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After parting ways with Su Ning at the teahouse, Fan Erniu walked along the stone path towards the east of the town, his mind racing with how to approach Constable Wang.

For over ten years, Constable Wang served as the head constable of Lin'an Town, overseeing all matters, from household registration and travel permits to all sorts of affairs, big and small.

This person is difficult to talk to, has a bad temper, and a big appetite.

Ordinary people would not even be allowed to enter his office without offering him a bribe.

In fact, Fan Erniu thought that Constable Wang was not a bad person, and was quite helpful at times.

However, as the head constable of Lin'an Town, it wouldn't be easy for him to get things done if he didn't appear fierce.

Fan Erniu touched the few strings of coins he had in his pocket, still feeling uncertain whether it would be enough to fill someone's teeth.

The police station in the east of the town was a row of three tiled houses, with two stone lions squatting at the entrance, their heads peeking out from under the snow.

Fan Erniu stood at the door for a while, rubbed his hands together, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open and went inside.

Officer Wang was sitting by the brazier, warming his hands. In front of him was a pot of wine, and next to him was a pot of pickled vegetables and tofu simmering hot over charcoal.

He looked to be in his forties, chubby, with his face so fleshy that his eyes were squeezed into slits. He always squinted when he looked at people, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

When Fan Erniu came in, Constable Wang didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't seen him at all.

"Greetings, Officer Wang."

"Hey, Fan Erniu, what brings you here?" Constable Wang said slowly, while picking up a piece of tofu with his chopsticks and stuffing it into his mouth.

Fan Erniu quickly approached with a smile, bowing and saying, "Officer Wang, I'm sorry to bother you. I have a small favor to ask of you."

As he spoke, he took out the few strings of coins from his pocket, handed them over with both hands, and said respectfully, "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please buy a pot of wine."

Officer Wang glanced at the strings of coins, neither accepting nor refusing them. He simply looked at them, then picked up his wine bowl and took a sip. "Tell me what it is first. If I can get it done, I'll take the money. If I can't, take it back and don't make things difficult for me."

Fan Erniu quickly explained the whole story.

A young man who was practicing asceticism on the mountain lost his master and went down the mountain to gain experience, hoping to settle down in the town.

I have no household registration and no travel permit. I would like to ask Constable Wang to help me obtain one.

Fan Erniu spoke very carefully, constantly watching Wang Butou's expression, afraid of saying something wrong.

After listening, Constable Wang slammed his wine bowl on the table, spilling wine everywhere. "Fan Erniu, are you really ignorant or just pretending? Do you think household registration and travel permits are something that can be issued so easily? The imperial court has rules: who settles down and who passes through must be documented. You say he's a cultivator in the mountains? Which temple? Which master? How many years has he been cultivating? How am I supposed to write that down? What am I supposed to say if the higher-ups ask?"

Fan Erniu was speechless when asked the question, standing there with his mouth open but unable to say a word.

He naturally knew all this, but since Su Ning didn't say anything, he didn't have the nerve to ask.

If Suning misunderstands, they could very well turn their benefactor into an enemy.

Fan Erniu just wanted to help Su Ning settle down since Su Ning had saved his and his wife's lives, never imagining all the twists and turns that would happen.

Looking at his expression, Constable Wang snorted, "You brought this person of unknown origin home. If the higher-ups investigate later, can you bear the consequences? How many lives do you, Fan Erniu, have?"

Fan Erniu's face turned pale instantly, and his legs went weak.

He was only thinking about Su Ning's kindness and how to get him a household registration and travel permit so he could settle down; he never thought about these other things.

After hearing what Constable Wang said, he realized that this matter was indeed not simple.

Seeing his expression, Chief Constable Wang softened his tone and leaned back in his chair. "Fan Erniu, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's just that this matter is really difficult. You're dealing with someone with no connections, someone you can't even investigate. What if he's some kind of fugitive, or committed a crime elsewhere and fled to my Lin'an Town? If I register him here, and the higher-ups investigate, will I still be able to keep my job as a chief constable? Will I still want my head?"

Fan Erniu quickly waved his hands: "No, no, Brother Su isn't that kind of person. He saved my life, how could he be a fugitive?"

Officer Wang waved his hand impatiently and said, "You say it's not true, so it's not true? What guarantee do you have? You, Fan Erniu, run a butcher shop in town. You're good at slaughtering pigs and selling meat, but can you judge people accurately? Which of those who committed crimes and ran away didn't look honest and kind? Did they have 'I'm a fugitive' written on their faces for you to see?"

Fan Erniu opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

He knew that what Constable Wang said made sense, but he also knew that Su Ning was not a bad person.

But his words were useless; he needed Officer Wang's confirmation.

Then Fan Erniu stood up, intending to leave.

I didn't take the money; I just left it on the table.

But then Officer Wang called out to Fan Erniu, "Wait. Don't rush off."

Fan Erniu quickly turned back and stood there waiting.

Officer Wang picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and smacked his lips. "I do have a way, but it depends on whether you're willing to do it."

Fan Erniu's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward, saying, "Please tell me, please tell me."

Officer Wang put down his teacup, looked at him, and said, "Hasn't your daughter Changyu come of age? She's fifteen, right? She's not betrothed yet, is she?"

Fan Erniu was taken aback, not expecting him to ask this. "It's done! Song Yan, the scholar from the Song family, was engaged last year. All the formalities of marriage and betrothal have been completed, and they're just waiting to hold the ceremony next autumn."

Upon hearing this, Officer Wang's face relaxed slightly, and he put the teacup on the table. "Then there's nothing I can do! Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Fan Erniu grew anxious and quickly asked, "Officer Wang, what method do you have?"

Officer Wang leaned back in his chair and explained slowly, "At first, I was thinking of having that young man marry into your Fan family and become your son-in-law. That way, he would have a legitimate reason to register his household. It's perfectly normal for a son-in-law to move in, and the yamen wouldn't have any objections. We could handle the household registration and travel permit at the same time, which would save trouble. But your eldest daughter is already engaged, so forget it. You can't expect that young man to wait for your youngest daughter to grow up, can you? How old is that girl? Five or six? Can she wait ten or eight years?"

Fan Erniu was stunned, his mouth agape for a long time, unable to close it, "Enter...enter the family as a son-in-law?"

“Yes. He’ll marry into the family.” Officer Wang counted on his fingers for him. “First, there are clear regulations in the court that a son-in-law can move into the family, so the procedures are easy to handle, and you have an explanation if the higher-ups ask. Second, your Fan family will have a helper. If you take in a son-in-law, the shop will have another worker, and the family business will have someone to inherit it. Third, the young man will also have a place to settle down. It’s a win-win-win situation, isn’t it? It’s a pity that your eldest daughter is already engaged, so there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Fan Erniu stood there, silent for a long time.

Actually, his mind is in a complete mess right now, like a tangled mess.

He had never even considered having Su Ning become a live-in son-in-law of the Fan family.

Su Ning saved their lives, and he was so grateful that he couldn't possibly let him become his son-in-law.

Besides, it has to be something the other person is willing to do.

What if Suning refuses? Wouldn't that be repaying kindness with enmity?
They saved their lives, and instead, they let the other person marry into their family and become a live-in son-in-law. If word gets out, won't the neighbors gossip about Fan Erniu behind his back?
Furthermore, their eldest daughter, Fan Changyu, is already engaged to Song Yan; all the formalities of marriage have been completed, and the whole town knows about it, so there's no way she can back out. Their youngest daughter, Fan Changning, is only six years old; they can't possibly make her wait ten years, can they?

This road is also blocked.

Seeing him standing there in a daze, Officer Wang waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, stop thinking about it here. I can't help you with this. Household registration and travel permits aren't something that can be done casually, especially for someone like you with no connections. If I did it for you and something goes wrong, I'd lose my head. Your influence, Fan Erniu, isn't so great that I'd risk my life for you."

Fan Erniu nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, I understand, I understand."

Head Constable Wang picked up his teacup and took another sip. His tone softened. "Erniu, take my advice. Get him out of here as soon as possible. These are turbulent times. You've seen what happened on West Mountain. Besides, I've heard the border war is going badly, and the soldiers are conscripting refugees everywhere. Keeping someone of unknown origin in your home will only cause trouble sooner or later. I'll pretend I don't know anything for now, but you need to get him out of here quickly. Don't let him stay in town. If something really happens, you can't take the responsibility, and neither can I."

"Thank you very much, Officer Wang. I'll be going now."

……

As Fan Erniu left the police station, he kept thinking about this matter, feeling extremely uneasy.

The snow started falling again, fine and dense, landing on his shoulders and hat, but he didn't bother taking pictures.

He encountered several acquaintances on the road who greeted him, but he didn't hear them. He kept his head down and walked forward, almost bumping into an old locust tree.

When they got home, Meng Lihua was sweeping snow in the yard, and she was sweating profusely.

Seeing that his expression was off and he seemed distracted, he quickly put down the broom and came over to ask, "What's wrong? Is Officer Wang not going to agree?"

Fan Erniu shook his head, squatted on the threshold, and said in a muffled voice, "It's not that I don't agree, it's that I can't do it."

Meng Lihua wrung her hands anxiously: "Can't it be done? Why can't it be done? Didn't you give him the money?"

"I handed it over, but they didn't want it." Fan Erniu relayed what Constable Wang had said in detail, without missing a single word.

After saying that, he spread his hands and sighed, "Captain Wang said that only by marrying into the family can we get a household registration and travel permit. But Changyu is already betrothed to the Song family, and Changning is only six years old. What are we going to do?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Lihua dropped the broom in her hand, which fell to the ground with a thud. She didn't even bother to pick it up. "What are we going to do? Brother Su saved our lives, and we can't even help him with his household registration? That's not fair!"

Fan Erniu squatted on the threshold, his hands covering his head, and said in a muffled voice, "How about we find a way to buy Brother Su a household registration, just like we did back then?"

Before he could finish speaking, Meng Lihua's expression changed. She took two steps forward and whispered sternly, "Shh! What nonsense are you talking about!"

Fan Erniu was startled by her shout, shrank back, and lowered his voice: "I was just saying..."

"You can't even talk about it!" Meng Lihua glared at him, glanced towards the courtyard gate to make sure no one was around, and then lowered her voice to say, "Can you just talk about this? Have you forgotten how much we paid to get that household registration? Have you forgotten what would happen to us, Changyu, and Changning if that matter were to come up again?"

Fan Erniu fell silent.

Of course he remembers.

That was their biggest secret, kept hidden in their hearts all these years, and they had never told anyone.

He didn't even know his two daughters.

If people find out, not only will the butcher shop go out of business, but it's also uncertain whether the couple will even be able to live in this world.

"Then what should we do?" Fan Erniu asked in a muffled voice.

Meng Lihua sighed, her expression complicated. "Alas! I'm sorry, Brother Su. After all, our own situation is complicated, and we really can't help him. All we can do is let him stay at home for now and wait until the snow stops."

"The problem is that I heard the border war is going badly and the officers and soldiers are conscripting refugees into the army everywhere."

"Isn't it?"

"Also, I have a feeling that the bandits we encountered in Xishan last night were not simple. They might have been after us."

"This……"

"I think we should get Changyu and Songyan married as soon as possible, then entrust Changning to them, and then we must find He Jingyuan for help as soon as possible."

"He Jingyuan? What arrangements do you want to make?"

"It's nothing more than exchanging our lives for the safety of Changyu and Changning. Once we're dead, Wei Yan will surely be at peace."

Will He Jingyuan help us?

"Yes, he is! Actually, He Jingyuan is not a bad person. Besides, he is my sworn brother."

"Alright! This is the only way we can go now."

Fan Erniu pondered with a worried expression, and said nothing more.

He feels really upset right now, and he feels sorry for Su Ning.

They were saved by others, and they couldn't even help with their household registration. How could they ever repay such a debt of gratitude?
Seeing his expression, Meng Lihua knew he was upset, so she patted his shoulder and said, "Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's go inside! It's cold outside. We'll figure out a way later; there'll always be one."

Fan Erniu stood up and followed Meng Lihua into the house.

He took a couple of steps, then stopped, looked back at the snow piled up in the yard, and stared blankly for a while. "Do you think Brother Su will blame us?"

Meng Lihua thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't think Brother Su is that kind of person. If he cared about these things, he wouldn't have saved us in the first place."

Fan Erniu nodded and followed Meng Lihua into the house.

But I just couldn't get over the anger in my heart.

At this moment, Meng Lihua suddenly thought of something and looked at Fan Erniu, saying, "That's right! Since the government troops are arresting refugees everywhere, does Brother Su have a household registration and travel permit? I'll call him back to hide for a while."

"Alright! Brother Su should still be at the teahouse. I'll go look for him on the street."

"Go back quickly."

Then, Fan Erniu left home again and went to the street to look for Su Ning.

As Meng Lihua watched Fan Erniu's departing figure, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Their enemies were getting closer and closer, but their two daughters were a source of worry for them. They didn't know whether Song Yan and the Song family were worthy of their trust.

...(End of this chapter)