Chapter 58: The New Home

"Who would have thought that the proud and esteemed Chen family's pride, the youngest scholar of Dongyang County, would be reduced to such a pathetic state?" Chen Fan said with a sneer.

Chen Hao had intended to drive him to a desperate end; how could Chen Fan possibly show him any courtesy?

Hearing these words, Chen Hao stood up with bloodshot eyes. "Was it all because of you? If it weren't for you, I would have already left for the Imperial Academy. You are the one who destroyed everything I had!" Chen Hao roared with blood-red eyes.

"You damn—"

The prison guard nearby immediately raised his whip upon seeing this, but Chen Fan raised a hand to stop him.

"The one who brought you to this state today is not me, but yourself. From the very beginning, I never had any intention of harming you," Chen Fan said coldly. "Everything today is simply the consequences of your own actions."

Hearing this, Chen Hao gritted his teeth, emitting a low, guttural growl. "Chen Fan, don't be too arrogant. Sooner or later, I will trample you beneath my feet and make you beg for mercy on your knees," Chen Hao rasped out in a hoarse voice.

"Hmph." Chen Fan let out a cold chuckle. "Do you really think that by taking the fall for Zhao Hongwei, he will definitely save you?"

"Just think about how grave your crimes are this time. If Zhao Hongwei lets you walk free, wouldn't that pose a threat to his future?" Chen Fan sneered.

Back when Chen Hao stubbornly refused to betray him, Chen Fan had already guessed that Chen Hao must have struck some sort of deal with Zhao Hongwei. The most likely scenario was that Zhao Hongwei had promised to rescue him as long as the Zhao family remained safe. Given Chen Fan's understanding of the Zhao father and son, however, the two of them were supremely selfish and calculating. With Zhao Hongwei about to participate in the imperial examinations that very year, how could he possibly leave behind a hidden danger like Chen Hao?

"Only the dead can truly keep a secret," Chen Fan whispered close to Chen Hao's ear. With that, he turned and left directly, as the stench inside the cell was simply unbearable.

"No... Young Master Zhao wouldn't do such a thing!"

"You're lying!"

"You—"

"Snap!"

Chen Hao tried to lunge after him, but the prison guard lashed out with a whip, driving him back.

When Chen Fan arrived at the room specially prepared for him by Yan Bei, the two sisters were still waiting anxiously inside.

"Husband!" Seeing Chen Fan suddenly appear, the two sisters immediately rushed forward and hugged him in a wave of emotion.

"It's over now, let's go home!" Chen Fan comforted them.

Hearing this, the sisters looked at him with curious eyes.

"To let you give them a surprise yourself, I didn't tell them ahead of time," Yan Bei said with a smile.

Chen Fan hadn't expected the usually cold and stern Yan Bei to have such a playful side. He then briefly recounted the general course of events to the two women.

Upon hearing the whole story, the two sisters immediately jumped up with excitement.

"Yan Bei, I, Chen Fan, will not forget this kindness of yours over the past few days. If you ever need anything from me in the future, just say the word," Chen Fan said, bowing sincerely to Yan Bei.

Seeing Chen Fan's genuine sincerity, Yan Bei actually blushed slightly.

"The thing I want most from you is for you to hurry up and write your storybook, instead of leaving me waiting so bitterly," Yan Bei said with a smile.

Chen Fan nodded in agreement, then took the two women and departed.

Meanwhile, watching Chen Fan leave with a beauty on each arm, the hatred in Chen Hao's eyes reached its absolute peak. If looks could kill, Chen Fan would have already been sliced to pieces by a thousand cuts.

Instead of returning to their previous dilapidated little house, Chen Fan led the two women to a property located within the county town. Over the main gate hung a plaque inscribed with two large characters: *The Chen Residence*.

"Husband, this is..." the two women asked, pleasantly surprised and finding it hard to believe.

"This will be our new home from now on," Chen Fan said with a smile.

He had long wanted to move out of their old place, so the moment Guo Hua was released, Chen Fan had asked him to help find a suitable residence.

"Greetings, Master and Madam." Several people dressed in coarse cloth stepped out to greet them. These were the servants Guo Hua had hired.

"They will be taking care of you from now on," Chen Fan said with doting affection.

This made the two women even happier.

They walked inside with starry eyes. The courtyard followed a four-compound layout—while not as massive as the Su family estate, it was infinitely better than their old broken-down hut.

"Husband, there's a custom here in Dongyang County when moving into a new house: we need to hold a housewarming banquet to liven things up. How do you plan to handle it?" Yingxia asked seriously.

Hearing this, Chen Fan shook his head. "I hadn't thought about it."

He only wanted to live quietly with his family and had never considered holding any housewarming celebrations. Besides, he didn't know many people in town anyway and wasn't sure who to invite.

"Husband, leave this matter to us!" Yingchun and Yingxia declared with absolute confidence.

"Uncle Fu, go and tell the others..." Once the sisters finished speaking, they directly summoned Uncle Fu, the steward of the Chen household, and began giving him detailed instructions. Their serious expressions truly carried the imposing aura of mistresses of the house.

Seeing this, Chen Fan decided to let them handle it and began to contemplate his future path. Between purchasing the property and bailing Guo Hua out of prison, his savings were nearly exhausted. Although selling books could still turn a profit, it no longer satisfied his ambitions. He had vowed to surpass the Su family within a year, and at the current pace, that would be utterly impossible. Thus, he needed to think of other ways.

Night gradually fell, and the Su residence was also adorned with festive red lanterns.

The two sisters were still busy directing the servants around.

"Miss Su has arrived!" a servant at the entrance called out.

Moments later, Su Wenqi walked in, accompanied by Lanlan. Su Wenqi had naturally been invited by the two sisters; all the guests for the day had been arranged by them.

Chen Fan, Yingchun, and Yingxia hurried forward to welcome them.

"Lanlan, it's only been a few days, and you've grown even prettier. When you grow up, you'll definitely be a great beauty just like your mother," the sisters praised the moment they saw Lanlan, bringing a bright smile to the young girl's face.

"Auntie, we have a new house now. You can move in and live with us!" Yingxia suddenly blurted out.

As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone present froze in place. Even if Chen Fan had harbored such thoughts, he wouldn't have dared to voice them aloud!

Su Wenqi's face instantly turned crimson, a look of awkwardness washing over her.

"I mean it—"

"What Yingxia means is that there are plenty of spare rooms here, and you and Lanlan can stay with us for a few days to keep Yingchun and Yingxia company," Chen Fan hurriedly interrupted, saving Su Wenqi from her embarrassment.

"Auntie, Husband is right. Our new house is wonderful, let me take you on a tour," Yingxia said, quickly pulling Su Wenqi away to prevent her sister from blurting out anything else embarrassing. As she walked off, she shot Yingxia a glaring look, leaving Yingxia feeling quite wronged.

"Master Su and Madam Su have arrived!"

Just as they were touring the courtyard, the loud voice of a servant rang out from the front.

"Husband, on a day like today, having elders present is an absolute must, so we invited Father and Mother over," Yingchun and Yingxia said nervously as they hurried over to Chen Fan.

Since Chen Fan already knew that their parents had tried to force Yingchun and Yingxia to marry Zhao Hongwei while he was imprisoned, it was inevitable that he would harbor some resentment toward them. The sisters had invited their parents today precisely to mend the relationship between Chen Fan and their family. Although they themselves were deeply displeased with their parents' past actions, they wished even less to see their husband at loggerheads with them.

"Of course they should be invited! How could such an occasion be complete without my father-in-law and mother-in-law?" Chen Fan said with a smile.

Although he was thoroughly dissatisfied with the actions of Su Yi and Wang Wei, he did not genuinely hate them. For one simple reason: they were Yingchun and Yingxia's parents. Without them, he wouldn't have been blessed with such kind and beautiful wives.

Hearing this, the two women immediately broke into bright smiles.

"Elder sister, look, I told you Husband wouldn't blame us," Yingxia said excitedly.

"Let's hurry and welcome Father and Mother!" Chen Fan said, leading the two women to greet Su Yi and Wang Wei.

Standing off to the side, Su Wenqi wore an expression of deep worry.