Chapter 198: Su Lan ‘s New Love
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Su Bin turned to Su Lan and inquired, “Sister, when did Brother Shanmin come back? Is he going back to the army?”
Su Lan blushed slightly before responding, “His right foot is injured, and he limps a little. If he does farm work, it won’t affect him much, but he can’t stay in the military camp anymore.”
Qin Zhenzhen found it curious – was there a deeper connection between Su Lan and this mountain man? Otherwise, why would she blush when talking about him?
“You hired him?” Qin Zhenzhen asked.
Su Lan’s face turned even redder as she replied, “We didn’t hire him. He volunteered to help.”
“He just came back from the military camp, and with the land being barren, there is no farm work for him to do. The yam fields in the mountains are already taken, but he still wanted to help us.”
Su Lan added, “He is an orphan, and my father used to take care of him. Now, he’s repaying the favor.”
“I told him several times not to help, but he wouldn’t listen. He’s here before us every day.”
Qin Zhenzhen finally grasped the situation.
Qian Shanmin, an orphan and a disabled man, had just returned from the military camp. However, instead of taking time to recuperate, he insisted on helping them dig yams.
Su Lan had clarified that his feet didn’t affect him much, indicating that she didn’t discriminate against him because of his disability.
Moreover, Su Lan had blushed twice, suggesting that there might be a personal connection between them or something significant had recently happened.
Qin Zhenzhen decided to delve further into the matter. “He was injured and came back from the military camp, so he is disabled. Shouldn’t the governmental office provide some compensation for him?”
Su Lan nodded affirmatively. “He mentioned that the governmental office gave him 300 liang at once. But even without that money, he wouldn’t have starved. As you can see, he has already dug up a pile of yams, and he works just as efficiently as a healthy person.”
Qin Zhenzhen refrained from asking further and turned her attention to Su
Bin.
Su Bin responded calmly and approached Brother Shanmin.
“I’ll have a chat with him.”
Qin Zhenzhen followed along and asked Su Bin in a hushed voice, “How long has your brother been in the army?”
Su Bin informed her, “It’s been about five and a half years since he joined when he was 17 years old, the same year my sister got married.”
Qin Zhenzhen nodded, now understanding the situation better.
Su Bin hesitated for a moment and shared a childhood memory with her.
“When we were young, Brother Shanmin was always helping us out and providing us with many benefits. He could go into the mountains to catch birds and fish in the water, and he generously shared most of his catch with our family. Of course, he also dined with us.”
“At that time, we all assumed that my sister would marry him, but my father arranged her engagement to someone else,” Su Bin explained.
“Our father has a preference for capable villagers, but deep down, he values scholars highly. He believes that scholars have the potential to become officials,” Su Bin added.
“But Wang Yizhi turned out to be a scoundrel! He nearly caused my sister’s death!” Su Bin exclaimed, expressing his frustration.
Qin Zhenzhen now understood the situation clearly. “I see! So there really was a story between them.”
“Do you think that he might have similar feelings if he sees his sister divorced?” Qin Zhenzhen inquired.
Su Bin replied, “If you’re willing to pursue a relationship with him, I won’t object.”
“But we can’t be too direct about it. They have to express their feelings themselves,” Qin Zhenzhen remarked.
“I understand,” she added.
From the current circumstances, it seemed that both Su Lan and Qian Shanmin were on equal footing in life’s difficulties. Su Lan had married someone and was raising a child, while Qian Shanmin had become disabled.
However, Qin Zhenzhen also recognized that Su Lan belonged to a higher social status as a lady from the Marquis Mansion, making her seemingly out of Qian Shanmin’s league..