Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Wang Ying glanced at the time on the glowing screen—only seventeen minutes remained on the countdown. A chill ran down his spine. This meant Chen Qingyan had been in the experimental field all this time, and their window was rapidly closing.

“No time to explain! Quickly, find a way to untie these ropes!”

“Alright, alright!” Chen Qingyan frantically worked at the ropes. The hemp cord was tied in stubborn, tight knots, and despite several attempts, he couldn’t loosen them. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the effort.

“There’s a sickle in the scallion patch—go get it!”

Chen Qingyan sprinted over, grabbed the sickle, and finally managed to cut the ropes binding Wang Ying’s hands and feet. He helped him to his feet.

A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over Wang Ying as he stood, a result of the blow to his head. It was likely a concussion.

Wang Ying spoke urgently: “Scholar Zhang tied me up. I don’t know where I am, but he intends to kill me.”

Chen Qingyan’s eyes widened in shock. “I’ll go back right now!”

Wang Ying clutched the back of his head. “It’s too late for you to return now. Mother and the others have probably sent people to look for me. I just don’t know if they’ll find me.”

“What should we do then?!” Chen Qingyan’s eyes reddened with panic. Clenching his fists, he stamped his foot, desperate to rush out and fight Scholar Zhang to the death.

“Let me think…” Wang Ying swallowed hard, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He could hear noises from outside the experimental field—his sudden disappearance had clearly terrified Scholar Zhang, who was now wildly brandishing a knife around the cowshed.

“Where are you? I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

After three or four minutes of frenzied waving, Scholar Zhang grew exhausted and collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Suddenly, he began to sob. “Father, I was wrong… I shouldn’t have killed you… Why did you stop me from killing Mother?

I finally managed to borrow money from the Lu family to report to the county authorities, but she secretly stole it to help my uncle, almost getting me beaten to death! Mother, you never cared about me—you ruined my life! Die, just die!” With that, he started swinging the knife wildly again.

From his rambling, incoherent words, Wang Ying pieced together a horrifying truth: Scholar Zhang had killed his own parents?

No wonder he had been feigning madness!

An idea suddenly struck Wang Ying. He quickly loosened his hair ribbon, tousled his hair to obscure his face, and removed his outer robe, leaving only his white inner garment.

“I’m going to scare him. If I can frighten him away, I’ll be saved. If not, I’ll have to fight him!”

Chen Qingyan gripped Wang Ying’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

“Listen, if something happens to me… you mustn’t fall into despair like before. Don’t let Mother worry about you. Study diligently with Old Liang, and when the time comes, make a name for yourself and pass the imperial examinations.”

Chen Qingyan shook his head, tears streaming down his face. For the first time, he hated his own weakness and cowardice, which had caused A Ying to suffer in his stead.

Wang Ying gave him a profound look, then turned and resolutely stepped out of the experimental field.

“A Ying!” Chen Qingyan stumbled as he tried to grab his sleeve, falling to the ground. Pushing aside his grief, he scrambled up immediately—he had to get out, no more time could be wasted in the experimental field!

Meanwhile, Wang Ying affected a strained voice and called out, “Shiqiu ah~”

An eerie cry echoed through the dim cowshed as a white, ghost-like figure materialized.

“Ahhh!!” Scholar Zhang screamed in terror, grabbing his cleaver and charging toward the apparition.

Wang Ying was prepared. He immediately activated the experimental field and ducked inside.

Scholar Zhang lunged at empty air, his cleaver embedding itself deeply into the wooden beam of the cowshed, stuck fast.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Ying reappeared and let out a series of sinister, chilling laughs. “My son, why did you kill your mother?”

“Mother… Mother!” Scholar Zhang was so terrified he soiled himself, the stench nearly making Wang Ying gag.

He dropped to his knees, kowtowing and begging for forgiveness. “It was my fault! I shouldn’t have killed you! I was wrong, I was wrong…”

Wang Ying continued, “Mother is so cold… I don’t even have proper burial clothes or spirit money. Burn me some clothes, won’t you?”

If Scholar Zhang had been thinking clearly, he would have noticed the voice bore no resemblance to his mother’s. But his nerves were stretched to the breaking point, leaving him utterly incapable of rational thought.

“Don’t worry, Mother! I’ll go right now, right now!” Limping, he scrambled out of the cowshed.

Wang Ying held his breath, waiting several moments to ensure Scholar Zhang was truly gone. Then, gripping the sickle, he crept out cautiously.

He had no idea where he was. The area was surrounded by dilapidated houses, some collapsed from rain, leaving only bare walls.

Afraid of running into Scholar Zhang again, Wang Ying didn’t dare wander aimlessly. He found a low wall, climbed over it, and buried himself in the weeds. There, he waited in fear until daybreak.

The next morning, Wang Ying heard shouts calling his name from outside.

He quickly got up and saw Er Shun and a few others not far away, shouting for him.

“I’m here!” Wang Ying tried to call back, but his voice came out hoarse and weak.

He attempted to climb over the wall but found his limbs too weak and sore. In the end, he cut a strip of cloth from his garment with the sickle and waved it frantically.

Someone in the distance spotted the white cloth. “Look over there!”

Chen Ershun sprinted toward him. Overjoyed to find Master Wang sitting on the ground, he suddenly remembered something and quickly shooed the others away. Taking off his own outer robe, he handed it to Wang Ying. “Master, put this on quickly. Let’s go home!”

Wang Ying draped the robe over his shoulders and, supported by Er Shun, walked out of the courtyard. Only when they reached the road and boarded a mule-drawn cart did he realize he had been held outside the town—no wonder it had taken so long to find him.

Exhausted from a night of fear and sleeplessness, Wang Ying could no longer stay awake once he felt safe. He fell asleep in the cart.

By the time the mule-drawn cart arrived home, the others had not yet returned. Er Shun went to inform everyone that Wang Ying had been found.

Chen Qingyan had run all the way back. Tripping over the doorstep in his haste, he ignored the pain and rushed to the backyard to see Wang Ying. Finding him safe and sound in bed, the fear that had gripped him all night finally subsided. His lips trembled as he whispered, “A Ying.”

Wang Ying opened his eyes and, seeing Chen Qingyan’s haggard face, reached out to touch his cheek. “I’m here.”

On his way back from the estate, Chen Qingyan had thought about many things. If Wang Ying had died, he wouldn’t have been able to go on living alone.

Even if he had survived for the sake of his mother and younger siblings, he would never have remarried.

Fortunately, A Ying was safe, and their child was unharmed.

In the end, the culprit, Scholar Zhang, was arrested at his home. Terrified by Wang Ying’s act, he had run back to his old house, muttering about needing to burn clothes for his parents.

A neighbor reported him to the authorities, and the constables quickly arrested him. When questioned about Wang Ying’s whereabouts, he initially tried to pretend insanity. But after dozens of cane strikes, he confessed everything—admitting to tying up Wang Ying and holding him outside town, as well as murdering his own parents.

The crime of killing one’s parents was heinous, and according to the laws of the Wu Dynasty, it warranted execution. Perhaps out of sheer terror, Scholar Zhang ended up bashing his head against the prison wall, taking his own life. The case was finally closed.

Although Wang Ying was unharmed, Li Shi fell ill from the shock. She lost her appetite and sleep and remained weak for days.

She had only meant to keep her son-in-law close to care for him, never expecting such a tragedy to occur. Guilt weighed heavily on her heart.

Knowing her ailment was in her mind, Wang Ying tried to comfort her. “Mother, this wasn’t your fault. Besides, the child and I are both fine. That Scholar Zhang got what he deserved—he won’t harm us again.”

“I know, but every time I close my eyes, I dream of something happening to you…”

Wang Ying held her hand and said, "How about finding some time to go to the mountain with Third Aunt to pay respects at the Buddhist temple? You can also say a prayer for the safety of me and the child. Only when you recover can Qing Yan and I return to the estate without worrying. Otherwise, we wouldn't feel settled even after returning."

"Hmm..."

*

After Li Shi visited the temple twice, her health gradually improved. Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan then returned to the estate. By then, it was already the end of July.

The heat of the dog days had passed, and the weather grew increasingly cooler. The ice stick business also slowly declined.

Because the incident had caused such a stir, Wang Ying feared the three children might face gossip, so he decided to shut the shop down for a while. This also freed up time for Lin Qiu to prepare for his wedding.

Back at the estate, time seemed to slow down. In his spare time, Wang Ying would take a walk through the fields, helping villagers with their crop problems.

Although he didn’t know much about millet, the basics are the same—pests and diseases were mostly similar. He could handle most issues, and for those he couldn’t, he taught people how to prevent them.

Over time, Wang Ying’s reputation spread across nearby villages. Whenever someone’s fields had problems, they would bring a sample of their crops to Chen Village to find Lord Wang, confident he would surely help cure them.

After breakfast, Wang Ying carried a bamboo basket, planning to hire a cat from the village.

Before he left, Chen Qingyan hurried over. "Want me to come with you?"

"No need, it’s not far. I’ll be back soon."

"Then let Uncle Chen accompany you." Ever since that incident, Chen Qingyan had been constantly on edge and uneasy about him going out alone.

"Alright, Uncle Chen can also help me dig up a cherry sapling." Wang Ying had been thinking about cherry trees for a long time but never found the time to dig one up. Now that he had some free time, he could transplant a couple into the experimental field. If planted now, they could enjoy cherries by winter.

The two set out and encountered many familiar faces along the way, greeting them one after another.

"Have you eaten, Lord? Come to my house for a bite."

"I’ve eaten, Uncle Yang. How’s your soybean field doing?"

"Last time, following your method, I had my grandchildren catch some ladybugs and lacewings to release in the field. It really helped! Now, barely any red bugs are left!"

"That’s good." His soybean field had recently suffered from a common soybean disease called soybean red spider mites.

These mites, both adults and nymphs, pierce and suck on the leaves with their needle-like mouthparts, spinning webs on the undersides that cause the leaves to curl, turn yellow, and eventually fall off, hindering the growth of the soybean plants.

In modern times, pesticides are usually sprayed to control them, but such methods didn’t exist in ancient times. The only option was the most basic biological method.

Ladybugs and lacewings are natural predators of red spider mites. Releasing them into the fields can curb the mite infestation.

Passing through the farmland, they arrived at the village. The cat they intended to hire belonged to a family named Zhao. Some time ago, Young Master Zhao mentioned that their cat had given birth to several kittens and asked if Wang Ying wanted one.

Initially, Wang Ying hadn’t planned on keeping a cat, but recently, the warehouse had been plagued by rats—whole groups of them burrowing into the rice jars. Catching them was futile, so they had no choice but to get a cat.

When they arrived, Young Master Zhao was already waiting and led the two to the cat’s nest to pick a kitten.

"Take whichever one you like, Master. They’ve all been weaned and can eat on their own."

In the nest were four or five kittens, each about the size of an adult’s palm, with various coat patterns. Wang Ying picked a bright-eyed little orange cat, hearing that this type was the easiest to raise and had a hearty appetite.

Leaving the prepared hiring gift behind, Uncle Chen placed the kitten in a basket, and the two started back.

Along the road home were several wild cherry trees.

There’s a saying: "Cherries are delicious, but the trees are hard to grow." Cherry trees belong to the Rosaceae family and are small deciduous trees. They are delicate—sensitive to both cold and heat, drought and waterlogging. Without modern cultivation techniques, they were indeed difficult to grow.

But with his experimental field, where he could freely adjust temperature and weather, he wasn't worried about them dying.

After digging up the cherry tree, Wang Ying looked around and, seeing no one, habitually placed the sapling into the experimental field. Only then did he remember Uncle Chen was beside him. He nervously glanced over.

Uncle Chen was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the sky pretending not to have seen anything. Having been by their side for so long, there was little he didn’t know.