Chapter 115

Chapter 115

After the New Year, time seemed to accelerate.

The County Exam typically began in mid-February each year. Since the journey from the prefectural city to Longquan County took about ten days, they had to set off early.

The children had only just returned home and were already preparing to leave again. Li Shi was heartbroken; the thought of their departure had already caused her to break out in painful mouth sores.

Wang Ying also found it difficult to accept. As for Yuanbao, they dared not tell him. The little one had been clinging to his father these past few days, growing anxious whenever Chen Qingyan was out of sight. If he were to learn that his father would be away for over a month, the child would surely be devastated.

After much deliberation, Wang Ying decided to take the entire family along!

This trip wasn't solely for the County Exam; it was also an opportunity to return to their ancestral home to honor their forebears and check on the well-being of the villagers living on their estate.

The hired hands at home must have been homesick too, especially Er Shun, who had long heard about the flood back home but hadn't been able to return. This chance to visit would finally put his mind at ease.

Once the decision was made, Wang Ying informed everyone.

Everyone agreed. They packed their belongings, prepared the carriages, and the entire household set off for Longquan County on the eighth day of the first lunar month.

*

Meanwhile, in Longquan County.

Chen Rong was outside hanging laundry. It was a rare sunny day, so she took the opportunity to wash and air out the bedding.

The County Exam was approaching, and her nephews would surely come to stay. She wanted to tidy up in advance to avoid clutter when they arrived.

Xiaomai ran out of the house. "Grandma!"

"Yes, sweetie. Go on inside now—it’s chilly out."

"I want a hug."

Chen Rong spread the last quilt and turned to pick up Xiaomai, gently patting his little face. "Where’s your father?"

"Father is inside. Little Uncle is crying."

Chen Rong sighed and carried him inside. In the east room, Lin Sui was sobbing into Lin Qiu’s lap, his shoulders shaking pitifully.

Lin Qiu patted his back soothingly. "Earlier, Mother and I both advised you to wait and see what the Huang family was truly like before marrying into it. But you didn’t listen and insisted on marrying early. Now regretting it won't help."

Lin Sui sat up, sniffling. "How was I to know that he’s so spineless? He listens to everything his mother says. If she says anything bad about me, he sides with her without even hearing me out and blames me for everything. He'll scold or hit me over nothing."

"He hit you?!"

"Last time, he kicked me. My side is still bruised." Lin Sui lifted his clothes, revealing a large dark bruise below his ribs.

Furious, Lin Qiu stood up, ready to march over to the Huang household. "Let’s go and demand an explanation. What kind of decent family starts mistreating their new husband like this?"

Terrified, Lin Sui quickly pulled him back. "Brother, please keep your voice down. Don’t let Mother hear…"

"What if she does? What are you afraid of?"

Lin Sui lowered his head and muttered, "I don’t want Mother to worry…"

Lin Qiu sighed, knowing his brother was trying to spare their mother worry. "But you can’t go on like this. No matter what, striking someone is wrong. Later, when Cao Kun takes you home, I’ll have him have a firm word with Huang Yong. Your Big Brother is still here—he can’t just treat you like you’re worthless!"

"Okay." Lin Sui wiped his tears just as Chen Rong entered with Xiaomai.

"What’s wrong, dear Sui Er?"

"Nothing, it’s really nothing."

"Then why did Xiaomai say you were crying?"

Lin Sui forced a smile. "Xiaomai must've been mistaken. I was just joking around with Big Brother."

Chen Rong nodded skeptically. "If anything’s wrong, you must tell me. Don’t keep it bottled up. No matter what happens, I'm always here for you."

"Okay." Hearing this, Lin Sui felt like crying again and quickly slipped out to use the privy.

As soon as Lin Qiu left, Chen Rong pulled her eldest son aside. "Did something happen with the Huang family?"

"Nothing, Mother. Don’t worry yourself."

Chen Rong still felt uneasy. When the marriage was arranged, the Huang family had piled on sweet promises, saying they valued Lin Sui and wanted to welcome him into their home early.

But after the wedding, their tepid reception didn’t seem to reflect any particular regard for Lin Sui. The last time she visited, Huang’s mother even boldly criticized Lin Sui right in front of her.

She called him lazy for not getting up at Yin hour (3–5 a.m.).

Chen Rong immediately retorted, "In the deep of winter, when it’s still dark outside, what’s the point of getting up so early?"

Old Mrs. Huang pursed her lips sourly. "When I was a daughter-in-law, I had to rise at Yin hour to prepare meals, wash clothes, and clean the courtyard before the elders woke up."

"You must be joking, dear in-law. Back then, you only had one mother-in-law to serve. Now the Huang family is flourishing, with several branches and over ten members. Surely you don’t expect Sui Er to serve all of them alone? If word got out, people might think you’re deliberately working him too hard. That wouldn’t reflect well on Huang Yong either."

Only then did she drop the subject, but she shifted to criticizing Lin Sui for not showing any signs of pregnancy despite being married for so long, insinuating he might be infertile.

Chen Rong disliked this even more. "How can you say that? It’s only been a little over two months since the two of them met and married. How could he possibly be pregnant so soon? When I first married, it took me half a year to conceive Qiu Er. Don’t rush things, dear in-law. It’ll happen in due time."

After returning from the Huang family that day, Chen Rong was so upset she couldn’t eat for three or four days and lost a significant amount of weight.

Lin Qiu was also furious but dared not interfere, fearing that his involvement would only make his brother’s situation worse.

Seeing her eldest son’s silence, Chen Rong guessed what had happened—Lin Sui must have been mistreated again by the Huang family.

"Mother, don’t overthink it. It’s just a small disagreement between the young couple. Later, I’ll have Cao Kun take him back and give Huang Yong a few words of advice."

"Alright. I’m too old to be of much help. You siblings must support each other. Don’t let Sui Er suffer."

"I understand."

Around noon, Cao Kun returned from the Porter's Guild. As the head, he no longer went out for manual work but stayed at the guild to receive clients and manage operations.

The last shipment of grain from the prefectural city had earned them a huge profit—doubling in value after transportation. After paying the workers, Cao Kun netted over one hundred thirty taels of silver.

With this money, he sent his men to purchase a second shipment. Though the profit wasn’t as high as the first time, they still made sixty to seventy taels.

Now with ample funds, the Porter's Guild’s business was thriving. They employed over twenty workers and owned more than ten carts and horses, netting forty to fifty strings of cash monthly.

"Lin Sui is here. I’ll go buy some meat."

"Brother-in-law, don’t trouble yourself." Lin Sui felt embarrassed to visit often, as they always bought meat to treat him.

Lin Qiu said, "Don’t mind him. He buys meat every few days to satisfy Xiaomai’s cravings anyway."

Chen Rong added, "Yes, I’m craving meat too. Let's stew plenty later."

Cao Kun left with a basket. Lin Sui sighed deeply again. If only Huang Yong were half as good as his brother-in-law, he wouldn’t have been mistreated like this.

Now he truly regretted it. Back then, he only saw how good-looking the other was, how well-read, and how every gesture carried the air of a scholar.

Who would have thought it was just all show and no substance? Behind closed doors, the man was coarse and crude, cursing up a storm with foul language that was unbearable to hear.

But regret came too late. For women and male spouses, marriage was like a second rebirth—once you jumped into the hot kang, it was hard to get out.

Besides, with his mother having divorced first, if he also divorced, it would surely affect his brother and Xiaomai’s reputation.

Before long, Cao Kun returned with several pounds of meat. The butcher, familiar with him, even threw in a large bone.

"Cook up half this meat, and let Second Sister take the other half back later."

"Alright," Lin Qiu carried the meat into the kitchen and soon had a pot of meat and vegetables stewing.

In winter, there weren’t many fresh vegetables—only radishes and cabbage—but with plenty of meat, the aroma was mouthwatering.

Xiaomai had long been impatient, begging for some meat. Chen Rong, worried the child might burn his mouth, scooped a few tender pieces of fatty meat into a small bowl, blew on them to cool, and fed them to him.

Lin Sui, too worried to eat much, had little appetite and felt full after just half a bowl of rice.

After the meal, Lin Qiu pulled her husband aside and told him about the situation with the Huang family. "When you take Second Sister back later, talk some sense into Huang Yong. Tell him not to bully others—couples should discuss things properly, not resort to violence!"

Cao Kun nodded grimly. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely say a few words to him. A grown man bullying a young man—what a shameful way to act!"

"You don’t need to get physical… if you do, Sui Er will be in an even tougher spot."

Having worked at the porter guild for years, Cao Kun dealt with all sorts of people and knew exactly what to say and what not to.

"Don’t worry, I understand."

In the afternoon, Cao Kun drove the carriage to take Lin Sui back. When they reached the Huang family’s gate, they happened to run into Huang Yong coming out of the yard.

"Brother-in-law," Cao Kun greeted him. Huang Yong stopped, his face expressionless, and stepped forward. "So it’s brother-in-law. I was just about to go pick up Lin Sui."

In the carriage, Lin Sui took a deep breath, pasted on a smile, and got out. "I went back to see Mother and Xiaomai. Brother-in-law happened to be free, so he brought me back."

"Thanks for your help."

A normal person would have invited brother-in-law inside for tea or a meal, but the Huang family was anything but normal. Without another word, Huang Yong turned to leave.

Cao Kun cursed inwardly but maintained a smile. "It’s cold outside. Second Sister, you go inside first. I haven’t seen brother-in-law in a while—I’d like to chat with him."

Lin Sui paused, then nodded and carried the basket into the house.

After he left, Cao Kun said, "I recall there’s a teahouse nearby. Would you have time for a cup of tea, brother-in-law?"

Huang Yong nodded and followed him to the teahouse. After they sat down, Cao Kun first asked about his studies. "The County Exam is in February. How are your preparations going?"

Huang Yong was also a student scholar. He had taken the exam once before but failed—this would be his second attempt.

"Of course, I’m fully prepared," he said confidently.

"Lin Qiu’s cousins will also be taking the exam this time. They should arrive in a few days."

"Hmm."

Huang Yong had heard Lin Sui mention them but didn’t think much of it. What could scholars from a small town possibly achieve?

Especially the eldest cousin—already in his twenties and still not a qualified scholar. He must be utterly incompetent.

Seeing Huang Yong’s dismissive tone, Cao Kun’s anger flared. He couldn’t help but say, "You and Lin Sui have been married for less than half a year. He’s younger than you—you should be more accommodating. Don’t bully him."

Huang Yong finally understood—Lin Sui had gone back to his family to complain.

He sneered. "Brother-in-law, you’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. This is between me and my husband—it’s none of your business." With that, he flicked his sleeve and stood up to leave.

"Hey, you—!" Cao Kun was furious but bit his tongue, knowing Lin Sui still had to live with the Huangs. He angrily tossed a few coppers on the table and drove the carriage home.

When he got back, he didn’t dare tell Lin Qiu what had happened, afraid it would only worry her more. He thought the matter was over.

But just two days later, news came from the Huang family: Lin Sui had suffered a miscarriage…