Chapter Fifty: Reversal

Zhang Zhongheng returned home yesterday, but instead of feeling elated at the misfortune befalling the Xu family, he grew increasingly melancholic. He had never anticipated that Xu Ruo Jin would look at him with such disdain and coldness; nor had he expected that, in response to his public provocation, she would choose such a bold method to resist him.

For no apparent reason, Zhang Zhongheng felt uneasy deep within—an unfamiliar sensation for him. Xu Ruo Jin! The steely look she gave as she braced herself against him lingered in his mind, her resolute defiance stirring something in his heart. He found it impossible to connect this woman with the maid who had once been pushed into the lake. Yet, back then, everyone’s attention was fixed on Liang Xiao, and their quarrel was purely between the two of them; no one had paid her any mind.

Had he misjudged her temperament? He recalled their heated exchange that day, then compared it to yesterday’s encounter. Suddenly, a troubling thought dawned on him—one he could scarcely accept: perhaps she never wished to marry him at all.

He could not fathom why such a notion would emerge, but as he carefully reviewed every interaction and conversation he’d had with her, his conviction only grew stronger. “Xu Ruo Jin, your ambition is wild indeed!” he muttered with a cold sneer, his face darkening.

He could refuse the marriage proposed by the Xu family, for he was above them; but to be scorned by her—this, Zhang Zhongheng could not endure. A girl from a fallen household dared to stand against him? He might disdain marrying her, but she had no right to disdain marrying him!

Smashing the teacup at his side, Zhang Zhongheng narrowed his eyes, cruel and calculating. “Xu Ruo Jin, I refuse to believe you have any means to evade the Zhang family. Not only will you enter its gates, but you will do so in disgrace. As for the grand wedding sedan, you can forget it!”

It was not only Zhang Zhongheng who felt aggrieved by these events; another who suffered a great loss was Li Zhonglin.

Li Zhonglin first learned of the matter through his sister’s account. Yet hearing a story never compares to witnessing it firsthand. He found Li Qiuping’s tearful complaints baffling, and as he reminisced about the wine he’d tasted that day, a surge of excitement overcame him:

“Say what you will—even if I passed out drunk, I still recall the flavor of that wine. Truly remarkable!” he exclaimed.

“Brother!” Li Qiuping’s face was crimson with anger. “Are you even listening? I’ve been neglected by Zilin because of you, nearly scolded to death by my mother-in-law. If not for the child in my belly, the Xu family would have sent me away! And yet you’re still thinking about that wretched girl’s brew? Do you care at all about your sister’s welfare?”

Li Zhonglin, ever impatient with women’s tears and tantrums, replied irritably, “What can I do? Xu Uncle has refused to see me. How could I possibly help you?”

“What? Father-in-law won’t see you?” Li Qiuping’s head buzzed, realizing that if even her father-in-law was angry, there was no hope for reconciliation.

“Xu Uncle has arranged a separate place for me to study, and even wrote a letter of introduction to bring me two distinguished teachers. I’m leaving the Xu household,” Li Zhonglin said, somewhat regretful—though that regret stemmed from no longer being able to see Xu Ruo Jin.

“And as for you,” he continued, “I merely drank too much and fainted. Why did you make such a fuss with Miss Xu? Do you understand the proper conduct for women? Pregnant and yet shouting about, disregarding the Xu family’s reputation! Such disgraceful behavior!”

Li Qiuping gaped at him, incredulous that after risking everything to protect her brother, she now faced his rebuke.

Before she could argue further, Li Zhonglin sent her away: “Enough. Go back to your quarters. If you’ve offended your mother-in-law, show her filial respect for a few days. If your husband ignores you, then serve him well. Why linger here? I’m still groggy from yesterday’s drunkenness—I need to rest.”

With no room for protest, Li Qiuping was ushered out, seething with rage and nowhere to vent it.

“I’ll find that wretched girl. I want to see what gives her the nerve to defy me!” she thought, determined to confront Xu Ruo Jin. Yet before she could leave, her attendant stopped her: “Young Mistress, Madam has instructed that after meeting your cousin, you are to return and rest in your chambers. You are not permitted to wander.”

“Nonsense!” Li Qiuping snapped. “I am mistress of this household—why shouldn’t I go where I please?”

“The Young Master gave the same orders. Please, return,” the attendants replied, faces troubled but unable to defy the commands of both Madam and Young Master.

Li Qiuping’s heart turned cold. Clutching her growing belly, she wept again. “Child, hurry and be born. Then your mother will never be bullied again!”

Xu Ruo Jin spent the next two days quietly recuperating in her courtyard. The first visitor was her younger brother, Xu Zi Mo.

Seeing his second sister healthy and smiling, Xu Zi Mo was in good spirits. He settled into a chair and soon vented his frustrations about Li Zhonglin: “That shameless scoundrel! He even stole the sacrificial wine and had to be carried back. After waking, he acted as if nothing had happened, praising Big Sister’s wine and wanting another taste. How can someone be so shameless? Father’s decided to send him away—he won’t cause trouble here anymore.”

“Sent away?” Xu Ruo Jin’s face lit up with delight, pleasantly surprised by her father’s wise decision.

“He’s been provided a small house near the county academy, and introduced to two renowned teachers,” Xu Zi Mo continued, his lips curling in disdain. “He ought to have been beaten and thrown out, but Father is too kind. Kindness is always exploited by the shameless…”

Xu Ruo Jin gently tapped him, forbidding further criticisms of their father. She offered no explanation as to why their father acted so. In truth, the Xu family held the moral high ground; if word spread that they retaliated against the culprit with cold treatment, it would only invite suspicion. Her father’s benevolence would, instead, earn them a better reputation.

Even though Li Zhonglin had stirred up trouble, if his actions could be used to reshape outsiders’ perceptions of the Xu family, so much the better. After all, the magistrate of Zhonglin County was no ordinary man.

Xu Zi Mo lingered until all his complaints were exhausted before leaving.

After two days of rest, Xu Ruo Jin was fully recovered. She knew Madam Fang would come to tutor her the next day, and gazed thoughtfully at the wine jar in the corner of her room.

Sacrifice, winemaking, marrying into the Zhang family…

If brewing wine was meant solely for her marriage into the Zhang family, should she continue to pursue this craft?

Xu Ruo Jin’s heart was filled with uncertainty.