Volume One, Chapter 24: Is Sweetie the Daughter of a Wealthy Family?

Fortunately, heaven was watching, and it did not allow a despicable, shameless villain like Qiao Xun to pass the prefectural examination. A streak of bad luck had kept him trapped in the county school, while Shen Juntang’s own studies had plummeted. Shen had gradually become the ringleader of a group of wealthy young masters in the county school who spent their days idling away, chasing cats, teasing dogs, and indulging in pleasure, turning the school into a den of debauchery.

However, since many of the brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and operating funds for the school were donated by the families of these wealthy students, the school’s instructors and proctors simply turned a blind eye.

As Jiang Jinyan and Wang Jinbao took turns rattling off the various misdeeds of Qiao Xun, Shen Juntang felt an inexplicable impatience. He frowned and interrupted, "Enough, stop talking about it. That petty business isn't worth mentioning. Besides, Qiao Xun is already notorious in the county school now. What if he is good at his studies? If his character is rotten, he will never have a chance to get ahead in this life!"

Hearing this, Jiang Xian felt that the Qiao Xun described by Shen Juntang and his companions seemed like an entirely different person from the one she knew. Was Qiao Xun truly that despicable? His features and demeanor did not suggest the face of a low-life villain; at most, he seemed merely unlucky.

"Is there any solid proof for these accusations?" Jiang Xian asked.

Shen Juntang was momentarily taken aback. Jiang Jinyan and Wang Jinbao, however, nodded immediately.

"Of course! Young Master Shen is one of the victims himself—his word is as good as gold!"

"And even without hard evidence, Qiao Xun’s poor character is common knowledge in the county school. That alone shows that everyone’s opinion is unanimous!"

Shen Juntang looked at Jiang Jinyan and Wang Jinbao, and it suddenly occurred to him that he had merely believed the words of Yu Zhiyi and his group; he had never actually seen any substantial evidence that Qiao Xun had cheated or framed him.

He shook his head violently to dispel the thought. Yu Zhiyi was the son of the county magistrate; there was no way he would badmouth Qiao Xun for no reason. This matter had to be set in stone.

Shen Juntang nodded firmly, trying to sound confident. "This young master never lies. In any case, Heroine Jiang, you would do well to stay away from that fellow Qiao Xun!"

Jiang Xian saw through Shen Juntang’s lack of confidence at a glance and had a rough idea of the situation. She asked with a smile, "So, the fact that Qiao Xun was beaten black and blue and dumped on the roadside outside the county town—was that your doing, too?"

"Is that what Qiao Xun told you?" Shen Juntang’s brows furrowed deeply, and he shouted in frustration.

Jiang Xian shook her head, explaining, "He didn't tell me. I found him unconscious and covered in wounds on the roadside while entering the city. It was freezing cold, and he was lying there in thin, tattered clothes. If he hadn't run into me—a kind-hearted soul—he might well have lost his life in such bitter weather."

Shen Juntang’s face went pale.

Jiang Xian continued, "Young Master Shen, although I am not very familiar with Qiao, I trust my intuition. He is certainly not the person you describe. At the very least, if he were truly a villain, I doubt he would be foolish enough to push you in the street, give you an excuse to beat him, and then let himself be dumped in the wilderness to die. As for whether someone intentionally framed and smeared him—that, I cannot say."

Her expression turned cold as she gathered Tangtang in her arms and headed toward the room. She had no desire to waste more words on fools; it would only lower her own intelligence.

Shen Juntang stood there in contemplation, then suddenly turned to Jiang Jinyan and Wang Jinbao, his tone sharp. "Did you two dump Qiao Xun on the roadside?"

Jiang Jinyan and Wang Jinbao immediately shook their heads in denial.

Shen Juntang narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in them.

Jiang Jinyan quickly put on a fawning smile and explained, "Young Master Shen, we saw you leave in a rage—we didn't have time to take him to the clinic. We just gave a string of copper coins to some local beggars and asked them to help. Perhaps those beggars were insincere and dumped him outside the city..." His voice trailed off as he spoke.

Shen Juntang kicked Jiang Jinyan squarely in the chest. "You dog! Do you think those beggars would have the heart to take him to a clinic? If I hadn't run into Miss Jiang today, and Qiao Xun had really frozen to death in the wilderness, wouldn't I be a murderer?"

Although Shen Juntang hated Qiao Xun to the core, he had never intended for him to die; he only wanted to make his life miserable. After all, Qiao Xun had once saved his life regardless of the danger.

Jiang Jinyan clutched his stomach in pain and begged for mercy. Shen Juntang impatiently called for the resident physician to examine him, then ducked into the room. Seeing the doctors treating the unconscious Qiao Xun, he explained to Jiang Xian, "He was the one who laid hands on me first today—that cannot be denied. But I am an upright man; what I haven't done, I haven't done. It was Jiang Jinyan who found those unreliable beggars, and they disobeyed my orders, dumped Qiao Xun outside the city, and pocketed the money. As compensation, all of Qiao Xun’s expenses at the Songhe Hall will be put on my tab! Hmph! I am not that kind of despicable, shameless person!"

With that, Shen Juntang turned and left, fearing that Jiang Xian might see the worry on his face.

Jiang Xian smiled slightly, more convinced than ever that Qiao Xun was being targeted. Such a dangerous individual, she mused, was perhaps not suitable for marriage after all. She curled her lip, wondering which other men in the vicinity might be suitable.

Tangtang asked softly, "Mother, why did that uncle feel the need to explain himself to you?"

Jiang Xian shrugged slightly. "Mother doesn't know either. Perhaps his brain isn't working quite right."

"Haha, ever since I've been with Mother, there have been so many people with bad brains!" Tangtang laughed, revealing her two little front teeth.

Since Shen Juntang was covering the costs, Jiang Xian did not hold back. She told the doctor to use the best, most expensive medicines on Qiao Xun, and even suggested adding a dose of the finest restorative tonic. She then carried Tangtang and her basket to the counter.

"Shopkeeper, what is the price for fine lingzhi and century-old ginseng these days?"

Jiang Xian often delivered medicinal herbs, so she was very familiar with the attendant at the Songhe Hall counter.

"Miss Jiang, you are in luck! To be able to harvest these two treasures in the dead of winter—it just so happens our Young Master is in. Let him give you a quote!"

"Very well."

The attendant led Jiang Xian toward the back courtyard of the Songhe Hall. Shen Junxi was usually swamped; the Shen family had three shops in Junxi County alone, and they had recently expanded to Qingzhou City as well. Since the Qingzhou shop had stabilized, Jiang Xian rarely saw him in the county anymore.

The attendant led her into the hall in the back courtyard and said politely, "Miss Jiang, please wait here for a moment. I will go notify our Young Master."

"Alright."

Tangtang, seemingly seeing the city for the first time and observing such a magnificent house, opened her eyes wide and looked around. "Mother, this room is so beautiful!"

Then, she muttered, "Tangtang feels like I lived in a house this pretty when I was little!"

Jiang Xian was surprised. "Oh? You mean when you were little? Back when you were with the Chen family?"

Tangtang shook her head. "No, even smaller than that. But I don't remember clearly. I just remember that there was a beautiful old nanny who used to feed me."

Jiang Xian immediately thought of a wet nurse from a wealthy household. She recalled that when she first found Tangtang, the child had been wearing a silk bib embroidered with golden clouds and was plump, healthy, and adorable. Perhaps Tangtang was indeed the daughter of a wealthy family. However, no one had come looking for her all these years; perhaps her family had fallen on hard times or met with disaster.

As she seemed to be digging into her memories, Tangtang suddenly clutched her head, her face scrunching up in pain. "Mother, my head hurts..."

Jiang Xian quickly picked her up, gently massaging her head to soothe her. "It’s alright, Tangtang. If you can't remember, don't think about it. Mother is your real mother now, and I will always love and cherish you..."

Tangtang gradually calmed down, nestling quietly in Jiang Xian’s arms, not daring to look around or speak for fear of the pain returning.

"Miss Jiang, long time no see!"

A hearty and pleasant voice echoed through the room. Jiang Xian turned, holding the child, to see Shen Junxi, dressed in a bamboo-green robe, walking in with a radiant smile. However, upon seeing the child in her arms, his expression froze. He instinctively asked, "Miss Jiang, when did you get a little sister?"

Jiang Xian laughed. "Not a sister, my daughter!"

"What?" Shen Junxi’s mouth dropped open in shock, his composure momentarily forgotten.

"Tangtang, hurry and greet the uncle!" Jiang Xian reminded her without further explanation.

Tangtang spoke obediently, "Hello, Uncle. I am Mother’s daughter, my name is Tangtang!"

The smile on Shen Junxi’s face faded quite a bit, but he still reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small piece of silver the size of a peanut, handing it to Tangtang. "Tangtang is such a good girl. I didn't prepare a gift since this is our first meeting, but take this silver to buy some sweets!"

Tangtang did not take it, instead looking to Jiang Xian for guidance.

Jiang Xian did not stand on ceremony. "Since the uncle is giving it to you, take it. Remember to say thank you!"

Only then did Tangtang accept the silver and thank him in a soft, sweet voice.

It took a while for Shen Junxi to recover. He walked to the table, drank a cup of tea to steady himself, and sat down to look at Jiang Xian.

"The attendant said you found century-old ginseng and lingzhi. Where are they?"

Jiang Xian set Tangtang down and handed the basket of herbs to Shen Junxi. "They are all here. Young Master Shen, your word is law—give me a generous price!"

Shen Junxi looked at Jiang Xian with a helpless smile and began to inspect the goods. As he took each item out, the corner of his mouth twitched. By the time everything was laid out on the table, he looked up at Jiang Xian in astonishment.

Jiang Xian sat on a stool with her child, feeding Tangtang a piece of osmanthus cake, and watched his shocked expression with a raised brow. "What is it? Does the young proprietor look down on my batch of herbs?"