"So, Wang E... knows, she knows everything!"
Master Wang gripped his teacup tightly, his expression filled with anger and despair.
My husband of over ten years, our loving and happy life together, with two sons and a thriving family business—it was all a lie!
He treated his enemy as a benefactor, serving his enemy's family like slaves for over a decade!
A promising scholar was deprived of his path to advancement and forced to become the son-in-law of a merchant family.
His elderly mother was nearly blind from crying, his brothers were estranged, and his family was destitute. He, the eldest son on whom so much hope had been placed, was nowhere to be found.
If it weren't for God's mercy, and his family's escape all the way here, would he have never known this deep-seated hatred until his death?
"Splash!"
All the tea sets on the table were overturned and thrown to the ground by Master Wang.
Hatred and rage burned so intensely that his vision blurred, and he could no longer bear it. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Mr. and Mrs. Wang were terrified and rushed forward to help him up, crying, "Master, Master, what's wrong? Wake up!"
Uncle Zhong was terrified. He wanted to leave but couldn't. If he didn't get the money, and the gamblers came again tomorrow, his family would have no way to survive!
Fortunately, Sister Fu pinched Wang Yuanwai's philtrum, and he woke up quickly. But when he opened his eyes and looked around, there seemed to be something different about his expression.
Wang Fu asked cautiously, "Master, shall we go outside the city to find a doctor?"
Master Wang stood there stunned for a long time, then slowly shook his head and sat up with his legs crossed.
The atmosphere inside the room was stagnant, like a muddy pond, so oppressive that none of the people dared to breathe.
Uncle Zhong, steeling himself, said, "Son-in-law, this old servant...this old servant has said everything he needs to say. What do you think...would you like to give this old servant the silver? My family is waiting for help."
Master Wang looked at him coldly, a glint in his eyes, and finally said, "I will have Wang Fu send silver to your family to relieve your immediate crisis, but you will have to stay here for a month. After a month, I will make you repeat what you said today, and then I will give you a large sum of silver, enough for your family to move to another place."
Uncle Zhong hesitated, wanting to say something, but Master Wang didn't give him the chance.
He said two words directly to Wang Fu: "Cellation."
Wang Fu nodded, then pulled Uncle Zhong along and headed towards the backyard.
Wang Fu was young and strong, while Uncle Zhong was old and frail; even if they wanted to struggle, they couldn't.
Finally, Uncle Zhong was stuffed into the large cellar in the corner of the courtyard. Uncle Zhong probably sensed that things were not going well and tried desperately to climb up, but Wang Fu pushed him back down.
"Uncle Zhong, just stay put. The master always keeps his word."
"No, no, Wang Fu, I want to go home, I want to go home!"
Uncle Zhong tried to shout, but the cellar entrance was closed and covered with a large stone...
When Wang Fu returned to the front yard, Master Wang had already tidied his clothes and looked no different from before.
Upon seeing him enter, Master Wang handed him two silver notes. "Take this money and send it to Uncle Zhong's house. Help them resolve the gambling issue. Tell them that I sent Uncle Zhong to help with a small matter. He will return in a month."
Wang Fu quickly agreed, "Don't worry, sir."
After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Master, are we really going to give Uncle Zhong money a month from now? Someone like him should be beheaded to atone for his sins!"
Master Wang took a deep breath, looked out at the dark twilight, and after a long silence, said, "A life for a life, a debt for a debt, no one can escape it. Let's go, let's go back to the manor!"
Wang Fu understood, but felt no sympathy for Uncle Zhong. He quickly nodded to his wife and then to the backyard, silently instructing her to guard it carefully. Then he followed his master away.
In the Wang family courtyard in the south of the city, Wang E personally led her maid to the study in the front yard, but did not see her husband. She then asked the pageboy.
The pageboy said, "Master said that Madam likes winter melons, so he went out to see if he could buy one."
Wang E smiled sweetly, covering her blushing face with her handkerchief, and said reproachfully, "Master, it's such a holiday, you should stay home a little longer."
"This shows how much the master loves his wife. There aren't many good men like him in the city."
The maid's words made Wang E even happier.
Just then, the gatekeeper called out, "The master is back!"
Wang E quickly led her maid to greet him, only to find her husband drunk and staggering.
She was startled and quickly asked, "What's going on? Weren't you going out to buy winter melons? Why are you drinking?"
Wang Fu lowered his head and said softly, "Master didn't manage to buy any cold melons and got a little upset. He was so unhappy that he drank some wine."
"What did you do to upset him?" Wang E was frantic and helped her husband walk inside.
Upon arriving at the backyard, Wang E dismissed the maids and servants, personally changed her husband's clothes, and wiped his face with a damp cloth, muttering a complaint: "On such a festive day, how could things have turned out like this?"
Master Wang was very drunk. He grabbed her wrist and mumbled, "How come I'm just a merchant, looked down upon, unable to even buy a melon? I should have been a scholar, why didn't I take the imperial examinations? Why did I become a merchant!"
Wang E was so shocked that her face changed color, and her hands trembled. It took her a long time to recover before she tentatively asked, "Master, you...aren't you always managing the family business? Why are you talking about studying?"
"Hmph!" Master Wang sneered, rolled over on the bed, and shouted, "What are those so-called scholars? I can do everything they can. If I went to take the imperial examinations, I would definitely be better than them! But why did I end up in business? I should have gone to take the provincial examinations and become a Jinshi!"
Wang E felt even more guilty upon hearing this and advised, "Master, don't think so much. We can raise our son well. He can pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to our family."
"Yes, yes, I also have a son! I want to find a good academy for my son and help him become the top scholar in the imperial examination!"
After muttering these words, Master Wang lay down by the bed and fell asleep.
Wang E breathed a sigh of relief, quickly tidied him up, and then left with a heavy heart.
She had no idea that the moment she turned around, her drunken husband opened his eyes, his gaze as cold as unyielding ice...
In the new village of Suijintan outside the city, every household is also celebrating the festival.
Of course, the most lively place was always the Li family courtyard, where all the children and grandchildren had returned, along with Doctor Zhang and Uncle Zhao, filling the courtyard to capacity.
Grandma Li took it upon herself to invite Li Lao Er and Jia Ren to join the village elders for a meal and moon-viewing.
The elderly couple had no children, so they inevitably lived a lonely life.
They usually take good care of the Li family, so of course they can't leave them out at this time.
Tao Hongying, Zhao Yuru, and Jia Huan spent the whole afternoon setting up two large tables with eight dishes and a soup, all of which looked, smelled, and tasted delicious. The aroma that filled the yard made the children's mouths water.
Jiayin, the beloved little darling of the whole family, naturally received special treatment.
Almost as soon as the fire started burning in the kitchen, she sat on the doorstep, holding a small bowl, and ate from beginning to end.
While everyone was eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing together, she rubbed her swollen belly and wandered around playing.
The Mid-Autumn Festival moon hangs in the sky, illuminating the village as if it were daytime.
Jiayin climbed onto the millstone with great difficulty, using a stool as a stepping stone, and lay down to admire the moon.
She had no relatives in her past life, so she wasn't particularly saddened now, but she couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic—nostalgic for bustling streets and prosperous times…?
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