"Oh, is that so? This scholar's personality is probably beyond redemption; his whole family is going to suffer."
"That's right. Last year, the scholar divorced his wife. He didn't want such a good wife. It seems he's destined to be a bachelor for the rest of his life."
"It wasn't the scholar who divorced his wife; it was his wife who couldn't stand his behavior and went back to her parents' home in a fit of anger, and hasn't returned since."
“This kind of person, his family still treats him like a treasure, providing him with food and drink every day, and never letting him do any work. They don’t even think about how Zhao Yougen died.”
"You can't interfere in other people's business. Zhao Yougen fell to his death while collecting herbs in the mountains. Wasn't he just trying to earn more money so his scholar son could pass the imperial examinations?"
"Yes, in order to gain fame and fortune, their family borrowed a lot of money and mortgaged most of their land. They only have a small plot of land left. How can that support a family?"
"The land is gone, and I guess the old house won't be saved either."
“Master Zhang has long coveted the scholar’s old house. After Zhao Yougen died, the scholar borrowed ten taels of silver from him, promising to repay twenty taels with interest in two years, using the old house as collateral. It’s one of the few brick and tile houses in the village, and it seems it will belong to Master Zhang.”
"How did you know about this? The scholar's wife doesn't seem to know anything about it."
"The money was borrowed by the scholar, and he probably didn't tell his mother. I was chatting with Zhang the landlord's wife a couple of days ago when she mentioned it."
"Alas, this scholar is truly a scoundrel; he has ruined his entire family."
"The scholar is coming this way. Let's go home. If we meet, he'll start quoting Confucius and poetry again."
The crowd quickly dispersed.
Zhao Xian ignored them and walked slowly toward the village entrance.
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