WBSGVS Chapter 53 V2

Seeing her daughter’s calm demeanor brought some comfort to Luo Mu, who also knew she couldn’t overreact. If they startled the snake in the grass, and Cheng Zhaohua realized they had already uncovered the truth and killed those bandits, everything would no longer be made public.

She took a moment to collect herself and accepted the teacup her daughter offered, taking a sip.

The tea was slightly bitter but also had a hint of sweetness, first bitter and then sweet. Luo Mu told herself that if they endured this hardship, her daughter would surely be fine.

After a while, there was some noise at the door.

The innkeeper knocked on the door and said, “Madam Luo, your son-in-law has arrived.”

Luo Mu went to open the door, and Qingli, looking pale, wrapped in a cloak, leaned against the back of a chair. She forced herself to stand and greet him, quickly sitting back down like a frail sickly person.

When the door opened, Cheng Zhaoyang stood there with a smile, and behind him were several curious onlookers.

Luo Mu decided to open the door wide, inviting them in, though her expression was not good. “In the presence of the innkeeper and everyone here, how much can you offer?”

Cheng Zhaoyang’s face twitched; his smile almost faltered. He forced himself to say, “You must be joking! What witnesses? I’m just your son-in-law. You know the situation at home; I have a younger brother studying in the county, and we truly have very little silver left. This fifty taels is all I can offer.”

He handed over a bag.

Luo Mu took it, opened it, and saw that it mostly contained small silver coins. If it were indeed fifty taels, it probably didn’t even reach that amount.

She clenched her teeth in frustration, nearly bursting into a tirade, but since he had already given this much, she could only force a smile and say, “Zhaoyang, you do have some heart, but this heart… is a bit lacking.”

Cheng Zhaoyang smiled awkwardly. “I’ve given all the money I can, Madam. We should let A Li go back quickly; it’s windy outside, and I’m afraid her condition will worsen.”

“You’re right.” Luo Mu nodded and turned to support Qingli.

The innkeeper chuckled, “It’s good to have reconciled; we’re all family.” He looked at Qingli and advised, “Take good care of your health; getting treated is the most important thing.”

“Thank you, innkeeper.” Qingli nodded weakly, leaning against Luo Mu. “Husband, do you want to come back with me?”

“No, I can’t!” Cheng Zhaoyang quickly shook his head and said softly, “The situation at home isn’t good either. My mother isn’t feeling well, so I need to go back and check on her.”

“Then okay.” Qingli nodded sadly and turned to leave.

Watching the two of them disappear from view, Cheng Zhaoyang, who had been holding back, finally contorted his expression. He took a deep breath and strode away.

He needed to think of a way to resolve this; otherwise, if Luo Qingli remained sick, wouldn’t he have to keep taking out money?

But he wasn’t as clever as Cheng Zhaohua and was always worried about the Luo family finding out about what happened before. He couldn’t think of a solution right away.

Upon returning to the Cheng family, he opened the door and heard Mrs. Xiong wailing and cursing inside. Cheng Zhaoyang rubbed his nose in frustration. He decided he could only wait until Cheng Zhaohua returned next time to ask for a solution.

Unfortunately, the academy in the county took a month off now and then, and it was quite far, making it not easy to travel back and forth. Cheng Zhaohua wouldn’t be back for another ten days or so.

When Qingli and Luo Mu returned home, Luo Yuzhi had just come back from school.

Luo Yisheng bounced happily behind his father, and upon seeing his sister, he immediately ran over joyfully but hesitated to rush forward like usual. With wide eyes, he asked, “Sister, are you feeling better?”

“I’m feeling better,” Qingli said with a smile, ruffling his hair as she glanced at their father.

Luo Yuzhi’s gaze held questions, but he didn’t want to speak in front of his son, fearing the little boy might accidentally reveal something.

Qingli nodded with a smile.

Luo Yuzhi felt relieved yet worried. If the mission was completed, it could only mean that Cheng Zhaoyang was indeed a despicable villain!

He exhaled a breath of frustration, unwilling to show any weakness in front of his daughter. He forced a smile and said, “That’s good. You’re not well; rest early. Let your mother bring you something to eat.”

Qingli chirped, “I want to eat shredded meat noodles.”

“Alright.” Luo Yuzhi made a note of it.

Qingli then asked, “Father, is Wang Shanxue your student?”

Luo Yuzhi looked at his daughter in surprise.

Qingli explained that she had heard him reciting from the other side of the wall, and Luo Yuzhi smiled. “Yes, that boy is young but chubby and honest. He has some silver at home and his family business extends to the county. However, his grandmother is attached to the old place and refuses to move, so he stays here. I figured you might be short on money, so I accepted him as a student.”

So he had indeed brought him in as a student! No wonder he was teased; fortunately, he didn’t take it to heart. Otherwise, his father’s private school would surely be chaotic.

Qingli got the answer and didn’t ask any more questions, returning to her room.

She needed to seize the time to train her skills. Relying on her father’s meager connections and a few scattered students, finding the bandits would be extremely difficult. Once her skills were sufficient, she could use her search for a doctor as an excuse to find them herself.

Once a bandit, always a bandit.

Since the incident, there hasn’t been any news about bandit suppression. Historically, officials have never cared, and ordinary citizens dared not intervene. That group of bandits, if nothing had changed, was likely still alive and should still be in Huaiyang City.

If they were dead, she could find other bandits to pose as them; after all, they were all thieves.

But she wasn’t qualified to do that just yet.

That night, Luo Mu brought shredded meat noodles for Qingli and didn’t leave but watched her eat.

Qingli calmly finished her meal and asked, “Mother, did all that silver go to buy medicine?”

Fifty taels of silver was not a small sum at all; it seemed quite wasteful.

Qingli nodded and said, “Mother, this is to prevent others from being suspicious. Only if we spend the silver will it be believable. Besides, these herbs are not wasted; I need them. As for the silver, we can quietly earn money on the side.”

Luo Mu looked troubled. “If we can’t earn money openly, how can we make money in secret?”

Qingli replied, “When I went to borrow books before, I saw a method that allows for quick printing of text onto paper, known as movable type printing. Copying a book now costs several dozen wen for cheap ones and several taels for expensive ones. With this method, we could print dozens of copies in a day. Don’t you think we could make money from it?”

Luo Mu was astonished. “Really?”

Qingli nodded affirmatively. “Yes, starting tomorrow, we will begin this. I want to see if we can make money.”

Luo Mu was overjoyed and quickly called Luo Yuzhi over. The three of them began discussing how to implement this movable type printing.

However, before Qingli could begin carving the characters the next day, another business proposition came knocking.

From over the courtyard wall, a strange boy was perched on the wall, his stubborn little face flushed red as he refused to come down. But when he saw Qingli passing by, his eyes lit up, and he eagerly waved, calling out, “Senior sister, could I hire you to help us open a small stove?”