Chapter 44: Reluctance

Chapter 44: Unwilling to Accept

The wealthy households in town all had their couplets custom-made, but unfortunately, there were few people in Yongle Town who could write them well.

Third Liu, who had a stall in the Eastern Market, wasn't even worth mentioning—his characters were crooked and his ink was weak, good enough to fool the average person, but if a shop put up his couplets, they'd be a laughingstock.

The few old scholars in town had decent handwriting and were well-read, but they were getting old, hands shaky, and none of them wanted to deal with it this year.

These rich gentlemen were just about to send someone to the county seat to find a calligrapher when they happened to come across a young scholar setting up a stall.

Not only was his handwriting top-notch, but his literary skills were impressive too, and his prices were reasonable—three to five hundred coppers was pocket change to them.

Once they got Yan Fengan's address from Shopkeeper Zhou, they all sent their stewards and servants over to his place to buy couplets.

When Yan Fengan packed up his stall earlier, he'd gotten his materials ready at Shopkeeper Zhou's shop. Shopkeeper Zhou, grateful for the favor Yan Fengan had done him, let him take the expensive paper on credit, and whatever paper he didn't use, he could bring back to the shop later.

From the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth of the twelfth month, folks kept trickling into Daoxiang Village.

Once they got to the village, they'd always ask people out for a stroll where the Yan family lived. When Steward Qian from the Qian family showed up, he happened to run into Wen Shishan and his family, who'd just gotten back from picking up New Year supplies in town.

The steward climbed down from the carriage and clasped his hands in greeting toward Wen Shishan. "Excuse me, could you point me to Scholar Yan's place?"

Wen Liu, seeing how well the man was dressed, spoke up before Wen Shishan could answer. "Who are you, and what do you want with him?"

"I'm the steward for Squire Qian's household in town, name's Wang. My master heard Scholar Yan's calligraphy is excellent and sent me to ask him to write some couplets. I just got to the village and don't know my way around, so I figured I'd ask."

A villager out for a stroll suddenly laughed. "Oh, Manager Wang, you've come to the right person! The man in front of you is Scholar Yan's father-in-law. Nobody in this village is closer to the Yan family than him."

Wen Liu caught the mockery in the man's tone, twisted his handkerchief, and shot him a dirty look.

Manager Wang, clueless about the bad blood between them, got even more respectful. "My apologies! So you're Scholar Yan's father-in-law. Perfect—could you show me the way, brother? I'm new around here and scared I might take a wrong turn."

Even though the Yan family didn't think much of Wen Shishan as an in-law, seeing how respectfully the town folks treated him in front of the villagers, Wen Shishan couldn't help but puff up a little with pride.

He straightened his back and said, "No problem, no problem..."

Just as he was about to brazenly lead the man to the Yan house, someone else chimed in, "Manager Wang, if you let him lead you there today, Scholar Yan won't just refuse to write your couplets—he might kick you out before you even get through the door."

Manager Wang's smile stiffened. "Why is that?"

The man continued, "You probably don't know this, but Scholar Yan and his father-in-law had a falling out. The two families barely talk to each other now. Every house in this village has Scholar Yan's couplets up, but his own father-in-law doesn't have a single one. Does that tell you how bad things are between them?"

Manager Wang, not knowing the ins and outs, felt uneasy hearing all this. A well-read scholar like Yan Fengan refusing to even acknowledge his own father-in-law? Had he gotten rich and started looking down on his poor relatives?

"Zhu Laosan, what the hell are you talking about!" Wen Shishan's face turned the color of pig's liver. "Keep running your mouth, and I'll slap you silly!"

"Come on then, you think I'm scared of you? I was just saying this New Year's is gonna be rough. If you dare lay a hand on me, let's see how many coppers you've got to cover the damages." Zhu Laosan spat on the ground, then, as if remembering something, added, "Oh, right, I forgot—your family sold your boy for thirty taels of silver. You're not hurting for money. Go on, hit me right here." Zhu Laosan patted his own face and stepped right up to Wen Shishan, backing him up a few steps.

Seeing the two about to throw down, Manager Wang quickly cut in, "Alright, alright, stop arguing. I'll just ask someone else."

The two men, locked in their argument, had no time to pay him any mind. Something someone said seemed to hit a nerve with Li Qiaozhen, and she suddenly shouted, "Big deal if he can write couplets! Our Liu Geer's handwriting isn't half bad either. If you can write yourself, spending money to buy from someone else is just throwing your money away like an idiot. If you ask me, these rich folks in town ain't never seen the world. He's just a scholar, and they're fawning all over him like dogs licking at meat."

Hearing this, Manager Wang, who was just stepping onto the carriage, stumbled. He turned back to look at Li Qiaozhen, frowned, but ultimately didn't say anything on the spot.

Wen Liu felt ashamed and tugged at Li Qiaozhen's sleeve. "Can you say less? What good does offending these important people do us?"

Li Qiaozhen snorted defiantly. "They're just dogs kept by rich households. Offend them, and so what? Nothing will come of it."

The carriage drove past them, and Li Qiaozhen's words drifted into Manager Wang's ears on the wind. The man who had been angry moments ago now smiled instead.

No wonder Scholar Yan had cut ties with them. With such a loose tongue and such a lack of decorum, if he didn't keep his distance from this in-law family, who knows how much trouble they'd drag him into.

This family had better pray they never fell into his hands, or he'd make sure they learned a lesson—they'd find out just how a rich household's dog bites.

Li Qiaozhen was utterly impervious to reason, and Wen Liu was furious. Truly, you couldn't discuss ice with a summer insect. He didn't know why he'd been born into such a family. It was bad enough watching Wen Xi and Yan Fengan's life get better and better, which already made his heart ache, but he also had to deal with parents so short-sighted and crude in speech and manner. There was no one in the world more miserable than him.

Realizing everyone around was laughing at him, Wen Liu stopped caring about his quarreling parents and ran off ahead, eyes red.

Once he'd run a good distance, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him. Turning around, he found Zhao Shoutian following him.

This man clung to him like a mangy dog, and just looking at him made Wen Liu irritated. Wiping his eyes, he said coldly, "Why are you following me?"

Zhao Shoutian, catching the fragrance wafting from Wen Liu, stared at him in a daze. "Liu Geer, why are your eyes red? Who bullied you? Tell me, and I'll get revenge for you."

All talk and no action—Wen Liu sneered. "You really can get revenge for me? Then go to the Yan house right now and beat up that heartless bastard Yan Fengan for me."

Zhao Shoutian hesitated. "He's a scholar. I wouldn't dare lay a hand on him."

Wen Liu had expected this. "You don't dare touch him because he's a scholar. But you can surely bully Wen Xi, right? He's just a male omega, and you're a man. Do I need to teach you how to deal with him?"

Zhao Shoutian didn't actually dare. The Yan family had beaten him badly last time, and even now, thinking about it made his body ache.

He stepped forward, trying to get closer to Wen Liu, but Wen Liu glared at him and drove him back.

Seeing himself treated like a thief, Zhao Shoutian felt uncomfortable too. His face fell. "You know I'm devoted to you. Why do you have to look at me with such disgust? Yan Fengan is already living happily with Wen Xi. Why do you keep pining after him? If you married me, your life wouldn't be any worse than marrying him. Once I have money, gold hairpins and silver bracelets—you could buy whatever you wanted."

Wen Liu had never heard such daydreaming. He said coldly, "You have no scholarly title, no skills, and you loaf around all day. What could you possibly provide for me to live well? Even at my worst, I wouldn't marry someone like you."

Zhao Shoutian's face reddened at the rebuke, and he didn't know how to respond. Seeing his pathetic, spineless look only made Wen Liu angrier. A toad lusting after swan meat—he should take a piss and look at his own reflection.

Not wanting Zhao Shoutian buzzing around him like a fly all day, Wen Liu deliberately said, "If you really want to marry me, it's not impossible. I'll give you two options: either bring thirty taels of betrothal money to my family and ask for my hand, or..." He paused, then added viciously, "Find a way to make Yan Fengan divorce Wen Xi."

Neither option was easy. Zhao Shoutian said sullenly, "Aren't you just making things hard on purpose? Forget the silver—I don't have the ability to make Yan Fengan divorce his husband. It's not like I can go rape Wen Xi to ruin his chastity."

"That's your problem. If it's too hard, then get lost." Wen Liu's voice turned shrill. "You can't do anything, yet you still come fawning around me. Do you take me for a fool? If you truly like me, then help me vent this anger. Otherwise, stop hanging around me."

Wen Liu knew Zhao Shoutian's family couldn't produce thirty taels of silver. Saying this was just to provoke him into making trouble for Wen Xi.

He simply couldn't accept it. He felt that the good life Wen Xi had now should have been his. If not for Wen Xi, he would be the one standing beside Yan Fengan, basking in the admiration. Instead, he was now the village laughingstock, with every piece of trash daring to trample on his family.

Zhao Shoutian scratched his head and finally gritted his teeth. "If I manage to do one of those things you said, will you really marry me?"

"Of course." Not a chance.

Zhao Shoutian couldn't possibly come up with thirty taels of silver. And if he actually did something to Wen Xi, Wen Liu would be the first to report him to the authorities.

That way, not only would the Yan family and Wen Xi lose all face, but Zhao Shoutian would also be thrown in prison. It would be utterly satisfying.

Zhao Shoutian steeled himself. "Fine. You wait. I'll do it."

The two, thinking no one was around, quarreled loudly, never imagining their words had fallen on other ears.

After they left, Shen Yun and Shen Liang emerged from the bamboo grove nearby. Shen Yun said angrily, "Those two bastards! I'm going to tell Xiao Xi."

Shen Liang grabbed him. "What good would telling Xi Geer do except make him worried and scared?"

"If I don't tell him, what if Zhao Shoutian actually goes to harm him?"

Shen Liang patted his head soothingly. "Don't rush. Let's go talk to Scholar Yan about this first and see if he has any ideas."

Manager Wang had just been subjected to some inexplicable frustration outside, but upon arriving at the Yan residence and seeing Yan Fengan, with a clear gaze and composed demeanor, his spirits lifted a little.

Moreover, everyone in the Yan household treated him with great warmth and courtesy—it was no wonder two families with such different ways never got along.

He briefly complained to Yan Fengan about his earlier encounter, took a sip of hot tea, and then, recalling the person who had served him, couldn't help saying, "Not only is Xiucai Yan's husband handsome, but he's also very thoughtful and considerate, with such a gentle temperament. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed he was related to those people."

His casual remark, however, made Yan Fengan stop and think.

In truth, he occasionally had similar thoughts, but Wen Xi had been born under Chen Lanfang's watch, and his origins were clear.

Just as he was pondering this, the brothers Shen Liang and Shen Yun also arrived at the Yan residence.

Shen Liang, who frequently traveled and had made many acquaintances, was familiar with Manager Wang, and the two chatted for a good while.

After Manager Wang left with his dried couplets, Shen Liang said to Shen Yun, "Go hang out with Xi Geer. I need to discuss something with Xiucai Yan."

Yan Fengan noticed that he was deliberately sending Shen Yun away and asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Shen Liang recounted verbatim what he had overheard on the road. Yan Fengan's usually gentle face took on a flash of menace. He'd figured that after cutting ties with the Wen family, the two households would stay out of each other's way, and Wen Xi wouldn't be bullied by them anymore.

But Wen Liu turned out to be stubborn as ever and showed no sign of changing.

And as for Zhao Shoutian—a lowlife Yan Fengan wouldn't even bother to look at—he actually dared to mess with his Xiao Xi.

Yan Fengan was seething, his mind racing. Before long, he devised a plan to kill two birds with one stone.

However, he couldn't carry it out himself. Knowing that Shen Liang often frequented the town and city, he said, "Brother Shen, I'm afraid I need to ask you for a favor."

Their families' relationship had changed a lot by now, and Shen Liang replied, "Just say the word."

Yan Fengan spoke in a low voice for a few moments, then added, "This is probably going to cost some silver. Wait, I'll go fetch it for you."

Shen Liang stopped him and said, "You don't need to spend any silver on people like that."

He also whispered a few words to Yan Fengan, who listened and nodded. "Good, I'll write the materials, and you handle the rest."

Before coming, Shen Liang had instructed Shen Yun not to tell Wen Xi about these matters, so Wen Xi remained completely unaware of their plan.

These past few days, Yan Fengan had earned several thousand copper coins from selling high-priced couplets, and Wen Xi was delighted. After Shen Yun left, he quietly strung the coins together with hemp rope in the room.

With life improving day by day, he had little energy left to dwell on those detestable people, and it never occurred to him that after all this time, Wen Liu would still refuse to give up and stir up trouble.

Yan Fengan stood at the door, quietly watching him. He had worked so hard to make Wen Xi this cheerful and happy—how could he tolerate these villains disturbing their blissful little life?

Since Zhao Shoutian was so eager to marry Wen Liu, he might as well give him the opportunity and let him have his wish.