Chapter 003: Wanting to Be a Private Detective

Huarang saw how smart his sister was and knew he couldn't deceive her. Moreover, this matter would eventually come to light, so after some consideration, he told her the truth.

After Huarang revealed the truth, Huawannian was immediately surprised and said, "You and Zhou Ting have ended your engagement?"

Huarang nodded, "That's right. I don't have any feelings for Zhou Ting, and ending the engagement is good for both of us!"

"But... but this was a match arranged by Grandfather. How can you end the engagement?" Huawannian looked at Huarang, seemingly unable to accept this reality.

Huarang, hearing this, asked curiously, "This was a match arranged by Grandfather?"

Huawannian nodded, "That's right. Grandfather and Zhou Ting's grandfather were sworn brothers. They both served in the court, with Grandfather being a military officer and Zhou Ting's grandfather a civil servant. Because the court favored civil servants over military officers, Grandfather's career wasn't very smooth. By the time it came to Father, we were back to butchering pigs. Zhou Ting's grandfather, although not promoted, still held a position in the court. They agreed long ago that if they had a grandson and a granddaughter, they would be betrothed. Your engagement to Zhou Ting was even promised by Grandfather on his deathbed!"

After Huawannian finished speaking, she felt something was off but couldn't quite figure out what. She looked up at Huarang and suddenly realized, "Brother, Father must have told you about this, right? Why are you asking me?" After saying this, she felt even more that her brother had changed, no longer as dull and bookish, but there were still things he couldn't remember.

Huarang, seeing this, quickly smiled and said, "How could Brother not know? I was just so focused on my studies that I forgot the details."

After Huarang said this, Huawannian sighed and said, "Now that you and Zhou Ting's engagement has been ended, I don't know what Father will do if he finds out!"

Huawannian's sigh was beautiful, naturally so, and Huarang was entranced. He finally smiled faintly and said, "Then we won't tell Father. We'll keep it a secret for as long as we can."

For now, that was the only option.

Later in the evening, Huawannian prepared some food. Since they had money, the food was much better than before. When Huaxingyi saw the food, his expression changed. He got up from bed, supporting himself, and asked sternly, "Where did you get the money to buy this?"

These were just some pork, chicken, and vegetables, nothing strange to Huarang, but in Huaxingyi's eyes, such a meal was highly unusual.

Seeing his father's reaction, Huawannian quickly comforted him, "Brother saw how ill Father was and needed good food to recover, so he borrowed some silver. Please don't blame him, Father, and eat quickly!"

"Is the silver really borrowed?" Huaxingyi looked at Huarang, not entirely convinced.

Huarang smiled slightly and said, "Of course it's borrowed. Please rest assured, Father. Once your health improves, I'll go out and earn money to pay it back."

Huaxingyi looked at Huarang for a long time and finally sighed, "A gentleman loves wealth but obtains it in a righteous way. I'm not being suspicious, but I don't want you to take the wrong path because of my illness."

These words were full of love, and Huarang's eyes couldn't help but moisten. He helped his father up and said, "Father, please rest assured. Your son is not a thief."

After some persuasion, Huaxingyi finally calmed down and ate with Huarang and Huawannian.

After this, Huarang didn't dare to spend the money recklessly. He only took out some money to buy medicine, fearing that his father would say he was greedy and unrighteous.

In the past few days, Huaxingyi's health improved significantly. He could get out of bed and walk around, and sometimes he would go to the yard to sharpen his butchering knife, saying that once he was fully recovered, he would butcher dogs to earn money to pay off the debt.

Huarang found this very frustrating. Now that he had money but couldn't spend it, it was a real dilemma. He thought that if possible, he should do something to earn money and gradually make the money public.

What could he do? In his previous life, he only learned how to solve cases and investigate crimes. He knew nothing about business, and his literary skills, though enjoyable, were only for show. Achieving success in the imperial examinations was out of the question.

After much thought, Huarang decided to do what he was good at—become a private detective.

But would there be a future for a private detective in the Song Dynasty?

If the people had grievances, they would mostly go to the county office to file complaints. If a murder occurred, the authorities would quickly send a constable to investigate. As a small person, who would come to him for help?

Thinking about this, Huarang felt very depressed and decided to walk around to see if there was anything suitable for him to do.

It was dusk, still warm but somewhat cooler. The streets of Tianchang County were bustling with people, the busiest time of the day.

Huarang wandered aimlessly on the street. Eventually, feeling bored, he thought about taking out the money to start a business. With his advanced mind, even if he didn't know much about business, he believed he could still become wealthy.

Thinking this, Huarang hurried to the Guandi Temple. However, just as he entered a secluded alley, he was suddenly surrounded by three men. They looked fierce, and Huarang didn't recognize any of them. After surrounding him, they laughed evilly.

While they were laughing, Huarang kept himself calm and asked coldly, "Who are you, and why are you blocking my way?"

After they stopped laughing, one of them suddenly drew a knife from behind and pointed it at Huarang, saying, "If you know what's good for you, hand over the silver. Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude."

After the man shouted, Huarang only smiled faintly, "You really know how to joke. I'm so poor that I only have the clothes on my back. What money do I have? Are you looking for the wrong person?"

Huarang spoke calmly, as if he were truly penniless. However, the three men didn't believe him at all. The man who spoke laughed coldly and said, "You have no money? Who are you trying to fool? A few days ago, when you left the county office, what was in your arms? Wasn't it money?"

Hearing this, Huarang was startled. The only people who knew he had received money from Zhou Shuping were Zhou Shuping and the two gatekeepers. How did these three men know?