“And then quickly marry off this burden, right?” Yan Jiyue’s eyes filled with tears, grief and anger intertwined: “Before, when you thought sister was dead, you were afraid I’d marry and the daughter-in-law would encroach on the family property, so you disregarded my wishes and had Su Mu marry into our family. Now that sister has returned, you want to push me into Shen Yuxue’s arms without delay, to pave the way for sister’s future.”

Yan Zhujun angrily shouted: “Nonsense! I’m doing this for your own good!”

“For my own good? Is it for me, or for sister?” Yan Jiyue couldn’t hide his sadness, smiling bitterly: “I know, our family only looks bright and beautiful on the surface, but in reality, we’re about to be in deficit. So I need to get married quickly, preferably to Shen Yuxue, because the Shen family is rich… You want to use me to fill this hole, to plan for sister’s future.”

“Nonsense! Nonsense! Who taught you to say such outrageous things, Xiao Ping? Hua Lu?” Yan Zhujun was so angry he started coughing, stomping his cane incessantly: “Ling Hua, drag those two out and beat them for me!”

“No need, no one taught me.” Yan Jiyue’s gaze was deep, his brow desolate: “But I won’t attend the flower-viewing party, nor will I meet Shen Yuxue.”

Yan Ting, watching her father and brother part on bad terms, was still a bit confused. She had been rescued by a farming family and was secretly developing feelings for the family’s youngest son, Guo’er, when suddenly a group of people appeared, saying she was the eldest young lady of the Yan family and brought her home.

“Ting’er, are you scared?” Yan Zhujun looked at Yan Ting’s confused expression with immense heartache.

Yan Ting shook her head: “Father, I’m fine. You had an argument with Jiyue, you should try to persuade him.”

“No need to persuade him.” Yan Zhujun smiled gently: “Men are born to be married off. When you take a husband in the future, naturally your son-in-law will deal with him. Then he’ll know that in this family, he’s no longer the young master, but an outsider.”

Ling Hua, listening on the side, felt a chill in his heart.

After leaving Mei Study, Xiao Ping and Hua Lu kept two steps behind Yan Jiyue, knowing that Yan Jiyue had just had an argument with the master. The two of them kept their heads down, not daring to look up and risk incurring his wrath.

“Xiao Ping, Hua Lu.” Yan Jiyue suddenly stopped.

Xiao Ping and Hua Lu couldn’t stop in time and bumped into each other.

Xiao Ping crawled forward: “Young master, what are your orders?”

“Go do something for me.”

“Father, is this chicken soup really from Sister Su?” Lin Xiaoxing, who had just woken up, held the fragrant chicken soup in his hands, overjoyed.

“Would I lie to you? It was sent over last night, but you were still unconscious then, so we could only wait until you woke up to reheat it for you to drink,” Yang Shu said.

“Since it’s from Sister Su, I must drink it all.” Lin Xiaoxing drank the chicken soup in big gulps.

Yang Shu felt quite pleased: “I’ve noticed that recently, Su girl seems to care about you more than before.”

“Really?”

“Haven’t you noticed?” Yang Shu smiled: “Think about it, before she married into the Yan family, except for when she first rented a room, when else did she come to our house? It was always you personally going to deliver things to her. But this time it’s different, giving candies, sending chicken soup, I think she must have feelings for you now.”

Lin Xiaoxing sat up excitedly: “Father, do you really think so?”

“Oh, slow down, slow down, the doctor said you need to lie down and not move.” Yang Shu quickly pressed Lin Xiaoxing back onto the bed: “Look, after you fell ill, she even came to visit you on her own initiative. If she didn’t have feelings for you, I wouldn’t believe it. I guess she must have been mistreated by Yan Jiyue and now knows to marry a worthy husband.”

Lin Xiaoxing shyly covered his face with the blanket: “If that’s really the case, when I get better, I’ll go see Sister Su.”

“What will you say when you see her? Sister Su, will you marry me? Do you still want your dignity as a man?” Yang Shu comforted him: “The most important thing for you now is to recover from your injury.”

Lin Xiaoxing nodded: “I understand. By the way, father, where’s Xiaomei?”

“Xiaomei went out to play. Last night I gave her a good beating with a cane, and this morning she was still crying.”

Lin Xiaoxing held Yang Shu’s hand: “Father, don’t blame Xiaomei. Actually, it was all my fault. I didn’t see the green apricot under my foot and just happened to step on it, that’s why… It’s strange, I clearly saw that the ground was empty.”

Yang Shu sighed: “Ah, it’s all in the past. Speaking of which, we should be thankful to Xie Yi for helping you back. When you recover, you must thank him properly.”

“Yes, I just don’t know if he will have returned to the desert by the time I recover.”

“Xiaoxing, let your father say something selfish. Although Xie Yi saved you, I sincerely hope he can return to where he belongs soon. He’s too handsome, and staying around Su Mu all the time will inevitably make it hard for people to control themselves.”

Lin Xiaoxing lowered his head: “I understand.”

Wasn’t he himself the same? Even though Xie Yi was his savior, having him live under the same roof with the person he loved inevitably made him feel unbearably jealous.

“Look at those women who frequently visit brothels, which one of them has a steady character like Su Mu? Don’t worry, when you get better, I’ll certainly find someone to arrange a marriage for you.”

Lin Xiaoxing shook his head: “No, father, you need to do it quickly.”

“Why? Are you in such a hurry?” Yang Shu teased.

“Father!” Lin Xiaoxing’s face turned red: “That’s not what I meant. I was thinking that in a few days, the results of the prefectural examination will be out. If Sister Su doesn’t pass, it’s fine, but if she passes, she’ll become a xiucai. Many men in the city will want to marry her, and then I won’t be able to match up to her.”

“Oh, right!” Yang Shu slapped his forehead: “How could I have forgotten about this?”

Juancheng was not a big city, and it was far from the capital. In twenty years, only one person had become a juren. Being able to pass the xiucai examination and receive a government salary already put one a cut above the rest.

“You stay at home and rest. I’ll go find a matchmaker I know to discuss this.” Yang Shu hurriedly put on his outer garment and locked the door from the outside.

The bluestone slabs, not fully covered with moss, were wet and slippery. Yang Shu had to take each step carefully. As he looked up, he suddenly saw Su Mu’s familiar red clothes flash by at the corner.

Yang Shu curiously followed.

He saw a male servant standing in front of Su Mu, quite handsome in appearance. But Su Mu’s expression was serious, not like a secret romantic meeting.

Yang Shu pressed his ear closer to listen.

“Who sent you here?” Su Mu asked.

The servant smiled and said: “Miss Su, since you bought Xie Yi last time, my master has been feeling uneasy. After much thought, he decided to tell you about this matter.”

“Just say what it is, why make it so mysterious?”

The servant smiled and leaned closer to Su Mu: “My master asked me to tell you that the Xie Yi you bought is actually not worth 20 taels of silver. Because of his fickle nature and not upholding male virtue, he seduced his previous master. As a result, the word ‘lust’ was branded on his chest, making him even lower than the most lowly men in brothels.”

Yang Shu covered his mouth in shock, utterly astonished.

He never imagined that Xie Yi, who looked so clean and was the most gentle and kind, could be so filthy underneath.