My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 38 Part 3

Ji Taoyu frowned, feeling indignant on Ge Liang’s behalf.  

Huo Shu, however, was long accustomed to such things. Injustice was commonplace in the army. He, too, had once been full of fervor, only to grow disillusioned by the corruption of the court.  

If not for that, he wouldn’t have remained a mere captain after ten years of service, nor would he have left the army without hesitation after the war ended, heading south without looking back.  

Huo Shu asked, "So you plan to keep going like this?"  

"I saved a bit in the army, enough to buy some land and settle into farming. But with taxes rising every year and bandits running rampant, farming doesn’t seem promising. I can’t accept that, so I’m thinking of venturing out again."  

Ge Liang sighed. "But I’m still hesitating. No decision yet."  

"And you, Brother Huo? What do you do now?"  

Ji Taoyu answered, "Butcher."  

Ge Liang fell silent for a moment.  

"Butchering isn’t bad. It’s a skilled trade."  

Suddenly, Ge Liang felt a little better. If even Huo Shu, after ten years in the army, ended up slaughtering pigs, then his own five or six years leading to bow-making wasn’t so shameful after all.  

As they talked, they reached the path to Mingxun Village, where they had to part ways.  

Now that they’d reconnected and lived in neighboring villages, visits would be easy. They bid each other farewell.  

On the way back, news of the bandits’ suppression had already spread through the village, and the atmosphere was lively.  

Ji Taoyu felt too embarrassed to ride back openly with Huo Shu, so they took a side path instead of the main road.  

Passing by the You family’s courtyard, they even saw You Lingxiao who hadn’t left home since losing his hand, dressed up as if preparing to go out.  

The once-slender man was now gaunt to the point of emaciation. Ji Taoyu only glanced at him before quickly looking away when he noticed Huo Shu’s gaze.  

You Lingxiao had learned that the bandits had been captured and still hoped to identify the ones who had attacked him at the government office, as well as reclaim his lost silver.  

But upon investigation, none of the arrested bandits matched the description of his assailants, and without proof, his money couldn’t be recovered.  

Frustrated, he complained bitterly at the government office, angering the judicial clerks, who promptly threw him out.  

Feeling humiliated, You Lingxiao returned home somewhat reinvigorated. He began practicing writing with his left hand, hoping to restore his dignity through scholarly work.  

You's mother, seeing her son finally showing some spirit, was overjoyed. With the bandit threat gone and the village bustling with matchmaking and wedding preparations - especially the lively arrangements at the Ji family, she refused to be left behind and sought a suitable match for You Lingxiao.  

Yet, to her dismay, matchmakers in the area kept making excuses to avoid arranging anything for him. After much effort and extra silver, she finally hired a matchmaker from another village.  

But it was only then that she realized how tarnished You Lingxiao’s reputation was. Families of equal status, upon hearing it was You Erlang of the You family’s fourth branch, outright chased the matchmaker away.  

Not just those of equal standing, even ordinary families with any sense refused outright.  

Only those in dire poverty, practically selling their daughters, were willing.  

You's mother was very proud and stubborn, insisted her son was still a juren. She couldn’t bear such lowly matches.  

After all this, not a single suitable candidate could be found within ten-li-eight-village.  

At her wit’s end, You's mother, in her frustration, remembered her younger sister’s ger, Yu Xia, and decided to propose the match herself.

"Elder Sister, one should still have some conscience."  

Seeing her sister shamelessly come to propose a marriage match with You Lingxiao, even Yu's mother's gentle temper flared beyond control.  

"When Lingxiao was doing well, you looked down on the Ji family, tricked our naive Xia ger into opposing them, and never treated him as your own nephew. Out of sisterly affection, I didn’t want to say these things, but I never expected you’d specialize in scheming against your own family, as if we weren’t even human."  

"In the past, when Lingxiao was prosperous, I never relied on his influence. Now that he’s fallen, I certainly won’t sacrifice my own ger's future just to support him."  

Yu's mother  said coldly, "Sister, if you’re willing to marry off your daughter to a sick man for fly-head small profits, that’s your business. But I won’t let my ger marry a ruined man!"  

[蝇头小利 (yíng tóu xiǎo lì): lit. fly-head small profits; fig. insignificant financial gains or short-term advantages that are not worth the effort or risk]  

You's mother, seeing her usually mild-mannered sister speak so harshly, felt both angry and guilty—after all, every word struck true, leaving her no room to argue.  

Stiffening her neck, she cursed a few times about "ingratitude" in the Yu family before slinking away in defeat.  

Not only had the marriage proposal failed, but You’s uncles also came demanding money. The family’s savings were long gone, leaving them in dire straits.  

Though You Lingxiao was proud and looked down on merchants, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and seek their protection. He negotiated tax exemptions for them in exchange for a twenty percent cut of the profits.  

Even though a scholar’s ability to secure tax exemptions was a coveted privilege, You Lingxiao’s reputation in the surrounding villages had already spread. Not only was it difficult for him to secure a marriage, but even honest merchants hesitated to associate with someone of questionable character.  

Someone like him who could betray his former benefactors and ruin a ger's reputation in his rise to power, who could say he wouldn’t scheme against his allies and partners for profit later?