Chapter 863 Hypocrisy
"Miss Binglan, aren't you in Qincheng?"
Every year during the Spring Festival, Wang Binglan usually stays in Qincheng, while Wang Jinhu stays in Oasis Town. The fact that the two siblings are now appearing together at the market is not a coincidence.
Lin Yuesha observed Wang Binglan's attitude towards her, which was poised and generous, and a guess formed in her mind.
“In previous years I stayed in Qincheng Prison, but this year I came back on my own initiative.”
Wang Binglan looked at Qi Heng and said apologetically, "I wrote a letter a few days ago, but I haven't received a reply from Brother Qi, so I had to take matters into my own hands."
"My lord, this is the last year that my brother and I will spend together."
Wang Jinhu's smile was complicated. First, he showed a hint of worry, and then he said happily, "Because next year, Binglan will get married and I've found her a husband. After that, I won't be her only relative anymore."
Lin Yuesha kept observing Wang Jinhu out of the corner of her eye, mentally scoring his performance.
His facial expressions, movements, eyes, and even the coordination of his body were all displayed perfectly, and his tone of voice was handled with great finesse.
The brother and sister depended on each other for survival. The elder brother was like a father to them. When Wang Binglan got married, Wang Jinhu was both happy and a little sad to lose his sister.
If Wang Jinhu is a deeply hidden spy, he is indeed difficult to discover.
"They've already arranged a marriage?"
Qi Heng raised an eyebrow. With just a few words from Wang Jinhu, he thought he had figured out the other party's future plans. Sure enough, the brother and sister were of one mind. All these years, he had raised an ungrateful wretch.
"yes."
When the topic of her marriage came up, Wang Binglan was not shy at all and said generously, "I'm nineteen at the beginning of the year. If I don't get married soon, I'll really become an old maid."
Wang Binglan's fiancé's surname is Yang. His family runs a large rice business and has only one son.
Wang Binglan met Master Yang while purchasing military supplies. Master Yang saw that she was efficient and had a good-looking older brother, so he decided to arrange a marriage between them.
“When Binglan gets married, I, as her elder brother, must prepare some dowry so that the Yang family won’t look down on us.”
Wang Jinhu lowered his head in embarrassment. He was a rough old man and didn't know what kind of jewelry women liked. He wanted to ask Lin Yuesha to accompany Wang Binglan to take a look.
"You've come from the capital, so you must know the popular styles there, but you don't know..."
The suggestion came as abruptly, and Wang Jinhu was on tenterhooks, fearing rejection.
“Alright, I’ll go in with Miss Binglan and take a look.”
Having some free time, Lin Yuesha readily agreed. Her main purpose was to test Wang Binglan, as she sensed that Wang Binglan was acting strangely.
Giving up Qi Heng and willingly getting married is already quite unusual.
Moreover, judging from Wang Binglan's demeanor, it didn't seem like she acted impulsively out of spite.
As for whether she had any feelings for the young master of the Yang family, it seems not.
Lin Yuesha, having identified Wang Binglan as a potential suspect, led her into the jewelry shop.
"Sister-in-law, you married Brother Qi, you are the wife of the young general of Great Qi, how come you come to such a shabby little shop?"
Upon entering, Wang Binglan immediately confronted Lin Yuesha, arguing that she shouldn't change her mind too quickly, as Lin Yuesha was perceptive and easily understood.
She called out "sister-in-law" reluctantly.
"Are there any large shops like the Zhenbaozhai in the capital in the Northwest?"
Lin Yuesha wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I didn't originally want jewelry, but my husband said that the New Year should have a sense of ritual."
Wang Binglan's sarcastic tone made Lin Yuesha feel less out of place.
He tried to probe her a few times, but he couldn't tell if Wang Binglan was really stupid or just pretending. Each time, she perfectly avoided his advances.
Wang Binglan is a cunning opponent, which makes it more difficult for Lin Yuesha to get answers.
"Look at this purple chalcedony bracelet, isn't it beautiful?"
There were two in the shop. Qi Heng chose the one that was of better quality, leaving the one that was of relatively lower quality.
Wang Binglan glanced at Lin Yuesha's wrist and felt disgusted. Did she not have money? Why should she choose something that Lin Yuesha didn't want?
"Yellow is even better. Since it's part of the dowry, let's use the best."
Wang Binglan selected several relatively expensive pieces of jewelry, spending nearly a thousand taels of silver.
She worked under Qi Heng, in charge of military supplies, a lucrative position. She took the opportunity to do some small business and accumulated a large sum of personal money.
“Miss Binglan, I heard you got engaged. I sincerely wish you well, and it puts one less worry on my mind.”
The two were sitting in a private room drinking tea, waiting for the shopkeeper to go to the warehouse to retrieve the goods, when Lin Yuesha suddenly spoke up.
"What do you mean? Are you afraid I'll steal Qi Heng away from you?"
Wang Binglan was still indignant when she mentioned this. She had never seen such a scumbag as Qi Heng. He was not only ruthless and sharp-tongued, but also extremely lacking in manners.
Ten years of waiting came to nothing, and Wang Binglan was already heartbroken enough, but to make matters worse, she was ridiculed for being precocious.
Indeed, it was King Ping who saved the brother and sister, but she always attributed the credit to Qi Heng, which is why she worked like a slave for many years to repay him.
If it weren't for this connection, who would care!
Upon learning that she was a member of a different race, Wang Binglan was secretly delighted. She wondered if, on the day the alien race conquered the Great Qi and Qi Heng was defeated, he would prostrate himself at her feet in repentance.
Wang Binglan was waiting for this day, and believed it would come soon.
No.
Lin Yuesha wasn't worried about anyone taking Qi Heng away; she was simply looking at the issue from a woman's perspective.
“You have been thinking about Qi Heng for many years, that’s your business and has nothing to do with him.”
It's tragic that so many years have passed in vain. If Wang Binglan can find her own place in the world, Lin Yuesha sincerely wishes her well.
"Alright, stop pretending."
Saying this in front of losers, whether sincere or not, will be misunderstood as showing off.
Wang Binglan not only failed to win Qi Heng's heart, but was also made to feel ashamed. If Qi Heng were to truly bless her, it would be an insult to Wang Binglan.
"Okay, everyone has their own perspective."
After a long exchange of pleasantries, Lin Yuesha's mouth was dry, but she still couldn't figure out Wang Binglan's stance. It was difficult to find any clues in the conversation.
When one plan failed, Lin Yuesha decided to try a different approach.
"Miss Binglan, Brother Wang is so good to you, it's enviable."
The conversation shifted to Wang Jinhu, which immediately alerted Wang Binglan. She looked up warily, squinted, and asked, "Are you up to something again?"
"No, no, you've misunderstood."
"There's hope!" Lin Yuesha added fuel to the fire, "They say good things come in pairs. After you get married, Brother Wang will have no one to take care of him. Why not marry a good girl and have someone who cares about you?"
Lin Yuesha was willing to take on the job and act as a middleman.
One sentence immediately ignited Wang Binglan's anger, and she couldn't help but shout, "Lin Yuesha, stop meddling in other people's business and playing matchmaker!"
"What do you mean? Brother Wang has someone he likes?"
Lin Yuesha keenly seized the opportunity and pressed for an answer.
After shouting, Wang Binglan realized that her words had been too harsh. She pondered for a moment. Lin Yuesha was a busybody. If she didn't help her brother refuse, he might really be forced into the marriage.
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