Chapter 79

Fan Jin’s thoughts were completely not on Qin Wanyue in front of him. He only heard her praise his wife and children’s fine clothing material, and proudly said, “I chose the fabric myself, indeed it’s good.”

Qin Wanyue held her breath, not knowing how to respond.

Feigning concern, she asked, “Senior Brother, aren’t you worried about being looked down upon by others?”

Fan Jin countered, “If I dress well for my wife and children, why should I worry about what others think?”

Besides, he had always been looked down upon in the past.

Others looked down on him not because of what Shuiqing and the children wore or did, but because of himself.

Qin Wanyue thought of Zheng Pingsheng, who occasionally had to go to places like Shanhai Lou to “befriend the powerful.” As a bachelor, he couldn’t save anything, so he could only save her and the children.

Even the money for buying groceries had to be deducted repeatedly.

Every time the money ran out, when she asked him for money, she would be questioned about every penny spent and when it was spent.

He was nothing like Senior Brother in his thoughtfulness.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, stubbornly refusing to let them fall, reminiscing with infinite sorrow, “Initially, Father intended to betroth me to you. If that had really happened, given Senior Brother’s affection for me, I… I…”

Blame could only be placed on destiny for not favoring her, causing her to endure such suffering~

She glanced at the ox cart, the sturdy oxen, which cost at least a dozen taels of silver.

And behind the cart, piled high with things, there were even six small rabbits!

Thinking of her own narrow little house in the alley, she couldn’t even afford to keep two chickens for laying eggs to improve their diet, while Senior Brother’s family could afford to keep six rabbits.

Back then, why had she been so short-sighted, thinking Senior Brother was just a wealthy villager, while Zheng Pingsheng was a city dweller? Only after marrying in did she realize that she and her husband and his parents would squeeze into two small rooms, seeing each other all day long.

“Senior Brother’s family must be very large, right? They can even raise rabbits, while my family…”

Fan Jin’s brows furrowed as he heard this and interrupted directly, “Houses in the city and those in the village are indeed different.” He spoke impatiently, wanting to quickly end this reunion and return to his family.

He raised his eyes to carefully scrutinize the old acquaintance before him.

In the present era, there were many restrictions on women, and he, a simple man in white, without merit or power, had not done anything to make him unforgettable, so it was certainly not to the extent that a woman would abandon propriety for his sake. Was her earlier speech just a prelude…?

Qin Wanyue’s hidden vanity was satisfied.

Yes, even if the city’s house was so small it was difficult to turn around in, it was still in the city! It was very valuable.

But what about houses in the countryside? They weren’t worth much.

However, “Senior Brother must have a lot of money, right? Wanyue wants to ask, how does Senior Brother earn it?”

Fan Jin had already been suspicious and became alert upon hearing Qin Wanyue inquire about his sources of income.

Finally, he understood why an old acquaintance who hadn’t seen him in over a decade was waiting to catch up.

Money moves people’s hearts.

He stiffened his expression. “This isn’t something you should be asking.”

Qin Wanyue’s mouth opened slightly, her expression astonished and disbelieving as she looked at Senior Brother.

Her Senior Brother, who had always been gentle and kind-hearted, would actually refuse her and speak harshly to her?

Moreover, after she had spoken so many suggestive words earlier, making her think she admired him and had endured hardship because of him over the years, Senior Brother could still remain indifferent and guard himself against her?

“Senior Brother, Wanyue has always treated you like family. Now you’re still guarding against Wanyue?”

Fan Jin stared deeply at the woman before him.

He wanted to figure out whether this reunion was solely her doing or if Zheng Pingsheng was involved.

If it was solely her doing, it was pitiable, but if Zheng Pingsheng had given his tacit approval and guidance, then Qin Wanyue was not just pitiable but also despicable.

Regardless of whether it was one person or two, he had to put an end to their schemes.

He sighed, “Out of consideration for your father’s care for me in the past, I’ll tell you alone.”

Qin Wanyue suddenly widened her eyes, a triumphant look of success evident in her expression, and hurriedly responded, “Senior Brother, rest assured, I won’t tell anyone else!”

Pingsheng didn’t count as anyone else.

If there was a way to earn money, who would tell others? Once her husband and she earned some money, they could also buy ebony hairpins—no, they would buy golden hairpins!

Then they could move to a big house and hire two maids to serve them, living a life of luxury and extravagance.

Fan Jin felt no embarrassment at all and casually revealed, “It’s the silver given by my father-in-law!”

“Your… father-in-law?” Qin Wanyue stammered to ask.

Wasn’t that relying on her wife’s family? How was that different from becoming a son-in-law?

No, this was even more shameful than becoming a son-in-law! He had always been despised by literati.

“Yes, I’m just a scholar, almost thirty years old and still not even a scholar. My wife and children followed me, eating simple meals. My father-in-law and mother-in-law couldn’t bear to see their daughter suffer, so they gave us some of their savings.” Fan Jin spoke while observing the disdain and disgust in Qin Wanyue’s eyes.

Qin Wanyue indeed felt genuine disdain.

She felt that her heartfelt sincerity just now had been misplaced!

No wonder Fan Jin dressed poorly himself but dressed his wife and children well—it turned out it was his father-in-law’s money!

And daring to go to Shanhai Lou to eat and drink luxuriously with a bit of money—did he not want to live like this? No wonder he had endured poverty for over ten years!

No wonder Pingsheng and the others said his wife was fierce and unruly. It seemed the reason his wife could be so dominant was all because of the money from her parents.

After the mixture of disdain and anger, she fell into deep distress.

If Pingsheng knew the tricks she used today, he would certainly make a comparison.

He used to complain and mock her father for not helping him, and now he would have another reason to complain about not giving him money.

But if she didn’t get the tricks, she would feel useless.

Fan Jin looked at Qin Wanyue’s ever-changing face, and he no longer had nostalgia for her since meeting her.

He was satisfied: “It’s cold, and my wife and children are still waiting for me. There won’t be a next time.”

Qin Wanyue interrupted without hesitation: “No next time! Wanyue is here today, which is already inconsistent with the rules. Please don’t say much in front of others.”

“Okay.” Fan Jin promptly agreed.

Qin Wanyue carried her basket and hurried away.

Fan Jin returned to the ox cart, took the ox rope from Fan Jiang’s hand, and said gently, “Let’s go home.”

The five little ones cheered and followed the ox cart on both sides.

Shuiqing came up, very curious, and asked, “Wasn’t it all fine just now? Why did it suddenly change afterwards? And she left angrily?”

Fan Jin smiled helplessly, “How could everything be fine? Someone I haven’t seen in many years suddenly comes to catch up, is there any sincerity in it?”

Shuiqing: … She thought that men had no resistance to this kind of woman who grew up together.

Unexpectedly, Fan Jin saw through it so clearly.

But maybe other men could see through it too, they just pretended not to understand and enjoyed the ambiguity.

Fan Jin looked at the person beside him, pursed his lips, and sounded aggrieved, “When I talk to other women, aren’t you worried? Why don’t you come to remind me once in a while?”