There were rumors in Yujia Village that Zhu Peng had almost been abducted by human traffickers when he was three years old, and that Zhu Kun was behind it. If Zhu Kun could be so ruthless to his own brother to prevent Zhu Peng from inheriting the Zhu family's assets, how could he possibly spare Zhan Feiyu, an outsider?
Moreover, Zhu Kun was emboldened by his position. The Zhu landlord needed him to inherit the family business, while the Zhan family was merely a poor farming household. If Zhan Feiyu's path to education were destroyed, the Zhan family would be even less of a threat.
"Master, I will participate in the Tong Sheng exam as soon as possible." After her anger subsided, Zhan Feiyu felt a renewed sense of urgency. She had already made a name for herself with the county magistrate, but it was far from enough to deter insidious and malicious individuals like Zhu Kun and Zhan Lao Er.
Recalling Zhan Feiyu's diligence and hard work after entering school, and how her fingertips had developed calluses from the brush in just over two months, Master Lin affectionately patted her small head. "Don't worry, I will handle this."
Master Lin was merely a tutor at a village private school, but he possessed the title of Xiucai. Zhu Kun might have seen Xiao Yu as a country girl he could bully at will, but he never imagined she was also part of the scholarly community. Zhu Kun's actions had offended the entire scholarly class.
After Zhan Feiyu left, Madam Wang watched the enraged Master Lin and handed him a cup of tea. "Husband, are you going to the Zhu family?"
"Zhu Kun is going too far!" With a bang, Master Lin, no longer suppressing his anger, smashed the teacup.
Shedding his usual gentle and refined demeanor, Master Lin sternly declared, "Not to mention that Xiao Yu is a scholar and values her reputation, even an ordinary woman whose reputation is ruined has no will to live!"
Zhan Feiyu had only mentioned that the servant had insulted her and then attempted to use force. Master Lin found it inconvenient to elaborate, but he knew Zhu Kun's true intentions. Thinking of his young disciple as an innocent girl who knew nothing of the world (Zhan Feiyu, who had read adult novels in her past life, drifted by...), Master Lin's anger flared again.
Suppressing her dislike for Zhan Feiyu, Madam Wang said softly, "Zhu Kun is a scoundrel. I fear he will not heed your advice, husband."
What Madam Wang did not explicitly state was that it was not worth offending such a wicked person as Zhu Kun for Zhan Feiyu. Zhu Kun's mother was the daughter of an elder in Yujia Village, and the village head was her cousin. The Zhu family was wealthy and influential. Although there was a hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, money could make things happen. What if Zhu Kun were to target her husband or Yuan'er?
Even if Zhu Kun did not retaliate, Madam Wang was displeased to offend the people of Yujia Village and the Zhu landlord's family for an outsider like Zhan Feiyu. She grew to resent the troublemaking Zhan Feiyu even more.
"I will speak with the Zhu landlord. If he cannot restrain Zhu Kun, I will report it to Magistrate Chen myself." His resolute voice rang out. Master Lin would not allow a scoundrel like Zhu Kun to ruin Zhan Feiyu's path to education.
"Zhu Kun's wife is the youngest daughter of the Assistant Clerk Zhao. Magistrate Chen might show some favoritism," Madam Wang said worriedly. She did not want Master Lin to fall out with Zhu Kun over an outsider like Zhan Feiyu.
Although Assistant Clerk Zhao was only a minor official of the ninth rank, everyone, from gentry and wealthy families to ruffians and hooligans, would give him some respect. Zhu Kun was his son-in-law. If Assistant Clerk Zhao were to secretly cause trouble, their family would surely suffer.
"Magistrate Chen is an upright and incorruptible official. He will surely uphold justice for Xiao Yu." Master Lin's decision was final.
Madam Wang fell silent, her dislike for Zhan Feiyu deepening.
...
The Zhan family's meals were not particularly good. Especially since Zhan Feiyu had entered private school, and Erlang would also be entering next year, money became tight. Old Madam Zhan had significantly reduced the quality of their food.
"We've been eating these sweet potato cakes for three days straight." Xiao Yao Shi chewed on the coarse cakes, glaring fiercely at Zhan Feiyu. "Ten taels of silver could buy two hundred catties of pork."
Sweet potato cakes were made by chopping sweet potatoes and vegetables together, mixing them with a little coarse flour, and rolling them into cakes. Old Madam Zhan was too stingy to use oil or salt, so she steamed them and served them as a staple, accompanied by a bowl of yellow millet porridge and a plate of pickled vegetables.
Madam Shi, who was always greedy, was incited by Xiao Yao Shi and also complained, "Yes, Mother. I was farting non-stop while working in the fields today. Didn't the Zhu family say they wanted to propose? Why hasn't Madam Wang the matchmaker come?"
That was a hundred taels of silver! Madam Shi had been dreaming of getting rich for days. As Xiao Yu's aunt, she should at least get ten or twenty taels. Now that the money was gone, Madam Shi glared at Zhan Feiyu in resentment. How much better it would be if it were her own little girl.
Old Madam Zhan's stingy, aged face darkened, and her knife-like gaze glared at her younger daughter-in-law. "Shut up! If you don't want to eat, go to the kitchen and boil water!"
"I won't say anything more." Madam Shi smiled shamelessly and quickly devoured the sweet potato cakes. Going hungry was an unpleasant experience.
The Zhan family didn't know why Madam Wang the matchmaker hadn't visited. They guessed that something had happened on the Zhu family's side. However, in ancient times, the man's family proposed marriage, and the woman's family would not inquire for the sake of face.
Zhan Feiyu picked up a piece of pickled radish and finished the last bite of her cake. She asked crisply, "Second Uncle, I heard from my classmates at school that the Zeng family is offering a reward of one hundred taels for a crippled beggar."
Her hand, which was holding chopsticks, tightened. Old Master Zhan looked up at the smiling Zhan Feiyu, suppressing his unease. "Yes, but that beggar fled long ago. Someone saw him at the city gate."
"Fled? I was planning to try our luck in the county tomorrow with Third Brother." Madam Shi's face fell in disappointment. The villagers had been talking about this matter for the past two days. Who wouldn't be tempted by a hundred taels of silver?
"The Zeng family reported it to the authorities. Brother Ma, the constable, searched the entire county with his yamen runners but couldn't find the man," Old Master Zhan deliberately mentioned Constable Ma to enhance his status within the Zhan family.
Old Master Zhan glanced at Zhan Feiyu again, unsure if she was merely curious or intentionally bringing it up. However, thinking that his finding the crippled beggar that day was a spur-of-the-moment decision and no one had seen him, Old Master Zhan felt relieved, only regretting the missed opportunity to harm Zhan Feiyu.