CFRSIO Chapter 8

After He Jun climbed onto Lin Yunliang’s path, his business grew significantly, and his network also expanded considerably.

He Jun was immensely impressed with Lin Yunliang. This man, having endured all sorts of setbacks, could now conduct business to this extent. Previously, when Jade Pavilion launched new dishes, they swept the entire town; now, they were even offering delivery services. He was truly a business genius.

Such a person remained hidden, unknown to anyone. No one knew who Master Lin truly was.

But then again, He Jun recalled his few meetings with Lin Yunliang. This person was always dressed simply. If not for the extraordinary aura he possessed, He Jun would have mistaken him for a common farmer.

Now, everyone in town took pride in being able to eat Jade Pavilion’s new dishes and order their delivery.

He Jun couldn’t even imagine how much they were earning.

He hadn’t intentionally concealed his sister’s situation, so naturally, many people wanted to use his connection to get close to Manager Wang. Many were willing to help teach Gao Sizhe a lesson.

Gao Sizhe was keeping a mistress in a village somewhere in the countryside, hiding it from his legal wife. He Jun, along with his brothers, caught Gao Sizhe at the mistress’s home.

Actually, it wasn’t He Jun who caught him; the word “caught” wasn’t quite appropriate.

His men found the mistress in advance, gave her some money, and had her call Gao Sizhe over. They then got him drunk. Everything else happened naturally.

Gao Sizhe was woken up by a basin of cold water. The weather wasn’t cold yet, so a basin of cold water wouldn’t make him sick, but his wet clothes and his bound hands and feet instantly made him realize something was wrong.

When he opened his eyes and saw several burly men, he was stunned. His first thought wasn’t that his immoral deeds had been discovered, but rather that his mistress had found a new man behind his back.

He was instantly furious.

“You slut! Whore! How dare you cheat on me!”

He Jun, who was inexplicably accused, looked even more displeased and asked sternly, “Gao Sizhe, do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care who you are!” Gao Sizhe’s drunkenness hadn’t fully worn off, his speech was slurred, and his mind was clearly not functioning properly. “You promiscuous slut! See if I don’t beat you to death!”

The mistress also had a thick skin; otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed with Gao Sizhe without status. Even as Gao Sizhe cursed and attempted to hit her, she stood calmly. She was practically waiting to curse back.

Gao Sizhe cursed incessantly, making people uncomfortable. Seeing this, He Jun knew that this person had no idea what he had done wrong, nor did he know who he was. With a dark expression, he gave an order.

“Pour another basin of water on him and wake him up!”

His subordinate immediately understood and promptly splashed another large basin of water. The water was a bit foul-smelling, almost suffocating Gao Sizhe.

Gao Sizhe gagged several times before becoming slightly more sober. He then realized his helpless state and broke out in a cold sweat.

“Who… who are you people?!”

“Yang Songpo, do you still remember this person?”

Yang Songpo was He Jun’s brother-in-law’s name. Gao Sizhe showed a confused expression. It was clear that not only did this person have no remorse for his actions, but he couldn’t even remember the victim’s name.

“I don’t know him,” Gao Sizhe continued. Although he appeared to be a scholar, he was involved in drinking, gambling, and whoring. His already not-so-bright mind had been severely corrupted by alcohol, sex, and indulgence. His mind only had one thought.

“Brother, I truly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Are you perhaps interested in this slut? If you like her, I’ll give her to you.”

Although the mistress wasn’t exactly a good person, hearing Gao Sizhe say this made her furious. “Bah! Gao Sizhe! You scumbag! I’ll beat you to death!”

Saying this, she lunged to scratch Gao Sizhe, but she was restrained by He Jun’s brothers.

“Take him out!” He was extremely annoyed by the incessant noise.

Gao Sizhe’s response also made him extremely angry. After the mistress was taken out, He Jun walked up and kicked him directly in the chest.

“I’ll tell you who I am now! Yang Songpo is my brother-in-law! My sister is He Hua!”

Gao Sizhe’s indifferent attitude just now was too infuriating, especially when He Jun thought of his sister, whose whereabouts were still unknown. He couldn’t suppress his anger any longer.

Even after He Jun said this, Gao Sizhe still didn’t remember who Yang Songpo was. Naturally, he took several more solid blows from He Jun’s iron fists.

Gao Sizhe felt completely bewildered. He didn’t know this Yang Songpo, nor did he know anything about this guy’s sister, He Hua.

What Gao Sizhe didn’t know was that this wasn’t the end of his retribution. After being beaten, He Jun was only slightly less angry. He Jun didn’t plan to release him immediately.

During this time, he was provided with food and drink, though not good food. Gao Sizhe had no choice but to eat, or he would starve.

He wanted him to experience firsthand what those people he had harmed to the point of ruin were going through, and what they had experienced before.

After a few days of confinement, someone else arrived.

It was an exquisite woman dressed in a purple embroidered dress, adorned with hairpins and jewelry.

“Where is he?” the woman asked, covering her nose with a brocade handkerchief, her expression displeased. It wasn’t directed at He Jun and his men.

“In the woodshed,” He Jun replied, instructing, “Take Miss Lü to see Master Gao.”

Seeing Gao Sizhe, disheveled and reeking, Miss Lü’s expression became even more displeased. She only stood at the doorway, showing no inclination to enter.

Gao Sizhe caught a scent and realized someone else had arrived. However, it didn’t seem to be the people who had been tormenting him in recent days. He struggled to get up, managing to open his heavy eyelids.

Upon seeing a familiar figure, Gao Sizhe immediately became flustered. However, he was completely drained of energy and couldn’t stand up. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t utter a single word.

“Gao Sizhe, I know what you’ve done,” Miss Lü said.

With a slight gesture of her hand, someone beside her immediately understood, took a small cloth bag, and quickly stepped forward.

“These are your things,” as Miss Lü commanded, the servant threw the cloth bag inside. “Gao Sizhe, the letter of divorce is inside.”

“From today onwards, you are no longer my Lü family’s son-in-law. You and I go our separate ways, and we will never cross paths again.”

“As for the misdeeds you’ve committed, the Lü family will no longer cover for you.”

“Furthermore, Scholar Zhou asked me to pass on a message: Rumming Academy will have nothing to do with you from now on.”

Miss Lü coming personally to say all this was already quite generous. Since she had finished speaking, there was no need to stay any longer, especially since this place was so dirty and foul-smelling. Someone as noble and precious as Miss Lü couldn’t stay for long.

“Wait… wait!” Gao Sizhe tried to speak, but he hadn’t had water in a long time, his throat was extremely dry, and Miss Lü’s sudden words had also overwhelmed him.

He crawled forward, using his hands and feet, attempting to catch up with Miss Lü.

Unfortunately, before leaving, Miss Lü had her servant close the door again, completely dashing Gao Sizhe’s hopes.

Gao Sizhe had once been a pure scholar. In the early years, he had some opportunities. With his good looks and eloquent speech, he became a live-in son-in-law in the Lü family.

Of course, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. The Lü family hoped Gao Sizhe would achieve success in the imperial examinations; having a xiucai or juren in the family would be very helpful for their business. Reading required considerable expenses, which the Lü family could provide.

However, after several years, Gao Sizhe made no progress. He failed the imperial examinations multiple times, and the Lü family gradually grew dissatisfied. While they didn’t voice it openly, their subtle actions revealed their thoughts.

It was then that Gao Sizhe began his unethical business. However, if not for Lin Yunliang’s connection, he wouldn’t have ended up in this state.

Naturally, people must be responsible for their own gains and losses.

Miss Lü walked out.

“Boss He,” she said, walking up to He Jun, “Master Lin…”

Miss Lü had gathered a lot of information. This Master Lin had appeared out of nowhere, possessing extraordinary business acumen and countless valuable items. The Lü family’s business had been declining in recent years. If they could cooperate with Master Lin…

Husband and wife are like birds of the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they fly in different directions. Moreover, it was about profit. Miss Lü also looked down on Gao Sizhe. If there wasn’t a talented individual among her family’s younger generation, she wouldn’t have had to sacrifice her lifelong happiness.

“Don’t worry,” He Jun replied.

Lin Yunliang wasn’t that kind of person. Besides, the Lü family was quite sensible and acted immediately. Naturally, they wouldn’t cause further trouble.

“Thank you, Boss He,” Miss Lü said. “If Boss He gets married later, be sure to find our Lü family for the betrothal gifts and jewelry. I will handle it properly.”

“Then, He will thank you in advance.”

With one matter resolved, He Jun felt a bit better. Finding his sister He Hua would require increasing their search efforts. That scoundrel Gao Sizhe had no business sense at all; he only knew how to take people to gambling dens and wait for money, not understanding how to keep accounts. Currently, He Hua’s whereabouts were still unknown, which was quite troubling.

Seeing their boss still somewhat troubled, his brothers dragged him out for drinks.

…

Lin Yunliang didn’t have very high demands for houses in the countryside. In just over half a month, the house was built. During this period, Tao Da Niu’s actions caused the village to suffer considerable losses.

Lin Yunliang also overheard a lot of gossip. Because a thief had appeared, even though the thief had already been driven out of the village, when people from surrounding villages lost something, the first place they thought of was Tao Village.

Tao Village had been in conflict with neighboring villages frequently. This was normal; there were always conflicts when people interacted. But the interesting thing was that during this period, some villagers, driven by emotion, couldn’t help but reveal some village matters.

For example, the widow in the east village had hooked up with a man from the west village, and this west village man already had a family.

For example, the father-in-law in the south village was not a good person; he lusted after his newly married daughter-in-law and had tried to flirt with her in private. The daughter-in-law was new to the family and found it difficult to speak to her in-laws, so she confided in her maiden family.

For example, there was also the matter of the Zhang family’s land. Although many people had honestly paid their rent, some were still dissatisfied.

For example, there was an engagement proposal for the village chief Tao’s youngest son. It was said to be from a traveling merchant who was also acquainted with the village chief Tao’s eldest son, Tao Shuda.

This caught Lin Yunliang’s attention. Based on this information, he did know a traveling merchant. Could it really be He Jun?

Lin Yunliang felt a bit helpless. He hadn’t expected the two of them to get involved. However, Tao Wenyu was a shuang’er who never left his home. How could he have known He Jun?

He hadn’t heard of any outsiders visiting the village recently.

Extremely curious, he paid attention and learned that the next day was an auspicious day for the proposal, and the proposing merchant would come to deliver betrothal gifts. Thus, he planned to find a time to seek out He Jun and ask about the situation.

“Stop.” Lin Yunliang commanded.

Startled, the little cat’s paws slipped, and the Siamese cat, which was stealthily climbing in through the window, was forced to hang there. It struggled and struggled but couldn’t get down.

Lin Yunliang: “…”

Fine, he’d be merciful and help. He walked over and rescued the little cat.

He took the opportunity to pet it several times. The feel was indeed exceptional. Lin Yunliang suddenly remembered something Siam had mentioned a long time ago: Wish Power could grant one wish, and he wanted the little cat, and…

Lin Yunliang’s posture while holding the cat was a bit awkward. Siam was uncomfortable, and thus, cats were indeed liquid.

When the weight in his hands disappeared, he noticed Siam was already on the ground licking its fur.

Lin Yunliang’s thoughts were interrupted. He couldn’t recall what he had been pondering earlier. He squatted down and reached out to stroke the little cat’s head, “You know, where have you been all this time? Coming back so late every day.”

“Aren’t you just a little cat? Why are you so busy?”

Siam felt embarrassed to admit it was out playing, so it continued licking its fur, pretending not to hear anything.

Lin Yunliang thought, perhaps he had neglected it because he was busy with other matters? But he was doing important things. Once these matters were handled, he wouldn’t have to worry about Tao Zhiyuan troubling him after becoming the top scholar.

However, Lin Yunliang was indeed busy. In the past few days, he had been shuttling back and forth between the town and the village. With his mind, which had experienced the prosperity of the 21st century, he had made quite a stir among the town’s merchants.

Lin Yunliang didn’t want to expose his situation too early, so he entrusted those matters to Manager Wang. Manager Wang also helped him significantly and earned a lot himself. It was a win-win cooperation.

Therefore, the busy Lin Yunliang had no time to pay attention to Siam, nor did he know what Siam had been doing during this time.

Siam had gone to Zhang Qing’an’s place during this time.

Since that day, the Zhang family had bought several dogs from neighboring villages to guard their home. Siam wasn’t afraid of dogs; on the contrary, it wanted to tease those dogs.

So it ran to Zhang Qing’an’s house. Zhang Qing’an discovered it. Following Lin Yunliang, he naturally knew the conduct of the people in Tao Village. Therefore, he honestly allowed Zhang Qing’an to pet him.

Seeing how cute he was, Zhang Qing’an became addicted to petting him. Siam also liked this gentle and handsome man, so it came to accompany him from time to time, bringing him some joy.

It hadn’t been discovered by Lin Yunliang before, but today it was unlucky and was caught by Lin Yunliang upon its return.

Siam felt embarrassed to say anything, and Lin Yunliang just playfully teased Siam, not overly concerned about the matter. Siam was, after all, a guide, and wouldn’t let his contractor get into any trouble.

He himself had other matters to attend to.

He went to town for two reasons: one, to deal with the Zhang family’s land issue, and two, to find He Jun. If He Jun was determined to be with Tao Wenyu, then his trump card could be used.

Manager Wang was a bit surprised when he learned about this. “Buying land?”

He looked at Lin Yunliang with a hint of ambiguity in his eyes. “Brother Lin, everyone has a love for beauty. If you…”

“No need,” Lin Yunliang immediately stopped him, knowing what Manager Wang was about to say.

“Just buy the land, that’s all. You don’t need to do anything else. Also, the profit share from these past few months can be used as the cost for buying the land.”

Perhaps it was because people in ancient times generally married early. Manager Wang, who was only in his early forties and should be becoming a grandfather soon, couldn’t help but want to introduce a partner to this still-single, excellent young man.

He had introduced several before, but Lin Yunliang had shown no interest. Manager Wang had thought he just hadn’t figured things out yet, but now it seemed he already had someone in his heart.

Although his enthusiasm was interrupted, Manager Wang was reliable. There would be no problem handing this matter over to him. However, Manager Wang looked at Lin Yunliang with some confusion.

They had known each other for almost half a year. Lin Yunliang’s attitude earlier clearly indicated some intentions, but why… Manager Wang didn’t quite understand.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Manager Wang recalled something from before. “That dish you made in my kitchen last time, are you selling it?”

Manager Wang felt proud in his heart; his judgment was as good as ever, having discovered this remarkable person, Lin Yunliang, early on.

“Selling,” Lin Yunliang did not refuse.

He borrowed the kitchen again and personally demonstrated the dish to the chefs.

Then, he left with several hundred-tael silver notes and went to find He Jun. He wanted to know why He Jun was so insistent on marrying Tao Wenyu.

“I knew Brother Yu before,” He Jun didn’t hide anything. “I originally thought that was our only encounter.”

“Who knew that after teaching Gao Sizhe a lesson that time, I returned drunk, accidentally fell into the river, and he saved me.”

When he spoke of Tao Wenyu, He Jun’s face was filled with tenderness.

Wait a minute. Tao Wenyu saved He Jun? It wasn’t that he looked down on Tao Wenyu, but He Jun had been a traveling merchant for many years. That physique didn’t look like something Tao Wenyu could possibly save, did it?

Not to mention, based on Lin Yunliang’s understanding, Tao Wenyu couldn’t do any farm work and was a delicate individual.

Lin Yunliang sensed something was amiss. He didn’t expose it immediately but picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and calmly told He Jun what he knew.

“Brother He, you must have heard other things, for example, that I once pursued Tao Wenyu.”

This matter was not a secret in Tao Village. He Jun was a merchant, and now he managed the delivery business in town for him. Although the villagers lived in the village, they occasionally visited the town, so it was impossible for them to be unaware of these things.

He didn’t believe that the gossips in the village wouldn’t bring this up. Moreover, He Jun had visited the village before, so it was impossible for him to be unaware of this gossip.

He Jun’s expression indeed froze. He had heard it, but he had never connected the two. He had heard that a ruffian from the village had pursued Tao Wenyu for many years, but he never expected that this ruffian was Master Lin.

And because of their past connection and Tao Wenyu’s life-saving grace, he had developed feelings for him, which made him trust Tao Wenyu’s explanation even more.

“Master Lin, I… I didn’t know the ruffian they spoke of was you,” He Jun said. “If you still like Brother Yu, then I…”

Lin Yunliang raised his hand to stop He Jun, who was about to speak. “No need.”

“I have no feelings for Tao Wenyu anymore.”

“I’m mentioning this so you can think about this matter carefully.”

“I saw him privately interacting with a Tong Sheng from the village before.”

“Tong Sheng?” He Jun’s expression truly changed now. He knew there was a Tong Sheng in Tao Village.

And this Tong Sheng, out of jealousy for his brother-in-law’s talent, had paid Gao Sizhe to take his brother-in-law to the gambling den, which led to his sister’s disappearance.

“That’s the fellow,” Lin Yunliang said.

“These things, I shouldn’t have told you. In life, finding a confidant is difficult. However, we’ve known each other for a long time, and I know your character. After much consideration, I’ve decided to tell you.”

“Whether you continue with the marriage is entirely up to your own heart.”

……

Seeing the person who came to visit, Father Zhang sighed inwardly. This time, he truly couldn’t repay the favor. If Lin Yunliang were still an ordinary hunter, they could have offered some silver to express their gratitude. But now, it wasn’t a matter that could be resolved with simple silver.

Father Zhang couldn’t help but glance at his child. Of course, his child was wonderful in every way. But… what was Lin Yunliang’s intention?

Father Zhang had been looking for someone to buy land for a while now. However, those landlords and wealthy landowners were all aggressively driving down prices. Selling to them meant a loss. Or they were unwilling to buy all of it.

The remaining land was then difficult to sell, leaving them with no choice but to accept low prices.

It was rare to find someone who was willing to buy all the land at a suitable price. He hadn’t expected this person to appear on his own.

“An’an, go prepare tea.” He sent Zhang Qing’an away.

“Manager Wang, to be frank, who is the person you asked to buy the land?”

Father Zhang knew a little about Manager Wang. If he needed rice and flour, why would he need to buy land? Moreover, how would he know that he was buying land? Unless someone had leaked the information.

At this thought, Father Zhang could only think of one person: Lin Yunliang.

“Don’t you already know?” Manager Wang said, a hint of ambiguity in his expression.

He had also seen Zhang Qing’an earlier. He was indeed a beautiful shuang’er, so it was no wonder Master Lin liked him. Manager Wang wanted to say something on his behalf, but since Lin Yunliang had given instructions, he didn’t say anything more.

“I like Tao Village very much,” Manager Wang said. “Also, I heard that you plan to move your family to town, is that right?”

“Besides buying the land, I also intend to buy this house of yours.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you suffer a loss.”

Manager Wang had everything prepared. As long as Father Zhang signed his name, they could register with the government. And none of this required Father Zhang to worry about.

Father Zhang was increasingly impressed by this young man. Lin Yunliang, a young man in his early twenties, possessed such capabilities.

“An’an.” Father Zhang entered the study.

The study was a temporary conversion of a spare room in the house, specifically prepared for Zhang Qing’an. Zhang Qing’an had also bought many calligraphy practice sheets and was now practicing his writing.

“Father.” Zhang Qing’an stopped his brush.

“What are your thoughts about Lin Yunliang?”

Lin Yunliang and Zhang Qing’an must have had contact behind his back, but Father Zhang had no intention of questioning him. He trusted his own child implicitly. However, he didn’t trust Lin Yunliang.

Zhang Qing’an froze, his ears turning red. “Father, what are you talking about? What thoughts could I have about him?”

“Really?” Father Zhang pressed.

“Of course,” Zhang Qing’an quickly replied. “But, Father, what about my engagement with Tao Zhiyuan?”

He wanted to change the subject, and this matter was also important to him.

“How much do you like him?” Father Zhang had asked Zhang Qing’an for his opinion when the engagement was made.

If Zhang Qing’an liked Tao Zhiyuan, then he would naturally agree to the marriage. But after experiencing so much, Father Zhang was no longer sure of Zhang Qing’an’s feelings. And he had not liked Tao Zhiyuan very much before, and after that day, he disliked him even more.

“Father, let’s break off the engagement,” Zhang Qing’an said.

“Don’t worry, your father is here.”

Zhang Qing’an nodded obediently. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Father, if I don’t want to get married, will you and Mother blame me?”

Tao Zhiyuan’s actions were too disappointing. Especially when their family was surrounded by the entire village back then, Mother Tao’s attitude towards their family was very poor, and Tao Zhiyuan didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

Moreover, he later heard that Tao Da Niu had been incited by them, which made Zhang Qing’an detest him even more.

“Of course not,” Father Zhang said. “Your father earns so much money just so my dear An’an can live a peaceful and smooth life forever.”

……

The villagers didn’t know about the Zhang family selling land, but they soon found out because a man dressed in fine robes appeared in Tao Village with a group of people.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Stop it!!”

“Ah!! My wheat seedlings!”

A group of people cried out in distress, but it was all useless.