Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 888 Fierce Yanyan (2)

Chapter 888: Chapter 888 Fierce Yanyan (2)

The man was none other than Du Wencai’s father, Du Laizi. Because he had an inflated sense of self-worth but was actually incapable, and because he was lazy and did nothing but loiter on the streets every day without engaging in any real work, taking advantage of others whenever he could, the neighbors looked down on him. They simply nicknamed him "Leprosy" and, over time, this nickname stuck to the extent that people forgot his real name.

Mrs. Liu’s face turned a livid shade of blue with anger. Remembering how she had been blind enough to find such a shameless and thick-skinned family for her daughter, she felt nauseated. She wished she could grab a broom and sweep them all out of the house.

Suppressing the urge to burst into curses, she stopped Liu Tinglan, who was about to step forward to argue, and said coldly, "Why our two families should break off the engagement, you know very well in your heart! If you want to make a scene, go ahead and make it as big as you want, but I would like to see, with your Du Family being so unashamed, intending to extort from our Liu Family, once this gets out, I wonder if your precious son will care at all about his future."

In Great Chu, to join the government through the imperial examinations, one not only needed talent but also a good reputation. People with disreputable conduct usually didn’t have good reputations, and for this reason losing one’s position and honors was not unheard of.

Just like the Top Third Scholar, who drunkenly fell into a river and drowned three years ago; he was a man of improper conduct, causing unrest in his inner household. He fell out of favor with the senior officials and ended up unsuccessful in the officialdom. Even if he hadn’t died, his career would have come to an end.

Du Laizi was counting on his younger son to pass the imperial exams with flying colors next year, hoping to live a life of luxury riding on his son’s coattails. Seeing Mrs. Liu using this as leverage against him, he immediately hurled abuses at her, "How dare you, you wretched woman, to curse my son; do you really think I’m afraid to beat you?"

Mrs. Liu looked disdainfully at Du Laizi as if he were a rat in the gutter, "If you dare to lay a hand on anyone, it would actually impress people. If you’re not afraid of being thrown in jail, then go ahead and hit someone. But be wary, it might drag your precious son down with you, costing him the scholar’s title that he hasn’t even earned yet."

Du Laizi, with a face red with rage from Mrs. Liu’s contemptuous gaze, charged forward to strike but then held back, his words laced with malice, "Hmph, you think I’d stoop to dirtying my own hands? I have so many brothers at my call, just a few of them could turn your Liu Family’s home upside down. If you don’t fork over one thousand taels of silver today, I’ll let you see what I’m capable of."

Du Laizi had wasted decades idly, and while he didn’t have many skills, he knew plenty of ruffians. These ruffians might not have powerful connections, but they were adept at causing trouble and fights. However, they were cunning and not easy for the government to catch; and even if they were caught, they would be beaten and imprisoned for a few days before being released. Keeping them locked up would be a waste of the government’s grain and funds.

While these rowdy rogues wouldn’t dare touch the homes of the powerful and influential, the Liu Family was just an ordinary household. It would be easy for these ruffians to harass the Liu home at night and spread slanderous rumors about the family in the streets and lanes during the day, without easily being caught.

"You dare, Mister Du!"

Upon hearing Du Laizi’s words, Mrs. Liu did indeed become apprehensive. She was not afraid of much, but she worried about those ruffians recklessly spreading rumors that could reach the ears of the Shen family. The Shen family was still in Jing City, planning to finalize the marriage alliance before returning home. If they got the wrong idea and the marriage agreement fell through, that would be the most devastating outcome.

Otherwise, she would not have even allowed this shameless family inside her home; she feared they would cause a ruckus outside, making a spectacle for the neighbors to see and embarrassingly involve the Shen family as well.

Seeing the hesitation in Mrs. Liu’s eyes, Du Laizi smiled triumphantly, tossed a peanut into his mouth, and gave it a vicious crunch, "Lady, you are a smart person, why bother yourself with people like us who lack insight? Your Liu Family has vast wealth, one thousand liang of silver is nothing to you, consider it charity to us poor folks. I, Du Laizi, guarantee that with this one thousand liang, we will never trouble your Liu Family again."

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