Chapter 9 009 Reward her as a concubine

Du Qingtang passed by the meat stall and thought of the four skinny girls, and stopped for some unknown reason.

"How much is pork per pound?"

"Twenty cents."

"Give me three pounds of pork, with both fat and lean parts."

"Okay!" The middle-aged butcher cut the meat according to Du Qingtang's request and took out a wooden scale. "Three catties and one ounce, I'll give you three catties."

"Two more pairs of pig's trotters." Soybean stewed pig's trotters are both nourishing and healthy. "Uncle, do you have any pig offal at home?"

The butcher nodded and said, "I have pig hearts, pig kidneys, pig intestines, and pig livers. Which one do you want?"

Du Qingtang waved his hand and said, "Give me one pound each."

Pig offal is not valuable, and four pounds of it doesn't cost much.

The butcher raised an eyebrow and packed up the pork belly, pig's trotters, and pig offal: "Exactly one hundred coins."

Pay the money and get the goods.

Seeing Du Qingtang's frail appearance, the butcher kindly reminded him, "If your home is far away, you might not be able to carry so much meat back home."

Du Qingtang raised his eyes, and the butcher pointed to the small bamboo basket in the corner: "I can lend it to you, but you must return it."

Du Qingtang did not refuse. With the help of the butcher, he carried the bamboo basket on his back. It was so heavy that it weighed down his shoulders.

"Okay, go ahead." The butcher grinned. "It's not worth much, but it was made by my wife. If you hadn't bought so much meat, I wouldn't have lent it to you."

Du Qingtang: "...Thank you."

On the way back to the Du family, Du Qingtang met Uncle Chen and Uncle Bao who were also in the city selling firewood.

Uncle Chen called her: "Tang'er, shouldn't you be studying in the city at this time? Why have you been at home all these days?"

Could it be that she doesn't plan to continue studying?

But she brought her books to Liu Tongsheng's house every day, rain or shine.

I happened to meet you today, so I have to ask you clearly.

Uncle Bao kept looking into the bamboo basket. Fortunately, Du Qingtang had the foresight to put the academy clothes on top, so he didn't see anything. "Brother Tang, are you going to the market?"

Now that the dust has settled, Du Qingtang has nothing to hide: "I'm going to take the entrance exam for Qingyuan Academy."

"Qingyuan Academy?" Uncle Chen knew this academy. It was said that the teachers there were very good, so the threshold for admission was naturally high. "Tang'er, you... did you pass the exam?" Or did you fail?

The truth is that he couldn't catch any expression of joy or discouragement on Du Qingtang's face, and he couldn't tell for a moment.

Du Qingtang hummed, "I passed the exam. Classes will officially start in three days."

Uncle Chen: “!!!”

Uncle Bao: “!!!”

"Congratulations!"

"So you haven't been to the private school these days. Are you preparing for the college entrance exam?"

Du Qingtang: "Exactly."

Uncle Bao clicked his tongue and said, "It seems our village is going to have another Tongsheng master!"

Uncle Chen laughed heartily: "Not only a student, but he might even become an official!"

Du Qingtang: “…”

After some compliments, Du Qingtang relied on his fast pace to leave Uncle Chen and Uncle Bao, who were pulling the cart, far behind.

Uncle Chen sighed, "I just don't understand. How could the Yuan family give birth to such a promising child like Tang Ge'er?"

Uncle Bao shrugged: "How would I know? I guess I've used up all my luck in this life."

Uncle Chen said meaningfully, "I hope Tang'er doesn't follow her cousin's example and become a ghost instead of a human."

"That shouldn't be the case, right?" Uncle Bao said casually, "Aren't they all curious about why Tang Ge'er hasn't been to the private school these days? We have to tell them this good news later. If he can be admitted to Qingyuan Academy, everyone in Taoyuan Village will be proud..."

Du Qingtang came to Liu's house, and she was eager to tell Liu Tongsheng the good news.

Once a teacher, always a teacher. She was very grateful to Liu Tongsheng for his selfless teaching over the past few days.

"Grandma Hu, this is two pounds of meat and two pig's trotters I bought in the city. The pig was just slaughtered this morning, so it's still fresh. I made it for my family to try at noon."

Mrs. Hu refused to take it and said, "No, no, how can I take your food? Take it back and eat it yourself."

Du Qingtang was resolute: "If it weren't for Grandpa Liu, I wouldn't have been able to get into the academy, let alone be exempted from the tuition."

Mrs. Hu looked at the white pork and pig's trotters in front of her, then looked at Du Qingtang with a loving look: "You child...Okay, then I'll accept it."

Du Qingtang's expression softened: "I'll go find Grandpa Liu."

"Go ahead." Mrs. Hu glanced at Du Qingtang's thin back and muttered softly, "She's a good kid who knows how to repay kindness. Unlike her cousin, he's okay at studying, but as a person... he's terrible!"

In the main room, Du Qingtang stood upright and bowed deeply to Liu Tongsheng.

"Passed the exam?"

"yes."

"Very good." A smile spread across Liu Tongsheng's wrinkled face. "Study hard. Even if you don't pass the imperial examination and become an official, you'll still be able to make a living with the knowledge you've gained."

Du Qingtang responded, "I will follow your instructions."

When the word "Sir" came out of his mouth, Liu Tongsheng's fingers holding the pipe trembled.

What a nice title.

Too bad no one ever called him that.

"If you have nothing to do, go back."

"yes."

Du Qingtang returned to the Du family and told them that she had been admitted to Qingyuan Academy.

"Tang Ge'er is really amazing. Dad would be very happy if he knew about this."

"So you don't have to pay tuition next year? That's great! This way, Tang Ge'er, you won't have to worry about your uncle and aunt's expressions anymore!"

The four girls chattered excitedly, their eyes sparkling.

Yuanshi was not at home, and Du Qingtang ignored her and took out the pork, pig's trotters and pig offal from the bottom of the bamboo basket.

"Wow!" Du Qiya exclaimed, "So much meat!"

The other three girls were also shocked.

“Why buy so much meat?”

“How much will this cost?”

"Braise the pork, make soup with the pig's trotters, and braise the pig's offal." Du Qingtang put the meat in the kitchen. "The academy rewarded each of us two taels of silver, so there's still quite a bit left."

After spending a few days together, the girls realized that Du Qingtang was a man of his word and they had no resistance to it. Instead, they were happy to see it happen.

Ever since Tangger took charge of the family, his mother no longer beats or scolds them, and his uncle's family doesn't dare to visit.

Who doesn’t want to live a comfortable life?

They had no choice before, but now they just want to work hard to earn money to support Tang Ge'er's education and live a prosperous life.

Du Qingtang put the academy clothes and four treasures of the study back into the house. He put the remaining silver together with the previous ones, wrapped it in cloth and hid it under the third brick in front of the kang.

Just as he stepped on the bricks tightly, Du Qiya screamed outside the door: "Mom! Why are you doing this?"

Du Qingtang's eyelids twitched, and he felt like it had finally come.

In the past few days, Yuan Shi has been much more well-behaved. She no longer mentions Yuan Sheng, let alone talks about continuing the family line, but she did not let her guard down.

Yuanshi is quiet, she must be up to something.

Du Qingtang didn't think she was truly repentant, but rather that she was lying low for the time being, waiting for the right moment to unleash her full power.

Facts have proved that Du Qingtang's judgment was very correct.

In the kitchen, Yuan was holding a small bamboo basket containing the pork bought by Du Qingtang.

Du Qiya's face flushed: "This was bought by Tang Ge'er, why did you send it to my uncle's house?"

Yuan Shi said confidently: "Because I am your mother!"

Du Qingtang's fingers were itching to move, and for the hundred and second time, he wanted to hammer her into the wall, but he couldn't get her out. "I'll count to three, and then put the things back."

Yuan was startled by Du Qingtang's sudden appearance and howled, "Your uncle is frail and sickly, and your cousin needs to study to improve his health. What's wrong with me sending them something? You are being unfilial. I will go to the government to sue you!"

"If you're brave enough, go now and arrest us all, beat us with a stick and put us in jail. If you're not brave enough, just shut up." Du Qingtang was intimidated by her and said sternly, "Yuan Ping is fatter than a pig in the pen, and Yuan Sheng is as strong as a calf. Look at the seventh sister, and then look at the fifth, sixth, and eighth sisters. They are so skinny that only bones are left. You feel sorry for Yuan Ping and Yuan Sheng, but have you ever cared about our lives?"

The four girls' eyes instantly turned red with grievance and sadness.

Yuan took a quick glance, as if burned, and hastily turned her eyes away, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice trembling: "Can't I make the decision about my family's things?"

"No, you can't." Du Qingtang said grimly, "Put it back where it belongs, right now."

"I don't..." Yuan Shi was unhappy. Du Qingtang would not indulge her. He stepped forward and snatched the bamboo basket. "You made me unhappy. You are not allowed to eat today."

Yuanshi: "..."

An hour later, Yuanshi sat outside the kitchen, smelling the aroma of braised pork, soybean pig's trotter soup and braised pig offal, her mouth watering and tears streaming down her face.

“Wuwuwuwu…”

Du Baya couldn't bear it: "Why don't you let mother come in to eat?"

Du Qingtang ate rice soaked in meat broth and said slowly, "Don't worry about her, just keep eating. Everyone is responsible for what they do, and if they do something wrong, they should be punished."

Du Qiya licked the bottom of the bowl and said, "I only had meat once during the Chinese New Year six years ago. It was fat and greasy. It's not as good as the ones we have here."

Du Qingtang: "If it tastes good, eat more."

Du Qiya said loudly: "Okay!"

Du Wuya and Du Liuya smiled at each other, and Du Baya was infected by the atmosphere and smiled too.

-

However, in order to satisfy everyone's curiosity, Uncle Chen and Uncle Bao decided to tell the villagers that Du Qingtang had been preparing for the Qingyuan Academy entrance exam and had already succeeded.

The news spread quickly from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and soon it spread throughout Taoyuan Village.

"Have you heard that Tang'er from the Du family has been admitted to Qingyuan Academy?"

"What is Qingyuan Academy?"

"It's the most powerful academy in Baoding Prefecture!"

"Wow! Tang Ge'er is really capable!"

"You said that Du Jiatang'er and Yuan Jiasheng'er are cousins, so how come one is in heaven and the other is underground?"

"Tang'er has always been down-to-earth and capable. As for Yuansheng...his parents are just two lazy bums, sucking the blood of the Du family like leeches. How can their son be any good?"

“A dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and a mouse’s son will dig holes. This is absolutely true!”

Everyone laughed.

Not far away, Zhu was carrying a bamboo basket, walking quickly with her head down.

The villagers' flattering words faded away. A vicious flash appeared in her eyes, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth: "Beasts! All of them are beasts!"

Those who gossip behind others' backs are beasts. They have hurt Sheng Ge'er terribly, but Du Qingtang, who is feeling proud of himself, is even worse!

When Zhu returned home, Yuan Ping was sitting on the kang smoking a pipe, Yuan Xue was busy in the kitchen, and Yuan Sheng was sitting in the yard, looking up at the sky with a dazed expression.

He had lost a lot of weight, with sunken cheeks and bulging eyes, completely different from his previous handsome appearance.

Zhu saw it with her own eyes and felt pain in her heart. Hatred surged in her heart and she wished she could tear Du Qingtang into pieces.

These days they have been looking for the man and woman who framed Yuan Sheng that night. They have also clarified to the public many times that Yuan Sheng is innocent, he does not know those two people at all, and everything is Du Qingtang's conspiracy, but they have all failed.

The man and woman seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. The villagers did not believe that Du Qingtang had framed Yuan Sheng, and said that they were mad and biting people.

"How could such an honest child like Tang'er possibly harm others?"

Yuansheng, Yuanping and Zhu were so angry that they vomited three liters of blood. Big blisters appeared at the corners of their mouths and they were in so much pain that they couldn't sleep at night.

Zhu hesitated for a moment, then told her about Du Qingtang's admission to Qingyuan Academy. She said worriedly, "Now, I'm afraid I won't be able to control her."

Originally, they planned to use Shu Xiu to threaten Du Qingtang, forcing her to come forward and admit that she had deliberately framed Yuan Sheng, thereby clearing Yuan Sheng's name.

Who would have thought that Du Qingtang actually went to study at Qingyuan Academy, and was so proud to be exempted from the tuition fee. It really made her angry!

Yuan Sheng's eyes rolled, his hoarse voice filled with sinister intent: "Who said there's no way?"

Zhu was confused: "What method?"

Of course, it is to expose Du Qingtang's secret and let everyone know that she is a woman.

Zhu hesitated: "Brother Sheng, aren't you planning to have her take the imperial examination with you and go to the capital to become an official?"

Yuan Sheng sneered: "This is a different time now. She was unkind to me and brought disgrace upon me. So don't blame me for being unjust. I will beat her back to her true form!"

In the past, he coveted Du Qingtang's beauty and wanted her to be his vanguard, to go through life and death for him and gain credit for him, so he kept the secret for her.

But then he thought again, with his talent and ability, it would be easy for him to enter the government and become an official, and it would not be impossible for him to be second only to the emperor. He could have any woman he wanted, so why should he be obsessed with Du Qingtang?

How can a woman be chaste if she keeps hanging out with men for years?

He wanted to ruin Du Qingtang's reputation. He wanted Du Qingtang to beg him for him and to carry on the Yuan family's lineage.

When he gets to a high position, he might reward Du Qingtang with the status of a concubine because she gave birth to his children and served him wholeheartedly.

"Mom, you go..."

Yuan Sheng whispered something to Zhu, and Zhu's eyes lit up, unable to hide her ecstasy.

"Don't worry, I'll do it right away!"

Zhu swept away her dejection and went out in a hurry.