Chapter 49 County Examination

"Thank you all for speaking up. We apologize for the poor hospitality today. So, all dishes in our restaurant will be 20% off today!" Song Yushu offered them the discount directly.

"Mr. Wei is so generous!"

"Then we won't stand on ceremony!"

The guests, who had initially only spoken up for Song Yushu because they disliked Zhao Yuzhi, cheered upon hearing this. Now, no one cared about Zhao Yuzhi kneeling on the ground wiping away tears; they all rushed into the restaurant to spend money.

Zhao Yuzhi had never been so embarrassed. Now, the diners in the restaurant were pointing their fingers at her and cursing her without any politeness. None of her original expectations came true. Before Song Yushu could say anything more, she covered her face and hurriedly left.

"Wait! Miss, is something wrong? Why are you crying so sadly..."

When Zhao Yuzhi returned from town, she had already composed herself and even splurged on a pot of thick rice porridge.

"What is your relationship with the people in the carriage?" Zhou Lao Er had personally witnessed Zhao Yuzhi getting off a carriage and bringing back a lot of grain.

"I met them in town and helped them with a small favor."

Zhao Yuzhi paused, then casually scooped up the rice porridge from the pot.

"Dad, you eat first. I'll go inside and bring Chengli some food," Zhao Yuzhi said, carrying a bowl of porridge into the house.

Zhou Chengli remained the same deadbeat, never leaving the house and just lying in bed, utterly listless.

"I went to town today and saw Aunt Wei," Zhao Yuzhi said, scooping a spoonful of porridge from her bowl and bringing it to Zhou Chengli's lips.

Zhou Chengli's expression changed slightly, but he still opened his mouth and drank the porridge.

“She opened a restaurant and is doing very well. I begged her to lend you money to treat your leg, but she said she had severed ties with me and refused to lend me the money. She even humiliated me in the street. I really had no other choice. If it weren't for a kind person lending me some food, I probably wouldn't have had the face to come back to see you and would have just died!”

In fact, the young master had given her fifty taels, but she knew that fifty taels might not be enough for Zhou Chengli to treat his leg. She was afraid that all her efforts would be in vain, so she did not reveal this and only gave Zhao Yuhe five taels so that they could survive.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chengli's face showed emotion.

"Chengli, you can't go on like this. If you don't support this family, I really can't hold on any longer!" Zhao Yuzhi said, then covered her face and cried.

Looking at her thin, trembling shoulders, Zhou Chengli's eyes showed pity: "You've suffered so much these past few days..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuzhi, who had originally intended to provoke Zhou Chengli's fighting spirit, couldn't help but burst into tears. She had been living in constant fear, afraid that the villagers would blame them for her father's mistakes, afraid that Zhou Chengli would divorce her, and afraid that she would have nowhere to go. Only now could she finally put her mind at ease.

Hearing the crying outside, Zhou Lao Er was also distressed. The family was now old and disabled, and could no longer withstand any more turmoil. He no longer held onto the hope that Zhou Chengli would pass the imperial examinations, become an official, and bring glory to the family. He only hoped to live a peaceful life and let bygones be bygones.

“Father, I helped the owner of Taixing Restaurant in town with a small favor the other day. If you can’t find work, you can try going there.”

Zhao Yuzhi clearly sensed that Zhou Lao Er's attitude towards her had softened. She then remembered the young master she had met that day who had reminded her to go to Taixing Restaurant in town to find him if she had any difficulties, so she tried to speak up.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lao Er naturally decided to give it a try. At his age, it wasn't easy to find a good job, so he had to seize any opportunity that came his way.

Unexpectedly, after going to Taixing Restaurant, he was actually kept there and given 300 coins a month. However, he could only rest for three days a month, and everything at home had to be handled by Zhao Yuzhi.

"Father, don't worry, I can take good care of Chengli," Zhao Yuzhi breathed a sigh of relief, her cheeks flushing as she thought of the gentle and refined young man.

“Then Chengli will be in your care. Let me know if you need anything, and I’ll buy it from town,” Zhou Lao Er said without further hesitation. That very day, he packed his clothes and went to Taixing Restaurant.

Stimulated by Zhao Yuzhi, Zhou Chengli is no longer as dejected as before. He drags his limping leg out to bask in the sun every day, and his affection for Zhao Yuzhi grows stronger with each passing day.

Song Yushu put the incident of Zhao Yuzhi causing trouble out of his mind, because the time for Zhou Chengyu to take the county examination was approaching.

Originally, Zhou Chengyu was unsupervised and just wasted his time at the academy. After Song Yushu came to this world, although he had some awakening, he still hadn't laid a solid foundation. Even with hard work to make up for his shortcomings, he could only say that he had caught up with the current progress.

He originally didn't plan to take the county exam this year, but seeing that other classmates in similar situations wanted to give it a try, he followed suit.

Xue Huai'an didn't say anything when he saw them sign up, but just told them to do their best and not to put too much pressure on themselves.

“Your teacher is right. You know what kind of life you’ve been living in the academy before, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Just treat this as a preview and find out where you are lacking.”

After Zhou Chengyu returned and told Song Yushu about his decision, Song Yushu also felt that it would be good to let him try the county examination ahead of time.

“But my elder brother passed the preliminary examination when he was ten years old. If I don’t pass, won’t I be laughed at by the people in the academy?” Although Zhou Chengyu knew that this was the case, he still cared about his reputation.

“People are different. There aren’t many people like your older brother in the county. You don’t need to compare yourself to him. Just know which path to take in the future. Anyway, our family still has a shop. Even if you don’t take the imperial examination route, we can still live a good life.”

Fearing that he might get carried away, Song Yushu patiently offered a few words of comfort.

"Strange, Mother, you used to love comparing me to my older brother and even forced me to study. Why don't you care about whether I pass the imperial examination or not?" Zhou Chengyu breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but ask this question.

"I was too short-sighted before. I didn't consider your thoughts. I only thought that you could make me proud in the Zhou family. Later, I sent you to the academy to reform yourself so that you could become a person who knows etiquette, law, and virtue. As for whether you take the imperial examination or go into business, that's up to you and your brother. As long as you can support yourselves, that's fine."

Song Yushu's words relieved Zhou Chengyu of all burdens. He ate and drank as usual, and apart from frequently seeking advice from Xue Huai'an, he did not do anything unusual.

"The county exam is coming up soon, how come you're not worried at all?" Xia Yun was very envious of his mindset.

"My skill level is just like this for the time being, there's no use in being anxious."

"Didn't your family put pressure on you? My mother said that if I don't pass the county exam this time, she will deduct my monthly salary and make me eat vegetarian food for two more months. It's too difficult!" Xia Yun, who was originally lying on the table, opened the book again and started reciting it with a swaying head when she thought of the consequences.