Chapter 25: The Old Scholar

Sun continued, "Bin, wait here. I will go fetch the old scholar; he was the one who drafted that deed of indenture originally."

With that, she hurried off to find the old scholar. Ni Wenyu and Jiang Lihua waited in silence for her to return. Before long, the old scholar was brought back by Sun.

"Old scholar, tell us, why did that deed of permanent servitude become a temporary one?"

Having already heard the day's events along the way, the old scholar sighed and said, "Back then, Jiang Lihua's father was ill and needed money, so he sold her. I felt sorry for the girl, so I wrote it as a temporary indenture, hoping that one day, if her parents regretted their decision, they could redeem her."

Upon hearing this, Sun threw a tantrum, punching and kicking the old scholar. "I'll kill you, you meddling old fool!"

Ni Wenyu and Jiang Lihua stepped forward to shield the old scholar behind them. Ni Wenyu took out a hundred-tael silver note and tossed it to Yang Wenbin. "Take it. Here is one hundred taels."

Yang Wenbin’s face turned ghastly pale. His hands hung limply at his sides; he dropped the deed of indenture and wandered off, utterly devastated. He had lost all face today.

Jiang Lihua chased after him. Yang Wenbin’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at her. "What more do you want?"

Jiang Lihua leaned toward his ear and whispered, "In truth, the processing workshop and the formulas are both mine."

Yang Wenbin felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Looking at the smiling Jiang Lihua, he gnashed his teeth, reached out, and grabbed her by the throat, screaming maniacally, "I’ll strangle you! I’ll kill you, you bitch!"

The crowd was terrified and rushed over to pull the frantic Yang Wenbin away. As he struggled and roared at the sky, everyone shook their heads, whispering that he had lost his mind. Sun picked up the silver note and ran to Yang Wenbin’s side, weeping bitterly at the sight of him.

Huang Yingrong, however, had eyes only for Ni Wenyu. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at him. "Brother Ni, I truly love you. If you will still have me, I will break ties with Yang Wenbin immediately."

Ni Wenyu did not spare her a single glance and led the old scholar back to his courtyard. The crowd began to heap scorn upon Huang Yingrong. "How shameless! After carrying on with Scholar Yang in the rice fields, now she wants to ruin Scholar Ni."

"Exactly, she has no shame. Let’s go."

***

Once the crowd had dispersed, Huang Yingrong stood alone outside Ni Wenyu’s courtyard. The cold cicadas in the trees chirped in low, mournful tones, adding to the desolation. Inside the courtyard, the atmosphere was harmonious, as everyone was happy that Lihua had finally escaped the Yang family.

The old scholar was thin and frail, sporting a long beard and wearing a faded, worn-out padded jacket, a testament to his impoverished life. Jiang Lihua thanked him, "Thank you, sir. Without your help, I would have struggled to free myself today."

The old scholar waved his hand dismissively. "I had just returned from my travels back then and had seen much of the world. I couldn't bear to see a child's fate so easily discarded." He sighed again, "Alas, I am ashamed to say that I took advantage of the Yang family’s illiteracy. After this, I fear no one in the village will dare to ask me to write anything for them again."

Jiang Lihua understood; after this, the old scholar’s reputation was ruined. The villagers would likely fear that he might deceive them because they were illiterate. After a moment of thought, Jiang Lihua said, "Sir, do not feel guilty. I will provide the Yang family with some additional money, and I will fund the construction of a school in the village in your name, offering free education for the village children."

The old scholar looked at her, his hands trembling. "Truly?"

After losing hope of passing the imperial examinations, his greatest wish had been to open a school and mentor students who could go on to achieve scholarly success. But as a poor scholar, he could never afford the costs. Hearing that she would build a school in his name, how could he not be moved?

Jiang Lihua smiled. "Of course, it is true. You saved my life." If the deed had been permanent and the Yang family had refused to let her go, she would have been a slave for life; their fabricated story about thousand-year ginseng would never have held up. Fortunately, everything was resolved.

Seeing the old scholar still hesitant, Ni Wenyu smiled and said, "I agree as well. Moreover, without your guidance, I would not be who I am today. I, too, wish to repay my teacher."

The old scholar stroked his beard and repeated, "Good, good, good."

Ni Wenyu added, "Lihua, teacher, I think we should still charge a small fee. If it is free, people will take it for granted and not respect the effort put into teaching."

Jiang Lihua and the old scholar pondered this and agreed it was reasonable. They decided on a monthly tuition of 100 wen, with students providing their own brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. These could also be purchased at the school at cost price to ease the burden on the villagers.

After the discussion, they bid the old scholar farewell. Jiang Lihua looked at Ni Wenyu with a smile, causing him to look away, embarrassed. "Lihua, why do you keep staring at me?"

"I feel like you’re different today. You spun those lies so effortlessly."

"I... I had no choice. I was afraid they would take you away."

***

Seeing him blush like a boiled shrimp, Jiang Lihua stopped teasing him. "Thank you. I was caught completely off guard by that deed. It was fortunate you brought up the ginseng first."

Ni Wenyu scratched his head. "I thought of that on the spot. The idea of paying them off was suggested by Uncle Jiang; he said the Yang family only wanted money."

"I see. I will go thank Uncle Jiang later."

"Lihua, are you angry that I took all the credit?"

Jiang Lihua knew he was referring to the workshop business. She shook her head. "I trust you. There is no need for such things between us."

Ni Wenyu nodded firmly. He then asked her about the ginseng wine and ginseng pills. Jiang Lihua laughed, peeled a piece of ginseng candy, and popped it into his mouth. Ni Wenyu immediately tasted the sweetness, followed by a cooling sensation and a hint of medicinal herbs. He looked at her helplessly, telling her she was wasting good things on him and should keep them for herself.

Jiang Lihua smiled and handed him a whole handful. Seeing his wide-eyed surprise, she told him they were just ordinary candies and she had plenty more. Leaving a stunned Ni Wenyu behind, Jiang Lihua headed home.

Jiang Limu came out, saw the candy in Ni Wenyu's hand, and snatched it all away. Ni Wenyu chased after him, "Limu, leave me at least one!"

Jiang Limu, having some conscience, tossed one back to him.

The incident of the Yang family causing a scene at Jiang Lihua's home became the talk of the village. In particular, the news that Yang Wenbin had tried to extort fifty thousand taels but ended up with only one hundred made him the laughingstock of the area. People spread the story as a joke until even the neighboring villages heard it, all agreeing that the Yang family deserved their humiliation.

Later, Jiang Lihua gave the Yang family another five hundred taels to settle the matter of the old scholar altering the contract. The villagers praised Jiang Lihua for her generosity.

A few days later, Ni Wenyu selected a site for the school at the edge of the village. This way, it was close to both him and Lihua, allowing them to help the teacher if needed. With the site chosen and the old scholar in agreement, Ni Wenyu hired Carpenter Wang to begin construction. When the news spread that the old scholar would be teaching the village children to read and write, the villagers were overjoyed. After the ordeal with the Yang family, everyone realized the value of literacy.