Even if she lost the fight and ended up bruised, she still wanted to vent the anger burning inside her in this way.
She knew it was impossible to get the money from the sale of her foster father’s house back. If a couple divorced by mutual agreement, the husband’s family was required to return the wife’s dowry. But if a wife was cast aside with a letter of divorce, she would leave with nothing—not even a single coin.
As expected of a scholar, Fang Shubai had calculated even that.
Ruan Qingli curled up beneath the eaves at the entrance of an alley, looking utterly miserable. The autumn wind was bleak, the night was deep, and she had nowhere to go.
She didn’t even have half a copper coin on her. Cold and starving, she could only hug herself tighter, hoping to steal a little warmth.
As Han Sheng passed by, he noticed a small figure huddled in the corner of the alley. It wasn’t until he got closer that he realized it was Ruan Qingli.
She heard footsteps approaching, but she neither looked up nor called for help. She had already learned her lesson. In this town, no one was willing to help a woman rumored to have run away with another man.
Only when the footsteps passed her, then suddenly turned back and stopped in front of her did she slowly raise her head.
Their eyes met.
“So late at night… why are you sitting here alone?” Han Sheng asked. “Why haven’t you gone home?”
“I was divorced by Fang Shubai,” Ruan Qingli replied quietly. “I have nowhere to go.”
Her voice was weak, and she looked listless, as though she were ill.
It would have been impossible for Han Sheng not to know about her divorce. Fang Shubai had made such a spectacle in Liu Town that it seemed he wanted everyone to know Ruan Qingli had eloped.
“You already left,” Han Sheng said. “Why did you come back?”
Ruan Qingli gave a bitter smile.
“If I told you I never ran away with another man—that everything was a trap Fang Shubai set for me… would you believe me?”
Even as she asked, she laughed at herself inwardly. How could anyone believe her? Fang Shubai’s scheme had been flawless.
But then she heard him answer—
“I believe you.”
The three simple words landed with absolute certainty.
The moment she heard them, tears poured down her face.
She hadn’t cried when she discovered Fang Shubai had deceived her.
She hadn’t cried when Madam Zhou and her daughter had held her down and beaten her.
Yet these two words alone shattered her composure, and she wept uncontrollably.
Han Sheng simply stood before her, waiting quietly for her to finish crying. He neither spoke nor walked away.
After a long while, Ruan Qingli wiped away her tears with her sleeve, stood up, and asked,
“Master Han… do you need someone to cook for you? The day I jumped into your courtyard, I noticed it was rather untidy. I can clean, cook, and do all the dirty work. I don’t need wages, and I don’t eat much. Could you… take me in for a few days?”
In the darkness, Han Sheng unconsciously clenched his fingers.
“I live alone,” he said. “A single man and a single woman under the same roof… aren’t you afraid? Besides, staying at my house won’t do your reputation any favors.”
“My reputation?”
She repeated the words with a self-mocking laugh.
“Do I even have such a thing anymore? Besides… when someone’s about to starve to death, staying alive is far more important than preserving a reputation.”
Seeing him remain silent, the hope in her eyes slowly faded.
She forced a smile.
“I know I’m asking too much. A woman with a ruined reputation like mine really shouldn’t stay at your house. Master Han, you don’t have to trouble yourself. Just pretend I never asked. Still… thank you for stopping to listen to me.”
Han Sheng looked at her deeply.
“Ruan Qingli, others may trample on you, but you must never trample on yourself. There are some things you don’t need to care so much about. As long as your conscience is clear, that’s enough.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
After taking only two steps, he looked back.
“If you’re coming, then follow me.”
Han Sheng’s house wasn’t large—only three rooms.
The western room was the kitchen.
The middle room served as the main hall.
The eastern room, adjoining the Fang residence, was the bedroom.
The furnishings were simple: only the basic tables, chairs, and benches necessary for daily life. The place was clean enough, but it was obvious that no woman lived there.
Han Sheng pointed toward the only bedroom.
“You’ll sleep there tonight.”
“What about you?” Ruan Qingli asked.
“I’ll squeeze in at the yamen with the others tonight. Tomorrow I’ll buy a bed and put it in the main hall.”
Hearing that, she felt terribly guilty.
“Why don’t I just sleep on one of the chairs in the hall? I’m not delicate at all. I can sleep anywhere.”
Han Sheng looked at her delicate, refined face and smiled faintly.
She really didn’t seem to have anything to do with the word “rough.”
His voice remained as cool as ever, but his words carried warmth.
“Since you’ve come to my house, listen to me. You’ll sleep in the bedroom tonight. After I leave, make sure you lock the door.”
Seeing that he wouldn’t change his mind, Ruan Qingli could only agree.
That night, wrapped in Han Sheng’s quilt, she slept more soundly than she had in a very long time.
The next morning, Han Sheng knocked on the door for quite a while before she finally woke up and opened it.
He held a food box in his hand and passed it to her.
“Fresh steamed buns. Pork and scallion filling. Eat them while they’re hot.”
Ruan Qingli was stunned.
A basket of pork-and-scallion buns cost twenty copper coins. Even the wealthy Fang family only bought a few baskets during festivals.
She wanted to refuse, but the aroma made her empty stomach growl loudly.
“Go ahead and eat,” Han Sheng said. “I’m not feeding you for free. From now on, everything inside and outside this house is your responsibility.”
Only then did Ruan Qingli sit down at the table and accept the chopsticks he handed her.
Seeing that he had brought only one pair of chopsticks, she asked,
“Aren’t you eating?”
“I already ate before coming back. These are all for you.”
She knew that refusing any further would only be pretentious. She had never been one to stand on ceremony.
Whatever needed to be discussed could wait until after she had filled her stomach.
Perhaps Han Sheng thought she’d feel embarrassed eating in front of him. As soon as she began eating, he quietly stepped outside.
By the time Ruan Qingli finished and was cleaning up the dishes, Han Sheng had returned.
This time, he came with another man.
Together, they carried in a wooden bed and placed it in the main hall, just as Han Sheng had said.
The man greeted her cheerfully.
“Good morning, Sister-in-law!”
“Sister-in-law?”
Ruan Qingli repeated the title in confusion.
Before she could ask anything else, Han Sheng immediately kicked the man squarely in the backside and told him to get lost.