CFRSIO Chapter 11

Mother Tao was quite “upright,” but after seeing the Zhang family again, they all became as quiet as quails.

They hadn’t expected that there would be several strong servants in the house. Some stood guard at the door, while others served Zhang’s father.

Village Chief Tao and the others watched with envy and a bit of apprehension. They envied how the person they could previously control had now become a distinguished gentleman, and they were also afraid of these tall and strong men.

Only the four of them entered. Among them, the only one who could fight was Village Chief Tao’s eldest son, Tao Shuda. Tao Zhiyuan was a frail scholar who couldn’t even lift a chicken. Although Mother Tao was a farmer who often worked in the fields and had some strength, she couldn’t defeat several strong men.

There was also Village Chief Tao. Although he was a man, age was a factor. If they were to actually fight, he would suffer greatly.

Therefore, they could only endure.

Tao Zhiyuan lowered his eyes for a moment before looking at Zhang Qing’an with affectionate eyes. He had known before that Zhang Qing’an’s family had some wealth, but only now did he truly realize that their family’s wealth was far more than he had anticipated.

He had always wanted to live a life of superiority. His current life was not what he expected or dreamed of. As long as… as long as he married Zhang Qing’an, then everything could be realized!

Yes, he wanted to marry Zhang Qing’an! Then, wouldn’t everything be in his grasp!

At this moment, his eyes were red with envy from seeing the superior life of Zhang Qing’an’s family. He had even forgotten about Tao Wenyu, whom he had always liked and desperately wanted to marry.

Now, he only wanted to teach Zhang Qing’an a lesson as soon as possible, to let him know that he was not to be trifled with.

“Big Brother Zhang, Sister-in-law Zhang. Long time no see.” Mother Tao plastered a smile on her face, but they all knew that Mother Tao’s smile was not sincere.

“Oh, it’s been a long time. An’an has become even more beautiful.”

Zhang Qing’an frowned, not liking being called that by this woman. However, he was a junior, and it was not appropriate for him to speak up for now.

Zhang’s mother and Zhang’s father also had expressions of clear disagreement and disgust. Oh, now that they saw how well their family was living, their precious son had become An’an, right?

There was no such logic in the world.

“Forget it, Third Aunt Tao, there’s no need for pleasantries.” Zhang’s father said with a smile, but his smile was cold, showing no joy at all. This statement was also telling.

The Zhang family did not welcome them.

The Zhang family’s attitude changed the expressions of Village Chief Tao and the others.

Although Village Chief Tao was only the head of a small village, having been a village chief for many years, he naturally received deference. He had become accustomed to it and unconsciously considered himself a distinguished gentleman.

He forgot that he was just a small village chief. With a mere gesture from the townspeople, they could make him unable to earn money and suffer losses. And he couldn’t find anyone to hold accountable for this.

It was impossible for Village Chief Tao to give up just like that. So, Village Chief Tao put on a bright and ingratiating smile. “What are you talking about, Brother Zhang.”

“You and Xiu Hua’s family are in-laws.”

“How can this family speak ill of each other.”

Village Chief Tao could see that the Zhang family was not sincere from the beginning. They had the ability to get close to the distinguished gentlemen in town but refused to say anything or inform the villagers. However, because the villagers had defaulted on their rent a few times and occasionally said unpleasant things behind their backs, they were treated as major issues. They were simply not treated as family or fellow villagers.

Now that they knew of their capabilities, Village Chief Tao was even less likely to let Third Aunt Tao give up this marriage. The Zhang family must remain in Tao Village. He was counting on using the Zhang family’s connections and wealth to consolidate his position as village chief.

Zhang’s father knew exactly what Village Chief Tao was plotting and who he was. The reason they hadn’t fallen out completely before was that most of their family’s wealth was in the village. If they fell out, they worried they would be targeted when selling land.

Secondly, it was because of their children. Zhang Qing’an had previously liked Tao Zhiyuan, and for the sake of their child, coupled with Tao Zhiyuan’s initial performance, being a Tong Sheng, and having a bright future, their child marrying into his family would presumably not lead to a hard life.

Thirdly, the Zhang family had come as refugees. They all believed in “falling leaves returning to their roots,” but their hometown was gone. For generations, they had been in Tao Village, and this was considered their second hometown.

For various reasons, the Zhang family had tolerated it repeatedly. Not only their Zhang family had come as refugees, but others could not stand the exclusivity of Tao Village and left or settled in other nearby villages. Now, there was only their Zhang family in Tao Village.

In this regard, they were indeed inferior to the Tao surname people.

“Stop.” Zhang’s mother also spoke unhappily. “We dare not accept that.”

“Who was it that said my An’an was ungrateful just a few days ago, and now they are family?” Mother Tao continued, her eyes starting to redden.

Her family was also an outsider. Since she married Zhang’s father, many people had gossiped and said unpleasant things. After she gave birth to only one shuang’er, people tried to introduce a younger woman to Zhang’s father. Even when An’an was just an infant in swaddling clothes, people came to talk about introducing a childhood engagement for An’an, asking them to recognize him as a godson.

There were too many such things for Zhang’s mother to count.

Why? She wasn’t stupid. She could see that it was simply “clear wine and beautiful faces, wealth moving hearts.”

They spoke for her good, but in reality? They just felt that the Zhang family’s wealth should belong to the entire Tao Village. Neither of them had the surname Tao, and they were both outsiders. They should all honestly and respectfully contribute the money they earned and the land they bought to the village.

Why? Their family worked hard, yet others benefited? Besides, weren’t they good enough to the villagers? Go and ask around, what landlord treated his tenants like this, demanding such low rent, and even allowing payment in grain?

But they didn’t know any better. They even wanted to scheme against her An’an, which was the most unbearable thing for her.

“Village Chief, aren’t your faces too ugly?”

“Hey! You slut, what do you mean!” Tao Shuda’s name was elegant, but his personality was clearly not.

He widened his eyes, his face filled with murderous intent. The people waiting nearby also reacted, which made Tao Shuda dare not continue his harsh words.

Zhang Qing’an and Zhang’s father immediately stepped forward to protect Zhang’s mother.

Village Chief Tao looked at his son with disappointment. Really! What was he talking nonsense about! Did he think the scene wasn’t embarrassing enough?

“No, no, no! It’s all a misunderstanding!”

“Sister Li Qing, Shuda didn’t mean that. He’s just too young and impulsive. You adults shouldn’t blame the child.”

Zhang Qing’an was amused by the village chief’s shameless words. Tao Shuda? He was young and impulsive? A child? What disgusting words were these!

“Uncle Village Chief, what you said is wrong. Tao Shuda is several years older than me. If he’s a child, then how did Uncle Village Chief speak to the villagers when he questioned me?” Zhang Qing’an said without politeness.

Mother Tao immediately chimed in, “But we were afraid you’d be deceived by scoundrels from outside!”

“An’an, you must know that the village chief and aunt watched you grow up. How could they harm you!” Mother Tao said, even trying to pull Zhang Qing’an.

Zhang Qing’an dodged her, his brow furrowed, and said unhappily, “Then how did you explain your words back then!”

“Auntie, I remember your words. Shall I say them to you word for word?”

Zhang Qing’an clearly was not backing down. This attitude also changed Tao Zhiyuan’s expression. Although Mother Tao was such a country bumpkin, Tao Zhiyuan could not ignore his own mother. Seeing his mother being targeted like this, his expression became extremely displeased.

But he knew that if he spoke again, the situation would become even more awkward. Although the situation was already very awkward.

“Qing’an.” Zhang’s father and the village chief both spoke.

Zhang Qing’an was ultimately a junior. Daring to confront elders so openly was not a good thing. Zhang’s father didn’t mind, but why should he let the junior step forward? Wouldn’t that make them seem incompetent?

Zhang’s mother also reached out and pulled him back.

“Village Chief, there’s no need to discuss this further. My Qing’an wants to break off this engagement.”

Saying this, he took out the marriage contract from hisEmbrace and handed it over.

Tao Zhiyuan looked at the marriage contract in Zhang’s uncle’s hand in shock, then turned to look at Zhang Qing’an. He looked for some lingering affection in his expression, or at least some shallow emotion.

Unfortunately, there was none. Zhang Qing’an was even relieved.

No! This was not the outcome he should have! Zhang Qing’an should have been obedient to him, even willingly handing over everything he had! And he should have used these things to gradually climb the career ladder, become a Zhuangyuan, and finally marry the person he loved the most!

But where did it all go wrong?

Tao Zhiyuan couldn’t understand, but he was unwilling to accept this. He knew that he only had some talent in studying, but without enough money, he couldn’t continue studying and would end up like his parents, becoming a farmer who faced the soil and the sky.

He was unwilling.

“I disagree!” Tao Zhiyuan spoke his first words.

Tao Zhiyuan once had a dream where Zhang Qing’an was completely obedient to him, even enduring his mother’s torment after they got married.

Yes, he knew it was torment, but he was selfishly biased towards his mother. Moreover, Zhang Qing’an was not the person he wanted to marry in the first place.

This made it difficult for him to provide any help.

Later, he went out to study, and along the way, he had countless beautiful confidantes. A life filled with fragrant company was what he longed for.

Finally, he even became a Zhuangyuan. In the Golden Palace, even princesses wanted to marry him. Although he didn’t marry a princess in the end, he married the person he longed for.

With his heart filled, he then remembered that he still had a husband at home, who missed him. Although his main goal was to return home in glory, he still had a little affection for his original wife whom he married in his hometown in the early years.

When he brought the person back, he found out that the original wife had already passed away. Before she died, she generously transferred the Zhang family’s property to Mother Tao.

In gratitude for this, even though the original wife had not borne him any children and had caused his mother to send off her son before she did, leading to his mother having no one to take care of her after he left, he still moved the original wife’s tomb to the Tao family’s ancestral land.

How could this not be considered benevolence? After all, if calculated accurately, the original wife had no heirs and had not fulfilled her duty as a wife to take care of her mother-in-law. It would not be wrong even if he divorced her.

Tao Zhiyuan remembered that the original wife was Zhang Qing’an.

It was also because of this dream that he endured Zhang Qing’an time and time again.

But this time, Zhang Qing’an was simply too much. The Zhang family had acted without authorization, not considering their family’s situation at all, suddenly asking the villagers to sign some contract, making their family extremely awkward.

Again, they had acted without authorization and sold land that originally belonged to Tao Village.

Now they even wanted to break off the engagement with him!

Why! What right did Zhang Qing’an have! He was about to participate in the imperial examinations, and the expenses along the way were not small! This time, he was sure to pass and become a Xiu Cai! Wasn’t being a Xiu Cai’s husband a good thing? This was a blessing that many people couldn’t even ask for.

“Zhang Qing’an! I am going to be a Xiu Cai! You will soon be a Xiu Cai’s husband! Do you really want to break off our engagement!” Tao Zhiyuan said.

He stared intently at Zhang Qing’an, trying to see the slightest hint of emotion on Zhang Qing’an’s delicate face.

Still nothing. Instead, there was something more in his expression.

It was disgust.

Tao Zhiyuan was a little dazed. Although he was only a Tong Sheng, everyone in the village regarded him as the glory of the village! They all said he was a rare talent who brought honor to his ancestors! And yet, he was looked down upon by this little shuang’er.

Zhang Qing’an was protected behind Zhang’s father and mother.

Tao Zhiyuan was also protected by Mother Tao, who looked at the Zhang family with a vigilant expression, as if afraid they would “in a fit of pique” attack Tao Zhiyuan.

Village Chief Tao stood by the side, watching silently. He had seen clearly that the Zhang family’s wings had hardened, and they wanted to break away from Tao Village, even giving up the opportunity to become a superior person like Tao Tong Sheng.

He was not without anger. However, the other members of the Zhang family were indeed not in Tao Village, and he had nothing else to control them with. At the same time, the Zhang family was no longer as easy to control as before.

Tao Shuda was also angry, but the Zhang family’s servants looked like they were not to be trifled with, so he could only endure it.

In reality, a lot of the money Tao Shuda made from running businesses came from the Zhang family.

Village Chief Tao was, after all, the head of a village. There were many things he could do. Moreover, these matters were handled privately and individually with the Zhang family. Even if the Zhang family brought them up for discussion, most of the villagers would not believe them. Relying on this, Village Chief Tao embezzled a lot of money.

In this situation, Tao Shuda knew that he would probably never have the capital to run businesses again! He was filled with hatred and naturally began to harbor other ideas.

No one knew about this.

Zhang Qing’an patted his mother and shook his head, signaling that he was okay, and then stepped forward. “Tao Zhiyuan, I only have one question for you.”

“Twelve years ago, in spring, did you ever go to West Mountain?”

“West Mountain?” Mother Tao immediately exploded. “Why would my son go to West Mountain! He is a scholar, a future official! How could he go to that desolate place like West Mountain!”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Mother Tao’s reaction was strange. She was too agitated, even Tao Zhiyuan looked at his excited mother with some surprise. However, Mother Tao spoke the truth, “Never.”

“All that year, I was at the academy and never left.”

Zhang Qing’an’s eyes dimmed. Although he had a feeling, getting the answer again still made him disappointed. “Father, Mother.” Although disappointed, his emotions were extremely firm.

“Uncle Village Chief, Third Aunt Tao, I want to break off the engagement.”

“From now on, we have nothing to do with Tao Village!”

With that, he turned and left.

Tao Zhiyuan could feel that Zhang Qing’an was truly disappointed, but what was he disappointed about? At this moment, he truly felt despair, a great, great despair in his heart.

No! Stop!

“Wait! You stop for me! Zhang Qing’an!”

Tao Zhiyuan tried to chase after him, but the servants, with understanding, stepped forward and blocked him, leaving Tao Zhiyuan to shout futilely at Zhang Qing’an’s receding figure.

He had lost all the noble demeanor of a scholar.

Zhang Qing’an returned to his room and buried himself in the bed. He knew that he had felt it early on and had some understanding. Tao Zhiyuan started studying early and was quite talented, and the academy teacher also valued him highly.

Then, how could such a person have time to accompany him?

It was just that he knew most of the children in the village, but only this scholar, because of school, appeared in the village more often than he, a shuang’er. Moreover, that person would say some things he couldn’t understand.

That’s why he subconsciously took that person for Tao Zhiyuan.

As for the question he had just asked, it had a reason.

Twelve years ago, Zhang Qing’an was six years old and had known that person, who only appeared occasionally, for over a year. He went to West Mountain simply because that person had heard about a sweet fruit near West Mountain.

They didn’t know the specific name of the sweet fruit, only that when it ripened, the entire fruit would turn black. Once picked, it could be preserved for five or six days in a ventilated and cool place. It was sweet to eat, which was a great attraction for children from farming families who couldn’t afford sugar.

The fruit grew on the outskirts of West Mountain, but the trees were very tall, and the fruits were almost all at the top, making them difficult to pick. Many children would run to pick fruits, both to pick them and to play.

That person said he had never eaten it, so Zhang Qing’an wanted to do something for his little friend. That’s why he went to West Mountain. He didn’t remember clearly what he encountered there, but he vaguely knew it wasn’t anything good.

Otherwise, how could a child who grew up in the countryside and could climb trees fall down a cliff so easily.

His parents happened to be out, and he had come secretly without his maternal grandparents knowing. He could only lie there, battered and miserable, at the bottom of the cliff. The cliff was not high, but he was still in so much pain that he couldn’t get up.

The person who saved him in the end was that person.

Perhaps because he fell down the cliff, he couldn’t remember many things clearly afterward. He only knew that the person who saved him that day kept whispering softly in his ear.

He was saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here, I’m with you. When you wake up, we’ll go climb trees together.”

He vaguely remembered a little, but unfortunately, what he remembered were only scattered fragments. After that, he never dared to climb trees again.

His family members didn’t know. They just thought the child had grown up and lost interest in these things. How could they know that something had happened before?

The bracelet was also put on his wrist at that time. After that, he treasured the bracelet like a treasure. He wouldn’t even let Zhang’s mother touch it.

Now that he had truly confirmed that the guy was not the childhood playmate he remembered, Zhang Qing’an felt more at ease.

As he lay there, he eventually fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already afternoon. Village Chief Tao and the others had long since left. However, his parents’ expressions were not very good, indicating that the marriage engagement had not been settled.

“Father. Mother.”

“An’an, you’re up. Do you want to eat something? What do you want to eat, and Mom will make it for you?”

“I want to eat noodles.”

“Okay, Mom will make them for you right away.”

“Then I’ll help you.”

“Okay, okay.”

Watching the mother and son walk towards the kitchen, holding hands affectionately, Zhang’s father had already made up his mind. He was determined to resolve the matter with Tao Village.

Even if he didn’t want to find that kid now, he had no choice but to go.

“Does your master know Master Lin?” Zhang’s father was still hesitant to leave, as their relationship with Tao Village was extremely strained.

So, he approached the person in charge left by Butler Xu.

“Yes.” Xu Ming replied.

He was also a minor manager and the nephew of Butler Xu. Butler Xu was quite shrewd and could see that the Zhang family was unusual, so he specifically sent his nephew over, both to show their sincerity and to hope to leverage this connection with Master Lin.

He knew some things.

“Then, I’ll trouble you, young brother, to pass a message to Master Lin for me, saying that I have something I want to discuss with him.”

“Yes.” Xu Ming did not say much, but honestly accepted the order.

Lin Yunliang was currently in town. As for the house in Tao Village, he didn’t care, but he didn’t intend to let the people of Tao Village benefit from it. Although it wasn’t a luxurious place, it could be used for lodging and rest.

The Zhang family still had a lot of land in the village. Although it had been sold now, it was considered sold to his own people. Lin Yunliang also had some considerations regarding this.

During this time, he had been busy with other matters. The meal he had last time was not in vain; he had forged some unusual connections, which naturally facilitated his development.

Siamese cat did not expect this contractor to be so capable. Was this considered him winning without lifting a finger?

The cat didn’t know. The cat was currently basking in the warm sun and just wanted to sleep.

Siamese cat had now transformed its image and used some subtle tricks so that they wouldn’t find it unusual. Oh, this was Lin Yunliang’s request.

Siamese cat felt a little wronged. But he knew he couldn’t control Lin Yunliang. He could only do as he was told.

Now he had almost become the mascot of the Lin Residence. Everyone in the Lin Residence liked him.

Look, some servants were lazily looking at him.

“Little Master Siamese is truly fortunate!”

“Ah, Little Master Siamese is so cute! When can I raise such a cute kitten?”

“Look at how glossy he is, he must feel very comfortable to touch!! I want to touch him!”

Some of the servants in the Lin Residence were bought, while others were from A Quan’s group.

A Quan was now working by Lin Yunliang’s side and had transformed from a little beggar into a little manager, showing even greater respect and admiration for Lin Yunliang.

He had almost become Lin Yunliang’s fanboy.

Lin Yunliang could hear the commotion. Moreover, the courtyard he was in was very close. The soundproofing of ancient walls was far inferior to modern stone houses. He was a little speechless, lowered his head, and took a sip of tea.

However, another person in the room, Xiao Shenglin, was also looking at Lin Yunliang with great interest.

“If you want to drink tea, then drink it. You don’t need to look at me with such strange eyes.” Lin Yunliang wore a very ceremonial smile. It was very fake.

“I’m just curious, in such a small village, this kind of rogue.” His eyes were undisguised as he appraised Lin Yunliang from head to toe. “What made him suddenly have such capabilities.”

“In life, one must always find a way to make a living.” Lin Yunliang said.

Xiao Shenglin smiled. This was not their first encounter. Over time, they had come to be able to joke with each other. For the aloof Xiao Shenglin, this was a novel experience. Moreover, the young man in front of him was indeed capable.

The knowledge he possessed was indeed astonishing.

“The yeast is already officially in production.”

“Are you sure this will be effective?”

“If you don’t believe it, you don’t have to use it.” Lin Yunliang rolled his eyes. He continued, “Let’s split the profits fifty-fifty.”

“I don’t think His Highness the Prince would cheat me.”

“Of course.” Xiao Shenglin also wanted to roll his eyes, but his upbringing did not allow him to do so. Moreover, this greedy appearance of Lin Yunliang was not the first time he had seen it.

This was good too. Having weaknesses and hobbies made him much easier to deal with than having none.

“Besides alcohol and salt and iron, do you have anything else?” Xiao Shenglin continued.

His expression was one of curiosity and vigilance, but he deliberately spoke in a joking tone, “I don’t want you to give me any more surprises later.”

Lin Yunliang could guess Xiao Shenglin’s intention. Wasn’t he worried that he would sell the same product twice? After selling them the method for making yeast, he would then sell it to people from other countries.

Lin Yunliang had no interest in that. Moreover, wouldn’t that be too troublesome? He still needed to develop his own forces. He considered himself to not have that kind of patience.

“Don’t worry, His Highness the Prince is very generous. If there are other businesses, I will definitely find His Highness the Prince.”