Lin'an Village.
Lin Shih-kang asked Lin San-jin and Lin Qi, "Have any strangers come to our village recently?"
Lin Qi: "Strangers...it seems there aren't any. Apart from Yang Cui's lover, there aren't any strangers."
Lin Sanjin: "Shikang, why are you asking this?"
Lin Shikang hesitated for a moment, but finally told them everything that had happened to him.
The Lin family became increasingly alarmed and regretful as they listened.
"What...what should we do?" Madam Fan cried bitterly. "Waaah...that bitch Yang Cui, I'm going to fight her to the death!"
"Mother, can you please calm down a bit?"
Lin Sanjin also looked regretful and anxious: "What do we do now? Shikang, what do we do now?"
"The imperial envoy left the capital around the same time as me. Normally, he should have arrived in Wan'an County by now."
"Then... what should we do? Give him money! Let's give him money and make him not tell the truth when he goes back to Beijing!" Lin Qi suggested.
"Seventh Uncle, what are you thinking? How much money do you have to bribe someone into willingly committing the crime of deceiving the emperor! The crime of deceiving the emperor is punishable by death, or even the extermination of the entire family!"
Upon hearing this, Lin's group felt a chill run down their spines and were terrified.
Lin Sanjin: "Then...what should we do? Isn't there any other way?"
Lin Qi said indignantly, "It's all Lin Rongguang and Lin Mingcai's fault. Yang Cui took the money and nothing happened to her, but they just wouldn't let it go! They're also jealous of how she makes money."
Lin Qi completely forgot that he had never stopped them from bullying Yang Cui. On the contrary, he had secretly hoped that Lin Rongguang and Lin Mingcai would subdue Yang Cui and get their hands on the money-making methods so that he could also benefit from it.
Lin Shikang was certainly resentful, but one was already dead and the other was in prison, so complaining was useless. The most urgent task was to solve the problem.
He said, "Unless Yang Cui is willing to come forward and clarify this matter, I will not only lose my official position, but also my academic title."
For students from impoverished families, studying is their only way out!
Once one's honors are revoked, one's reputation is ruined, and there is no hope of recovery in the future.
“Then let’s go find Yang Cui!” Lin Sanjin said. “We’ll agree to whatever she asks.”
"Then...wouldn't that mean I have to beg her?" Madam Fan was not happy about it.
Upon hearing this, Lin Sanjin immediately became furious: "What's wrong with begging her? Even if she makes you eat shit or kneel and kowtow, you have to agree! Are you just going to stand by and watch Shikang's future be ruined? If it weren't for you and Lin Rongguang, you... how could things have come to this!"
Lin Sanjin regretted his actions; he should have strongly dissuaded Lin Sanjin in the first place!
“Er Ya and San Ya have been kidnapped. I’m going to Anjia Village to see if they’ve returned.”
“I’ll go with you,” Lin Sanjin and Lin Qi said in unison.
“Son, you’ve just gotten back, you must be tired from the journey. Why don’t you go again tomorrow?” said Madam Fan.
"Mother, I'm fine. Er Ya and San Ya are my daughters. If something happens to them, how can I, as their father, just ignore them?"
“Go! We must go! If word gets out, what will become of Shikang’s reputation?” Lin Sanjin said. “Bring two more chickens from home to calm the child down.”
Lin Sanjin now realizes the seriousness of the situation and knows that he must make peace with Yang Cui.
"We still need to catch chickens?" Madam Fan was heartbroken. "These two good-for-nothings don't deserve to eat such good food."
Lin Qi said, "We'll have Lin Qiu's family pay for this chicken later. If it weren't for that idiot Lin Chunmei, this wouldn't have happened."
Lin Shikang said irritably, "Mother, at this time, don't worry about a few chickens! We not only need to treat Er Ya and San Ya better, but we also have to find a way to get Er Ya and San Ya back and reinstate them into our Lin family genealogy!"
Only when Er Ya and San Ya return to the Lin family will they share the family's honor and disgrace. Judging from Yang Cui's love for the two children, she will certainly not allow them to suffer damage to their reputation. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the current unfavorable rumors against the Lin family.
"Shikang, whatever you say, we'll support you!" Lin Sanjin said, then turned to Madam Fan and said, "We'll all listen to Shikang. Whatever Shikang says, we'll do! Don't cause any trouble!"
Lin Qi: "Yes, yes, we'll listen to you."
"Let's go see the child first."
So, Lin Shikang, along with Fan Shi, Lin He Shi, Lin Qi, and Lin Sanjin, prepared to go to Anjia Village with their belongings.
"The third-ranked scholar is going out!"
Just as Lin Shikang was about to leave, Yan Shi and Fang Xiaodan's family arrived.
Upon seeing them, Lin Sanjin and Lin Qi immediately sensed that something bad was about to happen.
"Why are you all here? Whatever it is, we can talk about it in a few days. Aren't you already dealing with enough trouble and chaos?" Lin Sanjin said irritably.
When Lin Shikang saw Lin Sanjin's appearance, he knew that this family's arrival was probably not for anything good.
Fang Xiaodan chuckled, "I know you're a busy man, but I'm also worried you might forget things! These are my sons, Donkey Egg and Cow Egg. The clan promised to arrange work for them, so what do you think about this..."
"Assign them work?" Lin Shikang was a little confused and looked at Lin Sanjin with a questioning gaze.
Lin Qi: "When did the clan agree? Fang Xiaodan, don't talk nonsense and spout off!"
Madam Yan became anxious: "Why didn't you agree? It's not the clan head's family and Madam Fan's fault that my two grandsons were rejected! The clan finally produced a third-place scholar, and we didn't even get to enjoy the blessing. In the end, it's even caused my grandsons to be unable to find wives. Of course you have to take responsibility!"
Lin Sanjin then told Lin Shikang about how Donkey Egg and Cow Egg's engagement was called off, and how Yan Shi and Fang Xiaodan were arguing about demanding compensation.
Lin Shikang was very annoyed. It was extremely difficult for him to escape rural life. Not only could his clansmen and family not help him, but they were all restless and had created so many messes for him to clean up.
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