Oh my, when did this little guy learn this word? Nobody taught him, yet he learned it all by himself?

Chen Yourun was overjoyed, and the biggest smile he had shown in years appeared on his face.

From the moment he decided to come back until now, the emotions he had been suppressing have finally been released.

He thought that returning would be a very difficult time; his wife would have many bad habits, and he would need to put in a lot of effort to change her. Perhaps many conflicts would arise between them, and in the worst-case scenario…

She actually appeared on the very first day he returned and directly proposed a divorce, but later, everything shattered his understanding and expectations.

His wife is not like that at all. Maybe she was in the past, but now she has completely changed. She is smart, capable, and brave... Although she is not diligent yet, that doesn't matter.

He did all the heavy and tiring work himself without any problem, and his wife was already very, very good.

The child was also well raised by her, Chen Yourun looked at his wife.

Yin Lan: "......"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I've seen her so many times already. What's the point of looking at her? What's so interesting?"

Yin Lan spontaneously went to chat with the old man.

The old man had been through so much; he had lost weight and his wrinkles had deepened. He had thought he was doomed this time, but unexpectedly, someone was willing to help him, although...

Although the little hut was truly small and dilapidated, he was already very content.

"Have you ever been to school?" Yin Lan asked, voicing her biggest question.

She so wished the old man were a scholar, or even a child scholar, as long as he could enlighten the child.

Even if she couldn't, it wouldn't matter. Yin Lan didn't intend to skimp on the food and drink she was supposed to provide. After all, if it weren't for the old man's final message, the village's crisis wouldn't have been resolved. Besides, she would help if she could, since an old man couldn't eat much anyway.

"Sigh..." the old man sighed.

Just as Yin Lan was feeling somewhat disappointed, the old man spoke up, "I am unworthy, but I passed the provincial examination and was even favored by the Emperor in the palace examination. Unfortunately, the Emperor soon passed away... After that, I spent my life doing peripheral tasks and never achieved anything significant. In my old age, I planned to return to my hometown, only to find that my family members were either dead or had left; there was no one left..."

Yin Lan sighed as well, saying that in this day and age, living is really not an easy thing.

etc?

Yin Lan suddenly realized, "Did I pass the imperial examination?"

He even participated in the palace examination, so...so...so...a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination)?

"Then...then...you are surnamed Liu?"

The old man was surprised. "How did you know?"

Yin Lan was so excited she almost pinched her thigh raw. She looked excitedly at Chen Yourun, who had obviously realized what was happening and smiled at her.

"You must be Liu Jing? The most famous scholar in the entire prefecture who almost became the third-ranked scholar?"

When adults educate their children, they all mention Liu Jing, who could recognize a thousand characters at the age of four, could recite poems fluently, and was the most famous and youngest top scholar in the entire prefecture, a man of great talent and profound learning.

But... why now...?

The old man was filled with emotion, "I never thought that anyone would still remember me."

Yes, I remember. Many people remember.

"I see you have three children, and I have nowhere else to go, so I dare not eat and stay for free. We just happened to be talking about books, and I have some knowledge of them and some teaching experience. If your children want to study, I can teach them. If not, I will take my leave now," the old man said tremblingly.

Yin Lan quickly stopped her.

Even if she didn't intend to, she still wanted to keep the old man.

“We are keeping you here with absolutely no intention of seeking anything in return. If you do not wish to stay, you can stay at our home without any problem. We are just afraid that you will find our home unsuitable.”

"How could that be?" The old man shook his head. He didn't even have a small thatched hut to shelter him from the wind and rain.

Moreover, he was someone who valued adaptability and contentment.

"We're looking for a teacher. The tuition is two taels of silver a month. Is that alright?"

This price wouldn't even be enough to hire a scholar. There are three children in the family, the youngest is still small, and the eldest and second eldest would need two taels of silver per month to go to school.

Moreover, with Liu Lao's qualifications, he would be highly sought after at any school, and even if he opened his own private school, people would probably fight tooth and nail for him.

"We're planning to build a house. You'll have your own room, and all your food and drink will be provided. Our family may not be well-off in other aspects, but when it comes to food and drink, I dare say that in the whole village, my family is second to none. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Old Liu swallowed hard.

"Five hundred coins a month is enough. It's one child to teach, but what difference does it make if there are two? You and he saved this old man, so asking for more money would be shameless. But..." He really had no money left.

"As for food, I will eat whatever you eat."

Yin Lan was still a little embarrassed, feeling that she hadn't given enough money, but the old man insisted on not taking it, and there was nothing else she could do.

The matter was settled, and Yin Lan was so happy that her eyebrows and eyes were beaming with joy, and she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

Chen Yourun moved closer to her, "Quickly put away your smug little tail."

Yin Lan's face stiffened instantly. He... he was less than an inch away from her. He was tall, and through his clothes, she could almost feel the immense power of his muscles. He exuded the strong aura of a powerful man, which made her inexplicably nervous.

"I...I didn't..." Yin Lan hurriedly took a step back.

Chen Yourun shook his head and chuckled.

However, Yin Lan quickly cheered up again. The top scholar in the provincial examination, a young genius; the top scholar in the provincial examination, fourth place in the palace examination! Heavens above!

She just wanted a scholar, how did such a big shot end up here?

The teacher who helped her save her child was a top scholar in the provincial examination, who ranked fourth in the palace examination and was just a step away from becoming a third-ranked scholar!

His qualifications surpass those of all the teachers in the entire county and the entire prefecture!

Yin Lan was overjoyed.

The eldest son learned that there was a new person in the family, who was also his teacher, and that he could now go to school.

She simply pursed her lips and said, "I understand."

Then, with somewhat unnatural steps, he went back into the inner room. Once no one was watching, he jumped up and covered his mouth with his hand, screaming silently.

He can read now!

Erwa soon found out about this too, and he was devastated.

"No, I don't want to study, no, no, no."

What to do when a naughty child doesn't want to study?

"Fine, if you're not going to study, what do you want to do?"

"I want to farm!"

"That's really something," Yin Lan almost laughed in exasperation.