Wanjin Lady

Chapter 124 A Mere Son-in-Law
Wen Wan's blood suddenly surged, her chest heaving violently. She slammed the table fiercely, "Tell them to get out! Get as far away as possible! I won't give them a penny! If they don't want Lu Ping, I do! I'll give her a grand funeral!"

"Hit him with the big stick!"

By the end of his speech, his voice was trembling.

Chen Ma pursed her lips, "But... after all... it's against etiquette..."

Whose master arranged the funeral for a servant? Or at the master's house? Even if the young lady felt sorry for Lu Ping, it was still against the rules.

There was no movement inside for a long time. Aunt Chen gritted her teeth and turned to leave.

The eldest lady is very angry right now, and no amount of persuasion will be of any use. She still has to ask the master for advice.

Aunt Chen saw Zhao Heng, who had been waiting all night, at the archway with hanging flowers under the corridor.

The rain was falling and the warm curtains were swaying. The man had a thin figure, and a half-silver mask covered his handsome face. His dark clothes made his eyes look dark and deep.

Aunt Chen's heart tightened. When she came here earlier, she saw her son-in-law waiting in the corridor, and it looked like he had been there all night.

Chen's mother was an experienced person, and she knew from the look on their faces that the two people must have had a quarrel.

Normally, the two of them were very affectionate and had a very deep relationship. This was the first time that Mother Chen had seen them quarreling.

It’s really raining all night when the house leaks!

Seeing Zhao Heng looking over, Aunt Chen said to him, "The eldest lady... refused to do so. Get her kicked out."

Mother Chen's voice was choked with sobs. "Lu Ping came to the Wen family when she was seven or eight years old. She grew up with the young lady, and the two of them were like sisters..."

The tone changed, "But Lu Ping's parents are not easy to deal with, I'm afraid..."

People in Ping County had long been saying that the Wen family had bad luck this year and was being targeted by the King of Hell. Last time, Wen Weiming didn't die, and when it was Wen Wan's turn, she was replaced by Lu Ping.

The best proof of this is that Lu Ping dressed up in a gentle manner that day.

If Lu Ping's parents were kicked out again, there would probably be another wave of rumors in Ping County.

"That's fine. Give them twenty taels of silver first, and tell them... as long as Lu Ping's funeral is done well and satisfies Wen Wan, the fifty taels will be added later."

Mother Chen's eyelids twitched.

This is not what the young lady meant!
Judging from the eldest lady's expression, she doesn't want to let those damn parents get away with anything!
Zhao Heng curled his lips, the smile in his eyes was very faint and cold.

The sky was slightly bright in the early morning, but the rain and fog had not yet dissipated. A solitary lamp hung high in the corridor. The person there seemed to have ascended to heaven, leaving only a feeling of coldness and loneliness.

"I remember... there was a Jinshi (a scholar) from Lu Ping's hometown, and there was a clan school in the village?"

Chen Ma didn't understand what he meant. "But... they only have a surname. His family has nothing to do with that Jinshi..."

"We are also a family." Zhao Heng said in a cold tone, "After Lu Ping's funeral, donate fifty taels of silver to the clan school in Lu Ping's name."

Mother Chen's heart skipped a beat. What a good idea!
Absolutely brilliant idea!

It not only fulfilled the young lady's wish, but also prevented Lu Ping's parents from making a fuss.

Making trouble?
The elders of the clan got the upper hand and would definitely punish Lu Ping's parents.

Afterwards, Aunt Chen was frightened again. This son-in-law of hers... He never showed his true colors in normal times, but he was decisive and ruthless at critical moments. No wonder the master was so wary of him.

Such thoughts and methods make people have to be on guard!
Although the idea was good, Chen Ma was undecided about the fifty taels of silver expenditure. "Perhaps... let the master make the decision?"

Zhao Heng seemed to see through Chen Ma's concerns and did not embarrass her. He just nodded slightly and said, "When it comes to family spending, we naturally have to ask father's opinion."

After all, he... is just... a son-in-law.

After Chen Ma left, not long after, a burst of light footsteps were heard. Wen Jing came over, rubbing her hazy eyes. The child also knew what happened in the backyard, and her eyes were red. When she saw Zhao Heng in the corridor, she pouted, "Brother-in-law——"

The little girl saw the light still on in the study, her eyes misty with tears. "Sister... stayed up all night again?" She knew that Lüping was dead, and her sister must be very sad.

She was sad and scared too.

The entire Wen family seemed to be shrouded in an inexplicable haze. Although Wen Jing was young, she could somewhat sense this gloomy atmosphere.

She wanted to go find Aunt Liu, but was afraid of causing trouble for her father and sister, so she had to get up late last night when everyone was asleep and quietly wrote and drew a picture to Aunt Liu to explain the recent situation.

At Wen Jing's age, she only has a vague idea of ​​what "death" is.

Especially... Lu Ping was hanged to death. In the storybooks... most of the hanged female ghosts have hideous faces.

Wen Jing looked up and asked Zhao Heng, "Brother-in-law...will Lu Ping turn into a ghost?"

Zhao Heng frowned and said in a cold voice, "No."

"But the storybook says so—"

"If she turned into a ghost, would you be afraid?"

Wen Jing nodded, a look of hesitation on her face, and then shook her head, "Sister Lu Ping won't harm me."

"In that case, what's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Heng stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Wen Jing's pale face. "Have you finished writing today's calligraphy?"

How can I have the mood to practice calligraphy?

Compared to the dead sister Lu Ping, the brother-in-law in front of him is more frightening.

Father and elder sister were very busy these days, and Aunt Liu went to Yangcheng to be the manager of a winery. Zhao Heng was the only brother-in-law at home, so naturally, Zhao Heng supervised the daily homework.

Wen Jing shook her head. "The house has been a mess these past few days, I..."

"What's going on at home has nothing to do with you. Just do your own thing." Zhao Heng interrupted her and said, "Go to your room and practice calligraphy. Write fifty large characters and give them to me."

Wen Jing asked again, "Then...are we still going to practice martial arts today?"

"Women are weak by nature. If you want to protect yourself and your family, you have to be stronger than others."

Thinking of her father's gloomy face these past few days, Wen Jing clenched her fists, as if she had made some kind of decision, "Okay, I understand."

Sure enough, when Chen Ma reported this to Wen Weiming, a lingering solemnity appeared on Wen Weiming's face. After a long while, he instructed Chen Ma, "Hide all the account books at home, and don't let him go to the winery in the future!"

Wen Weiming's eyes flickered, and Hei Suosuo's face was filled with coldness. "The matter of changing the surname...after this storm is over...do it immediately!"

A son-in-law who changed his wife's surname was like a servant who signed a death contract and could completely become a slave of the Wen family.

No matter how capable Zhao Heng is, he cannot escape from Wen Wan's palm.

As for leaving the father behind and keeping the son, the eldest daughter is young and she doesn't know how difficult it is for an orphan and a widow to live. As a parent... he can never allow his daughter to become a widow.

He disagrees!

Mother Chen felt that she seemed to have said too much, but then she thought, who would like a son-in-law who is so aggressive?

Ever since the son-in-law married into the Wen family, the master and the young lady have never treated him badly!

Two days later, it was the day of Lu Ping's burial.

Early in the morning, Wen Wan changed into a white dress, took off her jewelry, and simply tied up her long hair, with a plain face.

She took Hongmei and Chen Ma and walked towards Luping's hometown.

Wen Wan knew that someone was hiding in the dark, so she took Mr. Tu with her to escort him all the way.

(End of this chapter)