Chapter 18

“Mother…” Shen Cheng was terrified; he never expected his mother would actually gamble with his life!

Zhou Jing landed several hard punches on Shen Cheng, causing Wang Chunhua to scream in outrage. “I’m going to the magistrate to report you! I’ll have you executed!”

To her shock, Zhou Jing only intensified his assault, landing brutal blows to Shen Cheng’s stomach. Shen Cheng curled up in pain, unable to utter a word.

Zhou Jing laughed coldly, “Go ahead and report me; do it. I’ll tell you this: once you step into the magistrate’s office, whether you’re the accuser or the accused, both will get twenty lashes, regardless of who is right or wrong. Think about whether you’ll even be able to crawl out afterward. And as long as I don’t kill your son, the worst that will happen to me is paying a few hundred copper coins for his medical expenses. But as for you, with your backside exposed, who knows if that money will be enough to cover the suffering you’ll endure!”

In reality, filing a complaint did not require one to receive lashes; it was just that country folk had a deep-seated fear of the magistrate, and the rumor had morphed into a widely accepted belief over time.

Wang Chunhua was aware of this rumor and had always treated it as truth.

“Pay up? That’s easy for you to say! Where will you get the silver? If you don’t have money, the magistrate will lock you up!”

Zhou Jing didn’t waste any more words; he took out two silver coins and slammed them down on Wang Chunhua.

“Count how many times that will be enough to beat your son!”

Wang Chunhua’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the silver, and she actually bit the coins to check their authenticity.

 On the ground, Shen Cheng turned pale at the sight of the two silver coins. He realized that a beating like the one he had just received could cost hundreds of copper coins in medical expenses; two silver coins might just kill him. However, after confirming the silver was genuine, Wang Chunhua tucked it away.

Zhou Jing paid no mind to his reaction and continued, “I can give you these two silver coins, but you have to sell Shen Lin to me, which includes the medical expenses for both of them!”

Wang Chunhua’s eyes darted as she wondered where Zhou Jing had gotten the two silver coins, and whether he might have more. The more she thought about it, the greedier she became.

She boldly said, “I’ve already promised Shen Lin to the Old Li family. I can’t go back on that unless you give me another two silver coins.”

“Four silver coins for a ger? Do you think I’m crazy? Let me be honest with you. Do you really think I want to buy Shen Lin because of Shen Mo’s few words? Don’t forget, Shen Mo is just a lowly, dispensable ger! I’m telling you, it’s your Shen family’s good fortune that raised such a fine ger. Shen Lin has already secretly climbed into my bed; he serves me well. I wouldn’t hesitate to keep him for myself. But I will only pay at least two silver coins of  silver to buy him, just so I can take him home and continue to enjoy him myself!”

“If you’re not willing to sell him to me, you can return the silver to me. I’ll go talk to the Li family and tell them how the person they want to marry has already climbed into my bed. At that point, don’t be surprised if the Li family refuses and instead asks you for compensation!”

“What?” Wang Chunhua gasped, taken aback. “Are you trying to trick me?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Zhou Jing scoffed. “This is the reputation that a ger values most; once it’s ruined, it’s for a lifetime. Besides, you can’t deceive someone about this. Once the Li family shares a bed with Shen Lin, they’ll know you lied! By then, not only will Shen Lin be cast aside after being used, but you’ll also have to pay compensation. I doubt that when the time comes, even if it were 2 silver coins or 200 wens no one will be willing to buy him!

Zhou Jing sneered, “So it’s best for you to sell Shen Lin to me quickly while I still have some interest in him. With this money, I could buy a girl instead!”

Wang Chunhua glanced over at Shen Mo and Shen Lin. Noticing that neither brother reacted, she realized it was true.

If it weren’t, Shen Mo, who cared deeply for Shen Lin, would never allow Zhou Jing to slander his reputation like this. But now, with their indifference, it seemed they had known for some time.

Wang Chunhua felt a surge of resentment. No wonder Zhou Jing, despite being so poor, agreed to let Shen Lin eat and drink at his house. It turned out that he had been getting it for free all along.

Wang Chunhua knew it was not an ideal situation; she certainly didn’t dare to sell Shen Lin to the Li family. If the Li family pursued the matter, not only would they lose a person, but they would also have to pay.

Moreover, with such a shameless ger like Shen Lin, the entire reputation of the Shen family would be ruined. Her son already had a poor reputation, and if he were further implicated by Shen Lin, even if they managed to scrape together two silver coins, they might not find anyone willing to take in this ger at all.

Wang Chunhua gritted her teeth and said, “I can sell him to you, but this silver isn’t enough; you’ll need to add another two silver coins.”

Zhou Jing shrugged indifferently. “This is all I have. If you don’t want to sell, that’s fine by me. I’ll just buy a girl instead. Honestly, girls are better; they can have sons, which is much more valuable than a ger!”

Wang Chunhua naturally thought the same way. She realized that this must be the case for Zhou Jing.

“Fine, two silver coins it is. I’ll sell him to you.”

“And their medical expenses should be included as well,” Zhou Jing said. “Words are not enough; we must write a formal agreement. It should state that you and your husband agree to sell Shen Lin to me, Zhou Jing, as a servant. From now on, he will be a slave of the Zhou family, and his life and death will be under my control.”

As a slave, his life and death would be determined by her master, and even Shen Lin’s biological parents would have no say in the matter.

Even if he were to be beaten to death, as long as there was a proper justification, the Shen family would have no right to question him.

Wang Chunhua still wanted to demand support money from Shen Lin or occasionally take advantage of him, so she was naturally unwilling. However, at this stage, her reluctance could lead to both financial and personal losses.

“Alright!” Wang Chunhua agreed.

“Xiao Mo, go find someone who can write to draft the agreement,” Zhou Jing instructed.

To their surprise, the man who had accompanied them spoke up, “I can write. I’ll do it.”

Soon, the contract was written up. The man explicitly noted that the two silver coins also included the medical expenses for Father Shen and Shen Cheng. Wang Chunhua pressed her fingerprint on the document, followed by Shen Lin.

Zhou Jing pointed at Father Shen and said, “And his as well!”

Finally, Father Shen, who had been curled up in the corner, came over to press his fingerprint. This contract of sale already held legal validity; once it was submitted to the official records, Shen Lin would be completely classified as a lowly servant.

Once the matter was concluded, neither Shen Mo nor Shen Lin glanced back at Father Shen, resolutely turning their backs on this family.

—o—o—o—

On the way, Zhou Jing handed the contract of sale to Shen Lin.

“Keep this safe,” he said. “I truly had no choice but to resort to such a measure. If I hadn’t falsely accused you of having some sort of relationship with me, Wang Chunhua would surely have forced you into marriage with the Li family today.”

Shen Lin nodded and said, “Brother-in-law, I understand. I don’t blame you; in fact, I want to thank you. I’ve already made up my mind. Even if I never get married, it’s no big deal. But I think that since you claimed I had a relationship with you, Wang Chunhua wouldn’t dare spread that rumor. After all, I am still a member of the Shen family. My bad reputation would certainly reflect poorly on her son. He already has a reputation for being lazy and good-for-nothing, so if she dares to spread rumors about me, he can just expect to remain a bachelor for the rest of his life!”

To their surprise, the man who had been silently following them suddenly spoke up. “Shen Lin, you are a good person. You will definitely marry into a good family. The innocent will clear their name, and I believe in you!”

Shen Lin was taken aback for a moment before replying, “Thank you.”

The four of them parted ways at the village entrance.

It was then that Zhou Jing learned the man was actually the Village Chief’s second son, named Wang Ren.

He had attended school in town for a few years, not to pursue official examinations, but simply to be able to read and write, ensuring he could support his family in the future.