Chapter 65: Chapter 65

“So, host, are you really going to be this gentle this time?”

An Ning sipped her tea quietly without saying a word.

The volume of classical texts that Second Ya had taken away that day had no real issues, but the ink used for copying inside had been mixed by An Ning with a special kind of spice.

February's weather was cold, so under normal temperatures nothing would happen, but if the surrounding temperature rose slightly, not exceeding three nights, the components of the medicine would naturally begin to volatilize.

At this time, candlelight was already extremely hard on the eyes.

Unlike Xie Sanwa’s relaxed attitude, Liu Wencai was preparing for the imperial examination and often stayed up late reading by lamp light.

Moreover, Second Ya spent most of her days in the embroidery workshop, frequently handling newly dyed cloth, so inevitably traces of dye stuck to her clothes.

Besides, to supplement the family income, Second Ya often brought back some discarded fabric from the embroidery workshop to make small bags, fan tassels, or even undergarments for her husband.

With the intelligence gained from this life, An Ning had become even more proficient in the materia medica.

It wasn’t about being old-fashioned, just about what worked.

The spice was non-toxic, the dye was also non-toxic, but combined, they could cause a slight, temporary decrease in resistance.

Ordinarily, it wouldn’t matter. What kind of environment was the imperial exam?

Getting sick or catching a cold was quite easy.

What surprised the system was that Liu Wencai had only caught a mild cold for less than half a month, yet he looked lively now—of course, except for that world-weary stepmother face.

Tongzi couldn’t help but feel skeptical.

Ah, this... it doesn’t seem like the style of its own host!

It had thought that with its host’s personality, she would have swiftly dealt with him, completely cutting off the couple’s chance to climb up.

An Ning just chuckled lightly and bit into an apricot that her cheap husband handed her without explaining much.

Yet somehow, the more her host behaved , the colder Tongzi felt the air around it.

Because the eldest son had passed the Xiucai exam, the Lin family had been especially joyful lately. Even though they knew not to be too ostentatious, they still held a small gathering.

Even Lin Da Jie, who had married out, came back specially. Compared to last time when she still looked a bit troubled, Lin Da Jie was much more spirited this time. As soon as she arrived, she grabbed her sister-in-law’s hand and smiled broadly:

“Oh, look at you, sister-in-law, you look even better than last time. I can already tell this future nephew will be a considerate son, unlike my son...”

She hurriedly pushed her eldest son over.

“Ah Zhi, come here, call your auntie quickly! Didn’t you say the new auntie was like a fairy last time? Well, here she is again.”

The little boy, just over four years old, was at that shy age, especially since An Ning was so pretty. The child couldn’t find words but felt that calling his auntie was especially comfortable.

Blushing, he shyly called “Auntie” and then hid behind his mother.

Frustrated, Lin Da Jie wanted to quickly pull her son out.

This stupid child was fine at home, eager to please his auntie, so why was he so slow-witted now?

The “not smart” little Ah Zhi tightly grabbed his mother’s clothes, only peeking out with big black eyes to sneak looks at the beautiful auntie.

An Ning had heard some gossip about the messy matters in Lin Da Jie’s family and guessed the child’s intentions. She didn’t react much, only smiling and pinching the little guy’s cheek. She treated it as a normal auntie teasing a child—neither cold nor overly warm.

Master Lin, standing nearby, guessed his daughter’s thoughts and his expression darkened for a moment before he sighed as he noticed how much thinner she had become since marrying out. In the end, he did not speak openly.

That night, he personally called his daughter to the study:

“Father knows what you’re thinking, but Ah Zhi is only four years old this year. He can’t be living at someone else’s house every day. Not to mention what the in-laws think, and his father is a Xiucai. At the very least, it’s appropriate to educate your son properly.”

With his own father around, what sense did it make to send the child elsewhere?

Moreover, her son-in-law didn’t seem like a magnanimous person. Even if it wasn’t obvious on the surface, who knew what grudges he held inside?

“Why do you have to do this all these years...” Master Lin said with a worried expression.

“Father!” Lin Da Jie cut him off without even looking up, her slightly thin face now filled with an unspeakable firmness:

“Father, I know what you want to say. It’s just the same old tune—you want your daughter to live well with her husband so that if she really succeeds in the future, she can be honored as a wife with her children.”

“Be honored as a wife with her children.”

What right did Jiang Chenghao have for that?

Lin Da Jie sneered coldly, her once slightly glamorous face now ice-cold, not a trace of the flowery smile she showed when facing An Ning earlier:

“Do you think I haven’t seen what kind of person Jiang Chenghao really is all these years? He’s been putting on a good show on the surface, but in truth, he looks down on a merchant’s daughter like me from the bottom of his heart. Using our family’s money, it seems like he’s insulting himself too!”

“This kind of person, it’s fine if he doesn’t prosper in the future, but if he really does, how will my daughter’s children ever have a good life?”

“Father, don’t talk about the uncle in the capital. Though he has the title of uncle, the relationship is still distant. As long as the interests are in place, who cares about a niece from an outside branch like me?”

She had deliberately inquired. Although the uncle was influential, his two sons were only mediocre in talent. The Yue family was about to retire, and the next ten years would be critical for cultivating trusted relationships.

By then, her value might only be in maintaining this relationship, not in how well she lived. Who would care?

If the uncle retired or something happened, her only value would completely disappear.

“Let me be honest, Father!” Lin Da Jie smiled faintly.

“All these years, the things you told me to bring back, including the materials from the capital, I haven’t given a single cent to the one named Jiang.”

Including those arrangements for her mentor—choosing land was good, but it didn’t scratch the itch of those people.

An official degree! Ha! Even the provincial graduate would have to bow to him.

If he despised her, fine, but his attitude toward his only son was . What could one expect from a person like that?

Master Lin trembled, pointing at his daughter and nearly collapsing in anger.

Good heavens, he never imagined his daughter would be so audacious.

No wonder his son-in-law became a Xiucai at thirteen but, over ten years later, never even reached the provincial graduate level. Turns out the family had a dud!

“You... you...” Thinking of all the money spent over the years, Master Lin’s hands trembled.

Seeing her father like that, Lin Da Jie didn’t mind. She smoothed the wrinkles on her clothes and sat on a small stool beside him, speaking seriously:

“Father, I know your previous plan. Our family came from merchants, and what we have now is all thanks to the uncle in the capital.”

“But in reality, the uncle is already nearly fifty. Who knows how much longer we can rely on him? Once there’s a problem, not to mention the mediocre talent of his descendants, the relationship will be even more distant than before.”

That was why her father was so urgent before.

He forced the obviously unqualified younger brother to study and gave all kinds of support to her less-talented cheap husband.

That idea wasn’t wrong, but...

Thinking of the sister-in-law she just saw, with her refined demeanor, Lin Da Jie’s confidence grew:

“Father, it might have been different before, but now it’s not the same. As a businessperson, you must understand that investing in family is always more stable than investing in outsiders!”

“With sister-in-law’s intelligence, our future nephew will definitely not be lacking. Plus, with her guidance, it’s not just the Xiucai title, the provincial graduate title is at least guaranteed.”

Lin Da Jie firmly believed this.

Even her brother like that could be taught to become a Xiucai by his wife. The future nephew only needed to avoid inheriting all the bad genes from her unfortunate brother. Even if he only got one-tenth of his wife’s intelligence, getting the provincial graduate title would be a breeze.

And her little Ah Zhi—at least that dog Jiang bastard was somewhat useful. Ah Zhi’s head was much better than her brother’s when he was young.

At least he wouldn’t doze off as soon as he started reading!

“Father, think about it. Investing in outsiders isn’t as good as investing in your own grandson or great-grandson, right?”