After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 5

Lin Sang looked at her quietly without saying a word.

Aunt Zhou wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and continued, “But young lady, my family sincerely wants to hire you as a wife of the Zhou family, so I wanted to come and explain a few things to you today. Han’er… he wasn’t like this before. When he was little, he was so smart and adorable… His father died early, leaving us, a widow and orphan, to be bullied. He was only so tall back then,” she gestured with her hand, “and he would take a wood-chopping knife and go out to fight those adults, covered in wounds but never crying… The scar on his brow bone is from when he shielded me from a stone… He had to be fierce and ruthless to protect this family, to protect me…”

Her tears finally fell: “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault as his mother… My good child has been forced into this state that everyone fears, but he has a good heart. He’s capable, hardworking, hunting and doing manual labor to support this old woman without complaint… Miss Sang, I only beg you, don’t listen to what others say, try to understand him and give him a chance, okay? I don’t dare to hope that you will definitely marry him, I only beg you… don’t be like others, nailing him to the pillar of shame at first glance…”

Lin Sang listened quietly, her heart slightly moved.

She recalled the rumors about Zhou Han in the village. Most of them said he was a fierce fighter, but no one ever said that he bullied the weak or stole chickens and dogs. It turned out that behind this fierce reputation was such helplessness and heartache.

A boy who had to raise his body full of spikes to protect his mother… what is the essential difference between this and her choice to endure for the sake of her family’s reputation? They were both forced by life to choose the most direct and effective way to survive.

Looking at her mother, tears streaming down her face, humbly pleading for her son, the coldness in her heart seemed to melt a crack in her heart by this burning maternal love.

She still didn’t agree to anything, but handed her a clean cloth, her tone much gentler: “Auntie, please don’t cry. I heard what you said.”

She didn’t make any promises, but for Aunt Zhou, that simple “I heard you” was like a glimmer of light in the darkness.

Lin Sang politely escorted Aunt Zhou into the courtyard.

Aunt Zhou hesitated, turned around, her lips moved, her eyes filled with unfinished words and last hope: “Miss Sang, look at this…”

Meeting her anxious gaze, Lin Sang spoke calmly yet with an unyielding tone: “Auntie, I understand your intentions, but marriage is not a game; it concerns a lifetime and cannot be decided lightly. I understand why you came today, please go back now.”

At this moment, Madam Wang also came out and stood behind Lin Sang. Her face was still unpleasant, and she gave a curt order to leave: “Eldest sister Zhou, you have said what you need to say, so please leave. Our Lin family is a small family and we have not been able to entertain you properly, so we will not keep you any longer.”

Seeing this, Aunt Zhou knew that saying anything more would be useless, so she finally let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with helplessness.

She gave Lin Sang one last deep look, her gaze complex and indescribable, before finally turning around and following the embarrassed matchmaker, Wang, as they left the Lin family courtyard with slightly unsteady steps.

Watching their figures disappear at the end of the village road, Wang immediately grabbed Lin Sang’s wrist and hurriedly pulled her back into the house, her face showing undisguised anxiety.

“Sangsang, tell your mother quickly, what exactly did Granny Zhou whisper to you? Did she keep saying how pitiful and difficult her son was, trying to coax you into having a soft heart?” Madam Wang stared intently at her daughter’s face, afraid of missing a single expression.

Lin Sang gently pulled away from her mother’s hand, walked to the table and poured herself a bowl of water. Her tone remained calm: “Mother, she didn’t lie to me. She just talked about some… Zhou Han’s past.”

“Past events? What past events? It’s nothing but words to gain sympathy!” Madam Wang said anxiously. “Sangsang, you mustn’t be confused! I don’t care what you heard, but I’m telling you, no! Absolutely not! That Zhou Han is a pit of fire, you can’t jump into it yourself! My silly child, you don’t know, that kind of reckless brute who fights without regard for his life, when his temper flares up, who knows what he might do? If you marry him, and he beats you to death one day, your parents might not even know!”

As Wang spoke, her eyes reddened, clearly showing that she was both angry and afraid, genuinely worried about her daughter.

Seeing her mother’s excited and worried expression, Lin Sang did not immediately refute. She held the bowl of water, looked at the bright sunshine outside the window, but her thoughts were somewhat far away.

A pit of fire?

Is Zhou Han really the heinous thug that his mother described, the one who only beats women?

But Aunt Zhou’s humble tears, her bent back for her son, and the stories of why he had become like this… the image of a boy forced to pick up a wood-chopping knife to protect his mother and who wrapped himself in fierceness lingered in her mind.

She thought of Zhang Mingyuan, that seemingly refined and polite scholar who easily broke his engagement because of a little bit of superficial gentleness. He was easily swayed and couldn’t distinguish right from wrong. Such a man was truly weak and pathetic inside.

But what lies beneath Zhou Han’s “infamous” reputation? Could it be something entirely different? Perhaps a hardened spirit forged by life’s trials, and a ruthless determination to protect what he cherishes at all costs?

Is marrying someone like that always like jumping into a fire pit? Or could it be… a new beginning?

The thought was like a pebble thrown into a still lake, creating ripples in her heart. However, she was never an impulsive person and would not be blinded by a few kind words or a few tears.

“Mother,” Lin Sang withdrew her gaze and looked at her worried mother, her tone steady, “Don’t worry, I’m not a three-year-old child anymore. This matter concerns my entire life, and I have my own considerations. I won’t act impulsively.” She paused and added, “This matter still needs to be considered carefully.”

She neither agreed nor firmly refused. The phrase “let’s consider it further” calmed Wang slightly, but a new unease arose within her—her daughter’s reaction was too calm, so calm that she couldn’t quite figure her out.