"Mother, Brother Wu said he's very confident about their trip to the capital for the imperial examinations, and he'll definitely marry me when he comes back." Zhao Dahua was quite strategic, starting with the good news.

Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao asked happily, "He made a promise to you, didn't he?"

“Yes, Mother.” Zhao Dahua lowered her head shyly, gritted her teeth and continued, “I am already his woman. He said that after he comes back, he will find a way to make me divorce him and then marry me. Then I can become an official’s wife.”

"Good, good, good! My daughter is truly remarkable. When I gave birth to you, a rainbow appeared in the sky. I knew then that you were destined for wealth and honor," Granny Zhao said happily.

"Yes, Mother, Brother Wu is so devoted to me, I'm really touched." Zhao Dahua also looked very affectionate.

"It wasn't for nothing that you've followed him around all these years," Granny Zhao said with emotion.

She was naturally happy that her daughter had a bright future.

"But Mother, there's a small problem right now that I need your help with," Zhao Dahua sighed and said hesitantly.

Granny Zhao's heart skipped a beat, thinking, "Just as I thought." But then she thought, since Scholar Wu had promised her daughter, he was now her future son-in-law. So she gritted her teeth and asked, "What is it? Tell me."

"It's like this, Mother, Brother Wu needs five taels of silver to take the imperial examination this time, but as you know, because of that wretched Li Rouniang's troubles, Brother Wu has lost all the silver he had saved. Do you think we can help him this time?"

"Five taels of silver is so much! Where are you expecting me to find so much money?" Granny Zhao exclaimed in surprise.

"Mom, I know you don't have any money, but we still have land, don't we?" Zhao Dahua tugged at Zhao Pozi's sleeve in a coquettish manner.

"Don't even think about it." Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao's eyes turned cold, and she shook off Zhao Dahua's hand.

Girls are indeed outgoing; she's already eyeing her family's land before they've even gotten to know each other.

"Let me tell you, Zhao Dahua, this land is meant to be left to your two older brothers, not to you. Don't even think about it. You're a married daughter now, don't always covet your mother's family's things!" Granny Zhao scolded coldly.

Hearing what Granny Zhao said, Zhao Dahua was heartbroken. Her mother was indeed biased towards boys!

“Mother, you can’t just look at things from the present. Think about it, if Brother Wu becomes an official in the future, then his two brothers will naturally help him out. Besides, Brother Wu said he will help you get an imperial title in the future, which is such a glorious thing. Are you really so concerned about this little bit that you won’t help Brother Wu?”

"Now that I've helped him, he'll remember your kindness. If one day Brother Wu becomes a high-ranking official, I'll go out of my way to help him again. Even if it's not five taels, but fifty or five hundred, Brother Wu won't care."

Granny Zhao agreed with Zhao Dahua's words, and indeed, the kindness shown in times of need is the most unforgettable. But she really couldn't bear to part with that place.

"Dahua, how about this? Let Scholar Wu borrow it, and your mother and brothers will help pay it back later. What do you think?" Granny Zhao offered as a compromise.

I figured I could just work a few more years and use the land's harvest to pay it back.

Besides, if Wu Xiucai really passes the imperial examination, then he won't need to repay the five taels of silver he owes.

“Mother, Brother Wu is a scholar, and scholars are the most sensitive about money. How can you expect him to swallow his pride and borrow money from others? Why don’t you help me borrow some?” Zhao Dahua immediately refused.

Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao grew even more disliked for her daughter. She said, "Where are you expecting an old woman like me to borrow money? Your two brothers aren't home, so who would dare lend us this much money?"

“Mother, I know it’s hard to borrow so much money. What are you up to by sending Brother Wu around to face rejection? Brother Wu will definitely blame me, and then I’ll never be able to be an official’s wife. Mother, do you really want your daughter to live with that idiot for the rest of her life? What if your grandson is also an idiot in the future? What will you do then?” Zhao Dahua was unhappy and sat down on the ground, crying and wailing.

"Get up! You're so old, aren't you ashamed?" Granny Zhao angrily pulled Zhao Dahua up from the ground and brushed the dirt off her.

Finally, he sighed. After all, they were his own flesh and blood; how could he not feel heartache?

So she relented and said, "How about this, let your mother think about it some more."

Seeing that Granny Zhao was showing signs of relenting, Zhao Dahua naturally wouldn't leave. After years of living together, she knew her mother well enough to strike while the iron was hot and win her over in one fell swoop!

So she immediately knelt on the ground, crying and saying, "Mother, I'm begging you, please help me. Look at me now, at Zhao Dazui's house, I'm beaten and scolded every day. All I do is dig for wild vegetables and do farm work. Look at my hands, they're in this state. Are you going to let me waste my whole life like this? That idiot doesn't even care about people. I'd rather be dead."

Granny Zhao softened completely at this moment. Yes, her daughter had a chance to enjoy wealth and luxury, and as a mother, she had to help her no matter what. Besides, if it weren't for Li Rou Niang's incident, her daughter should have married Wu Xiucai.

So she gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "Alright, I promise you this. But you have to go find Wu Yong now, and I want to see him speak to me in person."

"Mother, let's not do it." Zhao Dahua was afraid that Zhao Pozi would say something that would upset Wu Xiucai, after all, scholars are easily offended.

Since the money has already been given, it's natural to try and please them; otherwise, it would be a waste of money!

"Don't worry, silly girl. Since you've already promised to give him the money, you can't let him take it for free. There are some things you can't say, so your mother will naturally ask for it for you," Granny Zhao said, patting Zhao Dahua's hand.

"Mother~" Zhao Dahua was moved, her eyes filled with tears. She wiped her tears and said, "Mother, wait at home. I'll go and call Brother Wu over right away."

Soon Zhao Dahua brought Wu Xiucai over. Wu Xiucai was already prepared, after all, it was five taels of silver, and that old woman Zhao would definitely not give it to him so easily!

But to his utter surprise, the old woman, Zhao, was shrewd and calculating. She didn't want his verbal promise, but rather a written agreement. Wu Yong didn't want to write it, but he had no other choice at the moment. So, he gritted his teeth and wrote the agreement as Zhao had requested.

The gist of it is that Granny Zhao gives him five taels of silver to go to the capital for the imperial examination. Regardless of the outcome, he must marry Zhao Dahua. If he breaks this promise, he will have to return the fifty taels of silver and suffer other vicious curses such as being struck by lightning.

Wu Xiucai didn't believe in these curses at all. He was only after money. Whether he would marry Zhao Dahua in the future depended on his mood. In fact, even if he did marry her, he had plenty of ways to make a woman disappear from the world quietly.