"If I don't regard her as my sister, what else can I regard her as? You're sick!" Zhao Wuyong cursed at Xu Lanyin, walked into the fence gate, and locked Wang Sanni outside again.
Wang Sanni smiled as she watched Zhao Wu open and lock the door before running home excitedly.
Even if Xu Lanyin didn't see Wang Sanni's expression, she could imagine how happy she was at that moment.
Xu Lanyin was at a loss for words. Wang Sanni was a female pervert who would go after any good-looking man she saw. She was stupid and extremely bold.
She went back to her room, washed up, and went to sleep on the kang. She was used to going to bed early and getting up early in this era.
As soon as she lay down, Qin came in holding an oil lamp.
Qin held down Xu Lanyin who was about to stand up and said with a smile, "Mother wants to ask you a question."
"What?"
"What do you think of Zhao Wu?"
Xu Lanyin said, "Of course it's good, otherwise why would I bother to bring him home to live." Seeing Qin's strange look, she thought that Qin might have misunderstood, and quickly said, "Don't think too much, mother, I just treat him as a younger brother."
Qin smiled and said, "You treat him like a younger brother, and he treats you like a sister. What a wonderful relationship you have. You've saved each other before, and you've even taken care of him for two months. This is a rare bond. Zhao Wu is kind-hearted, remembers kindness, is good-looking, and capable. He has a bright future and a family background. Most importantly, he treats you well. I can see that he respects and relies on you, so he definitely won't believe the rumors out there that are bad for you. Mother wants to talk to him about this. If he's willing..."
Xu Lanyin sat up anxiously and said, "Mom, there is really nothing between Zhao Wu and me, and there can't be anything. Mom can also see that his feelings for me are respect and dependence. This is the feeling he has for his sister, even for his own mother, not love."
Xu Lanyin had never considered marriage, let alone Zhao Wu. She had always considered Zhao Wu a younger brother, and she knew that Zhao Wu had always considered her a sister. Neither of them had such thoughts. If Qin Shi went to Zhao Wu without hesitation and leaked the information, Zhao Wu would mistakenly think that she, an old fool, was still thinking about him. How embarrassing it would be.
Then he threatened Qin, "Mother, you forgot that Zhao Wu fell off the cliff for no reason. We are just an ordinary farmer. Don't get involved in certain things."
When Qin heard this, she put her mind at ease. She was already a widow, and she didn't want her daughter to suffer the same fate as herself. Although she felt sorry that such a good young man like Zhao Wu couldn't be her son-in-law, she still said, "Okay, mother understands."
The next day, Xu Lanyin got up early like yesterday and prepared breakfast. While Zhao Wu was eating breakfast, he seemed to have something to say, but he couldn't bring himself to say it even though his face turned red.
Xu Lanyin asked, "What's so hard to say?"
Zhao Wu glanced at her and whispered, "I asked, sister, don't be angry."
Xu Lanyin said, "I'm not angry."
Zhao Wu asked, "Sister, are you really suffering from that disease?" He then advised, "If you really are, don't be afraid. I'll make more money and take you to the capital for medical treatment. I heard that there's a doctor at Baicaotang who's known as the Goddess of Fertility and has cured many women. I look very different now, and the Wen family won't recognize me."
After saying this, she lowered her eyelids embarrassedly, her face was as red as rouge, and her expression was a little embarrassed.
Xu Lanyin smiled. This younger brother was more thoughtful than her biological brother in some aspects. He was such a good boy.
She didn't feel embarrassed at all and said frankly, "I'm not sick at all. I said I was sick because I wanted to break off the engagement with Gu Wangchen and was afraid he wouldn't agree. That person is so wicked that he linked my illness to having children."
Zhao Wuda breathed a sigh of relief, raised his eyelids and looked at Xu Lanyin, smiling, "I told you that your sister is in good health, how could she possibly have that kind of disease?" He then said viciously, "Next time I hear someone spread such nonsense, I will definitely not let him go."
Xu Lanyin thought about how Zhao Wuke was now a wealthy bachelor. He could easily reject some marriage proposals, but it was hard for him to refuse others. So he thought of an excuse that would not offend anyone. So he said what he was thinking.
Zhao Wu thought about it and said, "My excuse for staying here is to look for my uncle. I'll say that I was engaged to my uncle's daughter when I was young. I have to look for them first, and then I'll talk about it if I can't find them."
This was a good excuse. If he couldn't find someone suitable, he would say he was going to keep looking for his uncle. If he did find someone suitable, he would say he couldn't find his uncle.
After dinner, Xu Lanyin sent Zhao Wu out and watched him disappear in the brilliant starlight.
After dawn, the news that Zhao Wu was in charge of Sanshi Town and its jurisdiction spread quickly in the village like wings.
Many people came to visit the Xu family. Ma, the wife of Xu Lizheng, also came and brought a basket of duck pears and a piece of ruler as gifts. They asked them to pass the ruler on to Zhao Wu.
Xu Lizheng's family was a well-known landlord in the nearby area. Many years ago, the police caught him and extorted a large sum of money from him. It still hurts to think about it now.
In the following days, landlords from neighboring villages also came to visit and bring gifts, and several families asked Qin to help spread the word. Qin was a widow, so it was difficult for her to mediate, but she let Zhao Wu know that if he was willing, she would ask a matchmaker to help.
Xu Lanyin sighed deeply. Life in ancient times was even harder for ordinary people than it is today. Not only did they have to endure all sorts of harsh taxes, but they were also exploited by petty yamen runners. Just one constable, and so many people fawned over him.
However, if a yamen runner's extortion was reported to the yamen and confirmed, the punishment would be severe, ranging from flogging or losing his job to exile to the army or beheading. Therefore, unless the yamen runner was extremely vicious, he would not dare to go too far.
Moreover, if the crime rate in their jurisdiction is high, the constable will be fined or even beaten. Therefore, the constables in charge of a certain area will try their best to understand the situation in their jurisdiction and cultivate their own undercover agents to facilitate management.
While Zhao Wu, the person involved, hadn't done anything, Old Man Xu was incredibly proud, constantly making his presence felt in the village. Previously, he'd been too shy to say a word during meetings of the elders, but now he was actively speaking up, his excitement returning to the time when his second son, Xu Qingyan, was still alive.
Xu Lizheng and some people who disliked him were so angry that their livers hurt, and secretly cursed "the villain has succeeded". That kid from the Zhao family is not your grandson or your grandson-in-law, he is just a tenant, what are you proud of!
That day, the old couple went to the second house specifically and asked Xu Lanyin to go to the town to help them buy cotton.
After Xu Lanyin left, they secretly discussed with Qin that Zhao Wu was a good candidate for a son-in-law. They asked if they could find someone to mediate between Xu Lanyin and him, so that he wouldn't be snatched away by someone else. They also said that Zhao Wu was good in every way, seemed to have some family background, and his family wasn't here. If Xu Lanyin married him, all his thoughts would be on the Xu family...
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