After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 18

After hearing this, Wang considered it in her mind.

These past two months of selling chestnuts have saved up some money, which will definitely make this winter much easier. But as my husband said, the children are growing up day by day, and in a few years, Bai Ge’er will be getting married. We also need to rebuild the house, and we need money for everything.

She nodded and said helplessly, “Okay, go ahead. We’ll take care of things at home now, so don’t worry. The work at the docks is tough, so you have to be careful.” With that, she turned around to pack Lin Laoda’s luggage.

Although it was early autumn, the wind was strong at the dock and it was cool at night. She carefully packed a thick quilt and several durable clothes, and kept telling her, “Take a rest when you’re tired. Don’t push yourself. It’s okay if you get less pay. People are the most important thing.”

“Yes, I know what’s important.”

———

The next day, before dawn, Lin Laoda, Lin Sang, and Lin Song took an oxcart to town.

He first helped his children take their stall equipment to their usual spot, watched them set up their stall, and then hurriedly headed to the dock.

Upon arriving at the dock, one is greeted by a bustling scene of people, boats coming and going, and laborers carrying loads chanting work songs.

The foreman frowned when he saw him arrive: “Why are you so late? We’re almost ready to start work!”

Lin, the eldest brother, quickly explained with a smile, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I was in charge of delivering something for my daughter and it caused the delay. I’ll definitely be more careful next time!”

The foreman waved his hand: “Hurry up and go over there to get your badge and start working!”

“Okay, I’ll go right away,” Boss Lin said with a chuckle as he bent over and hurried off to get busy.

Everything that happened here was seen by a figure not far away.

Zhou Han was also at the dock today. He was not an ordinary laborer. Because of his strength, loyalty, and sense of propriety, he had a reputation for being a ruthless fighter, which deterred some local thugs from causing trouble at the dock. Over time, he was noticed by a powerful foreman at the dock and was put in charge of managing a small team of laborers. He was responsible for maintaining order and assigning less complicated tasks. He was a minor leader, and his wages were higher than those of ordinary laborers.

He had vaguely heard the name “Lin” and looked closely at the person. The person’s features were eight or nine parts similar to those he remembered seeing a few years ago. Seeing that Boss Lin was a little uneasy here, Zhou Han hesitated for a moment, but still walked over.

“Uncle Lin?” he called out tentatively.

Boss Lin turned around and saw a tall young man with a somewhat fierce look between his brows. He asked with some confusion, “Who are you?”

“I’m Zhou Han from Baishigou,” Zhou Han introduced himself, trying to keep his tone as gentle as possible. “Uncle Lin, are you here to work?”

When Boss Lin heard the name “Zhou Han,” his heart skipped a beat.

He was quite familiar with the name! Not long after his daughter’s engagement was broken off by the Zhang family, an old woman surnamed Zhou from the neighboring village came to propose marriage. It seemed that she was talking about her son, whose name was Zhou Han. Outsiders called him “Zhou the Scoundrel”!

Wang was furious and refused outright. When she got back, she kept nagging him about it, saying how badly Zhou’s reputation was, how he was a brawler and a troublemaker, and that she absolutely couldn’t let her daughter jump into a fire pit. Although Lin was a man of few words, he remembered the matter and the name.

Looking at the tall young man before him, he spoke again with a hint of barely perceptible caution in his tone:

“Oh…so you’re Zhou’s nephew,” the eldest Lin nodded. “Didn’t your mother visit our Linjia’ao a while ago?”

Zhou Han paused slightly upon hearing this. He raised his head, his gaze meeting Lin Laoda’s for a moment before he awkwardly looked away. His ears burned slightly, and he said in a low voice, “…Yes, my mother…she did go. Uncle Lin, that matter…she was impolite. I apologize to you and Aunt on her behalf.” His voice grew softer and softer, filled with obvious embarrassment.

Seeing Zhou Han’s sincere, even somewhat clumsy, apology, Boss Lin’s guard lowered slightly. This kid didn’t seem like an unreasonable person at all.

He paused for a moment, not responding to the apology, but instead, following the conversation, his tone unconsciously softening as he asked, “Let’s not talk about the past. You work here too?”

Zhou Han nodded upon hearing this: “Yes, Uncle Lin, I’ll do some work at this dock.”

He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, before continuing, “Mainly to help the foreman manage the manpower, make sure the loading and unloading of goods goes smoothly, and occasionally deal with… those who are too blind to cause trouble.”

He put it rather subtly, but Lin Laoda had lived in the village for so many years that he understood immediately.

This is no ordinary laborer. He is clearly a “small boss” with some power, or rather, someone who has established himself here by force and prestige and can keep the place in check.

Lin was secretly surprised and couldn’t help but look Zhou Han over a few more times.

This young man, who looks no more than eighteen or nineteen years old, has managed to get to where he is in the chaotic docks. This skill and ability cannot be achieved by brute force alone.

If you disregard his reputation, this kid really does have some talent and is quite promising for his age! Boss Lin couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration.

He recalled that when he was eighteen or nineteen, he was just a naive young man following his father around, buried in the fields.

But the thought of praise had barely surfaced when old rumors about Zhou Han’s reputation resurfaced uncontrollably, like driftwood floating on the water…

“Zhou the scoundrel,” “reckless,” “fighting like there’s no tomorrow”… These rumors about Zhou Han circulating among the villagers were like tiny thorns pricking at Lin Laoda’s heart. Looking at the faint scar on Zhou Han’s brow bone, he could almost picture his fierce appearance when he was fighting.

A talented young man burdened with such a bad reputation is like a sharp knife; used well, it can cut through thorns and brambles, but if used carelessly, it can also injure himself and even harm his family. Boss Lin’s feelings suddenly became complicated, and he sighed inwardly.

“Oh…Is that so? You’re really young and promising. That’s great, very good.”

Zhou Han, however, keenly noticed the momentary hesitation and soft sigh from Boss Lin. He understood immediately that Uncle Lin must have remembered the rumors about him. His eyes dimmed, but he didn’t explain anything further. He simply walked forward silently and said to the steward beside him, “Steward Liu, this Uncle Lin is a distant relative of mine. He’s honest and hardworking. Let him join our team. I’ll take him under my wing.”

When Manager Liu saw that Zhou Han had spoken, he did him a favor: “Alright, you can arrange it as you see fit.”

Zhou Han led Boss Lin to get his work badge and found him a sturdy shoulder cloth. When they were working, there were several particularly heavy bags of medicinal herbs. Zhou Han would silently take the lead in carrying them or lift them together with Boss Lin, sharing most of the weight.

Lin was extremely grateful. While resting, he wiped his sweat and said to Zhou Han, “Young man Zhou, I really owe you a lot today! Otherwise, my old bones would have really been unable to handle it.”

Zhou Han turned his face away somewhat awkwardly and said in a low voice, “Uncle Lin, you’re too kind. It’s nothing. You can just call me Hanzi.”

Looking at this young man with a good reputation, but after getting to know him, Lin found that he was not talkative but was willing to help sincerely. He was left with a good impression and felt that the rumors were indeed not entirely credible.