Chapter 220 The Ancestral Grave is Smoking

When I was almost at the door of my house, I could see Chen Qingqing's newly built three-story house from afar.

The earth-shaking changes in the Dafang family had already driven Chen Zhancai crazy with jealousy.

I thought that if I passed the imperial examination I would become a legend in Nanshan Village and a respected person, but I didn't expect that all the limelight would be overshadowed by that dead girl Chen Qingqing.

At this moment, he only felt hatred towards the eldest wife's family. He hated them for being heartless and ungrateful. They made money but didn't help him, and they didn't care about his parents. They were simply inhuman beasts.

He even felt that the division of the family was a trap set by the eldest wife. That damn girl was not as smart as she is now. She must be hiding her incompetence in order to get rid of the constraints of the old house. She is really scheming.

A sinister smile flashed across Chen Zhancai's lips. No matter how much money or how big the house was, it would be useless in the face of power.

He will definitely work hard in the provincial examination this autumn and strive to pass the examination.

By then, he would be able to become a low-ranking official like a county magistrate, and it would be easy for him to kill these powerless peasants...

Listening to the compliments from the villagers behind him, Chen Zhancai felt very proud. He felt that it was necessary to let those short-sighted people in the first house who did not know how to protect themselves know about it and make them regret what they had done.

If I had obediently let Chen Qingqing marry Li the Butcher, and now that I have passed the imperial examination, wouldn't they also benefit from it?

But right now, even if I envy them to death, I can never forgive them.

Liu Fengjiao's haggard face was filled with unconcealable joy. In order to show her identity as the wife of a scholar to the people in the main house, she stretched her neck and shouted loudly before she even reached the gate.

"Dad, Dad, please come out quickly, the scholar has passed the exam."

At this time, Old Man Chen was sitting in the house smoking his pipe with a sad face, worrying about his future.

After the autumn harvest last year and taxes paid, there was little grain left. After the New Year, the food we ate became worse and worse.

Every day at mealtime, he could smell the aroma of rice coming from the yard next door, which made him almost die of greed.

Now he has to go up the mountain to collect firewood almost every day, and eating bran every day, he feels weak all over and dizzy when walking.

I miss the days when the eldest son was not kicked out more and more. In the past, the eldest son was capable and did odd jobs in the town every now and then. Although he didn't earn much, he could improve his life from time to time and have a meal of white flour steamed buns.

Now he is like an old donkey on the millstone, working all day long.

Just as he was lamenting his bad luck, he suddenly heard someone shout, "The fortune teller has passed the examination for the scholar."

He jumped from the edge of the kang to the ground and walked to the door in two steps.

Seeing Old Lady Chen, Chen Zhancai and the others walk in, his cloudy old eyes lit up and he asked in a trembling voice, "Old Third, what did you just say?"

"Dad, Zhancai passed the exam and became a scholar." Liu Fengjiao's face was full of joy.

Sun was walking out of the house carrying a basin of water. When she heard Liu Fengjiao's words, her hand trembled and the basin fell to the ground with a clang, splashing water all over the floor.

Her face first showed an expression of disbelief, and then ecstasy, "Really? Zhan Cai really passed the examination for the scholar degree?"

Sun's voice changed with excitement, "Zhan Liang, come out quickly. Zhan Cai passed the exam and became a scholar."

She cried with joy. She had been trying to support Chen Zhancai's studies for so many years and had reached the point of being penniless. Now that her wish had come true, how could she not be ecstatic?

After selling the best four acres of land at home, she was still worried about this year's harvest. She had proposed to Chen Zhanliang to split the family property, but he just didn't agree.

Now, after all the hard work, Chen Zhancai finally passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. This year's taxes will be exempted, and his eldest son's corvée labor will also be exempted.

Chen Zhanliang, who was in the room, heard the shout and ran out in a hurry. He grabbed Chen Zhancai's arm with his hands trembling with excitement.

"Zhancai, did you really pass the exam?"

Chen Zhancai raised his head proudly, "Second brother, it's true, I didn't let you down!"

Chen Zhanliang's eyes couldn't help but turn red. "Great, great! I knew my brother had a promising future. My dreams of so many years have finally come true!"

"Yes, my Chen family finally has a scholar. Let's see who dares to look down on us from now on!"

Old man Chen was so moved that he burst into tears and knelt on the ground without saying a word.

"Thank goodness, my son has finally passed the imperial examination and become a scholar. Our Chen family has finally made a name for themselves. Zhancai has brought honor to our family!"

Seeing this, Old Lady Chen rolled her eyes and said angrily, "Alright, hurry up and get up. Can't you see there are people outside the yard? You're crying and wailing, and you don't think it's embarrassing. You're a serious scholar's father now. Mind your words and behavior. Don't be like before, with such bad words as soon as you open your mouth."

"You are right, old woman. I was too hasty."

Old man Chen stood up quickly, wiped his tears, and grinned.

"From now on, I will be the scholar father, and you will be the scholar mother. Our family will be the scholar family. We will be very important people in the village. We can no longer say "you", "me", "what's wrong", "what are you doing". We must say "you", "I", "what's wrong", "what are you doing". These terms are the only way to do it."

Old Lady Chen glared at him and said, "Look how cocky you are! There's no need to act that way. If you act too cocky and can't speak anymore, you'll be in trouble."

"Yes, yes, that's what I said. It's really awkward to be so pedantic."

As soon as the words fell, several people burst into laughter.

Back in the house, Old Man Chen hurriedly instructed Sun, "Second wife, it's a great joy that Zhancai passed the imperial examination. Go and call Dabao back so that we can have fun together as a family."

"Okay, I'll go right away." All of Sun's worries disappeared and she turned and left the house.

Old Man Chen rubbed his hands together in joy, stretched his neck and glanced outside, "Old lady, look, it seems everyone in our village is here. We have such a big happy event in our family, we have to show our support. If someone finds fault with it and spreads it out, it will be very embarrassing."

"Oh, look at my memory. How could I have forgotten this? Go quickly and give me some more reward money."

These words made Old Man Chen stunned. "Old woman, you are too happy. My pockets are cleaner than my face, and you want me to throw dirt on others!"

Old Mrs. Chen finally came to her senses and smiled awkwardly, "We're a little tight on money lately, so let's forget about the reward!"

Chen Zhancai quickly took over the conversation, "Mom, what you said is not right. Our family is different now than before. I am a scholar now, and my reputation is more important than my life. Besides, happiness is rare in life. We must go through the formalities that need to be done, and we must not skimp on the money that needs to be spent."

Old Mrs. Chen had a worried look on her face. "I understand what you said, Zhancai, but you should also know that our family is now even worse off than the God of Wealth. I am powerless to help you!"

"After decades of studying hard, you finally passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, but you can't even give me the reward money. If people hear you, they will laugh at you. It's really an embarrassment." Chen Zhancai said with a dark face.

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