She had a well-thought-out plan: once she found Chen Sinian, she could settle down and simply watch her husband grow up. She would marry him before he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, then he would belong to her alone.

You know, in her past life, her mother-in-law loved her the most, and few of those vile people dared to act recklessly in front of her. Her mother-in-law must really want to see her too.

Thinking of the good days to come, Zhou Lingxi quickened her pace and headed towards Chenjia Village.

After everyone was in their places, Xie Ming was able to focus on his work with peace of mind, and a few more days passed peacefully.

When Xie Chunlin brought Chen Hehua back to the village, the crops in the fields had grown very tall.

"Father!" Xie Ming saw that Xie Chunlin had lost weight and darkened several shades, and knew that he hadn't had a good time these past few days.

Chen Hehua, who was with him, was fair-skinned and plump, with a blank stare in her eyes; her former gentleness had completely disappeared.

"I'll take your mother inside first, you and your brothers go play for a while."

Xie Chunlin missed his child terribly after not seeing him for so long, but he had to attend to matters in the county.

Xie Ming, knowing what he had done outside, obediently let him go, but the look of tenderness in his eyes pleased the good father immensely.

After he left, Xie Ming pouted.

This father's cunning is truly beyond compare. The reason he took his mentally challenged wife out for medical treatment this time was simply to establish a reputation for being loyal and righteous in the future.

They started planning even before the imperial examinations began.

However, Xie Ming was happy that he was so proactive, otherwise the resentment of the entire Xie family would be hard to dispel.

Xie Chunlin was unaware that his own son had seen through everything he had done. He only told his grandfather about seeking help from his former teacher in the county.

He was once a student valued by his teachers, but he was envied and nearly killed by others.

Even if you report this to the authorities, they'll only arrest a few ringleaders; they won't bring the real culprits to justice.

Ultimately, it's because they lack the confidence to stand up to those people.

Xie Chunlin chose to remain silent and not allow his family to get involved because he was afraid that the foundation his family had worked so hard to build would be destroyed.

This time, he chose to take the imperial examination again, not only because he wanted to protect the Xie family, but also because his former enemies were far away.

If he is careful to conceal his former brilliance, he will no longer be envied.

He was meticulously planning his scheme, completely unaware that the people in Chenjia Village were also plotting to take advantage of the Xie family.