“Xiao Ru.”
The slightly hoarse voice of a young man called from inside the room.
“Coming!” Jian Ru answered immediately. He hurriedly wiped his hands and pushed the door open.
The room was warm from the charcoal brazier. Li Jintong was propped up against the headboard, and when he saw Jian Ru enter, he set the book aside.
His gaze first swept over Jian Ru from head to toe, then he frowned.
“Come here.”
Jian Ru’s cheeks were flushed red, and even the scarred side of his face was tinged with color. His bangs were messy, and though he was still far from handsome by conventional standards, somehow he no longer seemed quite so homely. There was a vivid liveliness about him that seemed to spill out of every movement.
A smile still lingered on his lips. Slightly out of breath, he walked over and stopped by the bedside.
He was radiating warmth from having worked outside.
Li Jintong sat up a little straighter and reached out to pull down the sleeves Jian Ru had rolled up.
“It’s freezing outside. Be careful not to catch a chill,” he said.
Jian Ru lowered his head to watch, letting himself be fussed over without resistance, finally saying, “I’m not like you. I’m sturdy.”
Li Jintong glanced up at him and smiled helplessly. Only then did Jian Ru realize he’d said the wrong thing. He pressed his lips together awkwardly, turning the pale lips red from the pressure.
Li Jintong quickly looked away and instead noticed Jian Ru’s reddened hands.
Taking a small porcelain jar from a compartment beside the bed, he said, “Use this after your hands get wet. It’ll keep them from cracking and getting frostbite.”
Jian Ru sat sideways on the edge of the bed and opened the jar. Scooping out a little ointment, he rubbed it into his hands as he asked, “Why did you call me?”
Li Jintong hesitated.
His pale, slender hands rested atop the quilt, the prominent knuckles making them look even thinner. His fingertips curled slightly.
“I was thinking about what you said earlier.”
“…What?” Jian Ru looked puzzled.
Li Jintong lowered his eyes to the corner of the blanket, continuing, “Life and death are determined by fate. I’ve escaped death several times already, but luck can’t always hold out…” his throat felt tight. “What if… what if I still die young? What will you do then?”
Jian Ru looked down at the book lying upside down on the quilt. He picked absently at the spine with his fingernail before muttering softly:
“Ten taels.”
“…What?” Li Jintong blinked.
Jian Ru raised his head and looked at him.
“If you hadn’t said you wanted to marry me back then, I was going to ask you for ten taels of silver.”
For a moment, Li Jintong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had never imagined that, in this ger’s heart, his life already had a price tag attached to it…
And it was only ten stupid taels, ah!!!
But before he could ask further, Jian Ru had already begun pouring out his thoughts with complete honesty, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.
Counting on his fingers, Jian Ru continued, “If you die, I’ll ask your mother for ten taels of silver. Considering I took care of you, she’ll definitely give it to me.”
At that, one of Li Jintong’s brows lifted slightly as he asked, “And after you get the silver?”
Without even pausing to think, Jian Ru answered, “I’ll go home, farm the land, and stay a widower for you.”
Li Jintong paused for a moment, his eyelids lowering. “I don’t want you to be a widower for me.” His voice dropped very softly.
“What?” Jian Ru didn’t catch it clearly.
“In that cabinet…” Li Jintong coughed twice, “there’s a wooden box. Go get it.”
Jian Ru obediently went over. He opened the cabinet and looked up and down, finally finding a wooden box on the upper shelf. It wasn’t too big or too small, just right to carry with both hands. However, it had a lock on it.
He brought the box back to the bedside and set it on the bedding.
Li Jintong took a small copper key from the head of the bed, unlocked the clasp, set the lock aside, and opened the box. Then he turned the opening toward Jian Ru. Jian Ru looked down. He didn’t recognize many characters, but he could still tell.
“…These are land deeds?”
“Some were left by my father,” Li Jintong nodded. “Some were given by my brother and sisters.”
He poured everything inside the box out in front of Jian Ru and showed them one by one.
“This is a deed for one hundred and twenty mu of land east of Hexi Town. My eldest sister has been renting it out. The annual rent is six or seven hundred strings of cash. The money from the past two years has all been stored at the money house.”
Then he picked up another document, continuing, “This is the deed for the old house in the east of the town, right next to those fields. My parents used to live there, but it’s empty now. My eldest sister and the others stay there when they go to collect rent. In spring and autumn, I occasionally stay there as well.”
Then he took out a few silver notes.
Jian Ru took them and looked. He didn’t recognize many words, but he could understand numbers. He stared at those figures for a long time, his mouth opening and closing in shock.
“…You’re really rich.”
“It’s alright,” Li Jintong smiled. “I don’t spend much aside from buying books.”
There were also various IOUs and contracts in the box. Jian Ru glanced through them and then neatly put everything back.
After that, following Li Jintong’s instructions, Jian Ru found another hidden compartment at the foot of the bed. Inside were strings of copper coins and scattered silver pieces. After counting, there were more than ten taels.
“This is for daily use,” Li Jintong said. “If you need money, take it from here. No need to ask me.” With that, he locked the wooden box again. When Jian Ru returned after putting it away, Li Jintong handed him the key.
Jian Ru stared at it blankly.
“From now on,” Li Jintong said, “the household money is yours to manage.”
Jian Ru didn’t speak for a long time. Finally, Li Jintong asked softly, “What is it?”
Jian Ru’s lips slowly curved upward. His eyes were bright, almost sparkling as he said dreamily, “Marrying you was my ancestor’s blessing!”
Li Jintong lowered his head and laughed as well. A faint dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth, making him look extremely good-looking. But Jian Ru, completely lost in the fantasy of “sleeping on top of a pile of money,” didn’t notice it at all.
After that, Li Jintong explained the situation at home.
The Li family had two medical clinics in town: a larger and a smaller one. The larger clinic was managed by the Eldest Young Master, Li Jinfeng, while the smaller one belonged to the Second Young Miss, Li Jinrong. Accounts for both were handled by an accountant, and Madam Li checked the books every month, distributing wages to the hired workers. At the end of each year, Madam Li would divide the profits among the children.
All household food, clothing, and daily expenses came from Madam Li’s main account. Everyone in the family received two sets of clothing per season from head to toe; anything extra had to be paid for privately. Household purchases and food were also drawn from the main account. Everyone, except for Li Jintong’s side, ate food from the main kitchen.
These rules had been set when Li Jinfeng married his wife. Later, before Old Doctor Li passed away, he instructed that the two clinics must never be split, and all the children agreed. Aside from the residence they all lived in, the rest of the property had been divided among the separate households.
But out of pity for the youngest son’s poor health, the elder siblings had also contributed additional assets to him, making Li Jintong the wealthiest among them.
The wages for the household servants also came from the main account. Because Li Jintong was in poor health and needed special care, Madam Li had arranged for Xiao Ning to be purchased, but Li Jintong insisted on paying for Xiao Ning himself.
“Also, you’ll have a monthly allowance too. Two taels a month. You can get it from Aunty Jin at the end of each month,” Li Jintong said.
Two taels a month… twenty-four taels a year! For a household like this, it wasn’t much, but Jian Ru was already overjoyed, his face flushing red with excitement.
Dinner that night included medicinal porridge and two side dishes: scallion-braised tofu and vinegar stir-fried wood ear mushrooms, both made by Jian Ru himself. In the evening, the kitchen maid from the main kitchen came over and said Madam Li had a sore back and Aunt Jin was attending to her, so she would prepare dinner today.
Having someone else cook should have been good, but when Jian Ru saw how much oil the maid poured into the pan, he immediately felt heartache. Worried it would be too greasy for Li Jintong, he quickly sent the maid away and finished cooking himself.
Dinner was late, so they didn’t eat much. He chose only light, easy-to-digest dishes.
However, by evening, Li Jintong developed a slight fever again and still didn’t eat much. He closed his eyes and lay down, his beautiful face pale as paper.
Jian Ru hurriedly told Xiao Ning to go fetch the Eldest Young Master.
Li Jinfeng arrived in a rush, examined Li Jintong, and checked his pulse. He said that fever at night over these few days was unavoidable; as long as he improved a little each day, there would be no major issue. But the medicine should still be taken as prescribed, and they would reassess after two more days.
With that, he gave a few more instructions, and Jian Ru responded to each one. When Li Jinfeng stood up, he carefully bent over to tuck the blanket around his younger brother and smoothed back his sweat-damp hair before preparing to leave.
Jian Ru saw him out.
“If anything is wrong at night, have Xiao Ning come get me,” Li Jinfeng said. “If you need me during the day, go to the clinic.”
Jian Ru nodded.
Before leaving, the Eldest Young Master glanced at him again. Seeing that there was still a trace of lingering panic on his face, he thought for a moment and said, “Jintong is not well enough to take care of you. You’ve just arrived, so if you need help, go find your Eldest Sister-in-law.”
Jian Ru obediently said, “Thank you, Eldest Brother.”
Li Jinfeng nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.
As for Jian Ru, he finally relaxed, returned to the room, wiped the sweat from Li Jintong’s forehead and body, and helped the semi-conscious man drink some water. Only after settling him back down did he hear a creak at the door.
Xiao Ning poked his head in. Seeing that Li Jintong was asleep, he lowered his voice and said with exaggerated expressions, “Madam is calling for you.”
In the Li household, the person he feared most was Madam Li. Every time he saw her, it felt like a mouse seeing a cat.
Over time, he had grown familiar with this new young master who had married into the house, and assumed Jian Ru feared Madam Li just as much. In his mind, they were on the same side now, so his exaggerated face clearly meant: “Master, you’re in trouble.”
But he had misjudged.
As soon as Jian Ru heard it, there was no trace of worry on his face at all. He simply put on his cotton robe, tidied his hair, and said, “I was just about to go find her.”
So he instructed Xiao Ning to take good care of the Second Young Master, then strode out with firm, decisive steps.
Jian Ru followed Xiao Ning’s directions and found Madam Li’s courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he saw Aunt Jin waiting at the doorway. She shot him a glare and lowered her voice, warning him, “Be careful in there. Don’t make Madam angry again…”
However, Jian Ru flashed her a grin and…
A bad feeling rose in Aunt Jin’s heart.
Before she could say anything else, the door had already been knocked open. Madam Li called from inside, “Come in.”
Next, Aunt Jin watched helplessly as Jian Ru, who had been walking perfectly fine just moments ago, suddenly began to walk with an exaggerated limp, step by step, as he entered the room.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Once inside, he even deliberately angled his body so that the scarred side of his face was fully exposed to Madam Li, who was sipping tea, and forced out an ugly, exaggerated smile.
He looked nothing like a respectful new daughter-in-law coming to see his mother-in-law, but more like an infuriating, shameless troublemaker you couldn’t hit or scold.
Aunt Jin stared in disbelief.
And inside the room, Madam Li’s face turned red with anger.
T.N: If you like his novel, you can read up to chapter 23 on my Patreon, with new updates coming every week!
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