Chapter 11

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After seeing Lin Qing'er off, Yinxing took out two baked cakes and half a roasted chicken from the bamboo basket and gave them to Wang Xian for lunch.

Wang Xian took a bite of the baked cake, which was both crispy and fragrant, and couldn't help but praise it, realizing that there were indeed delicacies in this era!

"Of course, there are plenty of delicious foods in the world, enough to last a lifetime without repeating any," Yinxing smiled. "But you need money to afford them." She propped her chin in her hands, drooling as she daydreamed, "I really want to try them all..."

Before she finished speaking, a voice from the courtyard gate laughed, "It smells so good..."

The siblings turned around and saw a young man with a chestnut silk headband, wearing a green pleated robe, and a sharp, handsome face. He poked his head in and smiled at Wang Xian, "Brother, are you feeling better?"

Before Wang Xian could respond, Yinxing's face changed. She picked up the broom leaning against the wall and shouted, "Handsome Grasshopper, you still dare to come here!" She then swung the broom to hit him.

"Handsome Grasshopper" was a nickname. This guy's real name was Shuai Hui, and he was very agile, like a grasshopper, dodging Yinxing's broom and moving to Wang Xian's side. He grinned, "A guest should be treated with tea, not a broom, right?"

"Get out of my house!" Yinxing glared at him angrily.

"Brother, you need to control your sister," Shuai Hui said with a playful smile to Wang Xian.

"If I were quick enough, I would have beaten you up long ago!" Wang Xian coldly snorted, "You still have the nerve to come see me!" Shuai Hui was originally Wang Er's friend, and on that day, he and Wang Xian had left the gambling den together. But after Wang Xian was put in a sack, this guy had fled, showing no loyalty.

"Brother, you know me," Shuai Hui said with an embarrassed smile. "There were five or six of them, all big and strong. With my thin arms and legs, even if I stayed, I would have been beaten up with you. To minimize losses, I decided to go get help..."

"Brother, didn't you say you would reform?" Yinxing, seeing the two of them bickering, said angrily, "Don't associate with these unsavory people anymore!"

"Little sister, go inside for a moment, I need to talk to him," Wang Xian smiled at his sister, "Just for a bit."

"Humph!" Yinxing glared at Wang Xian and stormed back into the room.

"Truly a daughter of Wang Damao, fiery and strong-willed!" As Yinxing left, Shuai Hui sat down next to Wang Xian, "Brother, I heard you were better, so I came to see you. I've missed you so much these past six months!"

"You're just here for a free meal," Wang Xian sneered.

"Brother, you know we still have feelings," Shuai Hui said.

"Cut the crap," Wang Xian raised his hand, "I have a favor to ask."

"Brother, what is it?" Shuai Hui, seeing Wang Xian seemed genuinely angry, became more serious.

"Do you remember what those guys who beat me up looked like?"

"I remember," Shuai Hui thought for a moment, "There were six of them, all big and strong, and I didn't recognize any of them. They're definitely not from our county, or I would have known at least one."

"Brother, you're not thinking of getting revenge, are you?" Shuai Hui looked at Wang Xian.

"They almost killed me. I won't rest until I avenge this!" Wang Xian said with hatred, "Go to Zhao Family Village and keep an eye on them. If you see them, come and tell me immediately!"

"Sure, no problem, that's my specialty," Shuai Hui said, then scratched his cheek and smiled, "But, to be realistic, maybe we should just let it go..."

Wang Xian didn't want to waste words and interrupted, "I'll give you two guan of paper money if you do this."

"How new?" Shuai Hui immediately stopped persuading, but he wasn't in a hurry. The value of the paper money of the Ming Dynasty had severely depreciated, and old notes were worth less than 10% of their face value. However, the newer the notes, the more valuable they were, and a brand new guan of paper money could be worth 400 copper coins.

Wang Xian didn't waste words either. He took out a stack of new paper money from his pocket, counted out 500 copper coins, and handed it to him, "This is your advance for food and expenses." Lin Qing'er had given Wang Xian five guan of money before she left, as funds for surveillance. Wang Er's friends were much more professional at this kind of surveillance than the Lin family's laborers.

This was 200 copper coins, and Shuai Hui's mouth watered. He quickly grabbed the money, examined it carefully, and then carefully put it in his pocket, swallowing his saliva, "Will the other 1500 copper coins be the same quality?"

Wang Xian nodded.

"You can count on me," Shuai Hui wiped his saliva, said no more, and dashed out like a streak of smoke!

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For the next two days, Yinxing was angry and ignored Wang Xian. The family's attitude towards him also returned to the old way. Wang Xian knew that his illness hadn't fully recovered, and his contact with unsavory friends and generous spending had disappointed the family. But he didn't want to explain, partly to avoid worrying the family and partly to prevent his mother from stopping him from going out. He would let time prove everything.

Fortunately, the more he did this, the more his mother opened the door for his relationship with Lin Qing'er, hoping they would get married as soon as possible, so his wife could deal with this incorrigible rascal!

Thus, he was despised by the family for two days. Finally, on the third day, someone knocked on the door early in the morning, "Is this Wang Xiaoge's house?"

When his mother opened the door, she saw two sedan bearers carrying an empty sedan chair, saying they had come to take Wang Xiaoge to the dock. A sedan chair was a simple version of a sedan, consisting of a chair tied to two bamboo poles.

Without a word, his mother and Wang Gui each took one side and carried Wang Xian out.

"Mother, do you have any message for Father?" Wang Xian asked.

"Tell him to die soon, so I can remarry!" His mother said angrily, thinking of his father. The sedan bearers, frightened, quickly carried Wang Xian out of the alley.

The neighbors poked their heads out, watching Wang Xian leave in the sedan chair. Aunt Zhang loudly said, "This is Lin Qing'er picking up Xiao Er for a boat ride. They won't be back until tomorrow!"

"Tsk tsk..." The neighbors were amazed. Strange things happen every year, but this year seems to have more. Could this be the legendary "men who are bad, women love"?

Wang Xian didn't hear the gossip. He was already sitting in the sedan chair, on the main street of Fuyang County.

This was his first time on the street since he woke up. Although the shops and markets looked familiar, only by seeing the signs and awnings of the shops on both sides of the street, the crowds walking by, and the vendors selling various goods, could he truly feel the vibrant life of the Ming Dynasty.

The sedan bearers, not understanding the sentiment, quickly delivered him to the dock, where Uncle Seven was already waiting.

Uncle Seven paid the bearers and sent them away, then carried Wang Xian to a black-roofed boat.

As they walked, Uncle Seven whispered, "Kid, if you dare to betray my girl, I'll kill you!"

Wang Xian thought this was a non sequitur, but how could he explain? If he said, "You misunderstood," he would probably be thrown into the river.

Silently, he got on the boat and was thrown into the cabin. Uncle Seven then became the boatman and rowed away from the dock.

Uncle Seven thought they had already done "that," so he just wanted to vent his anger by throwing Wang Xian in. But when Lin Qing'er heard the commotion and was about to lift the curtain to welcome him, she saw a dark figure fall in.

With a soft cry, she was knocked to the ground by Wang Xian, and with another muffled groan, she was firmly pinned underneath him.

Lin Qing'er was stunned. Her pure and innocent body had never been so intimately touched by a man.

Wang Xian, however, was clear-headed. Using Lin Qing'er's soft body as a cushion, he didn't get hurt at all. He realized that their current position was very disrespectful to a young lady and wanted to get up quickly.

But the strength in his hands wasn't enough to support his body. He managed to lift himself three inches before falling back down.

"Oh..." Lin Qing'er, who had just relaxed, was pressed down again, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes, whether from embarrassment or being pressed.

"Help me up," Wang Xian said. Although he found her body soft and comfortable, he didn't want to be thrown into the river by Uncle Seven, so he needed to get up quickly.

Lin Qing'er's face was flushed, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She bit her lower lip and sobbed, pushing him with all her might. With her help and his own effort, he finally rolled over and landed beside her.

At this moment, Uncle Seven lifted the curtain and said, "Miss..." but seeing the two of them lying side by side in the cabin, he quickly covered his eyes and backed out.

The atmosphere in the cabin was extremely awkward. Lin Qing'er hugged her arms, turned to the wall, and sobbed.

Wang Xian struggled to sit up and looked at the distressed Lin Qing'er, not knowing how to comfort her. He took out a book from his satchel and started reading, even making sounds as he focused.

Lin Qing'er, not getting an apology, felt even more depressed. But then she thought, what could she expect from a rascal? She wiped her tears and sat up, too embarrassed to go out and see Uncle Seven. She sat across from Wang Xian, hugging her knees.

When she focused on the book in his hands, she was surprised. She thought it would be some erotic novel, but it turned out to be the "Hongwu Zhengyun."

Wang Xian's family didn't have many books. Besides a few law books, there was this "Hongwu Zhengyun," which his father used as a dictionary. He read it to learn traditional characters and to study Mandarin. No matter what he did in the future, he needed to speak Mandarin.

Wang Xian seemed to be seriously studying pronunciation, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, which looked quite funny. Lin Qing'er, trying to hold back, couldn't help but laugh.

Wang Xian looked up in confusion, "What, is my pronunciation wrong?"

"Of course it's wrong," Lin Qing'er, who had been constantly corrected by him, felt like an idiot. Now she had a chance to turn the tables and scolded him, "The 'Hongwu Zhengyun' has too many authors, resulting in a messy and inconsistent pronunciation guide. You can't learn proper Mandarin from this book; you'll just learn a strange accent. You should read 'Yunhui Dingzheng' instead of 'Hongwu Zhengyun.'"

"Ah?" Wang Xian was shocked, realizing he had wasted his time.

"Yep, wasted," Lin Qing'er nodded, feeling quite satisfied.

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