After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 2

“Oh? Why? Miss Sang is such a good person.”

“Hey, it’s all because of her cousin, Lin Jiao’er. Somehow she hooked up with Scholar Zhang, and that Zhang boy is determined to marry that delicate girl, so he broke off Lin Sang’s engagement!”

“What a tragedy! Miss Sang is in deep trouble now. A woman whose engagement has been broken off will have her reputation ruined. How will she ever find a husband again?”

“Who says otherwise! That scholar Zhang is truly blind. Although Lin Sang is a bit strong and has a bit of a straightforward temper, she is a master at managing a household. What can Lin Jiao’er do besides act cute and silly?”

Public opinion was in an uproar. Some sympathized with Lin Sang, while others secretly watched the spectacle unfold. There were also some gossipy women who added fuel to the fire, portraying Lin Sang as a pitiful creature discarded like trash.

The atmosphere in the Lin family has been extremely tense these past few days. Wang Shi is seething with anger, and when she encounters Song Jinhua outside, she feels like tearing her apart. The eldest son of the Lin family is even more silent, only knowing how to bury himself in his work. His younger siblings have also become more sensible and stopped laughing and playing around.

Only Lin Sang, the person involved, remained the calmest.

She continued cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, and taking care of her younger sister as usual, as if nothing had happened.

She knew what the villagers were talking about, but she didn’t care. Life was for herself, not for others to see. Rather than marrying into a troublesome family like the Zhang family, she preferred the peace and quiet she had now.

The following afternoon, as the sun began to set, Lin Sang sat on a small stool in the courtyard, deftly bundling dried herbs into small bundles with hemp rope. Since marriage was not being discussed for the time being, she needed to plan more for her family. These mountain herbs and medicines were of good quality; once they were sorted and delivered to the town’s pharmacy, they could be exchanged for a few copper coins.

The courtyard gate was gently pushed open, and an old woman with gray hair, a thin figure, and wearing a clean dark blue coarse cloth dress walked in leaning on a cane.

It was Zhao, the old matriarch of the Lin family, who was the grandmother of Lin Sang and Lin Jiao’er.

“Grandma?” Lin Sang quickly put down her work, got up to greet her, and took the old lady’s arm. “Why did you come over? The sun is still shining. Please come inside and sit down.”

Looking at her granddaughter’s calm face, Zhao’s eyes, slightly clouded by age, were filled with complex heartache.

She took Lin Sang’s hand in return and patted it gently: “Good child, don’t bother, Grandma will sit here for a while.” As she spoke, she sat down on the low stool next to the small stool that Lin Sang had just sat on.

Her gaze swept over the neatly bundled herbs on the ground, then fell on Lin Sang’s hands, which were slightly calloused from years of hard work but still nimble. Her heart ached.

“Sangsang,” Zhao said, her voice hoarse with the typical huskiness of an elderly person, “Grandma knows you’ve suffered a great injustice.”

Lin Sang squatted down, looked up at her grandmother, and smiled: “Grandma, I’m really fine.”

“Don’t try to appease Grandma.” Zhao sighed, her wrinkles seeming to deepen. “That girl Jiao’er, she’s so foolish! Spoiled by her parents, she’s become so arrogant and ignorant, doing such a… such a shameful thing! When your grandfather found out last night, he was so angry that he grabbed his pipe and hit your uncle several times, scolding him for failing to raise his daughter properly and for making our family lose all face!”

Lin Sang listened silently without responding. She didn’t harbor much resentment towards her uncle’s family, only a sense of detachment that came from seeing through them.

Grandpa and Grandma were reasonable, but there was still a barrier between them. My cousin was their granddaughter, and so was I.

“But Sangsang,” Zhao said, her tone shifting with deep helplessness, “it’s too late now, there’s no other way… that Zhang boy is determined, and Jiao’er’s reputation is… our Lin family can’t let this cause sisters to become enemies and become a laughingstock for outsiders.”

Lin Sang understood the meaning behind those words. Preserving the family’s reputation and handling the matter internally was the most “rational” choice at the moment. She felt no unease, as this was exactly what she had expected.

“Grandma, please don’t be upset.” Lin Sang’s tone was calm, even with a hint of comfort. “I’ve been telling the truth from beginning to end. I don’t want to marry into the Zhang family. If my cousin thinks she’s gotten a treasure, then I wish her all the best. I’m really not sad.”

Her eyes were clear and bright, and her tone was sincere, without the slightest hint of reluctance or spite.

Madam Zhao carefully examined her granddaughter’s expression. Seeing that her eyes were clear and her demeanor was calm, she realized that she was not forcing a smile. Only then did her anxious heart relax a little. Her eldest granddaughter had always been resilient and open-minded, and she had underestimated her.

“Good, good, I’m much more relieved that you think that way.” Zhao nodded repeatedly, then reached into her bosom and pulled out a small cloth bag. She opened it layer by layer, revealing a plain silver hairpin inside. Although it was a bit old, it was polished to a shine. “Take this. It’s something I wore when I was young. It’s not worth much. You can keep it for fun, or you can melt it down and make a new one.”

This is the most practical comfort and compensation the elderly can offer.

Lin Sang did not refuse. She knew it was her grandmother’s gift. She took the hairpin, held it in her palm, and smiled, “Thank you, Grandma. I like it very much.”

Seeing that she accepted the gift, Zhao’s face finally showed a smile. Then she said seriously, “Don’t worry, Grandma will have your aunts and the others inquire about it and find you a very good marriage! It will definitely be better than that scholar Zhang’s!”

Upon hearing this, Lin Sang gently shook her head.

She held her grandmother’s calloused hand, her voice gentle yet firm: “Grandma, Sangsang understands your intentions, but there’s really no rush for marriage. After this experience, I’ve come to realize that a woman’s life isn’t about rushing to find a man to marry in order to have a stable life.”

She pointed to the bundled herbs on the ground, then glanced at her own small, simple but well-organized courtyard. A gleam in her eyes, one that Zhao had never seen before, shone in her eyes: “Right now, I’m thinking about how to make our family’s life more prosperous, how to save more money for my younger brother’s future wedding, how to send my second brother to school a few more days, and how to raise my younger sister to be healthy. As for myself…”

She paused, a clear smile curving her lips: “When fate comes, I won’t hide; when fate doesn’t come, I won’t force it. But whether I get married or not, I, Lin Sang, must first live my own life well so that I can walk this path with a steady footing.”

Zhao stared blankly at her granddaughter. These words did not seem like something a seventeen-year-old girl who had just suffered the blow of a broken engagement would say.

Instead of complaining or giving up on herself, she showed a sense of responsibility and open-mindedness. She suddenly realized that her eldest granddaughter had higher aspirations and a broader vision than they had imagined.

“Good…good child…” Zhao murmured, not knowing what to say for a moment. All the comfort and promises she had prepared seemed pale and narrow in the face of her granddaughter’s insightful and open-minded words.

After sitting for a while, Zhao got up and went back, leaning on her cane. Lin Sang saw her off at the courtyard gate, watching her grandmother’s slightly hunched but steady figure gradually disappear into the distance.

She looked down at the warm, old silver hairpin in her hand, feeling a warm glow in her heart. At least, her grandmother truly cared for her.

After carefully putting away the silver hairpin, Lin Sang returned to the courtyard and continued to tend to her herbs. Sunlight shone on her, casting a golden halo around her.