Chapter 366: Lin Zhaozhao becomes the second wife of a poor scholar
"The man who was in the room with Lin Zhaozhao yesterday was called He Yuanfei. He was a scholar from Hansu Town. He is 29 years old this year. His family is poor. He was married before, but she died of illness two years ago. She left behind two sons and one daughter. The oldest is 12 years old and the youngest is 6 years old."
"I heard that his first wife died of illness not long after he passed the imperial examination. This Mr. He has no special talents, and the money he spent on his studies in the past few years has always been supported by his late wife's family."
"After passing the examination, the family was exempted from taxes, and life became a little better. However, because Mr. He was not good at farming, he could only make ends meet by selling calligraphy and paintings."
"He came to the Yang family with his friends yesterday. I don't know whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, but he entered the room that Lin Zhaozhao had prepared in advance and took Lin Zhaozhao, who was thirteen years younger than him, with him."
"Since the matter has already been settled, Mr. Lin and Mrs. Lin have no choice but to marry Lin Zhaozhao to Mr. He as his successor, no matter how reluctant they are."
"Knowing that Mr. He's family is poor and can't afford a betrothal gift, the Lin family might even have to pay for it."
Jiang Surao had a gloating look on her face.
"Yesterday I was worried that your Xu Xiucai would fall into her trap. Fortunately, he didn't. Now that Lin Zhaozhao is married, things should be a little quieter."
Song Yuntang had a faint smile on his face.
"Not necessarily. Now that she has married someone she didn't want to marry but had to, she's probably still blaming others for not cooperating with her."
Judging from the look of the man yesterday, he wasn't someone who would be easy to get along with. It would be nice to let Lin Zhaozhao experience what it's like to be a stepmother.
The wicked should be punished by the wicked.
Jiang Surao said "Pooh".
"How shameless! Her own dirty thoughts have nothing to do with others."
Song Yuntang didn't want to talk too much about Lin Zhaozhao. She looked at Jiang Surao and asked, "How is the matter between you and the Yang family?"
Jiang Surao shook her head.
"My mother didn't say it explicitly, but I can sense that the elders of the Yang family don't seem to approve of this marriage. It doesn't matter. I didn't intend to marry into the Yang family anyway."
She rested her chin on her hands.
She felt somewhat unhappy when she thought that she and Yang Linyuan would not be together in the end.
But even so, she didn't want to trap herself in the Yang family's backyard just because of a little bit of affection at the moment.
That wasn't what she wanted at all.
Song Yuntang looked at her expression and asked, "Are you attracted to Young Master Yang?"
Jiang Surao sat up straight and took a sip of tea with gritted teeth.
"Don't talk nonsense, it's not true."
Song Yuntang nodded, "If that's the case, then there's nothing to think about. Let Madam Jiang arrange a marriage for you as soon as possible to stop the Yang family's idea and your own idea, so that you won't be wavering."
Jiang Surao put down the teacup, a struggle flashing in her eyes.
"My mother told me last night that when the rain stops, she wants me to go back to Cile Town with her. She wants to find a husband for me that suits my taste."
"Go ahead." Song Yuntang said, "When you have found someone, send me a message. When we get married, I will go and help you with your dowry."
The two chatted for a while. Seeing that there were more and more patients in the clinic, Jiang Surao took the lead to say goodbye and leave in order not to delay Song Yuntang's business.
…
Song Yuntang returned home after the clinic closed. Xu Wencheng was shivering and wrapped in a thin quilt, sitting in the main living room, warming himself by a charcoal fire. He sneezed, rubbed his nose, and stamped his feet from time to time, looking very flustered.
Hearing the creaking sound coming from the courtyard gate, he looked back with excitement. When he saw Song Yuntang, he quickly stood up and smiled heartily.
"Sister-in-law is back."
Song Yuntang looked at him and frowned.
"Why are you wrapped up like this? Did you catch a cold?"
Xu Wencheng laughed and said, "It's not a big problem. My brother is making ginger and sugar water for me in the kitchen. I'll drink it and sweat under the quilt and I'll be fine."
Then he said, "Sister-in-law, I notified Cile Town yesterday. The things in the farm were moved in time, so they were not soaked by the rain. The roofs of the granary and factory buildings were covered with straw, and the height of the granary was raised by two mud bricks with wooden boards, so the grain could not be soaked."
Song Yuntang nodded. Considering the possibility of rain and fearing flooding, he did not dig a cellar to store food.
Now it seems that the decision made at that time was correct.
In case of a cellar leak, underground waterproofing is not as easy as above ground waterproofing.
Seeing that Xu Wencheng's condition and complexion were a little off, Song Yuntang didn't say anything. He first raised his hand to touch his forehead. It was a little hot. He was probably running outside for the past two days, getting caught in the rain and wind, and caught a cold.
"Go lie down in the room first, drink some ginger and sugar water later, wrap yourself in a blanket and have a good sleep. If your fever hasn't subsided by then, I'll get you another dose of medicine to drink."
Xu Wencheng's brows were twisted into a knot.
"I don't need to take medicine for a minor illness like mine, right?"
"Are you afraid of the bitterness?" Song Yuntang glanced at him. "Why did you come to the county town in the rain when you knew the medicine was bitter? Why don't you wait until the rain stops?"
Seeing that Song Yuntang seemed a little unhappy, Xu Wencheng scratched his head and didn't dare to look in her direction.
"I just saw that the rain has not stopped, and I am worried that it will be inconvenient for my sister-in-law to go home from the clinic every day without a carriage..."
The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became.
Looking at how he was being timid in front of him, Song Yuntang sighed helplessly and his expression relaxed.
"Alright, alright. I don't blame you, but you have to think about yourself. The roads from Cile Town are mostly mountainous and slippery on rainy days. If the horse's hooves slip and an accident occurs, how can I explain to my parents and your eldest brother?"
Xu Wencheng chuckled.
"I'm fine, aren't I? Sister-in-law, don't worry."
Song Yuntang looked at him calmly.
"Go to the house and rest, or I will be really angry."
Xu Wencheng rarely saw her serious, and when he saw her now, he found it even more terrifying than when his elder brother had a stern face.
He shrank his neck.
"Hey, I'll go right away."
After saying that, he wrapped himself in his quilt and trotted back into the house.
After drinking ginger and sugar water and sweating, Xu Wencheng's temperature did go down, but in the middle of the night, he started to have a fever again.
Originally, Song Yuntang didn't know about it. It was Xu Qingye who discovered it when he got up in the middle of the night to check his temperature.
At that time, he did not want to wake up Song Yuntang, so he went to the kitchen to light a fire and boil water, intending to use the warm water to wipe Xu Wencheng to reduce his fever.
Song Yuntang heard the noise in a daze, and got out of bed when he saw that Xu Qingye was no longer beside him.
There was still a drizzle outside the house.
She put on her coat, took an umbrella from the door, and followed the firelight in the backyard to the kitchen.
When she saw the man sitting behind the stove with his clothes gathered up, she looked puzzled, "Why is he boiling water in the kitchen at this time? Is Wencheng having a fever again?"
Xu Qingye hummed and looked up at her.
"It's cold at night, you should go back to bed first. I'll sleep in Wencheng's room after I wipe him, so I won't disturb your rest."
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