Chapter 29: Setting the Wedding Date

Yu Yan opened her mouth, wanting to call the two back, but lacked the courage and could only vent her anger by slapping Wan Shun.
"You wretched child, are you trying to drive me mad? Look at what you've done, offending everyone! How are you supposed to live from now on?
You know perfectly well what kind of family the Ma clan is, yet you still rush in headlong. Are you stupid?
Tell me, what exactly do you want? Are you trying to fly to the heavens, or are you just tired of living?"
Wan Shun’s hand nearly broke under the blows; she grinned painfully, dodging around the courtyard.
"Godmother, calm down! This is a good thing, a really great thing. Look at that family—either old, or a bunch of useless girls. With my age, I'll outlast anyone who has power in the house. The rest, those girls, pose no threat. As their stepmother, I can sell them off, which is another source of income.
Afterward, everything the Ma family owns will be mine, right? Then I’ll bring you over, and we can live together. If gossip bothers us, it’s fine—we’ll sell them off too, take the money to the county and buy a house. We’ll live freely and happily. Isn’t that wonderful?"
Yu Yan said nothing, turned into the kitchen, and came out carrying a vegetable knife.
Wan Shun...
The next morning, Wan Shun yawned and got up, only to be met by a face cold enough to freeze.
She closed her eyes, opened them again—it was still the face of the dead.
What bad luck, so early in the day.
"Hey, big brother, why are you bringing such bad luck this early? Don’t you know you shouldn’t see ghosts first thing in the morning?"
He Ci’s expression was unchanged. "I have something for you."
Wan Shun pouted. "You don’t look like you have something, more like you’re picking a fight. What, planning to slaughter my whole family?"
He Ci was silent for a moment, then handed over the folder in his hand. "Here’s what you asked for."
Wan Shun wasn’t surprised at all. The Mountain Cannon agreeing to her cooperation was the wisest choice.
"Come in."
He Ci hesitated for three seconds before stepping into the yard.
A desolate feeling rushed in; he was a little unaccustomed.
He, always beside the Mountain Cannon, never lacked money or status, so he had never experienced such poverty and decay.
It was truly unexpected, that in these conditions, Wan Shun could give up all her winnings without a blink.
He looked around, saw nowhere to sit, unwilling to enter the house.
Wan Shun didn't intend to let him in either, leaving him in the yard and ignoring him.
She grabbed a chipped bowl to brush her teeth, asking, "Go ahead, tell me what you found."
He Ci pressed his lips together. "It’s all written in the materials."
Wan Shun glanced at him. "I know it’s all written, but I’m too lazy to read. I want you to tell me, just the important points."
He Ci clenched his fist; before coming, Mountain Cannon had urged him to be polite, to restrain his temper, and to cooperate with Wan Shun’s requests as much as possible.
"Who do you want to hear about?"
Wan Shun replied carelessly, "Whichever you like."
He Ci exhaled. "Cao Baojian—accepted bribes, abused power for personal gain, embezzled public funds."
Wan Shun stared blankly at He Ci. "That’s it?"
He Ci’s expression did not change. "That’s it."
Wan Shun’s lips twitched. He certainly knew how to focus on the essentials. "Is there evidence?"
"There is." He Ci was concise.
Seeing Wan Shun’s indifferent look, he added, "It’s all here."
Wan Shun clicked her tongue. "What about Luo Cheng?"
He Ci answered, "Both parents are alive, has younger siblings."
Wan Shun raised her eyebrows; that much she knew.
"Before becoming Liu Shu’s apprentice, his family was struggling, but afterward, their lives quickly improved. Partly due to their restaurant, but we also found out he had dealings with Cao Baojian."
Wan Shun paused in brushing her teeth. "Luo Cheng had dealings with Cao Baojian?"
He Ci lifted his eyelids. "Yes."
Wan Shun sank into thought, recalling her previous life. After the Liu family incident, Luo Cheng quickly distanced himself.
The Liu family’s money was said to have been fully compensated to the victims.
So much—was it all paid out?
And then, in that previous life, Cao Baojian kept climbing, reaching the position of second-in-command at the city bureau—a life of glory.
She’d heard his son had opened a chain restaurant called Lucky Arrival.
Wan Shun’s expression suddenly changed. Luo Cheng worked at Lucky Arrival, and after the incident, was imprisoned.
So, could it be that the Liu family’s downfall was orchestrated by Cao Baojian and Luo Cheng, aiming for the Liu family’s assets?
"First, hand over all evidence against Cao Baojian, get someone to keep a close eye on Luo Cheng, investigate further for evidence of his dealings with Cao Baojian, and also look into someone named Fang Gao."
Fang Gao was the one who died of food poisoning at the Liu family’s restaurant in the previous life.
He Ci wanted to throw the folder in Wan Shun’s face—she was truly treating him like a subordinate.
"Understood."
"And Wan Yin?" Wan Shun asked.
He Ci replied, "We’d already made him rack up over a thousand in debt, but yesterday the Wan family suddenly settled everything."
Yesterday?
Yesterday Wan Yu returned. That money must have been brought back by Wan Yu.
"Don’t worry, continue as before. Wan Yin is a worthless gambler; no amount of family wealth can satisfy him. Just keep earning—whenever he has money, let him play big, no penny-pinching.
By the way, check how Wan Yu got out of the detention center, where the money came from, and investigate the Wan family’s relationship with the Ma family in the neighboring commune."
He Ci nodded silently, unafraid of more troubles; they would handle it.
After a while, seeing Wan Shun say nothing more, he couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t there anything else?" The boss at home was waiting for him to deliver a message.
Wan Shun shook her head blankly. "No."
He Ci said nothing, turned and left.
Wan Shun was speechless. "Acting crazy first thing in the morning."
…………
Perhaps fearing Wan Shun would change her mind, the Wan family settled her marriage with Ma Kai within three days.
Like covering their ears while stealing a bell, they still wanted to hold a banquet to show how much they valued Wan Shun.
The whole village was dumbfounded, as if they'd been bitten by a dog. Could this really happen?
When Wan Yu came to announce it, Yu Yan wanted to hit her with a broom and drive her out.
Wan Shun greeted her with a smile. "Dear foster sister, how many tables are you planning? Has Ma’s family completed all the traditional betrothal rituals? Remember, you can’t touch any of those things—they all need to go with me to my new home."
Wan Yu’s smile stiffened. "Little Shun, don’t joke. This is our situation, and since the wedding is rushed, everything has to be simple. What matters is the future life together; other things are just material."
Wan Shun showed her teeth. "A rushed wedding—aren’t you all just eager to see me fall into this trap? That has nothing to do with me; you can’t sacrifice my interests for your schemes, right?
Life together is important, but money is the most important for living. Without it, I can’t sleep at night.
Foster sister, don’t be stingy. I’ve worked for your family for over ten years, one hundred a year—you should give me at least thirteen hundred as a dowry to show how much you value and care for your foster sister, right?
It’ll also cover up your eagerness to see me jump into this pit, won’t it?
Foster sister, without a dowry, I won’t leave the house. I’m sure you understand."
Wan Yu’s fists clenched, and Wan Shun slammed the door shut, refusing further conversation.
Wan Yu glanced gloomily at the dilapidated thatched house of the Jiang family, then turned and left.
Yu Yan peered through the crack in the door, confirming Wan Yu had truly gone before asking Wan Shun, "Little Shun, talk to godmother, what are you really planning? You can't seriously be getting married, can you? You’re only sixteen—you can’t ruin your life like this."
Wan Shun patted Yu Yan’s hand. "Godmother, I promise you, I’ll be fine. I told you, I still want to earn money with you, find Jiang Yingzhi, and live a good life. I won’t break my word."
Yu Yan’s face was full of helplessness, ending only in sighs.
But seeing Wan Shun’s determination, she couldn’t just do nothing—after all, it was marriage.
She took out the seventy-odd yuan she’d saved over the years, plus the two hundred yuan Wan Shun had given her recently for living expenses, and brought Wan Shun to the commune, under the pretense of preparing a dowry.