Chapter 23: Discarding the Tool After the Work Is Done

"Don't talk nonsense. We have already given Yingchun and Yingxia to Chen Fan in marriage; we must not go back on our word."

"Furthermore, if it weren't for Chen Fan this time, our Su family would likely not have survived this crisis. We cannot be the type of people who tear down the bridge once we have crossed it."

"That Zhao Hongwei comes from an official's family. Even if our daughters were to marry into his house, they would only be concubines, and they would surely suffer even more grievances then."

Su Yi flatly refused.

However, Wang Wei remained unwilling to give up.

"Master, Chen Fan is nothing more than a poor boy. Since he helped our Su family this time, we can simply give him a sum of money to ensure he lives a comfortable life; that would be enough to repay him."

"Being a concubine in an official's household is far better than suffering with this poor boy!"

"Besides, if we attach ourselves to Zhao Hongwei, once he becomes a high-ranking official, our Su family will surely rise to even greater heights!" Wang Wei continued to persuade him.

Wang Wei's words stirred something in Su Yi.

Because the current Great Xia Dynasty’s policy of prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce was becoming increasingly severe, the restrictions on merchants were growing.

Over these past years, the Su family had not made any progress under Su Yi’s management; in fact, they had regressed. This made Su Yi feel deeply guilty, as if he had failed the ancestors of the Su family. If they could align themselves with the Zhao family, it would indeed benefit the Su family’s development.

However, if he did that, he felt he would be betraying Chen Fan. Su Yi’s heart began to struggle with the conflict.

"Let's discuss this matter another time." Su Yi gave an ambiguous answer.

Wang Wei knew her husband very well; she could tell he was tempted, but had not yet made up his mind. *Then I suppose I shall have to give him a nudge,* Wang Wei thought to herself.

"Everyone, come over and eat!" Su Yi called out to Chen Fan and the others.

Soon, the entire family was seated together for the meal. Looking at the table full of dishes, Chen Fan could not help but swallow hard.

"Our Su family was able to turn danger into safety this time, and Chen Fan deserves the greatest credit. I, for one, would like to toast Chen Fan with this first cup of wine," Su Yi said, raising his glass.

Chen Fan quickly stood up and drained a cup with his father-in-law. At that moment, he felt that his father-in-law was actually quite decent; at the very least, he hadn't discarded him like a worn-out tool just because he was poor.

"Brother-in-law, I nearly caused a grave mistake before because of Lanlan. I hope you will not blame me," Su Wenqi said, stepping forward to admit her fault.

After all, she still had to rely on the Su family to survive. If Su Yi held a grudge and cut off her allowance, she and Lanlan would have no way to go on. Seeing the somewhat humble Su Wenqi, Chen Fan felt an inexplicable touch of pity in his heart.

"Hmph."

"Wenqi, it’s not that I want to criticize you, but your brother and I were prepared to sacrifice our lives to protect the Su family’s ancestral graves. Yet you chose to side against us. Is Lanlan's life a life, but your brother's and mine are not?" Wang Wei interjected with dissatisfaction before Su Yi could speak.

These words left Su Wenqi unable to retort, and she could only look nervously at Su Yi.

"Forget it. Lanlan is still young, and I can understand you doing it for her sake. However, from now on, your and Lanlan's monthly allowance will be halved," Su Yi said, his face cold.

Upon hearing that the allowance would be cut in half, Su Wenqi’s expression turned sour, but she dared not argue, lest the other half be taken away as well.

"Yes," Su Wenqi replied, and sat down feeling aggrieved.

"Alright, let's start eating!" Su Yi commanded.

No sooner had Su Yi finished speaking than Chen Fan began to move. With one hand, he tipped a plate directly into his bowl, and with the other, he grabbed a chicken leg and shoved it into his mouth.

It was Su Wenqi and Lanlan’s first time eating with Chen Fan, and they were startled by his manner of eating. It was as if he were a starving ghost reincarnated.

This made Yingchun and Yingxia blush, but Chen Fan could not be bothered with such things. His past life in the military had taught him that one must eat quickly to be ready for any sudden emergencies.

"Chen Fan, can you eat more slowly? You have no manners at all. No one in the Su family is going to snatch your food," Wang Wei said with annoyance.

"Manners don't fill your stomach. You all eat your own, don't worry about me," Chen Fan said, chewing on the chicken leg with an air of indifference.

Hearing this, a look of anger flared on Wang Wei’s face.

"Say no more! Chen Fan has been exhausted for the Su family these past few days; just let him eat his fill," Su Yi said, stepping in to smooth things over.

But Wang Wei was not about to let it go.

"Yingchun, Yingxia, do you still remember Magistrate Zhao’s son, Zhao Hongwei?" Wang Wei suddenly asked her daughters.

Upon hearing their mother's words, both Yingchun and Yingxia looked confused, wondering why she would bring up Zhao Hongwei at such a time. Su Yi, sitting nearby, frowned; he knew exactly what his wife was aiming for.

"We remember," the sisters replied, though they were puzzled, nodding honestly.

"Young Master Zhao has already entered the Imperial Academy and will be able to serve as an official after taking the imperial examinations next year."

"Young Master Zhao always had a fondness for you two before! It would have been wonderful if you had ended up with him; you would be official’s wives by now."

"It's a pity you ended up with a poor boy, destined only to suffer. Your mother feels very guilty about it!" Wang Wei sighed.

Once these words were spoken, everyone at the table looked at Wang Wei. Saying this in front of Chen Fan, everyone could see her true intentions.

Chen Fan also frowned and set down the chicken leg in his hand. Naturally, he understood that Wang Wei regretted marrying her daughters to him. A surge of anger rose in Chen Fan’s heart. Wang Wei was planning to kill the donkey the moment it left the mill.

"Mother, what are you saying? Husband is very good to us sisters; how could he ever let us suffer?"

"Mother, we don't want to be any 'official’s wives.' We sisters only want to live a good life with our husband," the two sisters declared firmly.

"You are both still young, you don't know..."

"Enough, say no more!" Wang Wei wanted to continue, but was cut off by Su Yi.

Su Yi still had a shred of conscience; he felt embarrassed for Chen Fan after hearing what Wang Wei had said.

"Chen Fan, you saved the Su family this time, and I promised you that I would not treat you unfairly."

"From now on, you may take a monthly allowance of one thousand silver taels from the Su family."

"Since you have nothing to do, I can hand over one of the Su family’s shops for you to manage. You may take fifty percent of the shop's monthly profits," Su Yi said, acting as if he were being generous.

For an ordinary person, these terms would be excellent. But for a hero who had saved the entire Su family, it was somewhat stingy. Deep down, Su Yi still looked down on Chen Fan, believing these terms were enough to make him weep with gratitude.

"Young Master Zhao entered the Imperial Academy through his own merit, while some people are still surviving by relying on women. Truly, there is no comparison between people!" Wang Wei added, speaking in a sarcastic, biting tone before Chen Fan could respond.

These words made the two sisters very angry.

"I, Chen Fan, will not take a single cent from the Su family. I have the ability to ensure my wives live a good life."

"You can just wait and see. Within a year, my wealth will surpass that of the Su family," Chen Fan said with disdain.