Chapter 44 [VIP]
The students were startled by Wang Ying and quickly backed away. "What, what are you going to do?"
"I haven't even asked you what you're up to yet, and you're already spreading rumors and causing trouble in front of someone else's shop. I'll make sure you get your faces slapped!"
"We didn't spread any rumors! Why doesn't Chen Qingyan dare to come out and confront us face to face? Instead, he needs his husband to stand up for him. Is he even a man?"
"Bullshit!" Wang Ying raised her bamboo pole to hit him.
Chen Qingyan came out of the house, "Aying!"
"Go inside, you don't need to help here."
"This matter arose because of me, so I'll handle it myself..."
Wang Ying dared not let him handle it himself. This kid was too honest. He couldn't admit to something like this even if he were beaten to death. If he did, he would never be able to clear his name for the rest of his life!
Someone said, "Tell me, weren't you disqualified from the county exam because you cheated?"
...
"yes."
"Did you hear that? He admitted it himself!"
Throughout history, people have always loved to join in the fun and listen to gossip. Soon, a crowd gathered, and everyone was talking excitedly. "No wonder he didn't go to school and opened a private school at home. It turns out that cheating would prevent him from taking the imperial examinations!"
"Who would dare let someone with such character teach? They might corrupt the children."
Wang Ying quickly explained, "He cheated because someone framed him! He hid a cheat sheet in his pen. My husband didn't cheat at all!"
"Ha, you think someone else put it there because they said so? Who would believe that?"
"Exactly! It's just a county-level exam, not a provincial-level exam. What good would it do you to harm me?"
"It's just an excuse to fool my family."
The students were all talking at once, and Wang Ying couldn't argue with them at all. She was so angry that her face turned red and her chest heaved. For the first time, she felt the power of public opinion.
He realized that this group of people had come specifically to ruin Chen Qingyan's reputation, and it was definitely related to that scholar Zhang!
If I had known he was this despicable, I should have just killed him back then!
Someone else, oblivious to the danger, continued, "Chen Qingyan, you were jealous of someone passing the imperial examination, so you had their legs broken, wasn't that right?!"
Chen Qingyan's lips trembled, as if a scene from a nightmare overlapped with reality. He screamed and completely broke down.
The ancients valued reputation highly. He almost died of depression because he was boycotted of the exam. Now the whole town is in an uproar, and they want everyone in the town to know. Isn't this driving him to his death?
Wang Ying dared not argue with those people anymore. With red eyes, she pointed at them and said, "I remember what you all look like. If anything happens to my husband, we will fight to the death!"
The group was startled by his fierce gaze, and some of the more timid ones had already slipped into the crowd to escape.
Ignoring the noisy crowd, Wang Ying pulled Chen Qingyan and hurriedly headed home.
Chen Qingyan remained silent the entire way. The proud young man seemed to have had his spine broken, his head hanging low, his eyes devoid of any spirit.
Wang Ying watched with growing anxiety, feeling as if a piece of cotton was stuck in her chest, something she couldn't swallow or spit out, causing her great discomfort.
When they got home, they took the person directly to the backyard without telling Li. They knew that telling her wouldn't help much and would only cause her unnecessary worry and anxiety.
"Qingyan, listen to me, don't take those people's words to heart. They're all talking nonsense! These people don't know the inside story at all. It must be Zhang Xiucai who's behind this. I'll find someone to teach him a lesson!"
Chen Qingyan took his hand and slowly shook her head.
Wang Ying's nose tingled, and she choked out, "Don't be like this... it breaks my heart to see you like this..."
Chen Qingyan remained silent. In fact, Wang Ying did not know that he was now ill. In modern medical terms, this was panic disorder caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain due to severe stimulation, resulting in an excessive response of the central nervous system to anxiety.
It wasn't that Chen Qingyan didn't want to talk, but rather that he was no longer able to express his emotions normally.
For the next three days, Chen Qingyan remained in this state, unable to utter a single word. He called the doctor several times during this period, but the doctor was unable to cure him. The doctor said that his illness was a mental one and that he would only recover once he had come to terms with it.
Even if Li was slow to notice, she could tell that something was wrong with her son.
Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Wang Ying had no choice but to tell her what had happened that day.
Upon hearing this, Li nearly fainted, her vision blurred. Chen Rong quickly supported her, shouting, "Sister-in-law, you can't fall! The younger generation is counting on you to support them. If you fall, who will take care of these poor children?"
It took Li a while to catch her breath, tears streaming down her face. "Why is my Yan'er's life so miserable..."
Chen Rong was so angry that she burst into tears. Her nephew was such a good child, yet he had to suffer such things time and time again. It was truly torturous.
After the Lantern Festival, seeing that he was getting more and more haggard, Wang Ying was really afraid that he would fall ill and be bedridden again, so she decided to take him to stay at the estate.
*
"Are you really going to move to the estate?"
“Qingyan is in such a state that it’s not good for him to stay cooped up at home all the time. I’m thinking of taking him to the estate to relax. Maybe he’ll be fine after a while.” Rumors were flying around outside, and Wang Ying couldn’t shut everyone up. She could only take him to hide for a while and come back when he’s recovered.
Li said, "Why don't I go with you?"
“What will happen to your younger siblings if you leave? This family will depend on you.”
Chen Rong also advised, "Going to the estate is better. There are too many people and too much gossip in the town. The other day when I went out to buy things, I could hear people talking about our family..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Li sighed again, "Alright, you can go now. I'm entrusting Yan'er to you."
"Don't worry, Mother, I will take good care of him."
The day before their departure, Wang Ying took Er Shun out of the restaurant. It was still the Yingke Restaurant, but the person they met was not Teng Guang, but Zhang Xiucai himself.
Zhang Shiqiu never expected that Chen Qingyan's husband would take the initiative to meet him. At first, he thought he had misheard, but after thinking it over, he still came. He didn't believe that Chen Qingyan's husband would dare to kill him in broad daylight.
Upon meeting, Wang Ying cut to the chase: "You're the one who had the rumors in town spread, aren't you?"
Zhang Shiqiu scoffed, "Which part is a rumor? It was Chen Qingyan who cheated, and your family did it to my leg. Aren't those the truth?"
Wang Ying ignored his words and coldly said, "I only came here to ask you one question: Chen Qingyan considered you a close friend, so why did you hide a cheat sheet in his pen?"
"Hehe...hahahaha...hahahahaha..." Zhang Xiucai suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard something amusing, laughing until tears streamed down his face. "What's the use of saying all this now that it's already happened?"
Wang Ying said, "Qingyan is kind, but I'm not a good person. I had your leg broken."
Zhang Shiqiu's laughter abruptly stopped, like a rooster being strangled. He hadn't expected the other party to admit it so readily.
I'm going to report you to the authorities and have you arrested!
"Go ahead, and guess whether the officer believes you or me?"
Enraged, Zhang Shiqiu grabbed a teacup and threw it at Wang Ying, but she nimbly dodged it, rushed forward in the blink of an eye, and punched him to the ground. Then she punched Zhang Shiqiu in the face again and again, until he was bleeding from his nose and mouth.
Er Shun, fearing he might kill someone, quickly grabbed him, "Young master, don't get agitated..."
Wang Ying stepped on his face and said, "I've brought you here today to tell you that I can find someone to break your left leg, and I can find someone to break your right leg as well. If you try to ruin Qingyan's reputation again, I'll make you crawl on your feet from now on!"
Zhang Shiqiu turned deathly pale with fright. "You, you dare..."
"Why wouldn't I dare? Hiring someone to kill you would at most result in a three-year exile. If it weren't for the fear of upsetting Qingyan, do you think I would spare your dog's life? You don't even deserve it!"
"Ah!" Zhang Shiqiu was so frightened by the naked killing intent in his eyes that he lost control of his bladder. A foul, fishy smell wafted out, and Wang Ying moved her foot away in disgust.
Killing this man would dirty his hands; what he wanted was for Zhang Xiucai to live in constant fear and trembling from now on, to pay the price for what he had done!
*
The mule cart traveled along the country road, its wheels covered in mud. The weather had warmed up recently, and the snow on the road had melted, leaving a light drizzle on the ground. The cart wheels sank into the mud several times along the way.
This time when they went back to the countryside, besides Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan, they only brought Uncle Chen and Dunzi, leaving Ershun at home to help out.
Qingsong and Qingyun originally wanted to come along, but Wang Ying persuaded them to stay, saying, "You two are older now, it's time for you to share some responsibilities. The shop needs someone to manage it after your sister-in-law leaves, can you help?"
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, we'll definitely be able to take good care of her!"
Chen Rong held his hand and instructed him, "Take good care of yourself when you get to the manor, and don't overwork yourself and get sick."
"Oh, I understand."
Fortunately, her third aunt was also at home, otherwise Wang Ying would have been really worried. Luckily, the estate wasn't far from the town, so she could come back to visit whenever she had free time.
Wang Ying lifted the carriage curtain. The snow on the mountain had not yet melted. He planned to build a separate courtyard halfway up the mountain after the snow had thawed for a while.
The location is all decided: it will be built next to that warm spring, so people can enjoy hot springs in winter, and it will also conceal the source of the vegetables.
Wang Ying had no intention of stopping the vegetable stall business. She would have Dunzi transport the vegetables from the village to the town every three days.
"Do you remember when we went back to the village last time? You got bitten by a rat snake, which scared me half to death. I thought you had been bitten by a poisonous snake."
Chen Qingyan nodded slightly, but still couldn't express it.
Wang Ying held his hand tightly, hoping that he would recover quickly once they arrived at the estate.
After traveling for more than two hours, they finally arrived at Chenjiazhuang, where the village head, Chen Xi, was already waiting outside the village.
He had received news a few days ago that the young master and young nobleman were going to return to the estate for a while, and the house had already been prepared in advance.
"Whoa~" The mule cart stopped beside him, and Chen Xi walked forward with a big smile. "Greetings, young master, young sir!"
Wang Ying quickly opened the car door and said, "Why is the village head waiting at the village entrance on such a cold day?"
Chen Xi rubbed his hands and said, "I heard that the young master and young master were coming. I was just idling at home anyway, so I came out for a stroll to see if I could run into the young master and young master."
"Go back quickly."
"Why."
Upon entering the village, Chen Xi led the car directly to his lodgings. Hearing that the young master had returned to the village to recuperate, he assumed he didn't want to see strangers and therefore didn't go back to his own home.
"This is the bridal chamber I prepared for my second son. He won't need it for a while. If you and the young master don't mind, you can stay here."
"Of course I don't mind." Wang Ying helped Chen Qingyan down from the carriage.
Actually, the Chen family originally had an ancestral home in the village, but it had never been repaired since the great-grandfather moved to the town. Over the years, it had been washed away by rainwater, leaving only the foundation.
The new house wasn't far from the headman's house; it consisted of three mud-brick houses plus a side room.
The courtyard was kept very clean, and a layer of pebbles was laid on it to prevent mud from getting on your feet when it rained.
The house was heated by a stove, making it warm and cozy as soon as you entered.
The east room was where the two of them would live from now on. There was a new bed and several cabinets next to it. Wang Ying thought they looked familiar, as if they had been moved from Chen Xi's house.
In the middle is the kitchen, fully equipped with all the necessary cooking utensils. There is also an old bed in the west room, presumably prepared for the servants.
"It's kind of you, village head, to have tidied up the house in such a short time. We'll stay here for two months, and then build a new house and move out in the spring."
"You may stay as long as you wish, my lord!"
"Qingyan needs to rest quietly. Don't let anyone come and disturb her these next few days. If you need anything, just talk to Uncle Chen."
Chen Xi quickly nodded in agreement, "The family has already prepared the meal. Should we bring it now or later?"
"I'm really sorry to trouble you. I'll just go get it myself later."
"Then I'll have my grandson bring the food over."
Wang Ying still remembered the two children, and nodded with a smile.
After everyone left, Wang Ying quickly helped Uncle Chen unload the luggage and set up the room. The luggage on the carriage was only a small part; most of the things were stuffed into the experimental field by Wang Ying and would be put away later that night.
Sitting in the dimly lit bedroom, Wang Ying hugged Chen Qingyan, who was sitting blankly to the side, and said, "You better get better soon!"
A note from the author:
Every plot point serves to advance the story; only by sinking to the bottom can one reach the top, where a new turning point is about to arrive.
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