"May I ask, Brother Chen, was this thing perhaps dug out from a tomb?" Lu Sheng asked casually.
Chen Jiaorong nodded. "It was indeed dug out from a tomb. But you haven’t answered my question yet. As my sister said, how well do the two of you really understand each other?" He smoothly shifted the topic back to his sister’s marriage.
Lu Sheng had already dodged this subject once. Now that it came up again, he could only sigh.
"These things can’t be rushed. Brother Chen, you’ll see how things turn out in time. I’ve only known Yunxi for a short while. Is your family really so confident in me?"
"You could say that. At first, I was worried, but now I feel truly relieved." Chen Jiaorong smiled. "If you agree, we’ll even double the dowry!"
Lu Sheng could only smile bitterly.
He understood that while Chen Yunxi might genuinely like him, her family was desperate. After years of failing to find her a husband, they had finally met someone suitable and were unwilling to let him slip away.
"Let’s talk about this later. At the very least, wait until my results in the annual examination come out," Lu Sheng said, using the exam as an excuse to delay.
When Chen Jiaorong heard that, his eyes lit up with admiration. The marriage offer was a tempting one—agreeing could lead to instant fortune. If he were in Lu Sheng’s shoes, he would've jumped at the opportunity. After all, even after marriage, one could still take concubines and other wives. Though his sister, Chen Yunxi, had long legs and some physical imperfections, she still had her strengths.
"In that case, it’s settled. We’ll wait until after Brother Lu’s annual examination. Yunxi isn’t getting any younger—it’s time she got married. I hope Brother Lu won’t delay for too long."
With no other option, Lu Sheng nodded. The two parted ways after leaving the wine shop. Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Sheng turned around and went home.
After a night's rest, he returned to the academy the next day. Just as he sat down, a commotion erupted outside.
"What’s going on out there?" Lu Sheng asked Song Zhenguo, who was organizing books.
Song Zhenguo’s expression was grim. He lowered his voice. "Wang Ziquan’s family is here."
Lu Sheng noticed many students standing up, some heading to the windows and doors to look outside. Faint cries from women and children echoed through the courtyard.
He rose from his seat and heard several classmates sigh deeply.
"Ziquan seems to be missing. A young woman with two children came to his house. I heard his father was severely beaten at the government office while trying to report it. After returning home, he fell ill and hasn't been able to get up..."
"Why would the government office beat someone like that?"
"It's because his father refused to believe his son drowned. He knelt at the gate of the government office and wouldn’t leave. Unfortunately, the newly appointed prefect has a terrible temper. He doesn’t tolerate what he sees as unruly behavior..."
"Poor widow and orphans..."
"Yeah, it’s a real tragedy... His father’s on the brink of death now..."
The more Lu Sheng listened, the more unsettled he felt. Wang Ziquan’s family had once run a modest business. They weren’t rich, but they had some standing. Now, everything was falling apart.
Song Zhenguo, who had also been listening, pushed through the murmuring crowd and came to stand beside Lu Sheng.
"It’s my fault," he muttered. "If I hadn’t asked him to leave that day..."
"Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault," Lu Sheng said, patting him on the shoulder.
Still, Song Zhenguo’s expression remained dark, and he said nothing more.
The two of them left the academy together. As they stepped onto the main road just outside the school, they saw a young woman—about eighteen or nineteen years old—dressed in white mourning clothes. She was kneeling on the road with her head bowed, two toddlers no older than two kneeling quietly beside her.
A crowd had already gathered. Dozens of onlookers whispered and pointed, and more people kept joining.
"Come on, let’s go take a look," Lu Sheng said, pulling at Song Zhenguo’s sleeve.
"No need! I’ll go alone. This is my fault—I’ll go!" Song Zhenguo grabbed his arm and spoke with a firm voice.
Lu Sheng was momentarily stunned. Before he could respond, Song Zhenguo had already broken away, striding forward with quick, determined steps.
He stopped in front of the kneeling woman and bent down, speaking to her in a low voice.
Two college instructors squeezed through the crowd of curious students and stepped forward to ask about the situation. After a brief exchange, Song Zhenguo helped the young woman and the two children to their feet and quickly led them away from the college grounds.
Lu Sheng followed closely behind, leaving the college with them. But just as he picked up his pace to catch up, an official from the government office arrived and began speaking with Song Zhenguo and the young woman. After a short conversation, they all climbed into a carriage and prepared to leave.
Before departing, Song Zhenguo turned around and signaled to Lu Sheng, waving his hand as if to tell him not to follow.
"Don’t delay the annual exam—go back! I’ll handle this!" Song Zhenguo shouted from a distance before getting into the carriage.
Lu Sheng stood there, watching the black carriage with red trim roll away. He recognized it as the type used exclusively by government officials.
He remained at the entrance of the college for a while, lost in thought, then finally turned and returned to class.
The news about Wang Ziquan’s family spread throughout the college for a short time, but the rumors were quickly silenced. Lu Sheng noticed several officials visiting the school administrators in the following days—perhaps they were the ones responsible for shutting down the gossip. After that, Wang Ziquan’s family never returned to stir up trouble.
Since that day, Song Zhenguo’s expression had become noticeably more at ease. It seemed likely that he had done something to help or compensate Wang Ziquan’s family.
After a brief uproar, the matter of the missing student faded into the background. The storm passed, and the college gradually returned to its routine—as if nothing had ever happened.
…………
Song Family Residence.
Song Zhenguo sat in silence, mechanically picking at the food the maid had just brought in. The table was lavishly set with chicken, duck, fish, and goose, yet he had no appetite. His mind was elsewhere.
Outside the room, he could faintly hear the footsteps and muffled voice of his father passing by. But he didn’t get up to greet him—he simply sat in his bedroom and sighed deeply.
Their family had relocated to Yanshan City not long ago, and his father had only just begun establishing his business. It kept him constantly busy and frequently irritable. And now, with this added burden, his mood had soured even further.
"Why can’t Father see Jun’er’s worth?" Song Zhenguo thought bitterly. "If I marry her, our home will be at peace, and with her help, I’ll have the stability to succeed in my exams and my future career…"
Suddenly, flutter-flutter—a black pigeon swooped in through the open window, its beady pink eyes locking onto him.
Coo. Coo.
The bird let out two soft calls.
As soon as Song Zhenguo saw it, his expression lit up with joy. He sprang to his feet, hurried over, and carefully caught the bird. Untying the small scroll attached to its leg, he unrolled it with trembling fingers.
"Don’t worry about what Jun’er said before. Jun’er threatened to take her life, and the captain finally agreed. Tomorrow night, during the festival—if Brother Song can bring 10,000 taels of silver—Jun’er will be redeemed.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSg4hPtTNOU
Brother Song, don’t worry. Although 10,000 taels is a large amount, Jun’er has saved over the years—enough to cover most of it.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOqspjfAwF
Please, you must come alone tomorrow night. Jun’er will offer her body to my big brother untouched. I hope you... will have mercy..."
Finishing the letter, an overwhelming wave of joy surged through Song Zhenguo’s chest. His face flushed red, and he began pacing the room, the scroll still clenched tightly in his hands.
"Jun’er... Jun’er... you're mine! I will definitely take you away from that pleasure boat, away from that damn place—and give you a proper name!" Song Zhenguo clenched his fists, murmuring to himself with fierce determination. In his excitement, he completely forgot Xiaojun’s earlier warning: not to go to the painting boat during the Scented Silk Festival.
After pacing around in a whirlwind of emotion, Song Zhenguo finally began to calm down.
"But... didn’t Jun’er once say not to go to the painting boat during the Scented Silk Festival? Was she afraid I’d be tricked?" he wondered aloud, his expression gradually growing more composed as doubt crept in.
He stood still for a moment, deep in thought.
"I’ll ask her directly when I see her. There must be some reason she didn’t want me there that night."
With a heart filled with joy and anticipation, Song Zhenguo began gathering silver notes. Ten thousand taels was no small sum. Over the years, he had built up some family assets, but much of it had already been spent on Jun’er. Pulling together that kind of money in such a short time would be difficult.
Still, Jun’er had promised she’d cover most of it with her savings.
"But how can I let the woman I love shoulder something like this?" he thought, his resolve tightening. "Never mind. I’ll go to my sister and borrow the rest."
He rushed to the door, skipping his meal, but suddenly halted as another thought struck him.
"Such wonderful news… Even though Jun’er was shy and told me to go alone, this is something worth celebrating! I should share it with my two best friends!"
Quickly returning to his desk, he began preparing ink and water, ready to write them a letter. But as he picked up the brush, he hesitated again. After a moment’s pause, he gently set the pen down.
"No... better if I go alone. It’ll avoid any unnecessary complications. I can let everyone know after everything is settled."
With that, he set out immediately to find his sister. Under the pretense of needing funds for a business investment, he successfully borrowed fifteen thousand taels in silver notes. With everything finally in place, his preparations were complete.
…………
The annual exam was drawing nearer, and Lu Sheng’s family sent Qiao’er to visit, bringing along 1,000 taels in silver notes to help cover his recent expenses.
But Lu Sheng knew very well that his family was under mounting pressure. They were already selling off properties and shops, preparing to relocate. The recent explosion in Jiulian City had caused many families to flee, driving down the value of real estate. With plans to repurchase property in the future, the family needed to reserve a large sum of money.
Given their situation, scraping together another 1,000 taels for him was no small feat—it was support squeezed out by gritted teeth. The Lu family was teetering on the edge.
As the storm slowly passed, Lu Sheng gradually pushed Wang Ziquan’s troubles to the back of his mind. He began focusing entirely on improving himself—and finding ways to make money.
"There is a clear spring in the middle of the mountain! There is yellow in the red ditch! There are sparrows all over the ground outside Baisha Town! There is ginger on the surface of Xinzhao River!"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWE1J2Uby4
"Yanshan City! My hometown~~~~Yanshan City! My hometown~~~La la la la~~la la la la la~~~~........"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmZYYM0Bkm
"La la la!~~~La la la la~~~~!"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYKrpnoXOv
"La la la~~~! La la la la!!"
Lu Sheng stood by the window, his face blank, listening to the sharp, echoing voices of men belting out folk songs in the streets.
He had been jolted awake at three in the morning—during the hour of the Yinshi. Groggy, he rose and looked out to find procession after procession passing along the street, their songs alternating between shrill and coarse tones.
A long parade was making its way down the road, the performers dressed in red and blue. Most were middle-aged men and women, marching with drums and gongs, blaring suona music, and shouting slogans. They were warming up with traditional songs in preparation for the Xunduan Festival, headed toward the city center.
What left Lu Sheng truly speechless, though, was the reaction of the neighborhood. Not only did no one find it noisy—they were delighted. People poured onto the streets to watch the lively procession, some singing along enthusiastically. Even officials from the government office were present, helping to maintain order.
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