The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 60: Popcorn

Zirong was nothing like Widow Zhuang, who was filled with guilt and unease. She fiddled with the gilded bracelet on her snow-white wrist, leaning lazily against the doorframe.

“What Wei Dexing? What recipe? If you’re craving meat, just say so. No need to make up all these empty excuses to bully a household of orphans and widows.”

It seemed that Zirong was determined to deny everything to the very end.

Meng Wudong’s temper flared instantly. He rolled up his sleeves and cursed, “Shameless thing, a disgrace to your ancestors!”

Zirong hurriedly took a few steps back, dodging Meng Wudong’s bulging-veined fist. Her eyes darted around, and then, twisting her hands, she suddenly burst into loud, wailing sobs.

“Injustice! What a sin! What have we poor orphans and widows done to deserve being bullied by a gang of heartless robbers?”

“You—you’re the clan leader’s eldest son, you’re the clan leader’s in-law, and you’re the clan leader’s favored person. You don’t like us, so of course, you can pin any crime on us as you please!”

“Oh, heavens! Please open your eyes and take pity on us poor, suffering souls!”

Zirong wept with dramatic, quivering sobs, choking as if her heart was breaking. It was so heartrending that anyone who heard it would find it hard not to sympathize. To an outsider, it almost seemed as if Qiu Huanian and the others were the true bullies.

Yuchuan and Lansheng came running out of the house. The moment they saw their mother crying, it was as if a switch had been flipped. They instantly sat down at Zirong’s feet, wailing in perfect harmony, one higher, one lower.

The mother and sons’ trio of sorrowful cries carried far in the cold winter air. Many villagers, who had been huddled indoors against the cold, now bundled up in thick clothing and came out to see what was happening.

This skill, honed in the back courtyards of wealthy merchants in the capital, was proving just as effective and troublesome in the village.

Judging by how practiced Zirong and her two children were, they must have used this tactic successfully many times in the past.

“You—you all—” Baoren, who had a soft heart and a mild temperament, was utterly flustered by the scene before him.

He knew that Hua-ge’er wouldn’t make baseless accusations. If Qiu Huanian had called him here, it must mean that Zirong had secretly sold the sorghum candy recipe. But seeing Zirong’s family of orphans and widows crying like this, half of Baoren’s initial anger had already dissipated.

What if—what if there was some unspeakable difficulty behind all this?

The onlookers had no knowledge of the sorghum candy recipe situation. Seeing the scene unfold, they simply assumed that Zirong’s family had somehow offended Qiu Huanian again, and he had finally lost patience and come to settle the score.

Some villagers, who liked to mediate, spoke up. “Hua-ge’er, we’re all neighbors. No matter how bad Zirong and her family are, there’s no need to force a widow and her children to cry outside in the dead of winter.”

“Since Baoren is here, why don’t we just talk things out? Whoever owes an apology should apologize, and then let’s put this matter behind us.”

Zirong clutched her chest, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. But when she heard the villagers’ words, a hint of triumph flickered in her eyes.

As orphans and widows, they were naturally in a weaker position. A little display of vulnerability easily won sympathy. And since Qiu Huanian had no concrete evidence, as long as she denied everything, what could they do to her?

Qiu Huanian listened to the murmurs of the crowd, pressing his lips together.

This was one of the downsides of becoming strong. As his family’s situation improved, surpassing most of the villagers, it became harder to gain their empathy and support.

Just like now—despite his long-standing reputation for kindness and the fact that Zirong’s family had always been troublesome, the sheer gap in status between them meant that as soon as Zirong put on a pitiful act in the freezing cold, the villagers instinctively leaned toward the weaker side.

Meng Wudong grew increasingly frustrated, cursing loudly. At this, Zirong and her two children immediately shrank into a pitiful huddle, crying out to the heavens, pleading for justice. The villagers’ sympathies shifted even further in their favor.

Qiu Huanian watched Zirong coldly. If things continued like this, they would have no choice but to swallow the insult and impose only a light punishment on her.

But Qiu Huanian refused to back down.

He wanted to settle this score properly, down to the last detail. Otherwise, who knew what might come next? One step back now would mean retreating again and again in the future.

“Then let’s do as everyone says and talk things out.” Qiu Huanian took a step forward and grabbed Zirong’s wrist.

“Before we discuss anything else, why don’t you first explain where you got the hairpins and ornaments you’re wearing? And the rouge and powder on your face—where did those come from? These things are worth at least a few taels of silver. Your little ‘household of orphans and widows’ seems to have quite the means.”

“……”

Qiu Huanian’s questions seemed unrelated at first glance, but they immediately piqued the villagers’ curiosity.

That’s right—Zirong’s family had been so poor they had to borrow food not long ago. Where had they suddenly come into money?

Zirong had already prepared an answer. She wiped her tears and sniffled, saying, “Of course, the hairpins and powder were bought by my husband. What, do I have to prove to outsiders what goes on between a husband and wife?”

Qiu Huanian gave a faint, knowing smile. “Aren’t you Bai Yanwen’s concubine? If you and he are a couple, where does that leave his legal wife?”

Zirong’s face turned ashen. She hadn’t expected Qiu Huanian to know about that.

When Bai Yanwen’s steward, Fan Qi, had come to invite scholars from Zhang County to the Xiefang Garden banquet, Zirong had been extremely nervous. But upon learning that Fan Qi’s purpose was only to invite the county’s scholars, she had breathed a sigh of relief.

She had assumed that since Bai Yanwen left Zhang County the very next day, he wouldn’t have had the chance to form deep connections with Du Yunse’s family, and therefore, her secret wouldn’t be exposed.

For a while, she had been cautious, waiting anxiously. But when she didn’t hear any gossip spreading in the village about her being Bai Yanwen’s concubine, she finally relaxed completely.

Judging others by her own mindset, Zirong had thought that if Qiu Huanian knew her secret, he would have exposed it immediately. The fact that he hadn’t done so made her believe he didn’t know.

With the threat gone, Zirong had grown bolder again. Out of jealousy and resentment, she would occasionally cause trouble for Qiu Huanian’s family.

She had never imagined that Qiu Huanian actually knew everything all along—he had just been silently watching her make a fool of herself!

“Bai Yanwen was dismissed and sent back to the capital for offending an imperial inspector. So, you’re saying he specifically sent someone to Du Family Village just to deliver gifts to you?”

“Previously, you neither inquired nor intervened, and now, after several months, you suddenly remember to send things to a concubine who was dismissed and to illegitimate children who were transferred to a collateral branch because of their mistakes?”

Qiu Huanian curled his lips and slowed his tone. “Of course, I’m not doubting your ‘deep affection between man and concubine,’ but your hairpins and ornaments seem to be the style from the county’s jewelry shop rather than the capital’s. Why don’t you think carefully and come up with a better origin for them?”

The words “deep affection between man and concubine” sounded truly sarcastic.

To avoid making Widow Zhuang’s situation more difficult, Qiu Huanian had never disclosed to others that Zirong was once the concubine of a wealthy merchant in the capital.

Zirong and her two children had already fallen out completely with them, but Qiu Huanian still cared about Widow Zhuang’s dignity and past kindness.

Back then, Zirong inexplicably brought home a man and insisted on marrying him. After hosting a wedding banquet, she left without a word and hadn’t returned for years, leaving Widow Zhuang to bear the brunt of gossip and rumors.

To protect her daughter’s reputation, Widow Zhuang had fabricated numerous small lies over the years, convincing the villagers that Zirong was simply too busy to return home.

If the villagers were to find out that Zirong had run away, crying and begging, just to become a wealthy merchant’s concubine, Widow Zhuang would have nowhere to hide her shame.

In these times, daughters and sons from decent families—those who were neither of slave status nor entertainers—regarded becoming a concubine as disgraceful. A concubine was merely a more palatable term for a slave; willingly becoming one was nothing short of degrading oneself.

“Really? A proper young lady, how could she…”

“I remember now. Back then, when Zirong’s man held a wedding banquet in the village, they didn’t even perform the formal wedding rites. At the time, we thought he might have been planning to hold another ceremony at his own home. But now it seems…”

“Yuchuan and her brother always act like a young miss and young master in the village, but they were actually just illegitimate children who were given away.”

“Hua-ge’er is not the kind of person who speaks falsely…”

Widow Zhuang trembled, her lips quivering as she rasped, “Hua-ge’er, Hua-ge’er, don’t say such things. Even if you resent us, a woman’s reputation is the most important thing. The children still have to live their lives—”

“Auntie, I am only speaking the truth. How is that ‘saying such things’?” Qiu Huanian interrupted her indifferently.

He pitied Widow Zhuang, but he was not so saintly as to offer unconditional forgiveness. If someone made a mistake, they had to bear the consequences. Exposing Zirong’s disgraceful past was Qiu Huanian’s way of retaliating against Widow Zhuang.

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Zirong yourself.”

“Even if Zirong refuses to admit it, that’s fine. We heard about this from the county magistrate himself. If needed, we can confront him directly. Given Yunse and Magistrate Wang’s friendship, I’m sure he would be willing to confirm this matter.”

Qiu Huanian looked at Zirong, whose eyes were filled with evasion and disbelief. “A wealthy merchant like Bai Yanwen, coming to Zhang County—of course, Magistrate Wang would investigate him thoroughly. The moment you arrived at Du Family Village, I already knew your background.”

“I let you make a scene and didn’t expose you before only out of respect for your mother.” Qiu Huanian cast a cold glance at Widow Zhuang, whose face was ashen. “Unfortunately, goodwill doesn’t always bring good returns.”

Widow Zhuang staggered backward. Qiu Huanian’s pointed words, combined with the villagers’ murmuring, made her feel utterly humiliated. In a panic, she clutched at Zirong’s sleeve, nearly pleading, “Zirong, Zirong, quickly tell them they misheard! It’s not like that, it’s not like that! I’m already this old—I can’t bear this disgrace!”

Annoyed by the tugging, Zirong had already known the moment she heard the words “county magistrate” that she could no longer deny her past as a concubine. The Qiu family had long held power in Zhang County, their influence reaching everywhere. Driven mad with jealousy, she snapped.

She yanked her sleeve free from Widow Zhuang’s rough, calloused hands and, in a fit of reckless defiance, said, “So what if it’s true? At the very least, I was properly accepted into a wealthy household as an honorable concubine, living a life of luxury and refinement. Who would want to waste their life as a peasant woman, scraping by in the dirt?”

“The saying ‘mock poverty, not prostitution’ may be crude, but who dares to say it’s wrong?”

“You—you—” Widow Zhuang never expected Zirong to be so shameless. She raised her hand and gave Zirong a light slap before collapsing to her knees, wailing, “I have shamed the ancestors of the Du family! How did I raise my daughter to become like this?”

Widow Zhuang ultimately could not bear to strike hard. The slap landed so lightly that it was more like a pat, but for Zirong—who had never suffered a single slap in her life—it was an unbearable humiliation.

Just a crude old woman who had never left Du Family Village her entire life—what right did she have to hit her?

“Why are you acting so self-righteous?! When I first brought Bai Yanwen home, you opposed it at first, but once you saw his wealth, didn’t you change your mind? You were too ignorant and foolish to realize that rich men would never take a country girl as a legitimate wife, so why blame me?”

Widow Zhuang was trembling with fury. In a heated moment, she shouted, “That was because you were already pregnant with Yuchuan at the time! If I didn’t agree, would I have had to watch you give birth to a fatherless bastard and let them drown you both in the river?!”

So she had not only entered an illicit relationship but had also gotten pregnant out of wedlock…

Some villagers began ushering children and young people away, thinking it best for them not to hear such filth.

Yuchuan bit her lip, her body swaying unsteadily. Because of her younger brother, she had once been the most favored young lady in the Bai family, even her legitimate sister had to give way to her. She never imagined that her origins would turn out to be so… so…

Qiu Huanian glanced at Jiujiu, silently asking if she wanted to leave. Jiujiu firmly shook her head, indicating that she wanted to stay.

Du Yunse and Chunsheng had also come out, drawn by the commotion. Hu Qiuyan quickly shooed Yun Kang and Chunsheng into her house to warm themselves by the fire. The promise of playing with Yun Kang distracted Chunsheng, and he cheerfully ran off.

Qiu Huanian coldly watched as Zirong and Widow Zhuang turned on each other, but he hadn’t forgotten about the sorghum candy recipe.

“Since you can’t explain where your hairpins and cosmetics came from, allow me to remind you.”

“When you were inquiring about Bai Yanwen’s whereabouts, you made contact with Wei Dexing, the owner of the county’s spice shop. You sold him the sorghum candy recipe that your mother had stolen from my house. The money you used to buy jewelry, cosmetics, and meat all came from him.”

“So, do you remember now?”

“…”

Zirong was speechless. Her last shred of pretense had been torn away. At this point, no matter how much she tried to feign innocence or twist the truth, no one would believe her anymore.

Du Family Village was relatively simple and honest; people like Zhao were the exception, not the norm. If Zirong could even utter the phrase “mock poverty, not prostitution,” what else might she be capable of?

“She even stole and sold a recipe? Why didn’t I think of that before?”

“Ugh, don’t even think about it! Living in the same village for generations, how could anyone stoop so low? Aren’t they afraid of their ancestors striking them down in their sleep?”

“Hua-ge’er’s family treated Widow Zhuang well. During spring plowing and autumn harvest, each family could only borrow the mule for half a day for free, but Widow Zhuang could borrow it whenever she wanted. Jiujiu even helped her with chores all the time.”

“I bet Zirong put her up to it. Otherwise, why would Widow Zhuang suddenly decide to sell the recipe now?”

“No matter who convinced her, the recipe definitely came from her.”

…

Baoren’s face darkened as he asked, “Do you admit to what Hua-ge’er said? If you do, then apologize and compensate. If not, then we’ll keep this up until you can’t stay in the village anymore.”

Zirong sneered, her crimson-painted nails playing with her hair, pretending she hadn’t heard anything, utterly unrepentant.

Widow Zhuang scrambled up and hastily tried to explain to Qiu Huanian, “Hua-ge’er, I didn’t mean to sell your recipe. At the time… at the time, that Wei shopkeeper just asked me how you made sorghum candy. I thought he wouldn’t be able to replicate it just by hearing it, and my family… my family hadn’t had a full meal in nearly a month, so I just… I just…”

Under Qiu Huanian’s cold, indifferent gaze, Widow Zhuang’s voice became more and more hesitant until it finally got stuck in her throat.

Qiu Huanian let out a quiet, icy chuckle. “Do you even believe that yourself?”

“When Zirong brought Bai Yanwen back then, didn’t you think the same way—’This man is so wealthy, and Zirong is carrying his child. Maybe he really is that devoted, maybe he’s truly a good match for Zirong’?”

“Deliberately ignoring hidden dangers and bad outcomes, comforting yourself with wishful thinking, and taking the benefits as if they were only natural—if this isn’t ‘intentional,’ then what is?”

“…”

Widow Zhuang’s face turned ashen, her lips trembling as she found herself unable to answer Qiu Huanian’s question.

Under the increasingly scornful gazes surrounding her, she finally cried out, “How—how much money? I’ll stake my old life to pay you back, won’t that be enough?!”

Qiu Huanian merely shook his head. “Why say such things? What would I do with your life? It would only make me seem like I’m bullying an elder. Because of the leaked recipe, Meng Er-ge and I have lost six or seven taels of silver in a single month. How will you pay that back? How could you possibly afford it?”

“…”

Snowflakes began to fall again from the leaden gray sky. Though it was still afternoon, the dim light outside made it feel like evening. Those without enough warm clothing began shifting on their feet, while others, worried about their livestock, quietly slipped away.

Du Yunse came from the house, bringing a fur-lined hood and a hand warmer wrapped in new cotton cloth, which he tucked into Qiu Huanian’s hands. Qiu Huanian smiled softly, obediently letting Du Yunse place the hood on his head.

There was nothing more to be said.

Although the truth about Zirong had been exposed, the sorghum candy recipe was irretrievable. Even if they went to court, the lack of solid evidence meant there was little they could do against Wei Dexing.

“Uncle Baoren, according to the clan’s rules, how should this matter be handled?”

Baoren sighed heavily. “Nothing like this has ever happened in the clan before.”

“Zirong is an outsider, and her two children aren’t part of the Du family either. At most, we wait for the snow to stop and then expel them from the village—never allowing them to live here again.”

“As for the money you’ve lost, you can ask them to pay, but how much they can actually repay…”

Zirong’s lips twitched, and she quickly hid the gilded bracelet on her wrist behind her back. Yuchuan clutched the cotton-padded jacket she had just recently changed into, holding it tightly.

Qiu Huanian couldn’t be bothered to strip them of their belongings only to endure another round of wailing in the freezing snow.

“Please take some people to search their house for money. That’s all I want.”

Most of the money Zirong had earned had been spent on fine clothes and jewelry, with only a small amount used for grain, flour, and oil. After a rough search, Baoren’s group only managed to find two taels of silver and seventy-three copper coins.

Qiu Huanian took the two taels of silver and handed one to Meng Wudong.

“It’s too cold—everyone should go home and warm up. No need to stand around any longer.”

He thanked Baoren, then turned and walked back to his own courtyard as the crowd gradually dispersed. Widow Zhuang’s dry lips moved, unsure whether to curse or to thank him. Whatever she wanted to say was buried beneath the falling snow.

…

Back in the warm main room where the stove was burning, Meng Wudong still felt indignant.

“Hua-ge’er, you’re too soft-hearted. You’re really just letting those people off like this? If it were me, I’d strip them of every stitch of warm clothing, not give them a single copper coin, and drive them out into the snow to live or die on their own!”

Qiu Huanian shook his head. As Sixteen had once remarked, for someone raised in a modern society governed by the rule of law, his kindness was indeed somewhat out of place in this ancient setting. He believed that if necessary, even the principled Du Yunse could be far more ruthless than him.

But Qiu Huanian wasn’t in a rush to change himself. He might be soft-hearted, but he wasn’t a fool. When it truly mattered, he wouldn’t hesitate out of misplaced sympathy. If it ever came to that, Du Yunse would be there to remind him.

“Zirong and her children’s personalities and actions will bring about their own downfall sooner or later. There’s no need to hurry.” Qiu Huanian reassured Meng Wudong. “Our urgent task now is to recover our losses, find a way to break this predicament, and reclaim our lost market share.”

Break the predicament?

Meng Wudong was stunned. The recipe was already leaked, and Wei Dexing had the connections in the county—what method could possibly turn things around?

“You don’t believe me, Meng Er-ge?” Qiu Huanian’s lips curved, the rabbit fur trim of his hood making his jade-like features even more delicate.

Du Yunse stepped forward to untie Qiu Huanian’s hood. Qiu Huanian tilted his chin slightly to make it easier, his trust and reliance on his husband so natural it made Meng Wudong sigh inwardly at how harmonious their life was.

“I believe you, of course. But since Wei Dexing already has the recipe, do you have something even better?”

“The sorghum candy recipe can’t be improved further, but there are other things that can.” Qiu Huanian smiled faintly, leaving the rest unsaid.

“The snow is heavy today—why don’t you stay the night? I’ll have Chunsheng heat the bed in the back room. By tomorrow, you’ll know exactly what I’m planning.”

Meng Wudong, full of doubts, spent the night on the newly heated kang bed in Qiu Huanian’s house. He woke up several times in the night, forcing himself back to sleep each time. Only when the morning light brightened outside did he finally get up.

The snow had stopped by evening the previous day, and the sun shone brightly. The roads would likely be clear before long.

Qiu Huanian rose at about the same time, greeting Meng Wudong as he finished tidying himself. Jiujiu, who hadn’t slept well the night before, came in from the front gate.

“Where have you been, Jiujiu?”

“I heard noise outside earlier, so I went to take a look.”

Jiujiu bit her lip. “Hua-gege, I saw a carriage arrive early in the morning at Auntie Zhuang’s house. It took Yuchuan and the others away.”

Qiu Huanian pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“No wonder Zirong was so fearless yesterday—she must have arranged everything with Wei Dexing long ago. With their house falling apart, she would never willingly suffer there if she had a chance to leave.”

Jiujiu stared at her toes, hesitated, then said softly, “I watched the whole thing… they didn’t take Auntie Zhuang with them.”

Qiu Huanian paused, taking a deep breath of the cold morning air before sighing long and low.

“If things have come to this… what good is regret?”

Jiujiu nodded slowly. In that moment, it felt like she had grown up all at once, suddenly understanding many things.

Qiu Huanian allowed himself a brief moment of sentiment before heading to the storeroom. He gathered a large pile of raw materials stockpiled before winter and entered the kitchen to begin his work.

When he spoke of finding a way to break the predicament and reclaim lost market share, he hadn’t been bluffing. The solution was simple—

By using a sales tactic despised by many in the modern world but ubiquitous in daily life: bundled sales.

The new product he planned to bundle with sorghum candy was targeted at wealthier households in the county. Though it wouldn’t have as wide a market reach as sorghum candy, it would be more expensive and yield higher profits.

After much consideration and comparison, Qiu Huanian selected the perfect product from his available materials—

Popcorn.