An Xin said, "Uncle, because you have been with herbs for many years, your body will be covered with the fragrance of herbs. Moreover, because you know the way of health preservation, your complexion and body are healthier than ordinary people. Of course, these are all general statements. The most important thing is that I see some herbal powder stuck to your sleeves."
An Xin stepped forward, rubbed the powder between her fingers, sniffed it, and said, "This is astragalus powder, right?"
Wang Lun exclaimed in amazement, "Little girl, you're capable enough to be an official!"
An Xin smiled wryly and slipped a silver ingot into his hand, saying, "My mother and father are not in good health, so we will have to trouble Uncle Wang a lot in the future."
Wang Lun laughed and said, "No problem, no problem."
Seeing this, everyone became interested and rushed forward to let An Xin guess. An Youwei looked at his daughter in surprise and murmured, "Is this really my daughter...?"
Xu Ruolan said, "I wouldn't mistake my daughter, but something seems off about this girl..."
---Aside---
Girls, please save this if you like it. Love you all! O(∩_∩)O
Chapter Nine: Casino Turmoil
Liu Yuemei rolled her eyes and pouted. She looked down on An Xin from the bottom of her heart. She had originally agreed to a marriage for An Xin.
The man was called Deng Er. He was a lazy good-for-nothing in the village who had squandered his family's wealth. Unexpectedly, he also developed a gambling addiction. He was of marriageable age, but because of his bad reputation, he remained a bachelor.
Unexpectedly, Deng Er took a fancy to An Xin. Deng Er's mother had no choice but to take her dowry jewelry to propose marriage. On the way, she happened to meet Liu Yuemei. Liu Yuemei was greedy for money and agreed on An Xin's behalf. Who would have thought that a wealthy and powerful Ling family would suddenly appear and marry An Xin!
Spitting out the money she had already swallowed was more painful than cutting off Liu Yuemei's flesh. Besides, the best her daughters could hope for was marrying into a wealthy family. An Xin was weak and foolish, and had never been to school, yet she was fortunate enough to marry the young and promising Grand Tutor Ling Xiyao! In addition to jealousy, she was also filled with envy. Now that An Youwei was down on his luck, she was naturally overjoyed and applauded!
Who would have thought that An Xin would act so out of character and undergo such a dramatic change in temperament!
Have the rich and powerful become so shrewd over the years that they've gained too much experience and knowledge?
Liu Yuemei glanced at An Youwei and Xu Ruolan's impoverished appearance and felt a surge of smugness. "Serving as an official, in the end, they still end up with nothing but farming!"
His gaze fell on Xu Ruolan's nice blue embroidered dress, and jealousy got the better of him. He said sarcastically, "Ruolan, your complexion is dark. Wearing this kind of fabric will only make you look older... Oh, look at this red jacket of mine. I heard it's the most popular style this year. It's a bit expensive, but my daughter is willing to spend it... Even if you have money, you shouldn't spend it like this, don't you think?"
Xu Ruolan was already shy, and after Liu Yuemei's words, she blushed and stammered, "This material..."
An Youwei's face darkened as he said, "What's wrong with the material? As long as you look good in it, why bother with other people!"
An Xin, who saw this scene from a distance, raised the corners of her lips slightly. An Youwei was right. There was no need to pay attention to these scheming women. If you wanted to shut them up, you had to live better and stronger than them!
It seems that continuing to live in poverty is not a solution! Rather than ignoring such harsh words and being inexplicably trampled on, she prefers to trample others into mud!
****
An Youwei pushed open the door and found the courtyard overgrown with weeds, a desolate scene.
The paper windows of the main house and side rooms were already tattered, and Liu Yuemei had stolen all the useful things inside, leaving the house empty.
An Xin is usually a very lazy person. If she has nothing to do, she can usually sleep for a whole day and night. If she has something to do, she usually stays up for a whole day and night. However, due to limited conditions and the fact that Xu Ruolan and An Youwei are not in good health, she had no choice but to do it herself.
She grabbed a handful of dry grass, tied it into a bundle, and then tied it to a bamboo pole to make a makeshift broom. As she swept away the cobwebs on the eaves, Dewdrop hurriedly said, "Miss, leave these to me!"
An Xin said, "I see a well not far from the door. Go and fetch some water."
Dewdrop immediately agreed, found the wooden bucket that hadn't been used in the kitchen for a long time, and brought the water over in no time.
An Xin squatted down and asked, "Does that old lady have any children?"
Dewdrop blinked and said, "Yes, there are three daughters and one son. The eldest daughter, An Xiaoya, married Liu Er, a pig butcher from the same village, at a young age. The second daughter, An Xiaowan, married Du Baichuan, a wealthy man from Huaxi Village. The third daughter, An Xiaoyue, is about the same age as Miss and is still unmarried. As for that son, his name is An Daming. He's a dissolute, good-for-nothing scoundrel who spends his days cheating people out of food and drink. He's also a gambler and a womanizer. Miss was bullied by him when she was young."
An Xin smiled slightly. Cleaning this room was truly inhuman work; she'd be better off sleeping! But someone had to do the work…
"Are there any shops nearby?" An Xin asked.
Dewdrop thought for a moment and said, "The villagers go to the nearby county town to buy things. It's not far from Wuhua Village. The master used to be an official in that county."
An Xin stood up and said, "In that case, Dewdrop, come with me to the county town to buy some things related to being humiliated."
Dewdrop immediately exclaimed happily, "Okay!"
An Xin glanced at the busy An Youwei and said, "Father, rest. I'll take care of things when I get back."
An Youwei rushed out in a panic, rummaged through his empty money pouch, poured out all the little money he had, and handed it to An Xin, who pushed it all back.
Dewdrop said with a grin, "Master, Miss is very clever. Please keep this money."
An Youwei said, "Cleverness can't be used as money."
Anxin and Luzhu looked at each other and smiled, saying, "Sometimes being smart can make you money!"
**
Although Yi'an County is not as prosperous as the capital, it is still bustling with people.
People from neighboring villages would come here to exchange or buy and sell goods. Because the houses in the village had been uninhabited for a long time, many things had long been abandoned, and new things needed to be purchased for food, clothing, and daily necessities.
An Xin wasn't in a hurry and strolled leisurely down the street. Lu Zhu couldn't figure out what her young mistress was thinking, so she could only obediently follow. But as the day was getting late, if they continued to dawdle like this, it would get dark soon.
"Miss, we've been walking for a long time, and we're still empty-handed," Dewdrop whispered a reminder.
An Xin seemed not to hear her speak. She stopped in her tracks, looked up slightly, and saw a huge "gambling" character in her field of vision. Shouts of betting echoed continuously, indicating that the gambling den was bustling with activity.
An Xin flicked out a tael of silver with her finger and then walked inside.
Dewdrop's eyes widened suddenly, and she hurriedly said, "Miss, young ladies are not allowed to enter here!"
An Xin had already left her behind, ignoring her advice completely. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it.
The gambling den was packed with people. Whether they were watching or placing bets, they were all shouting excitedly. Some were elated with shining eyes, while others looked dejected and crestfallen.
The dewdrop followed timidly in, looking around curiously, her heart pounding wildly.
"You're here to gamble even though you have no money! You guys kick this bastard out, don't let him ruin my business!"
"Who said I don't have any money! Doesn't the sign say you can bet three taels?!" came the exasperated voice.
"Tch... Someone like you who's never won, double your bet! Get out, get out!"
...
Dewdrop grabbed An Xin's arm in surprise and exclaimed, "Miss, that's An Daming! He really is here!"
An Xin's gaze fell on a disheveled man in the crowd. He wore a cheap blue robe, the front half-open, revealing half his chest, and his belt was loosely tied around his waist, with a cheap jade pendant hanging from it. He was of average appearance, but he wore the most fashionable hairstyle in the county, with a strand of hair sticking out from his forehead that occasionally covered his left eye. Every time this happened, he would casually toss his head to shake the strand of hair away.
The phrase "slicked-back hair and powdered face" is the most fitting description.
He held three taels of silver in his hand, his eyes gleaming, looking every bit the desperate gambler.
An Xin said calmly, "Ignore him, let's gamble too." She then stepped forward and placed a silver ingot on the table. Women were rarely seen in casinos, so An Xin's arrival immediately surprised everyone, followed by a burst of laughter.
One person said, "Young lady, this is a men's area. It would be dangerous for you to come here so rashly."
One person said, "Look at your delicate skin, why don't you play with me? I guarantee you'll make a profit!"
One saying goes, "Gambling is a one-way street, hehe, one ingot of silver won't be enough for you to lose! Hahaha!"
...
An Daming was annoyed when he suddenly noticed that everyone's attention had shifted to a brat. He couldn't help but glance at her as well, and then he glanced at Dewdrop.
Feeling guilty, the dewdrop awkwardly looked away.
After a while, An Daming suddenly opened his eyes wide.
---Aside---
Girls, save this!
Chapter 10: Do You Dare or Not?
After a while, An Daming suddenly opened his eyes wide!
Ah! Dewdrops!
Dewdrop felt a chill run down her spine and hurriedly hid behind An Xin, saying, "Miss, we've been recognized!"
An Daming finally recognized An Xin. He hadn't seen this cousin of his uncle's for several years. She really had grown up to be more and more beautiful!
However, this younger sister's demeanor seems somewhat different from before.
An Daming chuckled and said, "Who said I only have three taels of silver! I have two girls here as collateral! Do you dare to bet?"
Everyone's eyes lit up and they shouted, "We'll bet! Only a coward wouldn't dare!"
Dewdrop said angrily, "An Daming, how dare you use Miss as a bet!"
An Daming smoothed a strand of hair from his forehead and said, "So what!? I'll tell you two uncles that you dared to gamble at the casino and ended up losing yourselves too. How can you expect me to do that!?"
Dewdrop trembled and shouted angrily, "You, you've gone too far!"
An Xin seemed not to have heard An Daming's words at all. She stared at the dice for a long time before smiling slightly and saying, "I bet on big!"
Everyone hurriedly placed their bets, naturally all betting against An Xin, since no one would believe that a seemingly weak girl could win.
An Xin tilted her head slightly, looked at An Daming, and slowly raised the corners of her lips in a smile, saying, "Do you dare to place a bet? If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me; if you lose, come home with me."
An Daming's eyes lit up instantly, and he slammed his hand on the table, saying, "There's nothing in this world that I wouldn't dare to do!"
An Xin grabbed the dice, her wrist flicking rapidly, the dice making a clinking sound as if they had some strange melody.
"Small! Small! Small!" Everyone shouted wildly, as if they had been injected with chicken blood. An Daming also picked up the dice and stared intently at An Xin. He skillfully flipped the dice in his hand, then slammed them on the table with a "bang" and flipped them over. It turned out to be five five six!
Everyone gasped in surprise, and An Daming immediately burst into triumphant laughter: "My luck has finally turned! Hahahaha!"
Dewdrop's heart leaped into her throat. She swallowed hard and whispered, "Miss, this servant..." She was so scared! What if they lost? Would Miss really be at An Daming's mercy? She had grown up with Miss since childhood and knew An Daming very well. He was spoiled by Liu Yuemei, willful, selfish, and had terrible behavior. If Miss really fell into his hands, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Thinking of this, Dewdrop became even more nervous. She thought of the Grand Tutor, but the young lady had divorced him with a letter of divorce. Even if something happened to the young lady, the Grand Tutor would no longer care!
"Girl, hurry up and drive! Dragging it out won't change the outcome, haha!"
"Yes, girl, it's okay if you lose. I may be ugly, but I'm very gentle!"
...
Dewdrop looked at the laughing faces of the crowd in fear, and tightened her grip on Anxin's hand. Anxin moved her hand away, and the three dice were exposed to everyone's eyes, followed by silence.