Chapter 268 Asking for Money

Old Mrs. Chen curled her lips in dissatisfaction and rolled her eyes at Old Man Chen.

"Why are you so nervous? See if you can die!

If our family depended on you, we would have starved to death long ago.

If you can't help, just shut up and stop talking nonsense! "

Old man Chen shrank his neck when he was scolded. Although he dared not say a word, he was very dissatisfied in his heart.

This old woman seems to be sick! She takes her anger out on him all the time.

Aren’t you so awesome? I really don’t care. Let’s see what you can come up with and where you can get the money.

Old Mrs. Chen thought about it and realized that it was a lean season at this time of year and there was not much surplus food at home, so selling the food would definitely not work.

The second child was not diligent to begin with, and he was lazy and slacking at work.

It was a bit difficult for him to carry heavy bags at the dock, not to mention that he only earned ten cents a day, and there was not work every day, so that little money was not enough.

She racked her brains but couldn't think of a solution, so she frowned and sighed.

"Zhancai, don't worry for now. Just study hard. We can discuss the funding later."

Chen Zhancai looked unhappy and said, "How can I concentrate on studying if the money problem is not solved?"

Old Man Chen didn't want to intervene, but he couldn't hold it in any longer, so he tentatively suggested, "Son, why don't you go get some money from Ruolan first to deal with the current difficulties? When you pass the imperial examination, you can return the money to her. What do you think?"

Old Mrs. Chen nodded repeatedly in agreement, grinning, "Yes, this is a good idea. The Fan family is very wealthy. Now that you have passed the imperial examination, you can ask Mr. Fan for some travel expenses for the exam. He will definitely give you, his father-in-law, a scholar, face."

Chen Zhancai's face darkened instantly, and he said unhappily, "Dad, Mom, what kind of idea is this? How can a father-in-law borrow money from his son-in-law's family? If this gets out, where will I put my face?"

Old Man Chen laughed and said, "Son, this is the only solution. As long as you pass the imperial examination, your reputation will be restored."

"Your father is right. You should humble yourself now. Nothing is more important than your provincial examination." Old Mrs. Chen also agreed.

"I won't go. I'm embarrassed."

Chen Zhancai's face was dark. The Fan family was his last trump card.

When he failed to pass the exam to become a scholar, Fan Tong looked down on him. But now that he is a scholar, the Fan family must not dare to look down on him anymore.

In a few days, I will go to Fan's house again on the pretext of buying pens, ink, paper and inkstone. I am sure Fan Tong will greet me with a smile.

Then I'll secretly get some silver from Ruolan and save it for later enjoyment...

Old Mrs. Chen was so anxious that she almost cried, "If I don't go to the Fan family to borrow money, what do you think I should do?"

Chen Zhancai's eyes rolled around, "Mom, how about we sell some of our food?"

Seeing that he was thinking about the food, Old Lady Chen quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, the food we have at home is not enough to eat. If we sell it, we will be left with nothing."

"Mom, it's not as serious as you say. You said the same thing when we sold the grain last year, but in the end, the whole family got by."

"Son, last year it was Dabao who used his money to supplement the family income. He bought rice bran and corn to make ends meet, so your father and I didn't starve to death. Now he's secretly selling the grain. Do you think Dabao will still care about us?"

A trace of desolation flashed in Old Mrs. Chen's eyes. Last year, she ate rice bran, which made her see stars and her poop looked like sheep dung, squeezed out one by one, which almost suffocated her to death. She never wanted to eat rice bran again in her life.

Chen Zhancai glared at her, somewhat impatiently, "Then what do you say? How can I take the exam if I can't save enough money?"

"Don't worry, son. I still have some money. I'll give it all to you."

"Oh my dear mother, you are so kind. I didn't expect that you still have some private money." When Chen Zhancai heard that there was still money at home, his eyes lit up.

"What private money? Don't you know our family's financial situation?"

Old Mrs. Chen shook her head and smiled bitterly.

"Didn't you give me some money when you came back a few days ago? After deducting the cost of the wedding banquet and adding the gifts I received, I was able to scrape together a few taels of silver. If you spend sparingly on the way, it should be enough."

When Chen Zhancai heard this, he rolled his eyes.

"Mom, are you mistaken? The journey from our home to Ningjing is long. It takes several months to go back and forth. A few taels of silver is not enough.

I am going to take the exam, not to suffer. As the saying goes, a poor family may have a rich road, and living at home is not difficult.

When you go out, you should prepare more money in case of unexpected events.

To put it bluntly, if my son passed the imperial examination and returned home, but ran out of money to eat halfway through, wouldn't it be a pity if he starved to death?

"Pfft, pfft, pfft!" Old Lady Chen's face changed, and she quickly spat on the ground a few times, pretending to be angry, "You kid, if it's not enough, just say it's not enough. Why are you saying such unlucky words?"

Then he asked again, "How much money do you think is appropriate?"

"How much is appropriate? I need to calculate it carefully."

Chen Zhancai figured that if he lived frugally, ten taels of silver would be enough for the round trip.

But the journey to Ningjing is long, and he definitely can't walk there with his physique.

At least we have to hire a porter, the hotel we stay in can't be too shabby, and the food and drink can't be too casual.

If I get hurt from all this, how can I take part in the scientific examination?

After the exam, I have to take a good stroll in Ningjing.

Go and experience the foreign customs you have longed for, perhaps it will have a unique flavor...

As he thought about it, Chen Zhancai's heart began to beat faster and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose.

Seeing him dazed and grinning, Old Lady Chen frowned and looked at him with confusion, "Son, what's wrong with you?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Chen Zhancai finally came back to his senses, quickly wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, cleared his throat,

"Mother, although the exam is a long and arduous journey, I can set off early and walk to Ningjing.

On the road, you will be hungry, thirsty, and sleep in the cold. This will save you a lot of money.

But even so, I roughly calculated that it would cost at least one hundred taels of silver."

"What, one hundred taels of silver! You want to take our lives!" Old man Chen, who had been silent all the time, couldn't stand the stimulation and blurted out.

Old Mrs. Chen was also shocked and widened her eyes, "Son, how can you spend so much money!"

Chen Zhancai didn't expect them to react like this. He frowned and then started complaining.

"What's the matter? Is one hundred taels of silver too much? I'm still talking about less!

Other young men from wealthy families rushed to the examination hall in sedan chairs or on horseback, and the money they brought with them amounted to tens of thousands.

I know that our family is in financial difficulty. To help you out, my son plans to go there on foot.

But it will take about the same for you. It will take at least two to three months to go back and forth. I won’t eat or drink during this period?

If you really have a headache or a fever, shouldn’t you consult a doctor or something?

What I just said was in vain.

Everything is easy at home, but difficult when you go out. Don’t you understand this truth?

I think you just want the horse to run, but you don't want the horse to eat grass.

If you have this idea, I'd rather find a teaching job at home. There's no need to take any exams.

If I really want to die of starvation in the wilderness, I'd rather live in hiding."

.......