Xu Lanyin quickly explained to Qin, "At first, my mother didn't know that Gu Wangchen was a bad person. She only discovered it later."
She was somewhat touched. Even though the original owner had done so many bad things, they still cared about her. He added, "Don't worry. If we had known their sinister intentions earlier, we would have found a way to deal with them."
Old Lady Xu said, "What can we do? Scholar Gu is still just a scholar, but the villagers praise him to the skies. Especially that Li Zheng, Xu, they don't know how to curry favor with him. If he becomes a juren, not only will the landlords, Li Zheng, and villagers all be flattering him, but even the county magistrate will have to give him face." She slapped Xu Lanyin twice and cursed, "You damn girl, those six acres of land are the lifeblood of your family, but you gave it to that ruthless mother and son. Now you've lost both your money and your life."
The marriage was over, but the six acres of land were lost. The old lady felt more and more at a loss and was so angry that she beat her chest hard.
Xu Lanyin had to admit that the old lady's words were true. In the countryside, even a scholar, let alone a juren, was respected and loved by almost all the villagers. As a small peasant with no support, Xu Lanyin was definitely no match for a juren who had one foot in the officialdom.
In the original owner's memory, to save face for Gu Wangchen, the Xu family never explicitly disclosed the exact amount of money they had given him. Not even Mrs. Xu and the first wife mentioned it. Only the money from the land sale was brought to light. So, while everyone in Xiaozao Village knew the Xu family funded Gu Wangchen's education, and Xu Lanyin was a traitor, no one knew the exact amount the Xu family had spent on Gu Wangchen.
Xu Lanyin then talked about the support her family had provided to Gu Wangchen since they got engaged, and Qin and Xu Lanzhou added to their comments.
A rough calculation revealed that the Xu family had spent over ninety taels of silver on Gu Wangchen over the years, a staggering sum in rural China. Not only was Old Lady Xu's face wrinkled with heartache, but even Xu Lanyin, Qin, and Xu Lanzhou felt a sharp pain in their hearts.
Xu Lanyin felt bad for the original owner. She said, "It would be best if we could find a way to get the Gu family to resolve the matter privately. I'd offer to cancel the engagement, and they'd return the money. We'd both get what we want. If they don't want to return the money and want to ruin my reputation by canceling the engagement, I won't sit idly by. Grandma and Big Brother should go back and talk to Big Uncle and the others. First, reveal how much money the Gu family mother and son have spent on my family, and then reveal their intention to ruin my reputation and cancel the engagement. Although we can't defeat Gu Wangchen openly, a barefoot man is not afraid of a man in shoes. I'll fight him to the bitter end, even if it means losing my reputation..."
Old Mrs. Xu frowned and said, "You are so stupid! If this becomes such a big deal, you won't be able to get married in the future."
Xu Lanyin said stubbornly, "It's better to be able to survive even if I can't get married than to be killed by the Gu family and let those evil people gain both benefits and reputation."
Qin Shi also felt that she would rather her daughter remain unmarried than marry Gu Wangchen. She said, "Money is something outside of one's body. Don't think about it. Just cancel the engagement."
The old lady glared and cursed, "You spendthrift woman, why should the Gu family get so much money? If there is a way, you must come back."
Xu Lanyin was also unwilling to let Gu Wangchen get away with it. He wanted the money, even if he couldn't get it back before. But he had to find a way to get back the more than 40 taels of silver he got from selling the land this spring. He couldn't deny it.
After the discussion, Xu Lanyin invited Old Lady Xu and Xu Dashi to dinner at home. "I picked some mushrooms and a few pheasant eggs today." She wanted to make scrambled eggs with chives, but then she changed her mind, remembering she had no oil at home. "I'll make a poached egg for Grandma, Big Brother, Mom, Big Brother, and Little Brother, and a pot of mushroom noodle soup."
Old Mrs. Xu looked at Xu Lanzhou with pity and said, "You are such a poor family, yet you don't even learn how to make ends meet. Save those eggs for my two grandsons to nourish their bodies. Dashi, go home and bring five eggs and a bucket of fine flour. I haven't had a meal here in ages. Oh, and catch another laying hen and keep eggs for the two boys. Poor thing, it's as thin as paper and it's bleeding so much."
After saying that, he glared at Xu Lanyin again.
Xu Dashi exclaimed "Hey" and ran out quickly.
Xu Lanyin helped Qin back to her bedroom and laid her down, then went to the east wing to check on Xu Lanting. He was still lying on the kang, his face flushed with fever, his breath burning his hands.
The little boy looked at her and said, "Sister, just don't marry Gu Wangchen and don't be a traitor. Don't be sad. When I die, I can see my father. I miss him." His voice was small and weak.
Xu Lanyin's nose felt sore, and she gently stroked his little face and said, "I won't be a traitor anymore, and I will live frugally. You take good care of yourself, and when I earn more money, I will buy you good medicine and delicious food, and new clothes. You still need to study when you grow up." She brought the half-warm water on the table and coaxed her to drink half a bowl.
Xu Lanting was touched and said with a pout, "Sister, I cursed you a lot in my heart before, but you were still so nice to me. When I see my father, I will tell him that you have grown up and will no longer be a spendthrift."
The sound swirled in her throat, but Xu Lanyin still heard it clearly.
She added, "Trust me, little brother. You won't die. Wait, I'll cook you some noodles and poached eggs."
Old Lady Xu went into the east wing to see Xu Lanting, while Xu Lanzhou went into the kitchen to light the fire. Xu Lanyin went to the fields to pick up a piece of ginger and a few scallions, and washed and sliced the mushrooms. Then Xu Dashi returned. He brought not only the things Old Lady Xu had asked him to bring, but also a small bowl of lard. "Your sister-in-law gave it to me. She said her intestines were uncomfortable because they were too dry."
He was too embarrassed to say that his wife, Li, was scooping oil when his mother, Gu, saw him. Seeing so many things, Gu was very unhappy and said, "When your grandmother goes to the second room to eat, she must not only bring her own rations, but also bring enough for them to eat for several meals."
Li Mingqing, who was in the yard, heard this and came over to scold him softly, "Just keep your mouth shut. If Dad hears you, you'll get scolded again."
Xu Lanyin thanked him. "With lard, the noodles will be even more fragrant."
She scooped a small spoonful of lard into the pot. With a sizzling sound, the aroma of lard immediately filled the kitchen. She added sliced ginger and chopped green onions and stir-fried them until fragrant. Then she added mushrooms and stir-fried them for a few seconds. Then she poured in half a pot of boiling water.
She made noodles for several people and poached five eggs. Everyone except Xu Lanyin could get one, which was what the old lady meant by asking for five eggs. Xu Lanyin guessed her thoughts and didn't want to cook one for herself.
Serve several large bowls of noodles.
The old lady muttered, "I didn't expect the silly girl to have such a skill. The noodles without meat smell even more fragrant than the noodles with meat."
The old lady offered her egg to Xu Lanzhou, and Xu Dashi also offered his egg to Xu Lanzhou. After a long shove, the old lady cursed and said she needed to eat more eggs after so much nosebleed. Only then did Xu Lanzhou accept it. Normally, he ate poorly and cooked a lot, so he could handle eating three eggs a meal.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
