I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 60 Saving Jun Qirui

In the end, Axi did not go back with them because the yamen had a case to handle.

Listening to Axi's report, Dongfang Jin learned that there was a dock in the east of Ling'an County, which was also a transportation hub connecting the north and south.

Hearing this made her think, she could get Gu Chenglin to go to the dock often to buy some unusual things.

……

The way home wasn't the bumpy road to Lingwu Village, but rather a southward route in the same direction. This road was much smoother than the one leading to Lingwu Village.

Gu Chenglin said that the Tang family paid for the road themselves, and that the road leads all the way to the foot of Nanshan Mountain behind the house they bought.

Gu Jingye looked at the scenery along the way and asked, "Dad, isn't this the way back to the village?"

Gu Chenglin said in a muffled voice, "Yes, this is the way to our new home."

They stayed away from that family and the villagers, which made them feel more at ease.

Little did he know that even though he was far from the village, those troubles remained, and quite a few at that.

Gu Jingye looked bewildered: "Our new home?"

Gu Chenglin drove the oxcart without turning around: "Your stepmother just bought a new house."

He didn't want his siblings to know that he bought the house, and even more so, he didn't want them to know that he was rich.

Dongfang Jin glanced at Gu Chenglin's back. She understood what he meant, but she wouldn't accept Gu Chenglin's favor for nothing.

As long as these two children continue like this, she will not mistreat them.

At this moment, Gu Caiwei pointed to the cornfield by the roadside, her face filled with horror, and whispered, "Little sister, there's someone lying on the ground over there."

Dongfang Jin looked in the direction she pointed and sure enough, there was a man lying by the cornfield.

"Gu Chenglin, stop the car and go take a look," Dongfang Jin called out to Gu Chenglin as she turned around.

"Yu... what's wrong?" Gu Chenglin pulled on the reins, stopped the car, and walked over quickly.

Dongfang Jin pointed to the fields south of the road: "Gu Chenglin, look, over there in the fields."

Gu Chenglin looked over and comforted them, "You guys stay in the car, I'll go check on things."

Gu Jingye's face paled slightly: "Little sister, is that a dead person?"

His question startled Gu Caiwei so much that she immediately burrowed into Dongfang Jin's arms.

Dongfang Jin stared at her sleeve, where the little stone was gripping tightly.

He said to him seriously, "Gu Jingye, I've told you before, don't jump to conclusions before you've figured out the truth of the matter."

This not only scares you but also causes you to lose your own judgment and steers things off course.

What did I say to you back then?

Gu Jingye looked ashamed: "Stay calm in the face of problems, listen more, observe more, and speak less."

Before Dongfang Jin could speak, Gu Chenglin carried a man over and laid him down on the back of the oxcart: "Xiao Jin, give him some water."

"Oh, do I need to send it to the county government office?" Dongfang Jin took out a bottle of water and handed it to him.

Gu Chenglin looked gloomy. The man was still breathing and uninjured, and didn't look like a farmer's son: "Let's wait until he wakes up. He probably fainted from hunger."

He was used to seeing people like this at the border and in the military camp.

Dongfang Jin frowned: "Fainted from hunger? People faint from hunger these days?"

However, she seems to have forgotten that she is now in ancient times.

In this place, going hungry is practically the norm.

After finishing his water, the man let out a groan: "Mmm..."

When Jun Qirui woke up, he saw a man with a scar on his face feeding him water. He suddenly sat up and pushed Gu Chenglin away.

He then lay down again out of habit, and almost fainted again, seeing stars.

He used all his strength in that push, and water splashed all over him and Gu Chenglin.

Dongfang Jin was somewhat displeased and angrily said, "What are you doing? We kindly saved you, and this is how you treat your saviors?"

Jun Qirui then came to his senses and realized that he was sitting on the oxcart.

Looking bewildered, she sat at the back of the car, watching the four of them, and said apologetically, "I...I...I'm sorry."

Gu Chenglin frowned: "Judging from your accent, you're not a local. Are you from the south?"

But the south is wealthier than the north, so how could he...?

"Student...student..." Jun Qirui didn't expect that even though he tried his best to change, this man still saw through him, and now he was somewhat panicked.

Seeing his panicked expression, Dongfang Jin asked, "Have you done something wrong?"

Gu Chenglin: ...His wife really knows how to think.

He shook his head helplessly: "Xiao Jin, he is a scholar."

"Huh?" Dongfang Jin was shocked. What did that mean? So, a scholar wouldn't get into trouble?

Gu Chenglin has now confirmed his wife's identity: "He just called himself a student, which means he has the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). Generally, those with the title of Xiucai are subject to stricter etiquette."

In the Eastern Kingdom, once a student achieves academic success, the requirements become increasingly stringent at each level.

They even trace back to the previous generations of each student.

Dongfang Jin looked at the man curiously: "Are you really a scholar?"

A scholar? She encountered a scholar from ancient times.

There's a saying that circulates among people today: "When a scholar meets a soldier, reason is useless; he'll either die or go mad."

Of course, the last sentence was added by the group of friends themselves, because none of them liked those bookish nerds.

Upon hearing Gu Chenglin's words, Jun Qirui felt utterly ashamed: "I...I..."

This made Dongfang Jin very anxious; it was really difficult for ancient scholars to speak.

"Yes or no, that's it. Your stammering makes me suspect you're a spy from an enemy country."

When Jun Qirui heard her say that she was a spy from an enemy country, he thought, "No, I'm not a spy from an enemy country. I'm just hungry and want to go to the fields to find something to eat."

We searched the field for ages, but found nothing.

Dongfang Jin looked at the cornfield. The place where he had fainted was already harvested; there was no corn left there.

There was a cornfield not far from them, which hadn't been harvested yet: "If you're looking for food, why don't you go over there? This field has already been harvested, there's definitely nothing there."

Jun Qirui blushed slightly and said softly, "Taking something without asking is stealing, and I... I can't do that kind of thing."

This is what people had already collected, and I was just thinking, what if... what if someone left something behind...

Dongfang Jin was speechless. They've fallen so low, who are they still trying to impress?

There were no people around, and the workers were all heading towards Lingwu Village.

"You deserve to go hungry. You've become so pedantic from all that studying, yet you're still so concerned about saving face. You just broke off a few ears of corn and left. Who knows what would have happened?"

Jun Qirui was so frightened that he quickly waved his hands: "That...that won't do, this...this is theft."

I can't... I can't do this, I can't..."

Seeing that his wife was quite angry with this person, Gu Chenglin interrupted him in a cold tone, saying, "Where do you live? We'll take you home."

Jun Qirui shook his head, looking dejected: "I...we have nowhere to go right now, so...we'll stay...stay in the...thatched hut behind that house in front."

Dongfang Jin: "..." That's it?

She already has a bad mouth, how come she met someone even dumber than her?

Is this guy really a scholar? He's already confessed before we've even started beating him?

Even kindergarten children today know not to talk to strangers.

And never tell the truth to strangers.

"You? Who else are you? Are you a traveling scholar?"

There seem to have been such people in ancient times, right?

There's a popular saying: "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."

Gu Chenglin sighed, his wife seemed to really enjoy arguing with people.

"Xiao Jin, don't ask anymore. They probably live near our new house. Our family is the only household here."

Jun Qirui: ...What do you mean? There's no one in that house.