The windowpane had a hole in it, and a few crooked boards nailed over it did nothing to stop the wind howling outside like a wailing ghost. The flames in the fire pit flickered, leaving the whole room alternately bright and dim. After a strange silence, Xie Zheng spoke. "I overthought it. We'll do it your way." Fan Zhangyu shook her head quickly. The moneylender's men had come looking for her that afternoon to collect a debt, and he had seen it. If she really went and threw a sack over Fan Da's head, he might truly take her for some kind of desperate criminal. "If there's another way, I won't risk it," she said, a little embarrassed. "If it came out, I'd be back in court again." Xie Zheng lowered his eyes halfway. His black eyes held no warmth even with the firelight in them. Suddenly he said, "If you don't mind the trouble, finishing Fan Da off would be simpler.His tone was cold and indifferent, as if he were not the s...
Fan Changyu turned on Jin Laosan and his men and snapped, "What are you shouting about?" Jin Laosan said sheepishly, "Isn't he the son-in-law you took into the family, boss?" Fan Changyu choked. She glanced at Xie Zheng out of habit. His face was calm, as if Jin Laosan's words had barely registered, and she let out a breath. "He is my husband, yes. But why are you calling him that?" The whole group lowered their heads and fell silent, like a row of young daughters-in-law who had failed to win their tyrant mother-in-law's approval. The sight made her temple twitch. She waved a hand. "I only took you to the Wang shop to get justice, and now we've got it. Go home, all of you. And stop bullying people." Jin Laosan and his men mumbled their agreement and left. Fan Changyu looked again at Xie Zheng, who stood a short distance away, and felt a flicker of guilt for no reason she could name. But she hadn't done anything wicked, so...