The broken window had been crookedly patched with several wooden boards, yet they still couldn’t block the ghost-like howling wind outside. The flickering flames in the fire pit cast shifting light and shadow across the entire room.

After a strange silence filled the air, Xie Zheng finally spoke.

“It seems I overthought things. Just go with your original plan.”

Fan Chang Yu hurriedly shook her head.

The people from the bank had only invited her to collect debts earlier that day, and he had already seen that. If she truly went and kidnapped Fan Da in a sack, he might really think she was some vicious criminal.

Rather awkwardly, she said, “If there were any other way, I definitely wouldn’t take such a risk. If things went wrong, I’d end up in another lawsuit.”

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes halfway. The firelight reflected in his dark pupils without warmth as he suddenly said, “If you don’t mind the trouble, directly getting rid of Fan Da would be even simpler.”

His tone was cold and indifferent, as though the one who had just offered to teach her the law and help her fight the case in court wasn’t him.

Naturally, Fan Chang Yu understood what he meant by “getting rid of.”

Goosebumps instantly crawled up her arms. She widened her almond-shaped eyes and stared at him.

“K-kill someone?”

Seeing her reaction, Xie Zheng’s thick eyelashes swept out a faint arc in the firelight. He shifted his gaze toward the blazing fire and said in a tone that sounded nothing like a joke:

“I’m joking.”

His voice was lazy and casual.

If anyone had ever bullied him to this extent, that person’s head would already have rolled to the ground.

Teaching her the Great Yin Code and helping her in court was already the best solution he could think of from her perspective. Though her temperament was fiercer than he had initially expected, she still couldn’t truly be called ruthless.

As Fan Chang Yu suspiciously examined his handsome face, he raised his eyes halfway and met her gaze directly.

“Shall I teach you the Great Yin Code now?”

Immediately, Fan Chang Yu forgot the embarrassment of being caught staring. With a bitter expression, she nodded helplessly.

Ever since childhood, she had hated studying. Just seeing words on a page gave her a headache. The only reason she could read at all was because her mother had forced her to learn with bamboo switches.

The writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone were all in the south room. Fan Chang Yu went into Xie Zheng’s room and, for better lighting, deliberately turned up the wick of the oil lamp on the desk.

There were no books containing the Great Yin Code at home, so Xie Zheng wrote out the relevant laws from memory on the spot and told her to memorize them.

This concerned whether she could keep her family property, so Fan Chang Yu naturally focused with all her might.

Unfortunately, perhaps because it was already late at night—or perhaps because the legal statutes on the page were simply too sleep-inducing—her eyelids gradually began fighting each other as she read.

Xie Zheng sat in a bamboo chair nearby with his eyes closed, seemingly dozing. Yet it was as if he had eyes growing on his forehead. The moment Fan Chang Yu’s head began bobbing like a pecking chick, he opened his eyes and lightly knocked twice on the desk with his knuckles.

Knock, knock.

Fan Chang Yu instantly startled awake.

Holding the pages in her hands, she yawned repeatedly. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes from exhaustion, yet she still forced herself to continue reciting.

“Article Seventeen of the Great Yin Code, Household Ordinances, Extinct Households Section: ‘For an extinct household, if there is a son, establish the eldest; if there is no son, establish an heir…’”

“If the household line is extinct, how can there still be ‘a son’?” a cold voice interrupted from the side.

Hearing his voice made Fan Chang Yu shiver.

She looked exactly like a student caught dozing during morning lessons by a strict teacher. Barely managing to wake herself up, she reread the law he had written before continuing with half-closed eyes:

“For an extinct household, an heir shall be selected. If no heir is selected, the parents and siblings may divide the property while supporting any unmarried daughters. If the household line is extinct but a live-in husband has been recruited, the husband may not inherit the property; the daughter shall inherit it…”

Xie Zheng spoke at the proper moment.

“According to this law, all the property left by your parents should belong to you. But your grandparents are still alive and infirm, while your eldest uncle is idle and useless. When you go to the county office in three days, if they invoke the Filial Piety Section of the Great Yin Code, then at least half of your parents’ property must be allocated to your grandparents. Since your eldest uncle hasn’t split from the family household, that money will ultimately end up in his hands anyway.”

Most of Fan Chang Yu’s drowsiness instantly vanished from anger.

Frowning, she said reluctantly, “Then… I’ll bring my grandparents over and support them myself?”

Xie Zheng glanced at her.

“Are you close to them?”

Fan Chang Yu shook her head.

Even when her parents were alive, her family hadn’t been close with her grandparents.

When her mother gave birth to Chang Ning, she nearly died in labor. The doctor had barely managed to save her and warned that she would likely never conceive again.

When the elderly couple came to congratulate them, they held the swaddled infant Chang Ning in their arms while constantly lamenting that her mother had failed to give birth to a son. They urged her parents to adopt a boy from Fan Da’s family, saying things like how they would at least have someone to rely on in old age.

Her parents ignored them.

The old couple then returned home and spread rumors that her mother was jealous and unfilial, constantly whispering into her father’s ear and trying to make the Fan family line die out.

Her father personally visited the old residence afterward, and only then did the matter quiet down. But from then on, the families rarely interacted.

During holidays and festivals, her father would personally bring pork over for the elderly couple, but he never stayed for meals. He simply dropped off the meat and left.

Xie Zheng then said, “According to Article Eleven of the Supplementary Household Marriage Laws, if you can find neighbors willing to testify that Fan Da is addicted to gambling, then the half allocated to your grandparents can remain under your management.”

Fan Chang Yu had always been straightforward by nature and truly couldn’t understand all these twists and turns.

Confused, she asked, “What’s the difference between that and me supporting the two elders directly?”

Xie Zheng fell silent for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose before patiently explaining:

“If you bring them into your home, then you’re obligated to support them. But if you keep the money in your own hands, whether you give it or not is entirely up to you.”

Fan Chang Yu instantly slapped the desk excitedly.

“That’s a brilliant idea! It’s a little underhanded, but when dealing with Fan Da’s family, it’s perfectly justified! How do you know so much?”

Xie Zheng glanced at the desk, which continued wobbling from her slap. He had no doubt that if she’d used a bit more force, the entire thing might have collapsed on the spot.

His long fingers turned another page of the miscellaneous book resting on his lap. He lied without even blinking.

“I’ve traveled a great deal, so naturally I’ve heard many unusual stories. There was once a wealthy merchant’s daughter who recruited a live-in husband and then had her property seized by relatives. She hired a famous legal advocate, and this was the method that advocate proposed.”

Fan Chang Yu praised sincerely, “That advocate was truly clever!”

Xie Zheng said nothing, though the corners of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly.

Fan Chang Yu secretly glanced at him.

“Um… now that we already have a countermeasure, do I still have to memorize all this?”

Memorizing texts was truly torture for her. These dry, incomprehensible laws gave her an even bigger headache than classical essays full of obscure phrases.

Xie Zheng replied calmly, “If the opposing side asks you in court which statute supports your argument and you can answer, then you won’t need to memorize them.”

Fan Chang Yu wanted to say that he could simply accompany her to court, but then remembered his injured leg. He would have to kneel the entire time in court, which would surely worsen his injury, so she swallowed the words back down.

Her face crumpled into a miserable pout as she resigned herself to continuing.

Meanwhile, Xie Zheng casually flipped through the book in his hands. Listening as her recitation slowly transformed from mosquito-like buzzing into intermittent mumbling, he finally lifted his eyelids to look over.

The next moment, her head had already dropped onto the desk. Her breathing gradually became even and steady.

Xie Zheng: “……”

He, the one accompanying her study, was still awake, yet the actual student had fallen asleep first.

For the first time, he closely observed what she looked like asleep.

The candlelight cast long shadows beneath her eyelashes. Her fair cheeks glowed softly in the warm light. Her red lips were gently pursed, making her appear entirely different from her usual lively self—quiet and serene.

However, even in sleep, she seemed troubled. Her brows remained faintly furrowed, loose strands of hair falling across them like mist lingering between mountains.

Realizing he had stared too long, Xie Zheng frowned and quickly looked away. He was just about to wake her and send her back to her room when he heard her murmur softly in her sleep:

“Mother…”

Her voice carried a faint nasal tone, almost as though she were crying.

Xie Zheng frowned and looked at her again.

Her head rested on her own arm, pressing down several strands of dark hair. Beneath the candlelight, her face looked no larger than a palm.

Earlier, he had only thought she was thin. Yet her vibrant energy had overshadowed everything else. Now, seeing her slumped over the desk, he suddenly realized she was not merely thin, but almost fragile.

A strange, unfamiliar emotion suddenly rose in his chest.

Xie Zheng stared at her, his handsome brows furrowing even deeper.

……

At dawn, Fan Chang Yu woke at her usual hour.

The room was pitch-black. The moment she tried to stand, both her arms and legs had gone numb.

The memories from before sleep returned, and she realized she must still be sprawled over the desk. She pulled out a fire starter and lit it, barely illuminating the room.

The oil in the desk lamp had already burned out. She was about to search for a candle when she suddenly noticed Xie Zheng had also fallen asleep beside her.

He was even pinning part of her sleeve beneath him. She had to tug hard before managing to pull it free.

The movement woke him as well.

Meeting those dark, cold eyes that seemed icy the instant he opened them, Fan Chang Yu froze briefly, thinking his morning temper was quite severe.

“Did I wake you?”

He looked at her. The viciousness in his eyes quickly faded, though for some reason his brows remained tightly furrowed. A faint red mark from sleeping awkwardly lingered on his fair, handsome face.

Awkwardly, Fan Chang Yu said, “You fell asleep reading too?”

He merely responded vaguely with an “Mm.”

Fan Chang Yu said, “I’ll go find a candle.”

The fire starter wouldn’t burn for long and barely provided any light.

But the moment she stood, the numbness in her legs hadn’t faded yet. Her entire body immediately toppled sideways.

Crash! Bang!

The two of them—and their chairs—fell to the ground together. The fire starter also dropped and went out.

Fan Chang Yu banged herself against several places and grimaced in pain. Then, remembering there was a human cushion underneath her who was probably in worse condition, she hurriedly fumbled around to help him up.

“Are you alright? I didn’t reopen your wounds, did I?”

“I’m fine.”

The answer sounded rather forced.

Clearly, he was not fine.

For the next two days, he didn’t even get out of bed.

Fan Chang Yu felt that Xie Zheng was probably angry with her. During those two days, he was noticeably colder toward her than before. Whenever possible, he avoided speaking to her or even seeing her.

Even when avoidance was impossible, he either refused to look at her or frowned whenever he did.

Fan Chang Yu had already apologized, yet although he verbally claimed it was nothing, he still distanced himself from her without making it obvious.

Unable to understand why, she no longer dared ask him about the legal statutes she didn’t understand while memorizing them.

Over those two days, she memorized them at home and recited them whenever she had spare time at the shop. She finally managed to learn most of them and also found several neighbors willing to testify for her.

On the morning of the court hearing, after thinking over Yan Zheng’s strange behavior these past few days, she still went to the south room and said:

“Your handwriting is good. If you have time today, you can draft the divorce papers first. Once I transfer my parents’ property into my name, I’ll just come back and sign them. After your injuries heal, you can go wherever you want.”

From the very beginning, he had made it clear he would leave once healed.

Right now, the only explanation Fan Chang Yu could think of for his recent behavior was that he feared she would go back on her word after inheriting the property and refuse to fulfill their original agreement.

If she gave him the divorce papers in advance, he would probably feel more at ease.