Xu Lanyin could only say, "If there really is such an opportunity, I will help to intercede with Steward Tang. However, clerks are not yamen runners, so I don't know if it will work."
The old couple then became happy.
Xu Qingming thought of something and said, "Dad, you just scolded the Zhao family kid. He's a government official now, a police officer. What if he wants to bully you for personal gain?"
Of all the yamen runners, the common people feared the constables the most. If they were harassed by them, they would fabricate some crime and extort money from them, and even the landlords and local lords would be afraid of them.
Old man Xu's confused eyes rolled around, and he was a little scared.
Old Lady Xu said, "No. The Zhao family boy has accepted the favor from the girl, and he is a good boy who remembers the favor. He won't make things difficult for us."
Old Man Xu shook his head and said, "I don't know if that kid remembers our friendship or not. I only know that he was incredibly cunning. He managed to coax the second son's family into a frenzy, renting him a house, helping him with household registration, and finding him a job."
The old lady said quickly, "You are getting old and confused. The Zhao family boy paid for the rent, ten taels of silver a year. Even three rooms in the county town might not be rented for that price. Although food is provided, how much can it eat? If I knew the housekeeper Tang, I would also help him. If he stayed at home for two more years, the family would get an extra twenty taels of silver. A strong laborer could not earn that much in several years."
The old man calculated that he had indeed gotten a good deal, so he let go of his worries.
The old lady stood up and said, "Let's go to the second house to have dinner and congratulate the young man from the Zhao family on becoming a government official. We should also thank him for remembering us and buying us some good wine. We were wrong just now and wronged him."
Gu said to Xu Lanyin with a half-smile, "The Zhao family boy is good-looking, and now he is a government official. He is a good candidate for a son-in-law."
Xu Lanyin was truly upset. She could understand Gu's ulterior motives; after all, everyone cared about their own family, and for Xu Dashi's sake, she didn't want to argue with her. But to say that was excessive.
Xu Lanyin sneered, "Which beautiful girl has your aunt set her eyes on? If so, let grandma help you make a decision. After all, Zhao Wu saved my brother, and my mother treats him as her own son."
Then he said he had something to do back home and left.
Old Mrs. Xu was also unhappy about what Gu said about Xu Lanyin. She glared at her and scolded her, "You stinky bitch, is that what an aunt says to her niece? It's not the turn of outsiders to bully the daughters of my Xu family. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll show you how I'll deal with you." She also scolded Xu Qingming, "You useless thing, you don't support your father, but you want me to do it?"
After saying that, he pulled Xuyuan and walked out the door.
This meant that they were unwilling to let Gu go to the second house for dinner, and no matter how angry Gu was, she felt embarrassed to go with them.
As soon as the old lady arrived at the second room, she pulled Zhao Wu aside to explain that the old man had just had an argument with her and was very angry, which made Zhao Wu feel wronged. She then kept praising Zhao Wu for his ability, which eased the awkward atmosphere.
After the meal, the others left, and Xu Lanzhou kept Zhao Wu busy, trying to teach him martial arts. Xu Lanting and Qin rested, but Zhao Wu and Xu Lanzhou continued practicing under the eaves until late at night.
The snow was still falling, and red lanterns were fluttering under the eaves.
Xu Lanyin didn't find a chance to tell Zhao Wu about the rumor in the capital. She didn't go to bed yet either. She boiled some water for the two teenagers to wipe their sweat. It was inconvenient to take a bath in a farmer's house in winter.
The next day, the news that Zhao Wu was promoted to a constable as an exception because of his good martial arts skills spread throughout Xiaozao Village.
The first person to visit the "Zhao family" was Xu Jindou, the successor to the village head, who brought a gift of a set of fine porcelain bowls and plates, which Zhao Wu accepted with great courtesy.
Next came Wang Sanni's grandfather, Old Man Wang, who invited him to dinner and also brought him a gift, but Zhao Wuliang refused both.
Next came the Yang, Li, and Ding families. There were also more girls hanging around outside the courtyards of the Zhao and Xu families' second houses.
Zhao Wu, who came to Xu's house for lunch at noon, looked helpless, but he couldn't hide his pride.
Qin and Xu Lanyin both laughed.
Qin also advised Zhao Wu, saying that he was smart and good at martial arts, and that if he improved, he would have a bright future. She advised him not to follow those unmotivated constables and not to engage in hateful things such as extortion and blackmail, which would not only ruin his future but also betray his conscience.
Zhao Wuyi agreed and said, "I also want to make a good career and be filial to my sister and aunt in the future."
His words amused several people.
Xu Lanting laughed so hard that he coughed and said, "You're wrong. You're not showing filial piety to my sister. Brother Zhao is the same age as my sister, but why do you always feel that you are much younger than my sister?"
Xu Lanyin said, "One day bigger is still bigger, what do you mean by the same size?"
Zhao Wu blushed a little. For some reason, he felt that Xu Lanyin was much older than him. He then changed his words and said, "I was wrong. I was repaying my sister and aunt."
After lunch, Xu Lanyin quietly told Zhao Wu that she had something to tell him later.
Zhao Wu had been planning to go with Xu Lanzhou to the foot of the mountain to chop firewood, but after hearing this, he decided not to go, saying he was tired and wanted to sleep. He returned to the house, locked the gates to the courtyard and the house, and sat inside waiting for Xu Lanyin.
After Qin and Xu Lanting fell asleep, Xu Lanyin quietly left the upper room.
The snow had stopped falling, and the bright sunlight cast a red glow on the snow on the roofs and ground. A path had been swept from the courtyard gate to the upper door, and another path had been swept from the middle of the path to the east wing door. A layer of white snow covered the surrounding area and outside the west wing door, with only a few dog and bird paw prints on it.
Xu Lanyin didn't dare to leave footprints on it, so she went down from the eaves to the west wing, gently opened the door and went in.
Zhao Wu chuckled softly, "Sister, why are you being so mysterious? What good news is there?"
Seeing Xu Lanyin's serious expression, he stopped smiling.
Xu Lanyin sat down at the table and whispered, "I heard Miss Min tell me a rumor in the capital. I wonder if it has anything to do with you..."
As Xu Lanyin continued to narrate, Zhao Wu's expression grew increasingly grim. Finally, he slammed his fist on the table and growled, "That old bastard and that old bitch actually, actually said that to me. Not only did they harm me, but they also made me bear that bad reputation, causing my eldest brother to suffer and feel guilty for the rest of his life, and causing him and his wife to be at odds forever..."
This was an admission that he was involved in the rumor. He was Wen Zhuoan, the fourth son of the Duke of Qing's mansion who "jumped off a cliff to commit suicide for love."
Xu Lanyin comforted him, "I heard that the Su family took the initiative to cancel the engagement. After this major incident, I think your eldest brother's marriage will be put on hold."
Zhao Wu's eyes were red, as if he hadn't heard her words. After a long while, he murmured, "That's good. From now on, there will be no such person as Wen Zhuoan in this world." He added, "No, for the time being, there will be no such person."
Xu Lanyin nodded and said, "Well, they think you are dead, so you can do what you want."
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