Lin Ruoshan collapsed to the ground, instantly realizing that Lin Fu didn't actually want her to marry, but was using this to threaten her and get back her share of the profits.
Despicable and shameless!
Lin Ruoshan clenched her fists tightly, her mind racing with thoughts, but in the end she lowered her head and agreed, "Father, don't worry, I will brew the wine well."
She had no choice but to agree. Only then did she realize that Lin Fu was her only support, and that Lin Fu and Wang Shi could marry her off to anyone at any time. She had no power to resist the arrangements of her parents and the matchmaker.
What good is the magic spring? The magic spring can't help her!
Lin Ruoshan finally faced her situation squarely. Although she had been reborn, she could no longer manipulate everyone. She was still subject to many limitations; even after her rebirth, she still had to live cautiously and compromise with her parents.
She's been too carried away lately. The benefits the spirit wine has brought her have made her lose her head, angering her family. I'm afraid her life at home won't be easy from now on.
It doesn't matter. She just needs to behave herself for a while. The Lin family relies on her to make money from brewing wine; they certainly won't mistreat her. She can no longer care about anyone else. From now on, she will try her best to find someone she can rely on and escape Lin Fu's control. At that time, she will take revenge for all the grievances Lin Fu made her suffer today!
The image of Xu Zifan and Lin Ruonan smiling at each other suddenly flashed into her mind, and Lin Ruoshan gritted her teeth in hatred. She just couldn't understand it. Shouldn't Xu Zifan, a sickly man, have been furious upon learning that his wife had a lover? How could he be so calm as to report it to the authorities? Who would report something like this to the authorities?
It was supposed to be a very simple thing that was guaranteed to succeed, but when it came to Xu Zifan, things went wrong, causing her to fail at the last minute and even suffer a backlash, ruining her reputation.
Lin Ruoshan was filled with both hatred and fear, and decided to refrain from provoking them for the time being. She planned to deal with them easily when she reached a higher position, and then she would make them suffer many times more humiliation than she had ever experienced!
Because Lin Ruoshan used the spiritual spring to heal her injuries, she got up and went to the brewery to brew wine within two days. She also wanted to avoid drinking the spiritual spring and play the victim, but her injuries were too painful, so she couldn't help but drink the spiritual spring. It was too late to regret it later.
Hearing the commotion, the neighbors sighed, saying that the yamen was too lenient. They let a girl off the hook, even giving her twenty lashes. On the other hand, the bodyguard would have been bedridden after ten lashes.
These words slowly spread, and although they didn't cause any real impact, everyone felt that Lin Ruoshan hadn't received the punishment she deserved, that she had gotten off too easy, and their opinion of her worsened.
Lin Ruoshan stopped going out and focused on brewing wine, trying to please her parents. She kept a low profile and found things much quieter. However, the recurring nightmares made her uncomfortable and afraid, and Lin Yaozu's provocations made her feel suffocated. She never had a moment of peace. The happy days she enjoyed after her rebirth were gone forever. She could only wait for an opportunity to leave the Lin family.
With her absence, things settled down at the Xu family's place. The Xu family had always been kind and got along well with everyone, leading a peaceful and uneventful life.
Most importantly, Xu Zifan's health was visibly improving day by day, which delighted his parents and Lin Ruonan. Xu's parents regarded Lin Ruonan as their son's savior and treated her like their own daughter, which moved Lin Ruonan to the point that she treated them as her own parents. Through daily interactions, the family of four gradually became closer, more relaxed, and happier.
Xu Zifan helped Lin Ruonan manage the fabric shop. Lin Ruonan was indeed someone who could escape the mire and live a good life on her own. She only took a month to learn everything about the fabric shop and took on most of the work, leaving Xu Zifan to be in charge of the accounts.
Xu Zifan was both amused and touched by her tender care, but he appreciated it nonetheless, and would often pick up a book to read when he had nothing else to do. This was also part of his plan. In ancient times, being a wealthy merchant might earn one the envy and respect of a small town, but it meant nothing in crucial moments.
If he wanted a stable position, becoming an official was better, as it would bring greater peace and happiness to his parents, wife, and children. Besides, becoming an official would make Lin Ruoshan regret her decision even more, so why not? Fortunately, in this world, the sons of merchants could still take the imperial examinations, so the cloth workshop wouldn't be a problem.
When Lin Ruonan heard that he wanted to take the imperial examination, she worked even harder to manage the cloth shop, trying not to let him overwork, fearing that his illness would relapse. Of course, Xu's parents couldn't let her be overworked alone. Xu's father often came to the cloth shop to help, taking on all the heavy and tiring work, while Xu's mother cleaned the house and cooked and brought them water.
Now that Xu Zifan has stopped taking his medication, this expensive expense has been eliminated, and the family's daily life has visibly improved, with everything going smoothly.
Lin Ruonan was skilled with her hands and had always made beautiful clothes. She was in charge of taking measurements for customers and then having embroiderers sew them. Some of the clothes with added embroidery could sell for more money. The whole cloth shop was full of vitality, which made Xu's parents very happy.
One day, while Xu Zifan was resting, Shao Hua spoke up: "[Host, the bodyguard can get out of bed now. Immediately go and ask Lin Ruoshan for the money.]"
Shao Hua projected the image of the Lin family onto the virtual screen. Xu Zifan looked up and saw the bodyguard blocking the entrance of the Lin family, cursing Lin Ruoshan. He even shamelessly said that Lin Ruoshan had ruined his life and that he could no longer find a wife, so he made Lin Ruoshan marry him.
Lin Ruoshan was so angry that her face turned ashen. Wang Shi, who was at home, rushed up and started fighting with the bodyguard. The nearby residents all came out to watch the commotion. It was quite a farce.
In the end, Lin Ruoshan gave the bodyguard ten taels of silver. The bodyguard chuckled at her in a sleazy manner, "You little wench, your reputation is ruined. Who would want you? If you come with me, I'll definitely treat you well. After all, your looks and figure surpass even the most beautiful courtesan."
"Get out! Get out of here! Don't you even know who you are? I'd rather die than marry you!"
Lin Ruoshan picked up a pot of hot tea and splashed it out. The bodyguard hurriedly dodged and his face darkened. "Pah! I'll see what kind of person you can marry. So many bad ideas, love tokens and secret marriage vows. You've had your share of experiences, haven't you? Whoever marries you is a coward."
The bodyguard strode away, but his words lingered, striking a chord with many. What respectable young woman would come up with such an idea? For an unmarried woman, even discussing matters of love would be incredibly embarrassing. How did Lin Ruoshan know so much about these things? Could it be that she secretly gave someone a token of love?
Lin Ruoshan had only been quiet for a few days when her reputation suffered another devastating blow. Most people care about what others say; with the bodyguard's words already out there, who would want to be the coward? Besides, Lin Ruoshan is getting more and more beautiful, even a little seductive; who would want to marry a woman who's described as a courtesan?
Although Lin Ruoshan looked down on the men in town, she felt extremely wronged by what people said to her. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she sobbed and ran back to her room.
Xu Zifan turned off the virtual screen and shook his head. Life was not easy for women in ancient times, but not every pitiful woman deserved sympathy. The grievances Lin Ruoshan suffered were all self-inflicted.
A short while later, the bodyguard, with a fawning smile, delivered ten taels of silver to the cloth shop. Xu Zifan didn't waste any words with him; this man would definitely face Lin Ruoshan's retaliation, so he wouldn't get involved.
After everyone left, Lin Ruonan brewed a cup of tea for Xu Zifan and sighed, "So much has happened to us here. The Lin family has become the laughing stock of the town, and our Xu family is inevitably mentioned too. Fortunately, we're in the right now, but we can't always be so lucky. If the Lin family keeps bothering us, how can we do business in peace when we're always dealing with them? I'm thinking that if we have the chance, it would be better to move to the prefectural city, where the cloth shop can develop better."
Xu Zifan put down his book and took a sip of tea. "You're right. If it weren't for my health all these years, my parents would have opened the cloth shop in the prefectural city long ago. The exams are starting soon, and once I pass the preliminary exam, our whole family will move to the prefectural city. It'll be more suitable to open the cloth shop there. I can study more and make more friends among the scholars. I can also take the county-level and provincial-level exams in the prefectural city, so you won't have to travel back and forth and worry about me."
Lin Ruonan laughed when she heard this, "Brother Zifan, you don't seem worried at all about living in the prefectural city. Aren't you afraid that you'll have a hard time in an unfamiliar place? You'll have to start all over again there."
Xu Zifan chuckled, "If you're not afraid, why should I be?" He took her hand and stood up, his smile full of confidence, "We will not only live well in the city, but we will live much better than others. Let's go and discuss it with our parents and see what they say."
Xu's parents naturally supported their idea, and they had long wanted to go to a larger prefecture or even the capital, where the doctors and medicines were far superior to those in their town. However, they wanted to ensure their son received his medicine continuously and couldn't easily decide to move to a different place and start over.
Things are different now. Xu Zifan's health has improved so much, and his daughter-in-law is capable. It's the best time to move.
Having made the decision, the family of four began discussing the specifics of the relocation. They needed to sell their houses and shops in this area and then find a suitable place to live in the prefectural city. They also needed to research the situation in the prefectural city, open a new cloth shop, and make connections and build relationships—all of which would take time.
Xu Zifan was scheduled to take the exam in a month, so the three of them split up to get things sorted out within a month. They hoped to have the double joy of moving into a new house and passing the imperial examination!
The Xu family's move quickly became known to many. When they inquired further, they were astonished to learn that Xu Zifan was going to take the imperial examinations. After all, everyone knew that Xu Zifan had been in poor health for many years. Studying was exhausting, and they had never heard of Xu Zifan being a good student before, nor had they ever seen him attend school. Could he possibly pass? Passing the county-level imperial examinations was extremely difficult.
Faced with everyone's questions, Lin Ruonan and her parents explained with smiles that it didn't matter if they didn't pass the exam; they also wanted to try opening a cloth shop in the prefectural city.
Some people admired the Xu family's decision, but most were not optimistic. Most people subconsciously resisted leaving their hometown and were vaguely afraid of it. They really couldn't understand why the Xu family would be so bold as to leave no way out.
The Lin family also heard about this, and they were even more disdainful, thinking that the Xu family was courting disaster. They had come from the village to open a tavern in town, and it was only with the help of the Xu family that they had managed to gain a foothold. The Xu family, with no relatives or connections, suddenly moved to the prefectural city, and who knows, they might squander their entire fortune and slink back home.
Lin Ruoshan maliciously thought that once Xu Zifan failed the exams repeatedly and the Xu family squandered their fortune, they would see who would be more humiliated.
Amidst the attention of many, Xu Zifan calmly entered the county examination hall. For him, taking an exam was far simpler than anything else.