“Hand over the silver,” Village Chief Zhang urged as well. It was already getting late, and he still had plenty of work to do.
Old Madam Wu gritted her teeth. She knew that if she didn’t produce the silver today, this matter wouldn’t end peacefully. In the end, she walked to a corner, turned her back to everyone, and pulled a money pouch from inside the waistband of her trousers.
Old Madam Wu was an extremely suspicious person who trusted no one. She didn’t dare leave her money at home for fear that her two daughters-in-law would steal it, so she always carried it on her person. In that regard, she had unintentionally saved Lin Wan some trouble.
As she took out the silver, her heart bled.
There were nearly forty taels of silver in that pouch—savings she had painstakingly accumulated over most of her life.
The money she had squeezed out of Lin Dashan over the years, along with his compensation payment, was all stored there. She had never been willing to spend it. Yet now, more than thirty taels were about to disappear for no apparent reason, and her once-bulging pouch instantly became much lighter.
She counted out thirty-three taels of silver.
The surrounding villagers stared in shock.
“She really does have that much silver…”
More than thirty taels was no small sum in the countryside.
With that amount of money, Lin Wan and her brother were no longer burdens. They had become highly desirable prospects.
In a rural village, any family that could produce ten taels of silver at once was considered wealthy. Not only did Lin Wan now possess over thirty taels, but she also owned eight mu of fertile farmland.
Hearing the villagers’ astonished remarks, Old Madam Wu felt as if her heart was dripping blood.
Lin Wan, however, accepted the silver without the slightest hesitation.
After counting it carefully, she said,
“It’s still short by four mace.”
She had made herself perfectly clear earlier: thirty-three taels and four mace—not a single coin less.
“You—!”
Old Madam Wu was so furious she nearly burst into curses, but she managed to restrain herself. Digging back into her pouch, she took out another four mace of silver and threw it directly at Lin Wan.
“You little wretch, just you wait!”
After leaving behind that threat, she grabbed Lin Yaozu and stormed away.
There was no way she would let today’s humiliation go. She would find a way to get that silver back sooner or later.
With Old Madam Wu gone, the drama finally came to an end.
After talking so much, Lin Wan felt her throat growing dry.
The villagers watching the spectacle were sensible enough to leave. The main actors had exited the stage, so there was no reason to linger. They dispersed in small groups, and within an hour, what had happened here would likely be known throughout the entire village.
Village Chief Zhang also breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that Old Madam Wu would continue causing trouble. Although he prided himself on being fair and impartial, unreasonable villagers who refused to listen to reason gave him endless headaches.
What he didn’t know was that Old Madam Wu had only been frightened by the mention of reporting the matter to the authorities. Combined with Lin Wan’s completely unexpected behavior, she had been caught off guard and ended up handing over the silver in a muddled panic.
If there were ever a next time, she certainly wouldn’t fall for the same trick so easily.
Once everyone had left, Village Chief Zhang turned to Lin Wan and reminded her,
“You’d better keep that silver hidden safely. So many villagers saw it today. Someone might be tempted by it.”
Lin Wan nodded.
“Thank you for the reminder, Grandpa Zhang.”
Her gratitude was sincere.
If Village Chief Zhang hadn’t cooperated with her earlier, Old Madam Wu would never have given in so easily. Lin Wan still had ways of reclaiming the silver, but it would have taken much more effort.
Village Chief Zhang waved his hand dismissively.
“If you run into any trouble, come find me.”
Then he glanced toward the house.
“Girl, I heard you bought a…”
His words trailed off.
One of the reasons he had come today was because he had heard rumors that Lin Wan had purchased a man who was supposedly on the verge of death.
He knew the laws of the court.
Lin Wan would soon turn seventeen. If she still wasn’t engaged by then, the authorities would arrange a marriage for her by force. Over the years, he had never heard of a single one of those government-assigned marriages ending happily.
After hesitating briefly, he finally said,
“Marriage is no trivial matter. Even if time is running short, you shouldn’t marry someone who’s practically dying.”
His concern was genuine.
He couldn’t bear to see such a young girl become a widow. Forced marriages arranged by the authorities were unpleasant, but widowhood was hardly any better.
Lin Wan knew he meant well.
She smiled.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa Zhang. He’s only a bit weak. The rumors are greatly exaggerated. When we get married, we’ll be inviting you to officiate the ceremony.”
After seeing Village Chief Zhang off, only the siblings remained in the courtyard.
Only then did Lin Sheng speak.
“Sis… I’ve only been holding you back…”
He knew very well that if not for taking care of him, Lin Wan would never have delayed marriage until now.
Lin Wan patted his shoulder.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Your future brother-in-law is outstanding. You’ll see when you meet him. Besides, we’re brother and sister. There’s no such thing as one of us being a burden to the other.”
The original Lin Wan and Lin Sheng had relied on each other for survival.
It wasn’t a matter of one taking care of the other. They had been each other’s support.
Though she had only known him for a short time, Lin Wan was already very satisfied with this younger brother.
The moment he had stood firmly by her side and supported her decision to sever ties with the Lin family, she had fully accepted him as her own brother.
Previously, she would have cared for him out of responsibility to the original owner of the body.
Now, the feeling was different.
Others didn’t know that Lin Wan had falsely accused Old Madam Wu of stealing silver, but Lin Sheng certainly did.
He knew perfectly well that their mother hadn’t left behind any silver when she died. In fact, the family had already been drained of its savings trying to pay for her medical treatment.
The reason he had been able to attend school was entirely because his sister worked tirelessly to support him.
More than once, he had suggested dropping out to help earn money and ease her burden.
Every time he brought it up, however, Lin Wan would scold him fiercely and insist he continue studying.
If not for the high cost of his education, and Old Madam Wu’s constant visits to extort money and goods from them, life would never have been so difficult. Their eight mu of fertile farmland alone would have been enough to support them comfortably.
Although he didn’t understand why his sister had suddenly made those accusations, or why she had abruptly decided to cut ties with the Lin family, none of that mattered.
No matter what happened, he would always stand firmly on her side.
His only regret was that he was still too weak to protect her.
Pressing his lips together, his eyes reddened slightly.
“Sis, don’t worry. I’ll study hard and earn you an imperial title someday!”
Lin Wan laughed.
“Good. Then I’ll be waiting for you to win me that honor!”
“Sis, I heard that the man you bought… his health seems to be…”
Lin Sheng hesitated before bringing up the subject.
“That’s all nonsense. Your future brother-in-law is perfectly healthy!”
With that, Lin Wan led him into the house, intending to introduce the two of them.
But the moment she stepped through the doorway, she smelled blood.
Looking toward the bed, she saw Gu Zhixing lying there with his eyes closed and face deathly pale. Blood stained both his clothes and the corner of his mouth.
In fact, he looked so peaceful that he resembled a corpse.
Lin Sheng was speechless.
Hadn’t his sister just said that his future brother-in-law was perfectly healthy?
This was her definition of healthy?
“Sis… he isn’t…”
Dead?
Before he could finish the sentence, Lin Wan interrupted sharply.
“No!”
She hurried to the bedside and checked Gu Zhixing’s pulse.
A moment later, her brows furrowed.
“A-Sheng, bring me the medicine box from the corner.”
The original owner’s grandfather had once operated a medical clinic in the county town and possessed respectable medical skills. Her mother had learned some medicine from him while growing up, and the original owner had picked up a little knowledge as well.
The family’s small medicine chest had been passed down from her grandfather, and now it finally had a use.
Lin Wan herself came from a prestigious family of traditional physicians. Since childhood, she had spent her life immersed in medical studies.
In fact, while carrying Gu Zhixing home earlier, she had already discovered something.
His weakness wasn’t caused solely by his injuries.
He had been poisoned.
And the poison had remained in his body for many years, seeping deep into his bones and marrow.