holding in her anger all the way, finally exploded under her own eaves. She was so angry she felt like her lungs were about to burst, and her fingertips were trembling violently. "You! What do you mean?!"

Ling Zhan walked unhurriedly to the whetstone in the corner of the courtyard, sat down, and picked up a wood-chopping knife.

He started grinding away with a "swish...swish..." sound, without even looking up: "Hmm?"

"'Um'?!"

Shen Yan paced around the room like a caged beast for a moment, then suddenly grabbed his empty money bag and slammed it hard towards the whetstone! The coins clattered all over the floor, with a few bouncing to Ling Zhan's feet.

"Look at this! We only have these few copper coins left! We can't even afford a decent piece of cloth! You expect them to take care of us?! What do a bunch of brats know?! What do they know about dignity?!"

Tiger stubbornly retorted, "Mother taught us to keep accounts! It's crystal clear! Last month, Dad spent eighty coins on drinks at 'Drunken Immortal's Pavilion' in town! He also bought two jars of 'Pear Blossom White' liquor for thirty coins! We didn't have enough money at home, so for the second half of the month we could only eat cornbread and drink thin porridge every day..."

Shen Yan: "..."

His secrets were exposed in public, and his face turned from red to green, and then from green to black.

Ling Zhan stopped sharpening the knife, stood up, and patted the stone dust off his hands: "You paid for this, don't you know what you're doing?"

Shen Yan's chest heaved violently, and in her extreme anger, she let out a chilling laugh: "Fine! Go ahead and interfere! You're so capable!"

He rushed out the door and found that the money bag he had thrown away had been picked up by Ling Zhan and stuffed into Da Niu's hand.

“Keep a good record,” Ling Zhan said to Da Niu, but his eyes were filled with disgust. “Calculate your father’s clothing expenses.”

The courtyard was deathly silent.

The four children dared not breathe. The eldest girl clutched the purse and whispered, "Mom, Dad... is Dad angry...?"

Ling Zhan bent down and picked up the scattered copper coins one by one, his tone flat and indifferent: "Let him be."

This time, Chen Yan is truly furious and ruthless!

He lay there like a corpse for two whole days.

On the first day, he stubbornly refused to eat, straining his ears to listen to the sounds outside, waiting for Ling Zhan to bring in a bowl of hot soup, or at least say a kind word. But when the moon was high in the sky, all he heard was the light clinking of bowls and chopsticks in the outer room, the slurping of children eating, and Ling Zhan's chillingly calm words: "Never mind him, he'll come out when he's hungry."

The next day, the hunger that gnawed at his back felt like a knife cutting into his chest. He couldn't bear it any longer and sneaked into the kitchen like a thief. The stove was deserted, and there was only half a bowl of cold, thin porridge left in the pot, so cold you could see your reflection in it.

"..."

He squatted by the stove, viciously rummaging through the half-bowl of cold porridge, his mind racing with calculations:

—This is unbearable! It's torture!

—You MUST! Immediately! Save your private savings!

He squinted, his mind racing:

Selling gossip? In this remote, impoverished place, who would buy it? Sell it to the old bachelor at the village entrance and the widow next door about their affair?

Gambling? The thought had barely crossed his mind when Ling Zhan's gleaming woodcutter's knife flashed before his eyes, and his legs instinctively trembled—never mind, his legs were more important!

...Selling calligraphy and paintings? His calligraphy was so good that it would have been worth a fortune in the city back then, but in this village... I doubt many people even recognize the character "沈" (chěn)!

Just as he was pondering his miserable situation of being "a fallen phoenix worse than a chicken," feeling increasingly frustrated, a commotion suddenly arose outside the courtyard, followed by the village head Li Qingshan's signature loud voice, tinged with utmost respect:

"Young Master Shen! Is Young Master Shen here? The County Magistrate has arrived—!"

"Clang!"

Shen Yan's hand went limp, and the bowl of porridge landed directly on the stove.

—The county magistrate?!

He's been behaving like a quail lately, hasn't he done anything wrong?!

He stood up in a panic, not caring about the few drops of cold porridge still on his clothes.

Just as he rushed out of the kitchen, the courtyard gate was pushed open. A middle-aged man in a blue official robe with a serious face strode in, followed by Li Qingshan, who was bowing and scraping.

The magistrate's eyes flashed like lightning, quickly sweeping over the slightly messy courtyard. Several chickens were still flapping around in shock. Finally, his gaze landed on Shen Yan, who was rushing out to greet him. Her hair was slightly disheveled, her clothes were stained, and her face still showed a bit of sleepiness and... a hint of barely perceptible panic.

The magistrate's brows furrowed instantly.

"...Shen Yan, the way you live..." The magistrate didn't finish his sentence, but the disdain and doubt in his tone were almost overflowing.

Shen Yan jolted, straightening his back reflexively. He quickly brushed his fingers off his clothes, and a reserved yet slightly aloof smile instantly appeared on his face: "Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency. Thanks to your kindness in arranging my marriage and bestowing land upon me, my life... has been relatively peaceful. I was unaware that Your Excellency would personally visit my humble abode. I apologize for not being able to welcome you properly."

He maintained a perfectly composed posture, as if he hadn't just been squatting by the stove drinking cold porridge.

The magistrate was clearly not in the mood for pleasantries and got straight to the point: "I have come here to discuss the matter of suppressing bandits."

"Suppress...suppress bandits?" Shen Yan's heart skipped a beat.

"The banditry in the mountains behind Kaoshan Village is becoming increasingly rampant. The war in the west is at a stalemate. I fear they may collude with foreign enemies, causing endless trouble in the future!" The magistrate said solemnly. "I intend to organize local militia to wipe them out first and eliminate future troubles. I have come here to seek your advice, Young Master Shen."

Shen Yan: "..."

Consult me? What insightful opinions could someone like me, whose financial power has been "taken away," possibly have? He instinctively felt this was a trap.

"...This is a crucial matter of securing the rear, and it cannot be delayed!" The magistrate emphasized, dropping a bombshell, "The reward for the bandit leader's head is two hundred taels of silver!"

"Clang!"

The chopsticks that Shen Yan had subconsciously grabbed earlier fell to the ground again.

Two hundred taels!

His pupils dilated suddenly, his heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, then abruptly released, and his blood rushed to his head with a "boom"! Before his eyes appeared mountains of gold and silver, piles of fine Suzhou and Hangzhou silks, tables laden with braised pork and plump chickens, and his secret stash of money overflowing…

He almost instinctively took a step forward, oblivious to the fact that his clothes had knocked over an empty bowl on the stove. He rushed to the door in three strides, about to blurt out "Oh my god!"—but stopped abruptly the moment he stepped across the threshold!

--no!

A chilling coldness instantly extinguished the fervor in his heart.

He gripped the rough door frame tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Two hundred taels... that's enough for him to be in the limelight for a very long time... but if Ling Zhan goes...

Countless images flashed uncontrollably before his eyes: the woman carrying that heavy axe, walking alone into the vast, miasma-filled deep forest, where she would stay for ten days, half a month, or even more than a month... When she returned, she was either covered in blood and dressed in rags, or soaked to the bone and freezing cold...

"Young Master Shen?" The magistrate's voice suddenly rang out nearby.

Shen Yan looked up abruptly and realized that the county magistrate and Li Qingshan had somehow arrived at the entrance of the main hall and were looking at him with puzzled expressions, seeing his distraught appearance. Ling Zhan, meanwhile, had somehow appeared in the courtyard with his arms crossed, his gaze as calm as a deep pool, fixed on Shen Yan's face.

"cough!"

Shen Yan forcibly pulled himself back to his senses, straightened his clothes, and adopted a refined demeanor. "Your Excellency, please forgive me. I caught a slight cold and was momentarily distracted..."

The magistrate waved his hand, clearly not wanting to hear his explanation, and looked directly at the target in the courtyard: "To make a long story short. The bandit stronghold in the back mountains has become a major threat. A reward of two hundred taels of silver is offered for the capture of the bandit leader. I've heard that your wife is exceptionally skilled in martial arts, possessing the courage of ten thousand men..."

"She's not going!"

Shen Yan practically roared, her voice so shrill it startled even herself.

The courtyard became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The magistrate raised an eyebrow in astonishment, while Li Qingshan was so shocked that his mouth was agape enough to fit an egg.

Ling Zhan's gaze slowly and heavily fixed on Shen Yan's face.

Shen Yan felt a chill run down his spine, but a strange stubbornness rose within him. He stubbornly tried to reason with her: "My wife... is just a woman! The matter of suppressing bandits involves swords and shadows, and treacherous forests..."

"Don't be impatient, let's go back first."

Ling Zhan suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but with a strange penetrating power, interrupting Shen Yan's words.

"...?!" Shen Yan rolled her eyes, speechless at her nonchalant attitude. "Ling Zhan! That's a bandit's den! A den of ruthless bandits! They have knives, arrows, and traps! Do you think this is a market?!"

Ling Zhan nodded and replied with only one word: "Mm".

The magistrate glanced at Shen Yan's agitation, then at Ling Zhan's calmness, and tentatively asked, "Then... what does Madam Shen mean...?"

"Take it easy," Ling Zhan repeated, then turned and walked towards the backyard.

The magistrate looked bewildered and angry.

Li Qingshan broke out in a cold sweat and quickly tried to smooth things over: "My lord, please calm down! Lady Ling... she must be preparing some weapons..."

"Show him out." Ling Zhan said curtly without turning his head.

Shen Yan: "..." He was so angry he almost fainted.

The magistrate's face turned pale and then red. Li Qingshan pulled and dragged him, forcing him to leave with a smile.

Shen Yan stood frozen at the doorway, watching Ling Zhan disappear through the side gate leading to the backyard. Suddenly, a chill ran through him, and an ominous premonition gripped him—

This woman—?! She's not really going, is she?!

He rushed into the backyard like a gust of wind. Sure enough! Ling Zhan was deftly packing a bundle, and the gleaming axe that had cleaved through countless thorns was already securely tucked into her waistband.

"Where are you going?!" Shen Yan's voice changed, carrying a panic he himself was unaware of.

"Go into the mountains." Ling Zhan didn't even look up, his hands still moving.

"Now?!" Shen Yan rushed forward and grabbed her bundle tightly. "Are you crazy?! Those bandits..."

Ling Zhan pried open his tightly clenched fingers, the force not strong but irresistible, and then pointed to a small clearing in the backyard that had just been leveled, "To gather medicinal herbs."

Shen Yan was taken aback, then his anger flared even more: "Gathering herbs? Then why did you bring an axe?!"

"Cut down the trees." Ling Zhan's answer was shockingly concise.

"..." Shen Yan stared at her expressionless face for a long time, then suddenly let out a short, cold laugh. "Fine! Go gather herbs! You don't want the two hundred taels, right?" He turned around abruptly, rushed to the corner of the wall and into a pile of junk, dragged out a dusty, old wooden box, and yanked open the lid with a clatter.

Inside lay a short bow, also covered in dust, its string limp.

"Back when I was a big shot in the city, I was..." Shen Yan tried to recapture his former swagger and grabbed his short bow.

"The bowstring is broken." Ling Zhan's gaze swept over the rotten string, stating the fact in a calm tone.

"..." Shen Yan's heroic spirit instantly deflated, replaced by anger and embarrassment, "Even if I break it, I can..."

"Watch the house." Ling Zhan had already slung the bundle over his shoulder and interrupted him, "Keep an eye on the kids."

Shen Yan grabbed her wrist, this time with all his might, his voice trembling without him even realizing it: "Ling Zhan! Those bandits really know how to kill! They're not wild boars from the mountains!"

Ling Zhan stopped, looked down at the hand he was holding tightly, then looked up, his gaze fixed on the anxious depths of the other man's eyes.

"Grain prices are too high, and many people may go hungry. We can't afford to make things worse."

Shen Yan felt a chill run down his spine under her gaze. A surge of inexplicable anger mixed with a vague sense of panic rushed to his head, and he blurted out without thinking, "If you die! Who will earn money to support the family?! Who...who..."

Ling Zhan nodded, seemingly accepting his "reasonable" concern. She suddenly reached into her bosom—

"Smack!"

A heavy, bulging coarse cloth money bag, still warm from her body, was patted lightly on Shen Yan's chest.

"Your allowance." After saying that, she gestured with her chin toward her little room. "The fabric is in there. Don't drop it on the ground next time, or you'll have to pay for it if it gets dirty." Before she finished speaking, she flipped her wrist and easily broke free from Shen Yan's grip, striding toward the back gate.

Shen Yan hurriedly caught the money bag, and the weight in his hand made his heart skip a beat.

He instinctively tore open the bag—besides the gleaming silver coins, there were also a few golden leaves, as thin as cicada wings!

He looked up abruptly: "Where did you come from...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the creaking little wooden door in the backyard slammed shut in front of him with a loud bang.

Shen Yan stood there, clutching the heavy money bag, his chest tight with anger that felt like it was about to explode. After a long while, he kicked the broken wooden box hard, making a dull thud: "...Who wants your pocket money! I can earn it myself!"

He turned and stormed out, bumping right into four children peeking out from the side gate, their faces full of worry.

"What are you looking at!" Shen roared in disgust, venting his anger on them. "Go and write it down! Write it all down clearly!"

Tiger shrank back and whispered to Er Ya beside him, "...Dad's face is so red..."

"Shut up!" The chilling roar shook the dust off the roof beams.

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