Chapter 017: The Fish is Hooked
The sky was dark and gloomy. In the Ying family's yard, Wen Yan was kneeling on the ground with his hands tied behind his back.
An official in a red official uniform, holding a huge guillotine, chopped towards Wen Yan's neck.
Heads rolled down.
The hot blood sprayed all over Mrs. Qiao's face.
"Ah——" Mrs. Qiao's legs went limp and she fell to the ground.
The high official approached, staring at her with fierce eyes: "Wen Yan's in-laws, all of them, go to hell!"
The big knife came towards her.
"Ah..." Mrs. Qiao screamed and sat up from the bed.
Moonlight shines through the window.
Mrs. Qiao looked around in horror.
No guillotine, no head.
It turned out to be a nightmare!
She breathed a sigh of relief.
However, she couldn't fall asleep in the second half of the night and kept her eyes open until dawn.
At breakfast the next day, Wen Yan saw that Mrs. Qiao's eyes were swollen like walnuts.
Maybe what I said last night worked.
She secretly winked at Ying Zhilin.
Ying Zhilin nodded.
After Wen Yan left, he took out two hundred coins and placed them on the table: "Grandma, this is the household allowance for this month. As for the expenses of the banquet, I will make up for it by copying books."
Mrs. Qiao put the copper coins in her pocket and sighed deeply, "Zhilin, grandma was too excited last night and said some excessive words. You won't blame grandma, will you?"
Ying Zhilin glanced at her coldly, raised the corners of his mouth, and said with a smile: "Grandma, what are you talking about? We are all family. You are the elder, so it is only natural for you to say a few words to me."
Ying Zhilin is cold-hearted and cold-hearted. Except for the two children from the second wife, he has a deadpan face towards everyone.
Now that his attitude suddenly changed and his smile even had a hint of flattery, she felt uneasy.
It's definitely a weasel paying a New Year's visit to the chicken, with no good intentions!
Mrs. Qiao was full of thoughts, but her face didn't show it. "You are a considerate and good child. Don't blame Grandma for being partial. I can't just care about you and ignore the future of your other brothers, right?"
Ying Zhilin lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Mrs. Qiao, "You know the situation at home. Thirteen acres of land is barely enough to make a living, and we can't support three scholars.
Your fifth brother and eldest nephew have already paid their tuition fees. It is not worthwhile for them to drop out now.
If you endure this for another year, I will suspend your fifth brother's studies next year and prioritize your imperial examinations."
Mrs. Qiao explained earnestly, wiping away tears from time to time, and finally even took Ying Zhilin's hand and rubbed it.
She played the emotional card while observing him out of the corner of her eye.
Anger flashed in Ying Zhilin's eyes, and the muscles on his cheeks even trembled with anger, but he quickly restrained himself and returned to his usual indifference.
"I didn't expect my family to be in such a difficult situation." He forced a stiff smile and made a difficult decision: "Then I'll listen to my grandmother and wait another year."
Ying Zhilin said a few more perfunctory words and then got up and left.
However, the clenched fists he held when he left still revealed his true emotions.
The kind smile on Mrs. Qiao's face disappeared in an instant.
You should know that Lin is very opinionated and always does things his own way.
If he had heard these words in the past, he would have turned cold and walked away.
But today I suppressed my nature and dealt with myself.
He even agreed to extend his studies for one year.
This is not his character at all.
Could it be...
Mrs. Qiao couldn't help but think of what she overheard yesterday:
House arrest, revenge, and disaster prevention.
Take the examination for Juren.
Could it be that these two hundred coins are really their delaying tactic?
They really want to use the whole family as a stepping stone!
What a vicious pair of bitches.
Mrs. Qiao was so angry that her expression was distorted.
no!
She had to find a way to ruin their plan.
Soon, Wen Yan saw Mrs. Qiao change into a decent set of clothes that she had kept in the bottom of her closet, and went out carrying a basket.
Wen Yan said to Ying Zhilin who was packing his bookcase, "She went to the capital to find out about me and the Wen family."
Ying Zhilin said, "Grandmother is a very cautious person. She won't believe our one-sided story. She must go and confirm it in person before she can be reassured."
Wen Yan stood up and stretched: "I'm free at home anyway, so I'll go to the capital to see what's going on."
She was about to go out with a basket.
Ying Zhilin called her and said, "There's a carriage for rent at the foot of the hill near the main entrance of the academy. I'll take you there."
Wen Yan originally wanted to take a detour from the back mountain to the county town, and then rent a car to rush to the capital.
Now that there is a more labor-saving method, she certainly won't refuse.
The two of them packed up and went out.
The village aunt greeted them: "Where are you going, young couple?"
Ambiguous eyes kept wandering between the two of them.
Wen Yan greeted them calmly and calmly.
Ying Zhilin was not good at interacting with the aunts and felt very uncomfortable: "I will show Wen Yan the way to the academy."
After saying that, he hurriedly pulled Wen Yan away.
The aunties behind me joked, "Look, they are indeed a sweet and loving newlywed couple, holding hands in public."
Ying Zhilin let go of his hand as if he had been electrocuted, and even the tips of his ears turned red.
Wen Yan covered her mouth and chuckled. She didn't expect that he was in his early twenties and still so shy!
In addition to the students who come to study, Wutong Academy is often visited by their families and servants.
Over time, a small market was formed at the foot of the mountain, with tea stalls, inns and restaurants.
Ying Zhilin brought her to the inn, which also ran a carriage and horse business.
He rented a mule cart.
When the innkeeper saw that Ying Zhilin had the academy teacher's token hanging around his waist, he became particularly enthusiastic towards them.
Seeing that the only female guest was Wen Yan, he specially asked his daughter-in-law to accompany her on the trip.
When Wen Yan arrived in the capital, it was almost noon.
She left some money for lunch and mule fodder to the coachman and his wife, then went into the city alone.
Mrs. Qiao arrived nearly an hour later than Wen Yan.
At the city gate, she looked at the people coming and going on the street. Everyone was dressed more respectably than the landlords in the village, and Mrs. Qiao felt uneasy.
I don't know which foot to take first.
After asking along the way, she arrived at the gate of Wen Mansion. She was stunned by the grand and imposing manner of the wealthy family.
She thought she could go from door to door and chat about gossip like she did in the village.
At the very least, the maids from these wealthy families would gather in front of the doors and in the alleys to pick vegetables and wash clothes.
Who would have thought the streets here were so quiet, with so few pedestrians on the spacious roads.
Moreover, in front of every household's door stood a tall and mighty servant.
Mrs. Qiao didn't even have the courage to go up and say hello, let alone inquire about the news.
She even started to back off.
Just at this moment, a little beggar came up and easily fooled the panicked Mrs. Qiao into spending ten cents to buy information from him.
Only then did Mrs. Qiao understand everything about Wen Yan and the Wen family.
The situation was worse than she expected.
Wen Yan actually did such a shameful thing as selling her wedding dress.
Not to mention a family of officials like the Wen family, even an ordinary person like her was so angry that her temples were throbbing when she heard it.
The little beggar continued, "I only know the basics. If you want to know more, you can go to the nearby teahouses and taverns to ask. These places are the most informed!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
