WBSGVS Chapter 51 V2

But Qingli was insistent. Besides, Panspring had already shown signs of betraying her. She had a connection with Cheng Zhaohua but was hiding it from her mistress, and there was no benefit in keeping her.

Once this reason was presented, Luo Mu was reluctant but eventually compromised.

“Mom, don’t feel bad. Do you believe that Cheng Zhaohua can find a way to redeem Panspring?” Qingli said with a smile, her eyes holding a hint of coldness.

After all, based on the original host’s memories, Cheng Zhaohua had likely invested a lot of effort into Panspring, treating her poorly in the end, leaving the original host to die after her desperate plea for help.

Cheng Zhaohua probably still didn’t know what his brother and mother had done. He merely liked her and didn’t realize how deep that liking was; it depended on her luck.

In her past life, the original host hated her, but her parents were unaware, and nothing had happened. All Qingli could do was let Panspring return to where she came from. Not seeking revenge was already the best course of action.

Luo Mu looked at her daughter with suspicion, feeling that she had changed a lot, particularly in her newfound ruthlessness, which was unexpected.

After the discussion, the couple returned to their room. Luo Mu spoke to Luo Yuzhi about the situation.

Luo Yuzhi, still somber, casually remarked, “After everything that’s happened, if A Li remained as gentle as before, all those years of study would have been for nothing!”

Luo Mu recalled that her daughter had been smart since childhood, even surpassing boys in her studies. Her husband had doted on their daughter, teaching her to read and write as if she were a boy, lamenting her inability to take the imperial examination.

Yet, as a girl, she had an excellent reputation, outstanding talent, and striking looks. Over two years ago, many young men had pursued her for marriage.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu’s eyes turned red, and she threw herself into her husband’s arms, weeping, “How could A Li be so unfortunate to encounter someone like Cheng Zhaoyang!”

Luo Yuzhi felt a pang of sorrow in his heart as he held his wife, silently shedding tears.

How could they not be heartbroken?

Throughout history, women have faced hardships, and now their beloved daughter was deceived into marriage. Because of a man’s power, they didn’t dare to seek a divorce. She had to feign illness; it was like a knife cutting through their hearts.

It was only because Qingli had previously remained too calm that they hadn’t cried out in despair.

That night, the couple hardly slept, lying in bed thinking about their daughter’s words. Tears came and went as they recalled the plan, ensuring they didn’t reveal anything prematurely.

The next morning, confirming that Qingli had started to “run a fever,” the couple anxiously went out to find a doctor. When encountering acquaintances, they bitterly smiled and said, “Ah, my girl is back! The other day, she fell into the water trying to save her little sister-in-law.”

“Right, it was freezing! Her husband even tried to hit her yesterday. She was so scared she ran back home and now she’s burning up, constantly saying she’s cold.”

“Back then, a boy who cared so much for my daughter ended up being someone who would hit her?”

While speaking, Luo Mu hurried back.

In no time, everyone around knew that the Luo family’s daughter had fallen into the water trying to save her sister-in-law, and her husband was unhappy and wanted to hit her, causing her to run home and catch a cold.

Some were skeptical. Over two years ago, Cheng Zhaoyang confronted fierce bandits for Luo Qingli, making many girls envy her. Now, in such a short time, he had begun hitting Luo Qingli?

Someone scoffed, “Aren’t all men like this? Heartless and ungrateful. If you don’t believe it, just wait. The Luo family will need to gather medicine; there’s no way she’ll recover easily from a cold after falling into the water in this weather.”

Sure enough, the next day, Luo Mu was out again, wiping her tears as she gathered medicine.

There were even some busybodies who rushed directly to Luo Mu to ask. Luo Mu didn’t shy away and cried as she explained the situation, saying her daughter was now burning with fever and in a daze, which drew gasps and murmurs from the crowd.

Gossip spread quickly among the parents, and the neighborhood enjoyed the lively buzz.

Meanwhile, Qingli was diligently pretending to be ill.

In ancient times, a cold was not considered a trivial matter. If not properly cared for, it could easily develop into pneumonia or even more severe illnesses; many have died from colds.

Given that Qingli had fallen into the water just a couple of days ago, it was entirely reasonable for her to have caught a cold.

Luo Yuzhi and Luo Mu managed to maintain their composure. After a whole night of digesting the situation, although they were filled with resentment toward the Cheng family, they appeared only slightly haggard on the surface.

Qingli’s biggest concern was exposing their plan, and seeing them this way, she finally felt relieved.

As long as they didn’t expose their scheme, the game was the most enjoyable part.

After they gathered medicine on the first day, Qingli’s “fever” worsened the next day. The doctor came again, but their family had run out of money. Luo Yuzhi, looking troubled, took Panspring’s indenture to the local moneylender.

Panspring had been sold to the Luo family when she was young, and it hadn’t cost much at the time because children needed to grow up before they could help with work.

Now that she had grown into a blossoming young woman, selling her to the moneylender would fetch fifteen taels of silver, which was a significant sum for an ordinary family like theirs.

After registering at the government office, Panspring would be completely severed from her ties to the Luo family.

However, due to Luo Mu’s earlier complaints, no one said anything. The daughter was sick, and all the money had gone to the son-in-law for medical treatment. They felt they had no choice but to proceed this way.

But the Cheng family didn’t understand!

Seeing the moneylender arrive at their doorstep, Xiong Shi was stunned. “What’s going on? Isn’t Panspring a member of our family?”

The moneylender frowned and replied, “What do you mean, your family? The government has registered her as part of the Luo family. Now that she’s been sold to us, she belongs to us!”

The men managing these matters were all burly and fierce, their voices rough and loud. Panspring, who was in the yard washing clothes for the Cheng family, turned pale and rushed over in a panic, crying out, “That’s impossible! The young lady wouldn’t sell me!”

The moneylender laughed, “So you’re Panspring! It seems you’re indeed the right one. Your young lady can’t even protect herself. She’s sick, and the Luo family has no money for treatment. What else could they do but sell you?”

He was in a hurry to sell her at a bargain; if he brought her to the person in charge, he could get a higher price.

Panspring was dumbfounded, standing there with a white face. She looked to Xiong Shi for help, tugging at her sleeve and pleading, “Please save me! I don’t want to be sold!”

Xiong Shi, however, shrugged off her hand and anxiously asked, “What are you talking about? What happened to Luo Qingli? Did something happen to the Luo family?”

Her son still had two more years of schooling to complete, and the expenses for the local academy were high. If the Luo family was in trouble, how could her second son continue his studies?

The moneylender shrugged, “I heard she caught a cold after falling into the water and was also beaten by her husband, which frightened her badly. She’s very ill and has fallen into a coma; we don’t even know if she’ll recover.”

“Old lady!” Panspring stamped her foot. “Please save me! I don’t want to be sold!”

Xiong Shi’s face twitched as she heard the situation of the Luo family. She began to sweat from the worry, losing interest in Panspring. She could still use free labor, but she wasn’t going to spend money to buy someone. Not daring to say anything to the fierce moneylender, she waved her hand and said, “You can take her away.”

Panspring screamed and tried to run. She wanted to find Cheng Zhaohua, believing he could save her.

However, she was only able to run a couple of steps before the moneylender caught her, grabbing her by the back of her collar and dragging her away.

Cheng Yue’er arrived late and was somewhat startled by the scene. “Mother, what’s happening?”

Xiong Shi replied impatiently, “The Luo family is having bad luck; Luo Qingli has a severe cold and has even sold Panspring due to lack of money for treatment.”

“What?” Cheng Yue’er felt a pang in her heart. “Who will wash our clothes now?”

Xiong Shi, exasperated, slapped her on the head. “Is that all you can think about? If the Luo family is truly out of money, how will your second brother continue his studies? Your eldest brother’s salary isn’t enough!”

Cheng Yue’er shrank back, uninterested in those concerns.

Xiong Shi knew she couldn’t rely on her daughter and angrily went back inside, planning to wait for her eldest son to return that evening to assess the situation.

People like them feared illness; if the Luo family didn’t recover, the costs would mount, and they might as well end things early to avoid being dragged down with them.

Cheng Zhaoyang returned from work as dusk began to fall.

After a quick visit home and learning the news, he hurried to the Luo family. By the time he arrived, the sky had darkened. Upon being welcomed by his in-laws, he went straight to Qingli’s room.

As soon as he opened the door, a strong, bitter smell of medicine filled his nostrils.

His heart sank, and as he focused his gaze, he saw his wife lying on the bed with flushed cheeks, cracked lips, and a hand covering her mouth, occasionally coughing weakly. She looked gravely ill.

He slowed his steps, his mind racing with countless thoughts. Should he divorce her, or wait for her to pass? Would the Luo family continue to take care of the Cheng family?

Seeing Qingli on the bed, she caught the sound and weakly raised her head. Her drooping eyelids suddenly opened, and her eyes shone with a flash of light. When he got closer, she threw herself at him, crying out in despair:

“Darling, you finally came! My parents say there’s no money at home for your treatment! You should have plenty of silver, right? Hurry and give it to my parents! I don’t want to die!!!”

Cheng Zhaoyang instinctively covered his waist pouch, feeling a tightening in his chest.