After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 40

She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to manage preparing a table of food and drinks by herself, so she quickly picked up a dozen or so eggs laid by her own chickens, put them in a small basket, and planned to ask a few familiar and capable women in the village for help.

She first went to Aunt Guihua’s house next door. Aunt Guihua’s husband passed away early, and she raised her children alone. She was straightforward and a good worker.

“Guihua, are you busy?” Wang greeted from the courtyard gate.

Aunt Guihua was sewing shoe soles when she saw it was Wang Shi. She quickly greeted her with a smile, “Sister Lin, come in quickly! What brings you here today?”

Wang smiled and handed over the basket, taking out a few eggs: “There’s a happy occasion at home tomorrow, and I’d like to ask you to come and help out with lunch. Here are a few eggs to add to the children’s meal.”

Aunt Guihua understood immediately; the news had spread throughout the village. She didn’t expose it, but readily accepted the eggs: “Oh, don’t be so polite! Don’t worry, I’ll be there first thing tomorrow morning! I’ll make sure everything’s taken care of!”

Next, Wang went to the home of Widow Zhang in the village and Sister-in-law Li on the front street. Both of these families were on good terms with Wang and were honest and hardworking.

Hearing that the Lin family had a happy occasion and they wanted to help, everyone agreed without hesitation, saying that they didn’t need to bring anything. However, Wang insisted on dividing the eggs to show proper etiquette.

Finally, Wang carried the remaining eggs in the basket and headed towards Chen the carpenter’s house.

Carpenter Chen is skilled and kind. His wife, Sister-in-law Chen, is gentle and hardworking. Most importantly, his daughter, Chen Xiaoman, and his son, Sangsang, are childhood best friends. They have the closest relationship. He asked Sister-in-law Chen to help because she is meticulous, and also because he wanted Sangsang to talk to Xiaoman.

As they approached Chen the carpenter’s yard, they heard the creaking of a saw and Chen’s booming voice giving instructions. Wang called out, “Is Sister-in-law Chen home?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman wearing an apron and with a gentle face peeked out from the kitchen. It was Sister Chen. “Hey, hey! It’s Sister Lin. Come in and sit down!” she greeted as she wiped her hands.

At this moment, the curtain of the west wing was lifted, and a pretty girl in a floral cotton-padded jacket ran out like a little swallow. It was Chen Xiaoman.

When she saw Wang, her eyes lit up, and she called out in a clear voice, “Aunt Lin!”

Wang smiled and agreed, then explained her purpose to Chen: “Chen, there’s a happy occasion at home tomorrow, and we’d like to invite you over to help out and cook lunch. Would that be convenient for you?” As she spoke, she handed over the remaining eggs.

Sister Chen quickly declined, “Oh, Sister Lin, you’re too kind! We’re all neighbors, it’s nothing to help out, you don’t need to bring anything! It’s convenient, it’s convenient! I’ll definitely go tomorrow!”

Standing to the side, Chen Xiaoman was filled with curiosity. She moved closer to Wang Shi, took her arm, and whispered, “Aunt Lin, is Sangsang’s fiancé coming to visit?” she asked, blinking her big eyes.

Looking at the clever girl, Madam Wang affectionately patted her head and whispered, “Yes, tomorrow…we’ll go to propose marriage.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaoman’s face lit up with joy, and she shook Wang’s arm: “Aunt Lin! Can I go to your house to play with Sister Sangsang today? I promise I won’t cause any trouble!”

Mrs. Chen gave her daughter a reproachful look: “You silly girl!”

Wang laughed and said, “Sure! Sangsang is tidying up at home today, so you can talk to her when you go. Come on, let’s go back together.”

“Thank you, Aunt Lin!” Chen Xiaoman cheered. Without saying anything more to her mother, she grabbed Wang Shi and headed outside, eager to see her good friend.

When Chen Xiaoman arrived at the Lin family’s courtyard, she greeted Wang Shi and then ran towards Lin Sang’s room as if she knew the way well, cheerfully calling out, “Sang Sang!”

Lin Sang was tidying up inside when she heard the sound. A smile immediately spread across her face as she greeted her at the door: “Xiaoman? What brings you here? Don’t you have embroidery class today?”

Chen Xiaoman grabbed Lin Sang’s hand and went into the room, closing the door behind him.

Chen Xiaoman lowered her voice impatiently, her eyes sparkling, and said, “It’s a holiday today, Sangsang, Aunt Lin said… someone will come to propose marriage tomorrow? Is it true? Tell me quickly, which family’s son is it? Is he the kind of important person that the village is talking about?” She asked questions in rapid succession, her face full of curiosity and excitement for her sister.

Lin Sang blushed slightly at her question, pulled her to sit down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and nodded: “Yes, it’s true.”

“Who is it? Tell me quickly!” Chen Xiaoman shook her arm.

Seeing her friend’s anxious expression, Lin Sang stopped keeping her in suspense and uttered two words softly but clearly: “Zhou Han”.

“Zhou Han?!” Chen Xiaoman’s smile froze instantly, replaced by deep astonishment and confusion. Her brows furrowed tightly. “Which Zhou Han? Is it… is it the Zhou Han from the neighboring village, the one everyone calls ‘Zhou the Scoundrel’?”

Her voice cracked with excitement, her face filled with disbelief, “Sangsang, how could you… how could you… how could you get engaged to him?” She was genuinely worried about Lin Sang, fearing that her best friend had jumped into a fire pit.

Looking at the genuine concern in Chen Xiaoman’s eyes, Lin Sang took Xiaoman’s hand and said in a calm but firm tone, “Xiaoman, the person others describe is different from the real him.”

She paused, a gentle light appearing in her eyes, and began to recount: “He is indeed strong and dares to fight, but that’s all to protect those who need protection. You don’t know, he works at the docks, and he’s actually very righteous. The foremen all trust him. He helped our family find a place to set up a stall at the docks, and no one dared to cause trouble. He often secretly looked after my father when he worked at the docks. He may seem fierce, but he has a warm heart, is responsible, and is very good to me…” She recalled Zhou Han silently helping her father carry things, and his clumsy yet sincere concern, and a blush unconsciously rose on her face. “He and his mother were orphans, and they were bullied badly in the past, which forced them to harden their hearts to protect themselves. Actually, deep down, he’s a very… very genuine person.”

Chen Xiaoman listened attentively, noticing the unconscious gleam and certainty in Lin Sang’s eyes as she spoke—a quality that couldn’t be faked. Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and the doubt on her face was replaced by curiosity and a hint of understanding. She understood Lin Sang; she knew that Lin Sang was not someone who would be easily deceived by appearances, much less someone who would wrong herself.

Lin Xiaoman chuckled, “That’s great! Sister Sangsang, I knew it! Your taste wouldn’t be that bad! The person you’ve chosen must have something special about him!”

She leaned closer to Lin Sang with a mischievous grin and said, “Now that you mention it, I’m even more curious! Tomorrow I’m going to see for myself what kind of hero this legendary ‘Zhou the Rogue’ really is, that he managed to ‘kidnap’ our most capable and intelligent girl, Sang Sang, from Linjia’ao!”

Lin Sang blushed even more at her teasing and gently pushed her away: “What hero? He’s just an ordinary person… Don’t talk nonsense!”

The two girls smiled at each other, and the room was filled with a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere as they looked forward to tomorrow.