Madam Qu smiled disapprovingly, "You and I, grandparents, can talk behind closed doors. There's no need to worry."
Chen Jianfang pursed his thin lips, with a very slight hint of impatience in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows: he did not approve of the casual way his grandmother spoke of the unmarried daughters of officials in Yingtian Prefecture.
It's like talking about a piece of porcelain, or a fine item that will be sold at a high price.
Chen Jianfang's way of expressing his dissatisfaction was to lower his head and not speak again.
Madam Qu did not notice Chen Jianfang's silence, and continued to speak with a caring attitude and kind words, "Since the adults have not expressed their opinions, we can't just sit there and wait - you will be in mourning in late August, and you have already wasted a lot of time, so now we have to hurry up."
Chen Jianfang picked up the teacup and lowered his eyes, just in time to see his own silent eyes and forbearing gaze on the calm and bright surface of the tea.
Madam Qu waited for a moment, and seeing that Chen Jianfang was still not prepared to speak, she frowned and said, "Your mother hasn't been out for a long time, and she never socializes with the wives of officials she used to know. Her family can't help much, so you can't count on her."
Chen Jianfang calmly put down the teacup and said in a deep voice, "Dad is an official in Sichuan. Does he want Mom to write to him every month and force him to blend into the circle of ladies thousands of miles away?"
Madam Qu made a "tsk" sound and pointed at Chen Jianfang to Aunt Qu, "It's fine if he doesn't speak, but forcing him to speak will make him choke to death!"
Chen Jianfang let out a sigh from his chest.
Helpless, impatience, rogue.
Family, no choice.
"If grandma is alright, I will go back to study." Chen Jianfang raised his eyelids, bowed, stood up, and spoke respectfully.
Madam Qu frowned, "Why are you panicking?!"
Aunt Qu bulged her eyes in shock!
In the eyes of the old lady, there are things in this world that are more important than studying! ?
The sun must be setting in the west...
Oh no! The sun must have been eaten by Madam Qu!
Madam Qu placed her hands on the small side table, with her patched cuffs casually placed there.
Chen Jianfang lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze fell on his grandmother's sleeve, he sighed deeply in his heart, and sat down as he was told.
Old Madam Qu leaned forward and was satisfied to see Chen Jianfang sitting down properly.
"Our family has raised Baozhu for so many years, and you wasted a year just to settle the students left by Principal Qiao..."
It sounds like harvest time.
Chen Jianfang tilted his head slightly, his expression slightly indifferent, "I never wanted any reward for doing these things."
Madam Qu smiled, her high cheekbones almost reaching her temples, "No reward? Then we won't make any money from our business! Just give it away for free!"
This grandson is good in every way.
Just one thing: he is too youthful.
Scholars who come from a merchant family should know how to make a living! Otherwise, how can you compete with those noble families who have accumulated wealth for generations?
Chen Jianfang pursed his thin lips tightly, like a bow with an arrow on it.
"When you are in high school, I will ask Baozhu to marry you."
Madam Qu said calmly.
Chen Jianfang's hands trembled suddenly, and he tightly grasped the handle of the chair. His body stood straight, and the arrow on the string was about to burst out. "What did you say?"
Old Madam Qu was well aware of her grandson's discomfort and anxiety.
She chose to ignore it and continued, "Grandmother has considered it. Qiao Baozhu is the best choice for our Chen family at the moment. Although Shanzhang Qiao has not entered the officialdom, the Qiao family is an aristocratic family. Whether it is my aunt who married into the Dingyuan Marquis family, or Qiao Baoyuan who seems to have a promising future, they are not something we can easily climb up to..."
Madam Qu smiled, revealing her slightly yellowed teeth due to her age. Her smile was very comforting, and at the same time, she was feeling cheaply relieved. "It just so happens that we have done a favor to her and the Qiao family. If we ask for her hand in marriage, the Qiao family will never easily refuse."
Chen Jianfang clenched his upper and lower back teeth, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and the intricate thoughts flashed by like a passing show.
How could he refuse!?
He must refuse!
How to show gold? !
What should he do? !
What about the orb?
"If I pass the imperial examination, but get a reputation of repaying a favor, I won't have a good time when it comes to official positions."
Chen Jianfang quickly picked out a reasonable and tenable excuse, and withdrew his right hand from the handle. He said quickly, "Passing the exam is by no means the end. Some Jinshi went to the Hanlin Academy to edit books. Although the life was hard, they could enter the six ministries after a few years. Some Jinshi were sent to northern Fujian or western Sichuan to serve as county magistrates. They could not make any progress for decades, and spent their entire lives in the seventh-rank official position..."
Chen Jianfang was originally speaking very fast, but as he spoke, he gradually returned to his usual calm and confident tone, "Grandma, I've taken 99 steps, but I failed at the last step. Is it worth it?"
Old Madam Qu narrowed her eyes, her cheekbones gradually lowered, and she folded her hands on her lower abdomen, as if she was thinking about what Chen Jianfang said.
After a while, Fang hesitated and asked, "How did you get such a reputation?"
They want to repay a favor, but...but...but others can't say that!
They clearly did a favor to the Qiao family!
We must repay favors!
She was never deprived of food, clothing, monthly allowance... and even a mule cart was allocated just for her!
If Director Qiao was sensible, he would have thought of these things!
What's more, Qiao Baozhu had lived in the Chen family for such a long time without any relatives or friends and with no clear relationship. If she had lived in the countryside, the woman's story would have spread all over the village long ago!
If Qiao Baozhu doesn't marry into the Chen family, who should she marry?
Chen Jianfang smiled, and raised his chin slightly. "Who can tell clearly what happened in the imperial examination? In the spring of the previous dynasty, there was a candidate who was over 50 years old who had diarrhea during the exam and did not finish the paper. He thought that he would not be able to finish it and would not get a ranking. On the last day, he simply gave up the paper and concentrated on using a spoon to dig the earth walls of the small room..."
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