Chapter 48: The Destitute Scholar Faces Another Misfortune

Lending money to Qin Zhen wasn't because Lin Ruannuan had a saintly heart; it was a choice she made after careful consideration.

The scholar tucked his old folding fan into his waist, shakily picked up the money, and gave Lin Ruannuan a glance. The gratitude in his eyes was clear without words.

Without saying much, he turned and knocked on the wooden door again, harder this time.

Still, no one opened the door for him, certain he couldn't come up with two taels of silver.

After knocking vigorously for a while with no response, Qin Zhen felt powerless. Leaning against the wooden door, the seven-foot man could only cry helplessly.

Lin Ruannuan pursed her lips. At this point, crying was useless.

Crying only had meaning when someone cared about you, like when she pretended to be weak in front of Bo Cheng'an.

But this family clearly didn't see Qin Zhen as a person. No matter how much he cried, they wouldn't even glance at him.

She looked around and spotted a large stone in the corner. Throwing her bundle aside, she pushed the crying scholar away from the door.

Qin Zhen glanced at her in confusion. Before he could ask, he saw the weak, stuttering girl lift the stone and smash it against his wooden door.

"Miss Lin!" Qin Zhen exclaimed, rushing to stop her.

But it was too late.

The stone hit the old door with a loud bang.

The door didn't collapse, but it shook violently. The spot hit by the stone was dented deeply.

"Miss Lin, what are you doing?" Qin Zhen was so shocked he momentarily forgot to cry, staring at her in a daze.

"Do... do... do you want to go in or not?" Lin Ruannuan picked up the stone again, raising an eyebrow.

Qin Zhen was speechless.

Of course, he wanted to go in. His mother had just passed away and was lying in a coffin waiting for him to mourn.

But, did he really need to use such a disgraceful method to enter his own home?

Before he could think more, Lin Ruannuan had already thrown the stone again.

Her aim was perfect, hitting the same spot, making the dent even deeper.

As the stone fell, splinters of wood flew from the damaged door.

"You beast, it's bad enough you're penniless, but now you want to destroy the house too!"

A fierce curse came from the courtyard, followed by hurried footsteps.

From the sound, more than one person was coming out.

Qin Zhen quickly shielded Lin Ruannuan, stopping her from picking up the stone to smash the door again.

After all, someone was already coming out. If the stone was thrown just as the door opened, it could seriously injure someone.

Lin Ruannuan had intended to pick up the stone again, but seeing Qin Zhen blocking her, she gave up on the idea.

As Qin Zhen turned to look at the door, she retreated to a corner where she had previously rested, hiding behind her bundle.

From this corner, she could see Qin Zhen's doorway without being seen herself, the perfect spot to watch the drama unfold.

The man who had driven Qin Zhen out of the courtyard yanked open the door with a fierce look.

Seeing Qin Zhen standing at the door, his eyebrows shot up in anger.

"Mother just died and you want to tear down the house. What kind of beast are you? Mother was truly unfortunate to have birthed someone like you."

Behind him was a plump woman, rolling up her sleeves and glaring at Qin Zhen with a hostile expression.

"I'm not penniless. Yesterday, you tricked me out of my three taels of silver, saying it was for a doctor for Mother. But no doctor came, and the money disappeared. Now that Mother is gone, you're still forcing me to pay for her funeral. Brother, which of us is truly the beast?"

Qin Zhen, in shock, held his old folding fan and loudly questioned:

"Who took your money? Where would a destitute scholar like you get money from?"

The plump woman gritted her teeth and roared fiercely.

"Though I'm down and out, I haven't been idle since I returned. Every day, I help people with accounting and odd jobs. I haven't let Mother go hungry. If it weren't for my brother insisting on fetching the doctor himself because he thought I was too slow, I wouldn't have given him all the silver I had."

Qin Zhen's argument was reasonable and well-founded, making Lin Ruannuan, listening from afar, nod in silent approval.

Earlier, she had worried that this scholar would only cry and not know how to defend himself. But now it seemed that his mind was still sharp.

"Hmph, I think you're just accusing your brother because you can't come up with the money for Mother's funeral. Mother favored you, the youngest, for so many years, ignoring the rest of us. Your brother is right; you're nothing but a beast."

The plump woman spat fiercely, her face full of disdain.

"Who says I can't come up with the money?" Qin Zhen took a deep breath and pulled out a piece of the broken silver Lin Ruannuan had given him.

"Let me in, and for Mother's funeral, you won't have to spend a single copper."

The piece of silver wasn't large, but it was enough to make his brother's eyes widen.

From his expression, Lin Ruannuan could tell that Qin Zhen's earlier words were true.

His brother had indeed pocketed the money meant for their mother's treatment.

However, the plump woman beside him likely didn't know about it.

Judging by her disdainful look, she clearly didn't think much of the silver in Qin Zhen's hand.

"With just that little money, you dare say we won't have to spend a single copper? You must be book-smart but money-dumb. Do you even know what a copper can buy?"

Qin Zhen didn't rush to rebut. Instead, he pulled out the remaining pieces of silver.

"Is this enough now?" he asked loudly.

His brother's eyes nearly popped out upon seeing the additional silver, glaring at Qin Zhen as if accusing him of hiding private money.

"Alright, you said we wouldn't have to spend a copper, so tomorrow when the funeral procession comes, you'll pay the workers."

Seeing he had more than two taels of silver, the plump woman couldn't argue and listed all the expenses.

Qin Zhen didn't verbally respond but firmly nodded his head.

"In that case, you may enter. Mother raised you, so don't act like paying for her funeral is a big grievance."

The plump woman stepped aside, muttering under her breath.

"Of course, it's not a grievance. I never intended for you to pay for the funeral."

Qin Zhen glanced deeply at his brother, who still wouldn't move, his voice lowering.

"The matter of the silver can't be resolved today. We'll deal with it later. For now, let's focus on laying Mother to rest."

His brother glared coldly at him, still unwilling to step aside.

"Didn't you say if our brother produced the silver, you'd let him in? He's brought the money, so what are you doing now?"

The plump woman shot a disgruntled look at her husband.

Qin Zhen gratefully glanced at his sister-in-law, willing to believe she genuinely sought justice for their mother, albeit misdirected.