After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 3

“Mother! Mother!” Before she even entered the courtyard, Song Jinhua’s shrill voice burst in.

Zhao was sitting on a small stool at the entrance of the main room picking beans. Hearing the sound, she didn’t even lift her eyelids, but slowly picked out a bad bean.

Song Jinhua rushed to the old lady like a gust of wind, her chest heaving violently. Forgetting all manners, she directly questioned, “Mother! I heard that you gave your most treasured silver hairpin to Sang’er? Is that true?”

Zhao then raised her eyes, looking at her calmly and without any emotion: “Yes, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Song Jinhua’s voice rose even higher, filled with resentment. “Mother! How can you be so biased! When we divided the family property, it was agreed that you and Father would live with our eldest son’s family, and everything in this house would belong to our eldest son’s family. But you, secretly, have been giving valuables to the second son’s family! Lin Sang has the surname Lin, but is our Jiao’er not your own granddaughter?”

The more she spoke, the more reasonable she felt, and she straightened her back a bit, as if she had grasped a huge handle on the old lady.

Looking at her face, Zhao’s expression gradually darkened. She put the winnowing basket aside with a soft “smack”.

“My things are mine, I can give them to whomever I want.” The old woman’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable coldness. “Since when did it become your place to make decisions for me?”

“Mother! You can’t say that!” Song Jinhua said urgently. “This isn’t just a piece of food or a piece of clothing; it’s a silver hairpin! It’s silver! When you get old… won’t our eldest son’s family take care of everything? How can you just throw things away like that?”

“Heh,” Zhao sneered, a sharp glint flashing in her cloudy old eyes, “Manage? I think you’re just after my meager savings for my coffin.”

She stood up, and although she was half a head shorter than Song Jinhua, the imposing aura of a matriarch who had been in charge of the household for many years suddenly subsided.

“Song, since you’re going to try to reason with me, then let’s have a good discussion.” Zhao stared at her and asked, word by word, “Your daughter, Lin Jiao’er, stole her cousin’s fiancé, causing our Lin family to lose face in front of the whole village. Sang’er suffered such a huge injustice for no reason. As her grandmother, I feel sorry for my granddaughter and used my most treasured old items to cheer her up. What’s wrong with that?”

Song Jinhua was momentarily speechless, her momentum immediately weakening by three points, but she still refused to back down: “Well, well, it was Zhang’s son’s own choice…”

“Stop pretending to be ignorant!” Zhao interrupted her sharply. “If it weren’t for your shameless daughters chasing after us, would this have happened? Your eldest son’s family has failed in raising their daughters properly, ruining the family reputation and making your father and me lose face in the village. We haven’t even settled accounts with you yet, and you have the nerve to argue with me about a hairpin?”

The old woman took a step closer, her gaze sharp as a knife across Song Jinhua’s face: “If you really think this old woman is biased and unfair, fine, then go to the Zhang family right now and call off this marriage! Tell Zhang Xiucai that our Lin family doesn’t agree, and your daughter can’t marry him! If you can do that, I, this old woman Zhao, will take back everything I gave away right here in front of you today, and I’ll give all my savings for my funeral to your eldest son’s family! Can you do that?”

“I…” Song Jinhua was speechless for a moment, her face turning red and white in turns.

Break off the engagement? How could that be possible! Her darling’s reputation was already ruined; who else could she marry if she didn’t break off the engagement? Besides, that was a scholar’s wife! She was a thousand times unwilling to let go.

“You can’t do it, can you?” Looking at her greedy yet cowardly appearance, Zhao’s last bit of patience ran out, and her tone turned cold. “Since you can’t do it, then shut your mouth! Sang girl swallowed her anger and accepted this grievance for the sake of the whole family’s reputation. Your eldest branch has gained a huge advantage, so don’t push your luck!”

She slammed her cane down hard, making a dull thud that seemed to strike Song Jinhua’s heart.

“Song Jinhua, let me tell you, today you dare to yell at your mother-in-law and speak disrespectfully to her over a hairpin. This is unfilial! If you dare to cause trouble again, believe me, I will immediately have your husband write a complaint and report you to the village head for the crime of disobedience! Let’s see how you will have the face to stay in Linjia’ao then!”

The words “unfilial” and “disobedient” struck Song Jinhua like thunderbolts. In that era, such a label was enough to ruin her reputation and implicate her children.

She turned deathly pale with fright, all her previous arrogance vanished instantly, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

“Mother…Mother, I…I didn’t mean that…” She hurriedly waved her hands, her tone softening with pleading, “I was just confused for a moment, I spoke too quickly…Please don’t be angry, please don’t be angry…I…I won’t do it again, I won’t dare again…”

Zhao gave her a cold glance, knowing that the reprimand had been carried out, so she said no more, sat back down on the stool, picked up the winnowing basket, and continued to slowly pick her beans.

“Go back and cook.” The old lady’s voice returned to its calm tone, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Song Jinhua felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and repeatedly replied “Yes, yes, yes,” before practically tumbling out of the main room. She dared not utter another word about the silver hairpin.

The courtyard returned to silence, with only the faint sound of the old woman picking beans remaining.

———

When the news of Lin Sang’s engagement being called off by the Zhang family reached Zhou Hanshi—whom the villagers usually called Aunt Zhou—she was feeding chickens in the yard.

Half of the millet in her hand spilled out with a “whoosh,” but she didn’t notice. She just stood there blankly for a while, and then an indescribable excitement and anticipation ignited in her heart like a small flame.

Lin Sang, that girl! She had met her before! That girl was nimble and graceful, with clear and bright eyes. She was incredibly strong and capable when she got busy, and she also had a rare clarity in her speech and actions. At the time, she felt sorry for her, thinking how wonderful it would be if such a good girl could be her daughter-in-law!

It’s a pity… about her son…

The thought of her son Zhou Han’s reputation extinguished the flame of anger in Aunt Zhou’s heart. She would never have dared to have such a thought before. Wouldn’t that be like a toad trying to eat swan meat, humiliating a good girl for no reason?

But now… the situation is different. Lin Sang’s marriage was called off, which has tarnished her reputation. So… could she shamelessly give it a try?

Once this thought took root, it grew wildly like a vine, tightly binding her heart.

What if? What if the Lin family considers that the Zhou family, while not rich, is not destitute either? What if Lin Sang doesn’t mind Han’er’s reputation? If they can really marry a wife who can support the family, maybe… maybe they can really tame Han’er’s wild heart!

The more she thought about it, the warmer Zhou felt inside. She couldn’t sit still any longer. She went back into the house, put a small string of copper coins in her pocket, locked the courtyard gate, and headed straight for Wang the matchmaker’s house in the neighboring village.

The matchmaker, Wang, understood her purpose. Her shrewd eyes sized up Zhou Da Niang, and she looked troubled. “Oh, my dear sister! It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but your Zhou Han’s reputation… who in the surrounding villages doesn’t know him? Even if Lin Sang from Linjia’ao was jilted, her looks, temperament, and ability to manage a household are still there. She probably has no shortage of suitors. You… I’m afraid you’ll just be met with a cold shoulder and waste your time!”

Aunt Zhou was prepared. She stuffed the string of copper coins into Wang the matchmaker’s hand and said earnestly, “Auntie, I understand everything you’re saying. I don’t need your guarantee. Just come with me to make a show of it. I’ll be the one to make the first move. Is that alright?”

Matchmaker Wang weighed the heavy copper coins in her hand. After a moment’s thought, she decided that for the sake of the money, making the trip wouldn’t be a problem.

“Alright, since you’re so sincere, I’ll go with you. It’s settled then, I’ll come to your house first thing tomorrow morning, and we’ll go together. But whether it works out or not, I can’t guarantee it.”

“Oh! Good! Good! Thank you so much, Auntie!” Aunt Zhou thanked her repeatedly, and a relieved smile finally appeared on her face.

After leaving Wang the matchmaker’s house, Aunt Zhou felt much lighter on her feet. She stopped by to buy half a pound of meat and two ounces of liquor, planning to cook something nice for her son that evening.

Back home, as she busied herself in the kitchen, she couldn’t help but think of the past, and a wave of sorrow washed over her.

When Han’er was a child, she was a bright and clever boy who always smiled at everyone. But fate is unpredictable. Her father, Dazhuang, never returned from a trip into the mountains. With the pillar of the family gone, the world changed. Some people in the clan wanted to seize her family’s land, and some hooligans in the village often loitered around her house, making lewd remarks and trying to bully her and her orphan.

From that time on, Zhou Han, who was only twelve or thirteen years old, changed overnight. He no longer focused on studying at the private school. Instead, he would carry the wood-chopping knife left by his father and block the door of those who wanted to take advantage of him. His eyes were as fierce as a little wolf cub. He fought people like his life depended on it, and each fight was more ruthless than the last. The scar on his brow bone was from when he was protecting her and was scratched by a rogue with a stone.

With his fists and his reckless ruthlessness, he single-handedly drove away all those who coveted him, earning him the infamous title of “Zhou the Scoundrel.”

Over the years, he went hunting in the mountains, fishing in the river, and doing manual labor at the town’s docks. He did whatever he could to earn money to support his family, but his temper became increasingly erratic. He was impatient with insincere interactions with people and would resort to violence at the slightest disagreement, which made his reputation worse and worse.

Aunt Zhou knew that her son was suffering. It wasn’t easy for him to support the family, but this reputation… ultimately held him back.

As she was thinking, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a “bang,” and a tall figure walked in, bringing with him the cool mountain air and a faint smell of blood.

“Mother, I’m back.”

Zhou Han threw the sizable roe deer and a bundle of firewood he was carrying on his shoulder into the corner of the yard and straightened up.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on him, outlining his tall and strong figure. He was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with bronze skin and well-defined features. He had an extremely heroic appearance, but the light scar on his left eyebrow and the lingering fierceness between his brows added a touch of menacing intimidation.

He wore a sleeveless, coarse cloth jacket, revealing bulging muscles on his exposed arms, covered with a mix of old and new scars.

“Oh, you’re back? Quickly wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon.” Aunt Zhou suppressed her thoughts and hurriedly greeted them.

Zhou Han grunted in response, walked to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of water, and poured it over himself from head to toe. Water droplets rolled down his muscular chest and arms. He shook his wet hair, glanced at the rare bowl of braised pork on the stove, and raised an eyebrow: “What day is it today? Did you get some meat?”

As Aunt Zhou served the rice, she replied casually, “It’s nothing, Mother is just happy today.”

“Happy?” Zhou Han wiped himself down and looked at his mother with some doubt. His mother was usually very frugal and rarely spent money like this unless he brought back a big game.

“Hmm.” Aunt Zhou hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t help herself. With a mix of caution and anticipation, she said, “Han’er, Mother… Mother asked Matchmaker Wang to go to Linjia’ao tomorrow to… to propose marriage to that Miss Lin Sang.”

“Clang—” The water ladle in Zhou Han’s hand fell into the water vat.