Chapter 6

(Listen, listen, listen, listen - A new book needs a good start, please give it your recommendations and support!)

---

Spiders were weaving webs on the window of the west chamber, but Mother forbade sweeping them away, saying it was a good omen.

After hearing Wang Xian's words, Lin Girl was greatly taken aback. She couldn't help but scrutinize this guy again and found it almost impossible to match him with the rascal who had been纠缠her. In her memory, this guy was like a mangy dog, spineless and annoying.

But the Wang Xian before her, though unchanged in appearance, had a pair of clear eyes that no longer held any frivolousness. Instead, they were deep and cold, like the water in a pond. Just because of this change, his entire demeanor was completely different. Mother and Yinyin, who lived with him day and night, might not have noticed, but for someone like Lin Girl, who hadn't seen him for half a year, the difference was very obvious.

Could his head have been damaged and not recovered yet? Lin Girl thought. But she softly said, "I misjudged you, I'm sorry..."

"What good is just saying sorry?" Wang Xian sneered, "If you really mean it, pay for the medicine I've been taking for the past six months!" Although this was a bit unscrupulous, thinking of Mother's weak steps, the patches on his sister's skirt, and his brother's runaway wife... he had to get some money from this Lin Sister!

"That's only right..." Lin Girl wanted to retract her earlier thoughts. Wang Er was still that Wang Er! Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shudder. Could the days of being extorted be about to start again?

Lin Girl's real name was Qing'er. Her family was one of the wealthiest in the county, and her brother, Lin Rongxing, was a scholar at the county school, a family known for its literary tradition. Who knew that two years ago, a lawsuit dragged the family into the abyss. In this case, Lin Rongxing confessed to bribing county officials, which led to Wang Xian's father being imprisoned, and the Wang family began to decline.

Lin Qing'er's brother was sentenced to death with reprieve, and the family was already in a dire state. Yet, Wang Xian, this rascal, kept纠缠her. For two years, he relied on the fact that the Lin family had wronged his family, saying his mother was sick one day, his brother fell the next, and came up with all sorts of excuses to ask her for money. At that time, Lin Qing'er was only fifteen and hadn't experienced much of the world. She felt that her brother had caused Wang Xian's father to be imprisoned, leading to the downfall of both families. So, she always gave him money when he asked.

By then, the Lin family had already used Lin Qing'er's dowry to appeal for Lin Rongxing's case, and expenses were cut wherever possible. But even after she found out that this guy used the money to eat and drink with his friends or gamble, and the Wang family never saw a single coin, Lin Qing'er never let Wang Xian leave empty-handed.

At the time, she naively thought that this was a way to compensate the Wang family, not realizing that others would take her kindness for weakness and keep pushing her further!

Six months ago, Wang Xian came again. Usually, Lin Girl wouldn't see him, just giving some money to the steward to send him away. But this time, Wang Xian said, "I'm not here to ask for money, I'm here to give you money," insisting on seeing Lin Girl.

Lin Qing'er had no choice but to see him. Wang Xian indeed took out a red envelope, which should have contained a hundred or so coins, but the more shocking part was yet to come. He actually said, "This is the betrothal gift."

Lin Girl was stunned and asked, "Who are you proposing to?"

"To you, of course." Wang Xian said shamelessly, "Since your fiancé has broken the engagement, I don't mind, why don't you marry me?"

Lin Qing'er's face turned red, then pale. But she knew that there was no reasoning with such a shameless rascal. If she drove him away, who knew what he might do!

After some thought, she came up with a plan. Suppressing her disgust, she said to Wang Xian, "I've been broken off, and I'm deeply moved that you don't mind. But I've already sworn to the heavens that whoever can clear my family's name and restore my honor, I will marry him, even as a concubine. Otherwise, I will never marry!"

"Ah?" Wang Xian was surprised, "Why would you make such a vow?"

"If my brother's injustice isn't cleared, I would rather die than live, how could I think about marriage?" Lin Girl sighed, her eyes instantly reddening. This was not an act.

"Uh..." Wang Xian, unwilling to give up, said, "What if you break your vow?"

"If I break my vow, may I be struck by lightning and fall into the eighteenth level of hell!" Lin Qing'er looked at him and said, "And my future husband will be covered in sores and die a rotting death!"

Wang Xian got goosebumps and shivered, "You're too harsh, woman." He didn't want to be covered in sores and die a rotting death.

Lin Qing'er thought this guy would surely give up and not mention it again. She took out a banknote to send him away.

But to her surprise, Wang Xian didn't want the money this time. He patted his chest and said, "These past years, you've been better to me than my mother..." Lin Girl almost vomited, but he continued, "In the world, loyalty is the most important. I'll help you with this!"

Lin Girl was speechless, "How will you help?"

"Hehe, I haven't thought of it yet." Wang Xian scratched his head and laughed, "When I do, I'll tell you..."

After that, Wang Xian left, and Lin Qing'er forgot about the matter. Who would place even a sliver of hope in someone like Wang Er?

But soon, she heard that he had been beaten unconscious. Lin Girl's heart skipped a beat, and she sent someone to inquire. It turned out he had been caught cheating in a casino. Lin Girl was relieved...

Later, she visited him once but was driven away by Wang Xian's mother. After that, Lin Qing'er left Fuyang and went to Hangzhou and Nanjing, gradually forgetting about him.

But last month, on her way back to Fuyang from Hangzhou, she overheard some young rascals talking about Wang Xian, Wang Erlang. She couldn't help but listen, and what she heard shocked her—someone said, "Back when Wang Xian was around, he used to treat us to meals every day. It's a pity he dared to cheat in a casino and was beaten to a living death."

Another person coldly said, "It wasn't about cheating in a casino, it's not that simple! Wang Er got into trouble and was killed!"

"Who did it?" Everyone was shocked, and Lin Qing'er was even more stunned.

"I don't know, but I heard the boss of Qian's gambling den say it when he was drunk." The person said mysteriously, "He said this kid planned to intercept the new magistrate and file a complaint. But he heard that he needed a complaint letter, so he foolishly went to get someone to write it. Who knew that person turned around and reported him to the Zhao family!"

"You mean the Zhao family did it?"

"I didn't say that."

The young men chatted on, but Lin Qing'er was speechless with shock. Back in Fuyang, she planned to go to the Wang family and tell the truth, but if she did, she would bear a great responsibility.

If she didn't, everything would remain the same.

Lin Qing'er wasn't a saint, and she didn't need to have a clear conscience. Besides, she had exhausted her family's wealth and was mentally and physically drained, all for her brother's case. Other matters had to be put aside.

She told herself that no matter the outcome of this final attempt, she would go to the Wang family afterward to confess and accept any punishment...

But who knew that Wang Erlang, who was supposed to never wake up, suddenly did!

When she heard the news from Wang Gui at Lu's pharmacy, Lin Qing'er was both happy and depressed. She was happy that Wang Er was still alive, which would ease her guilt. But she was depressed that he had been lying there for half a year. Why couldn't he stay a bit longer and wake up after she was done with her business?

That way, she could take the initiative to confess, instead of feeling awkward now, as if she would continue to hide it if he didn't wake up!

Sigh, now even jumping into the Yellow River couldn't wash away the stain... Lin Girl thought resentfully.

---

Wang Erlang, determined to create a "legend of redemption—turning over a new leaf," never expected that a simple demand for medicine fees would make him lose all his previous efforts and become the rascal Wang Er again in Lin Girl's eyes!

But he was indeed a rascal. Even if Wang Er had gone to file a complaint after hearing Lin Girl's words, there was no reason for her to be responsible. It wasn't as if she had forced him. In fact, he planned to intercept the magistrate and cry out his grievances, not for Lin Girl!

In this world, everyone saw Wang Er as a good-for-nothing and a wastrel, and no one understood him. It wasn't until Wang Xian merged with him that he realized this child wasn't as bad as people thought. He was just a pitiful person who desperately wanted to return to the past.

After all, just two years ago, the Wang family was a prominent family in the county. At that time, Wang's father hadn't been imprisoned but was a clerk in the county's criminal office! Later generations often thought that such a minor official was insignificant, but that wasn't the case. How many officials were there in a county? Besides the county magistrate and the "two magistrates, three courts, four elders, and the chief clerk," the six clerks had the most power. To put it bluntly, Wang's father's position was like the head of the county's public security, procuratorate, and judicial bureau!

At that time, Wang's father was a powerful figure, relied on by the county magistrate, courted by the gentry, and feared by the common people! Any legal matters in the county had to go through his hands, and with the saying "eating from the plaintiff and the defendant," plus various customary fees, he earned a fortune without breaking the law!

The Wang family, though not extremely wealthy, was definitely well-off, with a large house, servants, and a life of luxury. Wang Xian, a rich young master who gambled and wandered, naturally emerged.

But fortune and misfortune are unpredictable. How could Wang's father, who had been standing by the river for so long, not get his feet wet? Finally, two years ago, this old fox, who had always managed to stay clean, fell into the Lin family's case...

Wang Xian, who remembered this case that changed his life, knew that it started as a simple missing person case. The family appealed, but the county magistrate dismissed it. However, when the circuit inspector visited the county, the family appealed again, not only reversing the case but also dragging several officials, including the county magistrate, into it. As the clerk in the criminal office, Wang's father was the first to be implicated. He was initially sentenced to two hundred strokes and exile for three thousand miles. Later, after spending a fortune to smooth things over, he was sent to serve labor in the Shaoxing salt fields.

This case was a fatal blow to the Wang family. The father's income and privileges were gone, and he was fined and penalized. Even with connections reaching the capital, the family's wealth was drained.

Moreover, Wang's father had only been in his position for two years, and the family's savings were not substantial. How could the Wang family not fall apart?