Chapter 28

Old Man Wen was not a person who could not distinguish right from wrong and was completely muddle-headed. Thinking of Wen Chuanzong's troubles, he was not in a good mood either.

“Someone has given the eldest son a concubine. If his wife comes back crying and complaining in the future, just pretend you don’t know anything and go about your business.”

Old Man Wen's words stunned everyone in the room. They all stared at him in disbelief. Although they were all villagers, they knew about the concubine.

Yingxiang thought of Wen Chuanzong and Xiuyu and couldn't help but sigh. There would probably be some trouble coming up, but it had nothing to do with her.

She instantly understood why Old Man Wen and Madam Liu had returned so suddenly.

Deep down, they are all simple villagers. Although they envy the lives of the rich, their families are not so wealthy that they can have whatever they want. They have worked hard all their lives, and all they want is for their sons to be able to establish themselves and live a good life. Right now, the situation is indeed too far off.

The store was doing good business in the morning, but everyone seemed to have something on their mind.

Xiuyu arrived earlier than they expected. That afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, the shop had just closed, and after seeing off the last table of customers, everyone was eating together when she came over crying, her hair was a little messy, and she didn't look like a scholar's wife at all.

Ma and her fourth son were mopping the floor and tidying up the benches when the second son heard the earth-shattering crying and subconsciously glanced up at the second floor.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before his son also started crying.

"Father, Mother."

Logically, in such a situation, the support from one's maternal family should be the greatest, but Xiuyu lacked that confidence.

She knew exactly how Wen Chuanzong was treated in her family. Her whole family was counting on her and would only advise her to be patient. The most appropriate thing to do was for Old Man Wen and Madam Liu to step in and kick him out, so as not to embarrass her.

Liu turned her head subconsciously, her dark face revealing undisguised dissatisfaction.

"Why are you crying? In the end, it's because you're incompetent. All these years you've only given birth to two sons for the eldest son. If you had given him ten or eight, how could he possibly take a concubine?"

Compared to her daughter-in-law, Liu still preferred her son a little more.

Old Man Wen ignored her completely, and Xiuyu felt wronged when she heard Liu's words.

“Mother, I gave birth to two sons for the Wen family, so that their lineage wouldn’t end. They brought this woman back and said they’d take her to buy jewelry today. That costs money. Father, Mother, you can’t just ignore this! This wretch has spent all the family’s money. What will happen to the two children in the future?”

As Yingxiang listened, her dislike for Wen Chuanzong grew even stronger, but she didn't show it. Although the family hadn't separated yet, they didn't actually live together.

She has to live her own life, and she'll have to tell Wen Shi this news when she gets back this evening.

"Third sister-in-law, do you think what my sister-in-law said is right?"

Yingxiang was startled upon hearing this.

Then she said, "Sister-in-law, you should live your own lives. You are the head of the household."

“Father and Mother, if you don’t take care of me, I won’t survive. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll find a rope and hang myself at the door. Then I’ll let Chuanzong live well with that slut and have ten or eight children for your family. I won’t stop him.”

After Xiuyu finished speaking, she sat down on a chair to the side.

The coercion in her words annoyed Yingxiang. To be honest, if she had the courage, she could have gone and made a scene with Wen Chuanzong, but instead she came to them.

Wen Chuanzong liked to associate with rich young men, while she preferred to associate with rich ladies. Now that she was in this situation, she knew that if she didn't make a fuss, she would just have to put up with it.

But it would be different if the elderly couple were to come forward; she refused to believe that they could do without business.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Wen immediately stood up in anger.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing? I'm sorry, brother. Go find him. You two both despise us for being useless, so what are you doing here?"

Yuqin silently carried the child down from the second floor, and Madam Ma agreed with her words.

They become successful and bring prosperity to their families, but now that trouble has arisen, they come back to cause trouble. If this really affects the shop's business, these people will starve in the county. This is the family's only hope.

“Father, Mother, you always favored the eldest son, giving him plenty of support, both openly and secretly. My husband and I worked like slaves at home, but in the end, we got nothing.”

"Sister-in-law, let me tell you, if you really want to affect our business and make us lose our way to survival, then don't blame me for being ruthless. I'll take the kids to the gate of the county school and cry and complain about how my second brother and I behaved at home in previous years, and what kind of face my brother showed after he passed the exam. I'll let all the teachers and students see what kind of people you two really are."

This shop is the family's hope right now. Ever since Yuqin caused a scene at home last time, her personality has changed a lot.

However, she wouldn't cause trouble for no reason. Old Man Wen didn't dislike her either. What's past is past. Liu's dissatisfaction was useless, since she wasn't in charge.

“Sister-in-law, why don’t you go now? My brother has lost his fame and reputation, and he can’t keep a concubine. You and my brother can go back to the village and live a happy and loving life. You won’t be unable to make a living.”

"you……."

Xiuyu's face turned red with anger. Despite her threats to report to the provincial education commissioner, she didn't dare to, as she had to consider the two children.

She wanted to force Old Man Wen and Liu to become villains.

Filial piety is paramount; the elderly couple insisted on their own way, so what could Wen Chuanzong do?

Yingxiang looked at this scene with some surprise and glanced at her second sister-in-law. She thought to herself, "That's right, strike at the heart of the matter." She knew what Yingxiang cared about most.

That's how you can control her. Just look at Xiuyu's current appearance; she doesn't dare to.

Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu are not truly evil people. They were biased before, but things have improved now, and life is slowly getting better.

“Sister-in-law, if you had brought us out with you in the first place, we would naturally be grateful for your kindness. But you didn’t. Instead, you thought we were a burden and were afraid that we would drag you down. Now that you’re in trouble, you’ve thought of our parents and us, but it’s too late.”

Yuqin's tone was relatively calm, but every word she said was correct, and Old Man Wen subconsciously looked at Xiuyu.

He was already very dissatisfied when his daughter-in-law said those words to Liu.

"Third sister-in-law, don't blame your sister-in-law for speaking harshly. Fortunately, your sister-in-law still has two sons. You've been married into the family for quite some time now, but you have no children. What will you do if your third brother brings home a concubine in the future?"

Xiuyu changed the subject and brought up Yingxiang again.

Upon hearing this, Liu glanced at Old Man Wen and tugged at his sleeve. Yingxiang hadn't conceived yet, which naturally made her uncomfortable.

"I'll make room for her, and we'll get a divorce."

Upon hearing Yingxiang's words, Xiuyu's expression changed, Old Man Wen was somewhat shocked, and Liu Shi's feelings were complicated.

Who are you trying to fool?

Xiuyu's face contorted in disbelief as she shouted.

Fortunately, the fourth brother had closed the gate earlier, so no one outside could hear anything.

“I have hands and feet and I can support myself. Even if I am in dire straits one day, I can survive on my own.”

After Yingxiang finished speaking, she couldn't help but puff out her chest.

Putting the system aside, she works so hard and has savings. I don't believe that God won't be kind to her. She can't make a living on her own. After the divorce, she can find a husband, start her own household, and make a living no matter what.

Upon hearing this, Yuqin glanced at Yingxiang with some envy, while Madam Ma was shocked. Madam Liu and Old Man Wen exchanged glances but remained silent.

To be honest, if it weren't for this shop, they might not have been able to get to the county.

The third son doesn't reject them, but if the whole family eats and drinks with him for a long time, no one can say what he will become.

Yingxiang has a business mind and is self-reliant, qualities that none of them possess.

This is also why Old Man Wen is becoming more and more polite to Yingxiang; she is truly capable, able to make money, and knows how to do business.

Xiuyu was speechless for a moment, and then burst into tears again.

"You should go back quickly and take good care of the two children. I think this matter is settled, so let's leave it at that."

Old Man Wen started to chase people away.

Xiuyu was still crying, but she had already started walking outside.

After this incident, the family members were not in a good mood. After Yingxiang returned home in the afternoon, she first prepared food and then started signing in.

She stared blankly at the travelogue in her hand for a moment.

She suddenly remembered that when she first transmigrated, she was illiterate. Every time she made an excuse to go up the mountain, she would sneak away to the school for an hour or two, all to learn to read. When the old scholar was teaching the children to read, she would peek through the window.

She lived like this for two whole years before she could recognize all the characters. Even living in ancient times, she did not agree with the idea that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent.

At first, she would be chased away because she hadn't paid any money. But later, whenever she went into the mountains, she would give the old scholar everything in her basket, and he stopped chasing her away.

However, this caused her to fight with her stepmother, and it took several years for their relationship to ease somewhat.

Recalling the past, Yingxiang sighed deeply. Fortunately, it's all in the past. Life was tough, but thankfully, we got through it all.

County School

When I heard that get out of class had ended in the afternoon, I was called to the study by Master Liu again.

"You've arrived. The other day when we went to worship Buddha, I saw a woman behind you and Song Xun. Is she your wife?"

"yes."

"It wasn't that I deliberately made things difficult for you before. Do you know how difficult the path to the imperial examinations is? Over the years, how many people have achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the examinations?"

"Now that you have achieved some academic success, your talent is limited. If you continue studying, you may not be able to pass the imperial examination. If you cut your losses now and go to the town to become a teacher, you won't become rich and powerful, but you will still be able to live a comfortable life and improve your family's living conditions. Why not?"

It was rare for Master Liu to be so kind to Wen Shi.

“Our county school has many students, but over the years, how many have become successful candidates in the imperial examinations? You can count them on one hand. Besides, you are not that outstanding. I am advising you for your own good.”

“Our county only has a few hundred students. You are already at the back of the list. In the future, there will be thousands or even tens of thousands of people taking the provincial and metropolitan examinations. Only a very few will pass.”

"Don't feel like the gentleman is trying to discourage you; this is just how reality is."

"Thank you for considering my needs, but how will I know if I can't do it if I don't take the test?"

Wen Shi knew the road ahead would be difficult, but he wouldn't give up. He was still young, not in his thirties or forties. Even some people in their thirties or forties still persisted in studying and taking exams. He wouldn't give up.

His family had no wealth, and this was his only chance to change his fate, so he was very determined when he heard this.