Every student in the entire academy feared Vice Chancellor Tong; even Shen Linchuan was a little intimidated by him.

It was just like seeing the stern-faced dean back in elementary school—even if you hadn’t done anything wrong, the mere sight of him made you want to run for the hills.

Luo Qingshan was the president of the Student Council; he worked alongside Vice Chancellor Tong to enforce school discipline. The Mid-Autumn Flower-Viewing Banquet last time had also been co-organized by the Student Council, and the Chancellor had been quite impressed with Luo Qingshan’s abilities.

The two arrived at the entrance to the alley together, just as Zhang Xiaoyi walked up carrying a basket. “Shen Linchuan, Mr. Luo, you’re back.” Zhang Xiaoyi’s basket held several pomegranates the size of a fist; some had already burst open, revealing seeds inside that looked like rubies.

Zhang Xiaoyi smiled shyly. “There’s an old lady selling pomegranates on that street over there. Her pomegranates are the sweetest. I’m bringing some over to Ning-ger.”

Shen Linchuan smiled but said nothing. He knew Zhang Xiaoyi’s temperament all too well. Back when he’d first married Ning-ger, Zhang Xiaoyi couldn’t stand him and had often been sharp-tongued toward him, but now that he’d run into Luo Qingshan, his tone had softened considerably.

Shen Linchuan teased him on purpose, “Since we’ve run into Mr. Luo, why not give him a couple?”

He emphasized the words “Mr. Luo” with particular emphasis. Zhang Xiaoyi hurriedly grabbed two pomegranates and handed them over. “Mr. Luo, Mr. Luo, try these—they’re so sweet.” With the basket slung over his arm, Zhang Xiaoyi held one in each hand; the pomegranates were so large that he looked as if he might drop them at any moment.

Luo Qingshan took them. “Thank you very much, Young Master Yi.”

Zhang Xiaoyi shook his head repeatedly. “No problem, no problem. I’ve got plenty of these pomegranates.”

The three of them walked down the alley together. Luo Qingshan entered the courtyard first, while Zhang Xiaoyi glanced back before stepping into the Zhou family’s courtyard. “Ning-ger, Ning-ger, I’ve brought you some pomegranates.”

As soon as the two entered the courtyard, they heard the sound of quiet sobbing. Zhou Ning came out of the house, and Shen Linchuan asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Ning shook his head. “Don’t even mention it. Didn’t Sister Fang ask Father to look into it earlier? That Huang Shuang guy is a cripple—he needs someone to help him walk.”

Even standing in the courtyard, Shen Linchuan could hear Zhou Fang’s loud, forceful curses—even her tears didn’t stop her from ranting: “Damn Zhou Youcheng! How could he have found a family like this for me? I’m going to kill that bastard!”

Zhang Xiaoyi couldn’t help but burst out laughing. As full-blooded sisters, if Zhou Youcheng was a “son of a bitch,” then what did that make Zhou Fang?

Zhou Da was pacing anxiously in the courtyard as well. He didn’t feel comfortable going over to comfort a woman who was crying, and Zhou Ning was also at a loss for words—he wasn’t good at comforting people, so he just mumbled a couple of dry phrases telling her to stop crying.

But the more he tried to comfort her, the harder she cried. Zhou Ning was at his wits’ end, but when he saw Shen Linchuan return, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Shen Linchuan, why don’t you go in and try to calm her down?”

“Is it appropriate for me to go?”

Zhang Xiaoyi walked into the house carrying a basket. “I’ll go.”

They’d all grown up in the same village. Although Zhang Xiaoyi hadn’t played much with Zhou Fang when they were children, they’d still grown up together from a young age.

Zhang Xiaoyi held out a pomegranate. “Hey, Zhou Fang, why don’t you eat some pomegranate?”

Zhou Fang was sitting on the bed, crying her eyes out, her hair a tangled mess hanging by her ears. “Eat, eat, eat! What kind of time is this to be eating some lousy pomegranate!”

“Fine, don’t eat it then.” Zhang Xiaoyi pulled back his precious pomegranate—he hadn’t meant to give it to her in the first place—and said to Zhou Ning, “It’s okay, she’s fine. Crying won’t kill her.”

Zhou Fang glared at him. “Zhang Xiaoyi, you’re happy now that you’ve made a fool of me. Hmph!”  

“Huh? Whether you get married or not is none of my business. I was even kind enough to offer you a pomegranate—don’t blame me if you won’t eat it.”

He’d originally come over to comfort her, but now the two were about to start arguing. Zhou Ning hurriedly pulled Zhang Xiaoyi away. “Fang, Yi-ger didn’t mean it that way.”

The room descended into chaos. Shen Linchuan pressed his hand to his forehead in exasperation. “What good does crying do? The real issue is resolving this matter. Zhou Fang, what do you think? Are you going to go through with the marriage or call it off?”

“What kind of marriage is that?! He’s a cripple—he even drools when he walks!” 

“But his family is rich. Maybe you could put up with it for the money.”

Zhou Ning tugged at Zhang Xiaoyi. “Yi-ger, don’t make things worse.”                   

“So what? Didn’t his brother even suggest I become a concubine back then? I was just saying—it’s no big deal.”

Zhou Fang was furious. “Zhang Xiaoyi, stop stirring up trouble for me! Marriage my ass! Zhou Youcheng is at least a Xiucai. I could find any good family I want in Qinghe Town—why on earth would I choose a paralytic? I’m calling off the engagement! I’m calling it off!”

Zhou Da let out a sigh. “Look what a mess this has become. I’ll have someone go to the village and ask your parents to come over.” Shen Linchuan was a bit puzzled. “Zhou Youcheng is your own brother—doesn’t he know what’s going on with the Huang family?”

Zhou Fang spat out, “So-called ‘older brother’! He’s probably taken some bribe from them. That damn bastard—I’m going to tear him to pieces!”

That was indeed a possibility; he really didn’t know what was going on with the Huang family. “Dad, does the Huang family run a shop or something?”         

“No, the Huang family’s head clerk at the county government—he’s an official.”

Shen Linchuan understood. Zhou Youcheng was likely trying to use the marriage to curry favor with the Huang family; otherwise, given the Huang family’s status, what kind of son or daughter couldn’t he have found? Why on earth did he have to pick a country girl?

Zhou Fang was wailing uncontrollably; the girl’s voice was as shrill as a whistle, and her crying gave him a headache. “All right, now that we know, we’ll just call off the engagement.”

Zhou Fang wiped her nose. “Thank goodness I came here myself. That Zhou Youcheng—how dare he use me as a stepping stone!”

Zhang Xiaoyi, having nothing else to do, set down his basket and walked away. Tsk, that Zhou Youcheng was really ruthless—he’d even give away his own younger sister just to curry favor with someone.

Zhou Fang spent the whole afternoon crying. Although Zhou Ning didn’t particularly like her, he still felt sorry for her, so he went to Jinshui Street and brought back quite a bit of food.

Zhou Fang wolfed down two bowls of rice and two chicken drumsticks, all the while plotting in her mind how she could get back at Zhou Youcheng.

Seeing that Zhou Fang had such a hearty appetite, Zhou Da finally felt at ease. After all, a broken engagement could be somewhat damaging to a young woman’s reputation; some gers and women take it so hard that they cry day and night, which is both heartbreaking and harmful to their health. But while Zhou Fang cried, she was mostly just angry.

Zhou Fang sniffed. “I thought Zhou Youcheng had passed the Xiucai exam, so I wouldn’t have to marry some peasant and could finally live a good life. I never imagined that bastard would use me as a bargaining chip!”

Zhou Ning felt genuinely sorry for Zhou Fang, so he silently passed him a piece of meat with his chopsticks. Zhou Fang angrily shoveled another mouthful of rice into her mouth. She wasn’t crying because Huang Shuang was a paraplegic—she was crying because the wealth and prestige she’d had within her grasp had slipped away.

The Huang family was wealthy, with maids and servants to attend to them, but a paralytic was no good!

That night, as they lay in bed, Zhou Ning snuggled up and rested his head on Shen Linchuan’s chest. Thankfully, he’d met Shen Linchuan. A woman’s life was never as easy as a man’s to begin with; if it hadn’t been for Zhou Fang’s insistence on making the trip, marrying into that family would truly have been like jumping into a pit of fire.

Shen Linchuan patted his Fulang’s back. “Go to sleep. It’s all right.” 

“Mm-hmm.”

The next day, Zhou Da sent someone to make a trip to Dayangshu Village. This matter couldn’t be put off—the longer it dragged on, the more worrisome it became. The wedding date on the Huang family’s side was fast approaching; stalling wasn’t a solution.

After eating, Shen Linchuan picked up his bookbox and headed out. Zhou Fang followed him, saying, “I’m going to find Zhou Youcheng.”

Zhou Fang had cried all afternoon yesterday; now her eyes were swollen as big as walnuts. Yet she had changed back into her simple, everyday dress—she wasn’t wearing a single piece of the clothing or jewelry the Huang family had sent.

“You won’t be able to get in.”                          

“I don’t care. Even if I can’t get in, Zhou Youcheng will have to come out to see me!”

Shen Linchuan had no choice but to let her tag along. When they reached the academy gate, Zhou Fang couldn’t get in, so she asked Shen Linchuan to help call him out. Shen Linchuan found Zhou Youcheng and relayed the message, but Zhou Youcheng just sat there without moving.

Shen Linchuan decided it wasn’t his business anymore and turned to head back to the dormitory.

Zhou Fang had been waiting at the academy gate for ages, but Zhou Youcheng still hadn’t come out. Fuming, she gritted her teeth—that bastard Zhou Youcheng didn’t dare come out to face her!

Ever since she was a child, Zhou Fang had watched her mother, Hu Caiyun, throw tantrums and get into fights with others. It was just a matter of losing face—it wouldn’t cost her any money or hurt her in the least. What was there to be afraid of?

Standing at the academy gate, Zhou Fang began to shout and curse, “You good-for-nothing Zhou Youcheng! Just to curry favor with others, you married your own sister off to a cripple! Everyone, take a good look—what kind of man is Zhou Youcheng? He’s a heartless bastard!”

It was just the time when students were arriving at the academy; the entrance was teeming with people coming and going. Zhou Fang showed Zhou Youcheng absolutely no mercy, laying bare his entire past.

She mentioned how he wet his pants at seven, stole fruit from others at ten, and even spoke brazenly of wanting to take a concubine despite being a penniless country bumpkin. The passing students began pointing and whispering among themselves.

“You bastard, Zhou Youcheng! If you’ve got the guts, come out and face me! Why are you hiding like a cowardly turtle?”

The young gatekeeper couldn’t calm Zhou Fang down, so he had no choice but to go find the teacher.

Qian Dazhi approached, his clothes jingling and clanging, just as he heard this feisty young woman rolling up her sleeves and shouting insults. Wasn’t this the young woman who’d been with Shen Linchuan the other day? So she was Zhou Youcheng’s sister after all.

Qian Dazhi had never seen such a feisty young woman before. Finding the scene amusing, he watched for a while before finally entering the academy. The headmaster called Zhou Youcheng out and told him to persuade her to leave—making such a racket at the academy gate was simply unacceptable.

Zhou Youcheng hadn’t expected Zhou Fang to be willing to go down in flames with him, so he hurried out. Along the way, many people pointed and whispered at him: “That Zhou Youcheng is truly heartless—to actually marry his own sister off to a paralytic.”

“What do you know? The Huang family’s head of household is the county clerk. If Zhou Youcheng can curry favor with them, it’ll be a breeze for him to get a position at the county government later on. So what if he’s just a Xiucai?”

Zhou Youcheng’s face flushed crimson as he hurried out. Before he even reached the door, he heard Zhou Fang’s shouts and curses. He rushed out and pulled her aside. “What’s all this commotion?”

“Pah! Zhou Youcheng, tell me! Do you know that Huang Shuang is paralyzed?”

“I didn’t know!”                              

“Pah, you really don’t know! This marriage isn’t going to happen—I’m calling it off!”

“The engagement has been set, and the birth charts have been matched. It’s not something you can just call off on a whim—this is nonsense! Who told you to come to the county government office? Go home!”

Zhou Fang pointed her finger at Zhou Youcheng’s nose and shouted, “Oh, so you claim you didn’t know? Now that you do, instead of trying to call off the engagement, you’re actually pushing to go through with it? Pfft! I’ve already sent for Mom and Dad. Just you wait—I’m going to make sure everyone knows about your scandal!”

Zhou Youcheng raised his hand and struck her. “What’s all this commotion about? You’ll only be happy when you’ve ruined my reputation as a Xiucai. Zhou Fang, let me tell you this: if I hadn’t enrolled at Bailu Academy, you’d never have been able to secure such a good match with the Huang family—let alone marry into the county government. You’re dreaming!”

Zhou Youcheng’s slap was hard, leaving Zhou Fang’s face burning with pain. She lashed out furiously, clawing at his face. “Who do you think you are? What right do you have to hit me? My marriage isn’t up to you to decide!”

The two of them came to blows right at the academy gate, and it wasn’t until several young gatekeepers pulled them apart that they stopped. Vice Chancellor Tong arrived on the scene as well, flinging his sleeves in anger. “What a disgrace!”

After they were pulled apart, Zhou Fang hurled a few more insults before storming off. Zhou Youcheng was ordered to suspend his classes and reflect on his actions. Wherever he went, people pointed and whispered; even Huang Dan, fearing trouble, went out of his way to avoid him.

Ever since Sun Shiping lost the archery contest to Zhou Da, he’d become completely dejected. He stopped forming cliques and became somewhat gloomy; his former small group had also disbanded.

Although it was a private matter, since it involved a student’s personal conduct, even Huang Dan was summoned to the Dean of Students’ office for questioning. Huang Dan insisted he knew nothing about it—he claimed the marriage had been arranged because Zhou Youcheng told him his sister was willing, and that there was absolutely no deception involved!

Zhou Youcheng was temporarily suspended from classes, pending further deliberation on his case.

Zhou Da had someone send a message to Zhou Er. Upon hearing the news, Zhou Er was furious, and Hu Caiyun also cursed furiously—who would have known that the boy from the Huang family was paralyzed!

Zhou Er calmed down and rubbed his fingers together. “Go to the county government office and bring Fang back.”

“Right, bring Fang back. We’re calling off this marriage!”            

“No, we’re not calling it off. Go to the county government office and bring Fang back.”

Hu Caiyun thought she might have misheard him, so she asked again, “You… what did you say?” 

“I said we have to get married!”

Hu Caiyun lashed out at Zhou Er with a fierce blow. “But she’s your own daughter!”

“Where else would you find such a good family? If he weren’t paralyzed, he wouldn’t even look at a country family like ours. You can’t have everything—otherwise, how would you have come by such fine clothes?”

Hu Caiyun began wailing as she pounded her thigh. “What a terrible fate! Oh, my dear Fang’er!”

“Shut up!”

Hu Caiyun stopped wailing, wiped her tears with her handkerchief, and thought to herself: The Huang family was a wealthy household. If this sure thing slipped through her fingers, well, she’d be more than a little heartbroken.

“Pack your things. We’re going to the county government office right now. That stubborn little brat wouldn’t listen—we didn’t allow her to go to the county government office, but she insisted on going anyway. Now look what’s happened—she’s caused nothing but trouble!”

Hu Caiyun went to pack her things, sobbing all the while. The betrothal gifts sent by the Huang family were generous: twenty taels of betrothal money, a full set of silver bracelets and hairpins, plus four bolts of silk fabric, and plenty of wine and pastries.

Hu Caiyun couldn’t bear to let this golden opportunity slip away, so she muttered to herself, “Perhaps Fang made a mistake. Her brother wouldn’t harm her, would he?”

Under the pretext of going to the county seat to see Zhou Youcheng, the two set off with their bundles, drawing envious glances from many villagers. Even after they had walked far away, Old Shi was still craning her neck to watch them.

“Tsk, you’ve got to admit, Zhou Er really has a lucky life. His son passed the Xiucai exam, and his daughter’s about to marry into the county seat. He relied on his capable brother in the first half of his life, and in the second half, he’ll be able to rely on his daughter and son. I mean, even though the couple isn’t much to speak of, you can’t deny they’ve got good fortune.”

Granny Wang, who was sewing shoe soles, didn’t even look up. “Who knows?”