After finishing the grand finale, Fu Wenyu felt relaxed and stepped out of his room.

“Mom, I’m hungry. Let’s have fried eggs today…”

His words trailed off as he noticed Mrs. Liu once again encroaching on their family’s space, tugging at Mrs. Zhou and whispering something. Recalling Mrs. liu’s past misdeeds, Fu Wenyu immediately frowned.

“Auntie, what are you up to this time?”

As soon as Liu saw Fu Wenyu, she let go of Mrs. Zhou and laughed awkwardly, “Oh, it’s Wenyu. I was just discussing something with your mom.” She then turned back to Mrs. Zhou and said, “Sister-in-law, it’s settled then!”

“We’ll go together first thing tomorrow.”

Without waiting for Mrs. Zhou or Fu Wenyu to respond, she quickly retreated to her side of the house and slammed the door shut, clearly afraid that Fu Wenyu might grab a broom to chase her away again.

Fu Wenyu glanced suspiciously at the closed door and asked, “Mom, what are you two planning to do?”

“We’re going to pick wild vegetables,” Mrs. Zhou replied. “Your aunt said there are fresh wild vegetables on the back hill. She’s arranged to go with a few other women from the village and asked if I wanted to join. I thought you and Xiao Rong both enjoy eating them, so I agreed.”

Wild vegetables, once washed and prepared, were indeed delicious.

But this was an invitation from Mrs. Liu…

Fu Wenyu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, so he asked, “Mom, has Auntie brought up Xiao Rong’s marriage again recently?” The last time they returned from the city, he had asked, and the answer was no. But it had been a while since then, and he wondered if her scheming intentions had resurfaced. He felt they couldn’t let their guard down.

“No, she hasn’t mentioned it. I think she’s given up,” Mrs. Zhou answered.

That was for the best.

With that assurance, Fu Wenyu didn’t press further. After all, Mrs. Zhou wasn’t a child, and she would be going with other women from the village. It was unlikely Liu could cause any trouble.

Mrs. Zhou seemed to share the same sentiment and called her children to eat.

Today’s meal was green bean rice.

Since the family’s financial situation had improved, Mrs. Zhou had started spending some money on better food.

For example, these green beans. Although it was the season for green beans, Mrs. Zhou didn’t farm, so they didn’t grow any. The green beans they were eating today had been bought from a villager that morning for two coins, which got them a large basket. Some of the beans were cooked with tofu to make soup, while the rest were cooked with taro to make green bean rice.

Although there was no meat in the dish, plenty of oil had been used, so the green bean rice didn’t have the usual beany taste. Instead, it was sweet, soft, and fragrant, with the aroma of green beans and taro filling the air.

Fu Wenyu ate two large bowls and let out a satisfied burp.

“Mom, this green bean rice is really good.”

Fu Rong also nodded, “Mom, can we have green bean rice again tomorrow?”

Mrs. Zhou naturally didn’t object. “I’ll ask your Aunt Tian to bring another basket tomorrow. Green beans are at their best this time of year. In half a month, they won’t taste as good.”

Aunt Tian was the one who stood up for them and helped drive away Mrs. Wen when they returned from the city. Her family sold vegetables, and Mrs. Zhou had recently gotten along well with her, often asking her to bring fresh produce. Today’s tofu and green beans had been bought from her, and when they ran out of eggs at home, they had also purchased some from her.

After the meal, the family sat together and chatted.

Fu Wenyu brought out the part of the script he had written that day for them to read. After finishing it, Mrs. Zhou wiped her tears and said, “The Wang family is finally reunited.”

Fu Rong, on the other hand, was excited. “That’s great! That wicked Grandma Zhang finally got what she deserved!”

“She switched the children and then refused to admit it, even twisting the truth. She’s truly despicable. Brother, you wrote this so well. Such an evil person should be locked up in prison and exiled far away.”

In the script, the Zhang family’s fate was to be imprisoned by the wise and discerning Magistrate Bao, who later sentenced them to exile two thousand miles away. As for Wang Fugui, Old lady Zhang’s biological grandson, who had enjoyed a life of luxury for over a decade due to the Zhang family’s selfishness, he was sentenced to execution in the marketplace after the case was reported to the Ministry of Justice.

Fu Wenyu had written this based on his memory of the dynasty’s laws.

According to the laws of the time, someone like Wang Fugui, who had killed without reason, was beyond redemption, especially when the victim’s family refused to forgive him. His only fate was death.

So, not only was Wang Fugui beheaded, but his family was also ordered to compensate Liu Hui with a large sum of money. Since he was actually a member of the Zhang family, Magistrate Bao ruled that the compensation would come from the Zhang family’s assets.

Although the Zhang family’s crimes were heinous, since Zhang Gousheng was still alive, they were spared execution. However, they were ordered to compensate the Wang family and Liu Hui, and after their exile, they would never be able to return. Even if they managed to come back decades later, without land, money, or a home, they wouldn’t survive in Ping’an County.

Fu Wenyu felt this was a reasonable conclusion.

Fu Rong was also satisfied with the ending. She carefully read the part where the Zhang family confessed and sighed, “So Grandma Zhang had planned to switch the children all along. When she heard from the midwife that Madam Wang was about to give birth, she sent word back to have her daughter-in-law drink a labor-inducing potion to give birth first. How despicable.”

“She even went so far as to use blood to paint a red dot on Zhang Gousheng’s foot to deceive Madam Wang, who was exhausted after childbirth.”

“She’s so evil! How can people be so wicked?”

Fu Rong was indignant, staring at the pages and pouting. “That midwife was also wicked. If she hadn’t died early, she should have been locked up too.”

“Maybe her early death was also karma!”

In the story, the midwife who had accepted Old lady Zhang’s bribe to help switch the children and conceal the truth had died before the incident came to light. As a result, she wasn’t arrested in the story, but her assets were confiscated.

As for the other characters in the script, such as Liu Hui, the daughter of the old man, the Wang family, and Zhang Gousheng, they all began new lives according to Fu Wenyu’s original plan.

In addition to receiving compensation from the Zhang family, Liu Hui was also given an additional sum by the Wang family. As a result, she lived comfortably for the rest of her life, doing what she loved and marrying her childhood sweetheart, who had also helped her throughout the ordeal.

Zhang Gousheng changed his name to Wang Yishan.

After the turmoil of the “true and false young masters,” he was no longer troubled by the Zhang family’s attitude. Living with the Wang family, he underwent a complete transformation. After years of diligent study, he passed the imperial examinations, first becoming a scholar, then a provincial graduate, and finally achieving the top honor in the capital. He was highly regarded by his mentor, who married his daughter to him.

For many years afterward, Wang Yishan remained deeply aware of the hardships faced by the common people. He learned how to adjudicate cases from Magistrate Bao, who later became the Minister of Justice, and became a widely praised official.

As for the “Magistrate Bao” in the story, that was Fu Wenyu’s personal touch.

Having been deeply impressed by the legendary Judge Bao from his past life, Fu Wenyu immediately thought of the moon-shaped mark on Judge Bao’s forehead when creating the character of the county magistrate. Since there was no such figure in this world, he decided to include him as a form of personal solace.

Fu Rong had no objections to this ending.

However, Mrs. Zhou had some reservations.

Of course, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with Fu Wenyu’s script. Rather, she felt that Fu Rong, as a young girl, shouldn’t be reading about “bad people,” “exile,” “locking up,” “death,” and “karma.” She worried that reading too many such scripts might influence Fu Rong’s character and even expressed the idea of not letting her read scripts in the future.

Fu Rong lowered her head and whispered, “I… I didn’t mean to.” She had just gotten carried away in the moment.

Fu Wenyu didn’t think there was anything wrong with reading scripts either. Compared to the timid Fu Rong who used to hide in the kitchen, pale-faced, after a few words from Mrs. Liu, she had become much more lively now.

This was a good thing.

In his view, Mrs. Zhou’s behavior was similar to modern parents who forbid their daughters from dating in high school or college, only to expect them to bring home a boyfriend immediately after graduation.

They only teach their daughters the good things at home, shielding them from the darker sides of society, and then expect them to stand strong when they face difficulties after marriage, as if people can grow up overnight.

…That’s wishful thinking. How is that possible?

Of course, Mrs. Zhou was his mother, so he couldn’t be too direct. Instead, Fu Wenyu interjected, “Mom, I think Xiao Rong is fine the way she is. Her thoughts aren’t wrong. Besides, learning about different kinds of bad people from books will benefit her in the future.”

“We shouldn’t have the intention to harm others, but we must be cautious of others.”

Mrs. Zhou frowned, “Where are there so many bad people?”

“And we’ll definitely find a good family for Xiao Rong in the future. She won’t have to deal with such troubles. Wenyu, our family is doing better and better now. Xiao Rong mustn’t develop a habit of gossiping, or she might be disliked by her future in-laws.”

“Mom, you’re mistaken about that.”

Fu Wenyu gave a recent example, “Take Second Uncle and Second Aunt, for instance. We always thought they were good people. When Dad was still around, he helped Second Uncle a lot and even told me that once I passed the imperial exams, I shouldn’t forget Second Uncle’s family. But who would have thought they were full of malice?”

“Xiao Rong might also encounter many bad people or those with ulterior motives in the future. It’s good for her to know about these things now. We can’t let her be caught off guard when she faces them, right?”

“After all, you can’t judge a person’s heart by their appearance.”

Mrs. Zhou hesitated, “Well…”

She wanted to raise her daughter to be a proper lady, especially now that the family’s situation was improving. But her son’s words made sense. What if her daughter ended up like her, dealing with a sister-in-law like Mrs. Liu from the second branch? If she knew nothing, wouldn’t she suffer greatly?

Seeing Mrs. Zhou’s expression soften slightly, Fu Wenyu knew he couldn’t push too hard. So he added, “Of course, Mom, your concerns are valid too.”

He then turned to Fu Rong and winked at her, “So, Xiao Rong, from now on, let’s keep these discussions at home. Outside, we won’t speak ill of others. That should solve the problem.”

“Mom, what do you think?”

Fu Rong caught on and quickly looked at her mother, “Mom, Brother is right. I’ll only talk about these things at home. Outside, I’ll be careful with my words!”

Mrs. Zhou smiled wryly and shook her head, “Since you’ve both said so much, how can I not agree?”

And so, this small conflict was temporarily resolved.

Having gained the approval of Mrs. Zhou and Fu Rong as local readers, Fu Wenyu decided not to revise the ending. He planned to take the manuscript to Kaiyuan bookstore the next day to discuss printing and promotion strategies with Shopkeeper Zhang.

Mrs. Zhou was going to pick wild vegetables and wouldn’t accompany him.

Fu Rong was willing to go along because she had run out of embroidery thread and needed to restock. However, she was timid and young, so Mrs. Zhou was not at ease. As a result, Fu Wenyu ended up going by himself.

He set off early the next morning.