Chen Zhancai was deeply shocked. My goodness, an old widow is worth ten taels of silver. Then his Ruhua must be worth even more.
He was envious and greedy, and his mind was constantly brimming with wicked ideas.
In fact, he had already been considering selling Ru Hua for a while. He even went to Chunfeng Tower to ask the madam if he could return her.
The madam gave him a good scolding, saying that she would only give him two taels of silver, not a penny more.
He then wanted to sell Ruhua to the tyrannical butcher Li for fifty taels of silver, but little did he know that Butcher Li had already married.
The brokers were even less reliable, saying that withered flowers and broken willows were worthless, and they would give him at most five hundred coins.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. Ru Hua is now yellow, dark, and thin, and she's practically secondhand. It's already good that someone wants her.
But when he redeemed her from Chunfeng Tower, it cost him a full fifty taels of silver. Ten taels of silver seemed like a huge loss.
If I don't sell, that woman is becoming increasingly despicable, acting like a resentful old woman all day long, finding fault with everything I do.
Ever since she hit me once, she's gotten even worse lately, constantly swearing and hitting me; she's practically a tigress.
What use is there in keeping such a rebellious and wicked woman alive?
It would be better to sell her now. Although ten taels of silver isn't much, it would at least be some income.
This would solve both their current predicament and free them from the shrew's control.
With money, one can win Liu Fengjiao's favor; wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. A smile spread across his face as he leaned closer to Wang Laowu and said...
"Brother, I need to talk to you about something. Don't go looking for a matchmaker anymore, and don't go to Dahe Village for blind dates."
Wang Laowu was taken aback. "Scholar, what do you mean? I went to great lengths to find a match for me, how can you just back out like that!"
"Brother, listen to me. I have a woman right here, much better than the widow you mentioned. She doesn't need a gold hairpin, just ten taels of silver, and I guarantee you'll be in the bridal chamber tomorrow."
"Such a good thing!" Old Wang's eyes widened in surprise. "Scholar, which family's daughter are you talking about?"
Chen Zhancai chuckled shamelessly, “To tell you the truth, that woman is my new wife. Recently, we’ve had a lot of unpleasant things going on, and we’ve completely reached the point of being irreconcilable. I was just thinking of selling her to a slave trader when I unexpectedly ran into you. Since you want to find a wife, I’ll just give her to you. That way, I’ll find her a good home.”
Wang Laowu's eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise, and he stood there dumbfounded.
He never expected Chen Zhancai to say such a thing, which completely overturned the scholar's status in his mind; he was simply a refined scoundrel.
Seeing that he remained silent, Chen Zhancai assumed that he disagreed and hurriedly urged, "Brother, what are you still thinking about? You don't need the gold hairpin, just ten taels of silver. You've gotten a great deal!"
Wang Laowu snapped out of his daze and waved his hands repeatedly, "This, this is absolutely unacceptable! How can a roughneck like me marry a scholar's wife!"
"Why not? I get the money, and you get a wife. It's a win-win situation."
"Scholar, you're not making fun of me, are you?" Old Wang asked seriously.
Chen Zhancai said in a serious tone, "Do I look like I'm joking with you? I'm serious. If you give me ten taels of silver, my wife will be yours. You should have met my wife before. She's not only good-looking, but also a great housewife."
Wang Laowu immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly. "I've met her. She's definitely a good woman for marriage. I just don't know if she'd be willing to marry me."
"This is not up to her. She is just a concubine I bought. I can buy, sell, and give her away at will. You can rest assured about this." Chen Zhancai's face was cold and indifferent. In his eyes, Ruhua was just a commodity.
"Okay, then it's settled. You can't go back on your word."
"What's there to back out of? Just give me ten taels of silver, and I'll immediately write you a contract. You can come to my house tomorrow to pick her up, and I'll give you the indenture along with it."
"Alright, come home with me now to get the money." Old Wang didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he picked up his tofu cart and headed home.
Chen Zhancai was overjoyed. With money, he could live a life of luxury, and his hard times were finally over.
He arrived at Wang Laowu's house, and without a second thought, immediately wrote a receipt and accepted ten taels of silver.
Wang Laowu was overjoyed. His wife had died young, and he had been a bachelor for decades. Now, he finally had a woman.
He couldn't wait to take Ruhua home, consummate the marriage, and have her bear him children to carry on his family line.
He rubbed his hands together impatiently, "Scholar, since you've already accepted the money, let's not wait until tomorrow. I'll go and bring the person back right now, how about that?"
"What's your hurry? Are you afraid I'll renege on my debt?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to have a good talk with the bride as soon as possible."
Hearing what he said, Chen Zhancai thought it made sense. If Ruhua knew in advance that he had sold her, she would cry, make a scene, and even hang herself.
If someone really couldn't think straight and took their own life, then they would lose everything, ending up with nothing.
To prevent things from getting complicated, it's better to act decisively and leave her no chance to breathe.
Once she leaves the house, whether she lives or dies is none of my business.
Chen Zhancai smiled and nodded, "Alright, you'll come home with me. But let's be gentlemen first, then villains. I'll make this clear from the start: once you bring your wife out, she'll be none of my business. Whether she lives or dies, you can't ask me for money."
"Don't worry, sir, I would never do such a despicable thing," Wang Laowu said, picking up the five catties of tofu that Chen Zhancai had bought. "Let's go!"
"Okay, let's go." Chen Zhancai sold Ruhua without feeling any guilt; instead, he felt a sense of relief.
There's no pressure to earn money, and no burden of living expenses.
Freedom, doing whatever you want, and fully expressing your true nature—this kind of life is truly wonderful.
Just as I was thinking this, I had already entered the house.
At that moment, Ruhua was washing clothes. Seeing Chen Zhancai enter the courtyard, she quickly put down what she was doing and got up to greet him.
"Husband, you're back. Sit down and rest for a while. I'll go make you some food right away."
"Alright, stop wasting your time." Chen Zhancai said sternly, giving her a cold look. "Hurry up and pack your things. I've found you a good family. You won't have to suffer with me anymore."
Ru Hua was taken aback. She looked at Wang Laowu behind him and immediately understood what Chen Zhancai meant. With red eyes, she shook her head and refused, "Husband, I won't go anywhere. As long as you are willing to work hard, I am not afraid of suffering."
Chen Zhancai looked displeased. "That won't do. I've already accepted their money."
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