Chapter 51

In the end, Zhou Jing was still sent to the outer room.

Although there was only a wall separating them and both rooms belonged to their household, the outer room was ultimately meant for the maidservants serving the family.

While it had not been designed with the idea of accommodating family members in mind, its original purpose was to house the older children.

This arrangement allowed parents to hear the children’s movements and reduce their dependence. However, he never expected that he wouldn’t get to use it himself; he always thought he would experience it first as a father.

Zhou Jing who was in the outer room couldn’t sleep due to his anger. Not only was he upset, but he also stubbornly refused to back down. Yet inside, he swore he heard Shen Lin’s soft snoring.

In reality, Shen Lin didn’t snore when he slept.

—o—o—o—

The morning at the Zhou household was particularly busy. Not only did the kitchen require staff to prepare sausages and duck dishes, but construction was also ongoing for the factory outside.

Zhou Jing wore a dark expression, sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes.

When Wang Ren saw him, he assumed that he was worried about the rumors of ghosts haunting their shop in town.

He comforted, “Brother-in-law, you don’t need to worry about the shop. I will invite a shaman to take a look soon. If that doesn’t work, we can always go further and ask a monk from a temple to perform a ritual. There will definitely be a way to resolve this.”

Zhou Jing coldly stared at Wang Ren for a while.

He noticed that neither Shen Mo nor Shen Lin intended to explain.

They both pretended to be unaware of what was happening, trying to tarnish his imposing image.

With a cold snort, which was both meaningful and spiteful as he talked: “I’m not worried about the matters at the shop; there will always be a solution. What I want to discuss with my little brother-in-law are some heartfelt words. After all, one’s husband must be watched over properly. Otherwise, forgetting to return to Brother-in-law’s room in the middle of the night would have a very negative impact.”

Zhou Jing patted Wang Ren’s shoulder and said with understanding, “You know it’s true. Although I am aware that I have many talents and can easily attract admiration from even gers like Shen Lin, I am still a married man. This can easily lead to misunderstandings with my husband.”

“……” Wang Ren.

“Misunderstandings, my foot! Your husband is my Big Brother, after all,” Shen Lin muttered softly.

However, it seemed that men often lacked intelligence when it came to competing for romantic interests.

Wang Ren actually felt jealous and very formally pulled Shen Lin away for a heart-to-heart talk.

—o—o—o—

The business at the stall proceeded as usual, managed by Wang Ren and Shen Lin, while Cheng Yu stayed at home to supervise.

Zhou Jing and Shen Mo also went to the town to clean the shop.

As soon as Shen Mo entered the shop, he felt a chilling aura; he had not felt this way before hearing that story yesterday.

Shen Mo was so scared that he closely followed Zhou Jing, who didn’t mind his presence and held his little husband’s hand wherever they went.

Zhou Jing meticulously checked every nook and cranny in the shop, including the kitchen and the cellar, not letting a single corner go unchecked.

“This shop is very clean; the hygiene is excellent. There isn’t a single dead corner. How could such a clean shop have dead cockroaches or mice?”

After hearing this, Shen Mo became even more frightened.

“Could it be that Madam Zhou’s vengeful spirit is causing trouble?” Shen Mo said, terrified.

Zhou Jing shifted from holding Shen Mo’s hand to wrapping an arm around him and even laughed, saying, “Xiao Mo, what are you afraid of? If we talk about things like that, the person you should be scared of should be me.

After all, I truly came from a future world and do not belong here at all. If we were to discuss it, I would be the ghost—one who isn’t afraid of any charms, spells, or temples.

Even under the bright sky, I could move freely like an evil spirit. By that logic, Madam Zhou would still have to rely on possessing a person to manifest, while I can appear directly. This shows that my skills far surpass hers; she should actually be afraid of me. With me here, she won’t be able to create any disturbances.”

This set of ghostly words and twisted logic somehow convinced Shen Mo, who surprisingly agreed wholeheartedly.

He nodded in strong agreement, Shen Mo said, “You make a good point. In that case, we shouldn’t invite any shamans or monks to perform rituals, lest they uncover your true identity and we encounter another situation like with Madam Zhao.”

Zhou Jing found it somewhat amusing but also touching. He understood Shen Mo very well; Shen Mo was never a simple-minded person. The reason he believed Zhou Jing’s nonsensical claims was that it was Zhou Jing who said them. Shen Mo trusted him completely and relied on him.

Suddenly, Shen Mo said, “I have an idea.”

He purchased incense burners, high-quality incense, and paper money for funerary supplies, then returned to the shop to set up an altar for burning incense and paper as an offering.

Upstairs and downstairs, in every nook and cranny, Shen Mo had laid out a circle of paper money, mumbling to himself as he burned the paper.

“Grievances have their source, and debts have their owner. Madam Zhou, you were harmed by Zhou Da. If you have any grievances, seek revenge on Zhou Da; it has nothing to do with us. That day when Zhou Da plotted for us to buy the shop, you were present and must have seen everything. We were unaware that Zhou Da was such an unprincipled, cruel person.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t have bought this shop; we are also victims of this. Madam, please do not make things difficult for us. You have been away from home for so long; that you may have trouble finding your way to Zhou Da’s residence. Please follow the paper money as a guide.”

Holding the high-quality incense, Shen Mo scattered paper money along the way until he arrived at Zhou Da’s house. It was quite a coincidence that the front door of Zhou Da’s residence stood wide open. Shen Mo directly threw the remaining half of the incense and all the paper money he had in his hands through the doorway.

“Madam Zhou, you have arrived. Inside resides your enemy, the heartless Zhou Da, and that infamous courtesan from Chunfeng Tower who humiliated you. That courtesan has now taken your place and become the main wife. Knowing your resentment, please go and take your revenge. Make sure to torment him well.”

“What is going on? Who dared to scatter paper money at my doorstep?” Zhou Da had just returned from an outing and saw the ground covered in paper money, which he found extremely inauspicious. Ever since Madam Zhou’s passing, he had become particularly superstitious about such things.

The servants rushed out of the house, bowing and apologizing.

“I’m sorry. A few farmers came by to deliver goods, and I forgot to close the door. I don’t know who played this prank. I will clean it up right away.”

Zhou Da frowned and scolded them a few times. When he looked up again, he saw Shen Mo and Zhou Jing standing among the crowd in the distance, watching him.

A wave of guilt washed over him, and he guessed that this incident might be related to them. He didn’t dare to question further, merely closed the door and let the servants clean it up without further ado.

“Ha, how could such an ungrateful person deserve to enjoy a good life?”

“Don’t worry; it won’t last long. You have sent Madam Zhou back, and his good days are over,” they spoke as they walked back.

By chance, they saw a boy of about ten years old, dressed in coarse linen clothes, coming out of Zhou Da’s house to throw out the garbage. He was cleaning up the paper money they had thrown at Zhou Da’s doorstep. When the boy’s gaze met Zhou Jing’s, it was lifeless, lacking the vitality one would expect from someone his age.

Shen Mo looked at the boy’s feet, which were both wearing straw sandals with holes and felt a pang of pity.

“It looks like he was one of the servant’s children from Zhou Da’s household, destined to live as a servant from birth. With shoes in such a condition, his parents likely had no time to mend them. Luckily, thanks to you, you saved Xiao Di. Otherwise, if he had been sold to a wealthy family in the town and had children, he would probably have to endure such hardships as well.”

Although Zhou Da had newly renovated the shop to make it more marketable, Zhou Jing and Shen Mo were unwilling to use it. Instead, they hired Carpenter Cao, who had built their house, to redesign and renovate the shop.

Due to the previous misfortunes, they chose bright colors for the renovation and designed a floor-to-ceiling window, which most shops would not use.

Such windows were currently more of a disadvantage than an advantage; shops in town typically did not have them. However, the Zhou family’s shop was different.

This design could make the interior spacious and bright, lifting people’s spirits as soon as they entered, and allowing them to unconsciously forget the troubling events that had happened in the shop.

Once the goods at the stall were sold out, Shen Lin and Wang Ren came to take a look and were quite satisfied with the shop, except for the fact that it was said to be haunted.

Perhaps he had been stimulated during the day, as Wang Ren went back and asked Zhou Jing for a leave of absence. At dinner time, he brought the matchmaker who had come before to discuss the engagement.

Wang Ren only had a little over a silver coin, and he took it all out to present as the betrothal gift. For an ordinary family, it would have been quite sufficient, but in the context of the Zhou family, it seemed rather meager.

Wang Ren initially planned to buy a piece of fabric as a betrothal gift, but when he went to the fabric store, he discovered that even the coarse cloth from the Zhou family cost one silver coin.

If he spent one silver coin on the fabric, he would have little silver left in his hands. The main issue was that the set of coarse cloth was what Shen Lin wore while working; he usually wore cotton fabric.

It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to become engaged to Shen Lin only to gift him a piece of coarse cloth that was meant for labor, which would have been unfair to him. Therefore, he bought two sets of ready-made cotton clothing, 500 copper coins, and a box of fish oil hand cream.

Wang Ren noticed that Shen Mo, who worked alongside Shen Lin, had much better skin on his face and hands, while Shen Lin’s skin looked in bad shape. This thought led him to consider buying something for Shen Lin’s use.

After that, he bought four catties of candy, four catties of pastries, two chickens, and two pairs of lamb legs.

Previously, Wang Ren had not spoken with Shen Lin at all; he completely kept it a secret from him just to give Shen Lin a surprise.

Shen Lin, who was usually a straightforward and strong man, actually felt shy. He fidgeted and turned red in the face, making Wang Ren stare at him with wide eyes, grinning foolishly.

—o—o—o—

The official wedding date was set for the end of next month, which felt rushed, but both Wang Ren and Shen Lin were willing, and Zhou Jing was the happiest about it. Shen Mo had nothing much to say.

After everyone left, Wang Ren and Shen Lin quietly exchanged heartfelt words.

“I have wronged you. Other families send their elders and matchmakers to propose, but our family has me doing it.”

Shen Lin shook his head and said, “I don’t feel wrong; I’m very happy. However, I think we should visit your parents. Regardless of anything else, they truly care for you and love you.

They have raised you with an unforgettable grace, and we can’t just cut ties with them simply because they don’t agree with our engagement. This is different from my brother-in-law’s situation.

The Wang family has no nurturing grace for their brother-in-law, only the grace of giving birth. But because she insisted on eating wild boar meat, brother-in-law went to find it and ended up losing his life on the back mountain; that grace of being brought to this world by that woman has been completely repaid.”

Wang Ren: “I understand, and I won’t truly sever ties with my family. But I don’t want to wrong you. I’m afraid that if I take you to see them, they’ll give you a hard time. How about I just go back home by myself?”

“That’s not good; we should both go together.”

Wang Ren was deeply moved. “Xiao Lin, I really feel lucky to be able to marry you.”

—o—o—o—

Shen Lin mentioned this to Shen Mo and Zhou Jing, and both Shen Mo and Zhou Jing felt that Shen Lin’s decision was correct and that they should go.

When the two arrived at the Wang family’s door and looked at the familiar surroundings, the courtyard where Wang Ren had grown up, his eyes became warm with emotion.

“Xiao Lin, you stay outside for a moment. I’ll go in and gauge my parents’ attitude. If they are willing, I’ll bring you in to see them. If they aren’t, I’ll bow for you and let them know you’re here. I don’t want you to go in directly with me only to be thrown out and suffer humiliation for my sake.”

Shen Lin nodded.

Wang Ren pushed the door open and entered the house, feeling as if each step weighed a thousand catties. It had only been a month and a half since he last entered this courtyard, but returning home felt like he had been away for several years.

The heaviness in his heart and the pain he felt were nothing compared to what the Wang family elders might experience.

“Youngest, you’re back! Have you come to your senses and decided not to be stubborn with your parents?” His sister-in-law, who was washing clothes in the kitchen, looked very happy. The entire atmosphere in the Wang family had been quite gloomy since Wang Ren left.

Wang Ren didn’t say much; he just shook his head and asked, “Are Mom and Dad in their room?”

“Yes, yes. They’ve been looking forward to your return. Go on and see them,” his sister-in-law quickly called out to the room, “Mom and Dad, come see who’s back! Head of the family, your second brother and sister-in-law have returned!”

Hao Yulan and Wang Fu were sitting on the bed, one at each end. When they heard their youngest son had come home, they were about to get up to greet him, but Wang Fu let out a heavy cough that startled them back into their seats. Their eyes quietly turned red.

“Dad, Mom, your unfilial son has returned to see you.” As Wang Ren entered the room, he immediately knelt on the ground and gave Hao Yulan and Wang Fu three deep bows.

Wang Fu maintained a stern expression but secretly glanced at Wang Ren, while Hao Yulan began to cry outright.

“Dad, I didn’t come back alone this time; I brought Shen Lin with me. I have already asked a matchmaker to make the arrangements, and our wedding date is set for the end of the month. Xiao Lin wants to come in and bow to you both. If you are willing, I will call him in. If not, then consider those three bows as my way of representing Xiao Lin.”

“You… you’ve become quite bold, haven’t you? You dare to handle such a big matter like this…” Wang Fu was so angry that he picked up something to hit Wang Ren, but the two sons who had come rushing in stopped him.

“Dad, speak calmly. What are you doing? Little brother has finally come back; don’t drive him away again. Haven’t you been thinking about him day and night, hoping he would return?”

Wang Fu shouted in anger, “It would have been better if he hadn’t come back! Do you know what he did? He actually went to the Zhou family with a matchmaker to set a date! The wedding date is already set for the end of the month!”

“Ah!” The elder sister-in-law was stunned and earnestly advised, “Little brother, you did not handle this matter correctly. Mom and Dad are also doing this for your own good. You should listen to them; marrying Ger is really not good. You should marry a girl instead. I can help you find a suitable one. You should hurry to the Zhou family and cancel the engagement; while the villagers still don’t know, if you wait too long, it will be too late.” 

Wang Ren firmly stated, “I do not wish to cancel this engagement, nor can I. Elder sister-in-law, even without mentioning my affection for Shen Lin, and how I obtained this marriage, just think about what would happen if I canceled the engagement. What would happen to Xiao Lin? What about his reputation? After being rejected, would Ger still be able to marry anyone?” 

“But…” The elder sister-in-law was about to say something when Wang Fu interrupted her.

“At this point, you’re worried about your face,” she said. “Let me ask you when you left, you didn’t have a single cent on you. You went to the Zhou family empty-handed to propose. Were you not afraid they would think you were living off their wealth, or that you were trying to take advantage of their financial situation?” 

Wang Ren’s face showed shame as he replied, “I’m useless; I’ve been with the Zhou family for so long and have only earned a little over a silver coin, barely enough for the betrothal gifts.

Fortunately, Xiao Lin does not despise me and is willing to marry me. As for the house, it seems that Xiao Lin will have to pay for it. However, I am not someone who just idles around; after we marry, I will work hard to earn money and make our finances grow, ensuring that Xiao Lin lives a good life.”

The elder sister-in-law gasped at this.

When Wang Ren left home, he truly had nothing, but now, in just a month and a half, he had earned so much silver—over a silver coin.

A girl would typically require only 4 to four 4 coins for a marriage proposal, which meant Wang Ren’s earnings over the past few months were merely enough for that.

Such capability, even if compared to a man of her own family, would not measure up; how could he possibly be suitable for that ger, Shen Lin? It seemed like a waste of Wang Ren’s potential. 

In her heart, she had always wanted to introduce Wang Ren to her cousin’s daughter, who also liked Wang Ren. The little girl was very willing to marry Wang Ren.

Although she called her a cousin’s daughter, the truth was that she was merely of an older generation. Her cousin’s daughter was actually the same age as Wang Ren, just three to four years younger.

In the past, when her cousin’s daughter had come to visit, the elder sister-in-law had intended to matchmake them and had even kept her there for a while.

At that time, her cousin’s daughter had shown her feelings very clearly, and the elder sister-in-law gave Wang Ren and her in-laws some hints multiple times.

Unfortunately, Wang Ren just did not understand and saw her cousin’s daughter as merely a relative.

The in-laws pretended not to notice, and so the matter was dropped. After returning home, her cousin’s daughter did not give up; she had been waiting until now, not expecting that Ger would have gotten ahead of her.

No one in the room noticed the elder sister-in-law’s attitude as Wang Fu wore a grim expression. “You really brought shame to our Wang family. You expect Ger to pay for the house? What difference is that from being a live-in son-in-law?” 

Wang Ren was scolded until he couldn’t lift his head, but he refused to back down and say he wouldn’t marry anyone besides Shen Lin.

After enough scolding, Wang Fu ordered Wang Ren to leave. Wang Ren stepped out, not daring to show any other emotions, and took Shen Lin with him to go home. 

Shen Lin didn’t leave: “What did your parents say? What was their attitude?” 

Wang Ren had no choice but to explain. 

Shen Lin thought for a moment and said, “Take me inside. I believe your parents won’t make things difficult for me.” 

Wang Ren exclaimed in surprise, “No way! You don’t know how stubborn my dad is.” 

“It’s fine. If I do get scolded, I won’t blame you,” Shen Lin reassured him. 

Unable to dissuade Shen Lin, Wang Ren had no choice but to lead him inside the house.

Upon seeing Shen Lin arrive, Wang Fu and Hao Yulan remained silent.

They neither scolded nor hit Shen Lin, but their expressions were far from pleasant.

Shen Lin and Wang Ren respectfully bowed their heads to them.

Shen Lin said respectfully: “Uncle Wang, Aunt Wang, the date for my marriage to Brother Ren is set for the end of the month. I hope you can come. I understand why you do not agree with Brother Ren marrying me. After all, my biological parents did not like me and my brother for the same reason. However, this matter of gender is not something I could choose. But I promise that aside from this unchangeable fact after we marry, I will live well with Brother Ren and be a virtuous husband. I will also be filial to both of you.” 

Wang Ren was touched.

Given Wang Fu and Hao Yulan’s attitude, Shen Lin still chose to express his intent to be filial to them at this moment. Because it’s him, Shen Lin was willing to compromise.

He immediately stated: “Dad, Mom, I also swear here that I will treat Xiao Lin well in the future, regardless of whether he can have children or not, or if we have a son.

If we have a daughter, I will work hard to earn money to support her. If I am not fortunate enough to have biological children, I will adopt a child, but I absolutely will not adopt a child from the village or someone from the same clan. I do not want Xiao Lin to suffer any grievances because of the child’s biological parents.”

Hao Yulan didn’t know what to do and anxiously looked at Wang Fu, who remained silent, seemingly not hearing her. 

In the end, it was the elder sister-in-law who couldn’t hold back any longer. She called out: “Dad, Little Brother has made up his mind. But how can an adopted child from outside be as close as one from the family? If it’s not acceptable, then he should adopt a son from within the family. A biological nephew won’t treat his uncle unfairly.”

Wang Fu let out a heavy grunt. “Why should the boy you gave birth to be adopted out for nothing? Moreover, how will the child feel once adopted?

When you grow old and the child has grown up, who will he consider close? Who will he take care of?

If you’re poor, fine, everyone avoids responsibility because they’re afraid of having to support others. But what if the child becomes successful? The biological family might regret giving up the child, missing out on the potential benefits.

What if a biological child suddenly appears? You might feel wronged, thinking that after all the years of good food, drink, and effort you put into raising your adopted child, he’s still not as close as a biological one.

Meanwhile, the biological child, who hasn’t contributed anything, comes back into the picture just to take advantage of whatever inheritance or benefits are left once the parents are old.

However, if you choose not to raise or give anything to your biological child, they could later turn around and accuse you of being heartless or neglectful, saying you didn’t fulfill your duties as a parent.”

Although Wang Fu was merely a minor village official, he was quite capable of managing affairs and had connections with the county magistrate.

His clarity of thought and decisive nature earned him respect.

The elder sister-in-law felt embarrassed and flushed, unsure if Wang Fu had seen through her intentions. 

Wang Fu continued, “You can do as you wish, but let me make one thing clear: whether or not you have children in the future, do not think about your two brothers’ children.

I will be the first to disagree. As for everything else, I have already stated my position on breaking off the engagement; how you handle it is no longer my concern. I’ve put up with this, considering it my duty to raise you, but there’s nothing more to discuss. Just leave.”