The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 897 - 198: Pei Qian the Little Rich Lady_2

Chapter 897: Chapter 198: Pei Qian the Little Rich Lady_2

Fang Li, having rushed on the road for several days, spent yesterday drinking and fooling around with Widow Yang, knelt through the night, and came down with fever and headache. He was so drowsy and listless he couldn’t get up. Old Scholar Fang prepared medicine for him, and as long as he didn’t die, he was to continue copying "The Rules of Disciple".

Fang Zhi came over, was not allowed to see Fang Li, and loudly called out for Brother Fang.

Fang Li wanted to respond, but seeing Old Scholar Fang’s stern face, he dared not make a sound.

"Brother Fang! Brother Fang! I heard you’re seriously ill, and you haven’t seen a doctor. I’m worried about you, brother, so I came to see you!" Fang Zhi shouted loudly.

Fang Liuming came out with a cold expression.

Seeing him, Fang Zhi couldn’t help feeling guilty, and he couldn’t stop the accusations against him in his mind. How many officials are there that don’t seek wealth? His appearance of upright integrity was just for show, hypocrisy! Perhaps, unknown to them, he had already made a fortune on the sly! In front of them, he still put on airs, sending him back.

According to Pei Qian’s wishes, if Fang Zhi committed any misdeeds, he was to be left in Baoning County. Fang Liuming had only recently started his official career and had not yet developed the ruthlessness, so he merely expelled him from Baoning County.

Fang Zhi felt humiliated and annoyed. Yet, fearing Fang Liuming might crack down on him, he called out twice more, and seeing that Fang Li did not respond, "Brother Fang, I’ll come see you another day!" He then left straight away.

Fang Liuyang watched him leave, a flash of hatred in his eyes. It was Fang Zhi who had brought their father to the brothels! He also led their father to sabotage Dalang’s affairs!

As soon as Fang Zhi came out, he told people that he tried to visit Fang Li, but couldn’t rouse him, suspecting the illness was severe.

Now the rumor spread viciously, some wondering if Fang Li was faking his illness, or if it was genuine.

People further afield were already saying that Pei Qian had put a curse on Fang Li.

Upon hearing this, Pei Qian became furious, "I cursed him? Let’s see if it’s true or not! If it’s real, I’ll marry him immediately and curse him to death!"

"I’ll go have a look!" Pei Qin said, with her eyes glancing towards Zhang Gengshan.

Zhang Gengshan understood and, mounting a donkey, hurried to Fang Family Village. After paying his respects to Old Scholar Fang and Grandma Fang, he said, "...Old Master Fang’s illness is too strange, and the word outside is that the third miss has hexed Old Master Fang, so the lady sent this servant to take a look."

Old Scholar Fang’s eyes turned cold as he directly said, "He got drunk and wandered into the old graveyard!" suggesting that Fang Li was possessed by evil spirits.

Zhang Gengshan nodded, "I see. I’ve heard that the temple outside the city is quite efficacious. If Old Master Fang doesn’t recover soon, perhaps he should stay in the temple for some time. Those evil spirits surely wouldn’t dare to approach the Buddha and the Boddhisatvas."

In his youth, Old Scholar Fang had also heard that members of wealthy families often went to temples to pray, from as short a span as ten days to as long as half a year or more. That was when they’d done something wrong and were sent to endure austerity at the temple.

Fang Li was already of an age, thirty and standing on his own, but he was well over thirty and had achieved nothing, his track record consisting only of failures and disasters. Now that things had come to this, if he didn’t change and clean up his act, who knew what state the house would be in after his hundred years were through.

Right after Zhang Gengshan left, Old Scholar Fang sent Fang Li to the temple outside the city.

Fang Liuyang volunteered to stay behind to take care, "Big brother is about to be married, Grandfather will be busy managing the house, so let me stay behind to take care of Father!"

It was plain surveillance.

Fang Li had not expected Old Scholar Fang to actually send him to the temple. He could accept a punishment, but being banned from staying at home meant he would have no say in Dalang’s wedding, "I am Dalang’s father, how can I not be involved in his marriage!? You mean to tell me I’m not even allowed to receive the customary bows!?"

"When it’s time for the ceremony, you will of course be called back!" Old Scholar Fang took the matter into his own hands, as if there was no place for him. If he were any use, having taken care of everything in an orderly fashion, why would he need this old man to step in? The Fang family was already on the rise!

Fang Li made a fuss inside the temple.

Zhang Gengshan came to pray for his master, donating a considerable sum for incense oil.

Then, a senior monk came to give Fang Li lectures on the scriptures twice a day, morning and evening.

Old Scholar Fang ordered him to copy the "Lotus Sutra" and the "Diamond Sutra" three hundred times each, not intending to let him return home before the end of the year.

Fang Hui waited for the matter to blow up, but as the wedding day approached, there was no sign of trouble.

Liu’er Alley had already become quite lively, with many families coming in groups to add to the dowry.

Everyone was also waiting to see how much dowry Pei Qin would prepare for Pei Qian.

The dowry Pei Yuan received back then had made so many envious. Recently, the recipe for kimchi had been made public, so the Kimchi Workshop couldn’t be part of Pei Qian’s dowry anymore, but surely there would be other dowry items.