Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Provincial Yuan. (First update)...
Putting aside the shock Wei Chu felt when he looked at the back of the carriage, in Linzhiji Shop, Linzhi was stroking the plaque given by Chen Yan, his mind already drifting elsewhere.
Lin Sen exchanged glances with Song Jiaoniang, and then his eyes fell on Lin Zhi again.
As Song Jiaoniang cleared the table, she walked over to Lin Zhi and said casually, "Sister Zhi, what are you thinking about?"
"No, nothing." Lin Zhi snapped back to her senses, hurriedly placed the plaque on the counter, and stood up. "I'm a little tired. I'm going back to my room to rest for a while."
After saying that, Lin Zhi hurried to the backyard, as if trying to avoid something.
Looking at her daughter's back, Song Jiaoniang instantly perked up. She dropped the rag, tugged at Lin Sen's arm, and said, "Do you think I should have a heart-to-heart talk with my daughter and teach her to be more careful?"
"What are you thinking?" Lin Sen's face was dark, and his voice was sour: "If Yan Ge'er was really interested, he would naturally come to my house himself...Ah!"
Before he could finish his words, Song Jiaoniang slapped him on the back of the head.
"It's true that beautiful women are sought after by hundreds of families, but haven't you seen how many families waited outside the Imperial Examination Hall during the Spring and Autumn Examinations to find a son-in-law? Beautiful men are even more sought after!"
Song Jiaoniang withdrew her hand and placed her hands on her hips, looking quite dissatisfied. "Before, when we didn't have much property, I was worried that if we found a husband, Sister Zhi would be looked down upon. But after we had the property, I found that finding a son-in-law wasn't easy either."
Although Lin Sen felt a little jealous, he had to admit that what Song Jiaoniang said was right. At the beginning of the year, the number of matchmakers who came to their door was almost overwhelming, but the people they introduced were so dirty and smelly that the couple felt so bad that they agreed with their daughter's opinion and decided not to worry about the marriage for the time being.
"Brother Yan is familiar with us. Whether it was helping us back then or speaking for ordinary people in the Dali Temple, his character is obvious to all of us."
Song Jiaoniang knew that when judging a person, one should not look at how he treats those in a higher position, but rather how he treats those who are weaker than himself.
People will pretend and obey when facing a superior, but will reveal their true nature and even show their fangs when facing the weak.
Chen Yan, who can seek justice for the grassroots people, focus on verification, and not wrongly accuse any good people, and always treat those in trouble and ordinary people with respect and kindness, at least has good intentions at heart.
Even if such a person changes, I don't think he will end up fighting or becoming an enemy.
After a pause, Song Jiaoniang added, "Actually, there's another thing that moves me the most, and that's... Yan Ge'er has no father or mother."
"If there were a mother-in-law, the bride would be subject to rules as soon as she entered the house. Would she allow Sister Zhi to run the shop outside every day?"
Lin Sen had to acknowledge Song Jiaoniang's carefulness and prudence in considering the marriage: "It's just that Sister Zhi said last time that she doesn't want to talk about marriage for the time being."
Song Jiaoniang asked, "Last time, she won the New Year's party and so many matchmakers came. What do you think this time?"
In the next two days, matchmakers came to visit one after another, but this time they were not private matchmakers, they were all official matchmakers, and the families they introduced were more respectable than each other.
One was talking about the third son of a seventh-rank official, who was the same age as Lin Zhi and was currently studying at the Imperial College; another was talking about a thirty-year-old widower who was an eighth-rank official and wanted to marry Lin Zhi as his second wife; another said that his family owned several fruit shops and was an acquaintance of Chef Lin. Upon further inquiry, it turned out to be Chef Xia, who was eliminated with zero votes in the New Year's Club.
No one in Lin Sen's family looked down upon her, but the neighbors were very envious and came to congratulate her, saying that Lin Zhi would definitely be an official's wife in the future.
When everyone found out that Lin Sen and his wife had declined all the offers, they could hardly hide their shock. They began to talk about it, saying that their family had too high standards and even looked down on officials. They didn't know what kind of family they were looking for.
This is a story for later.
Seeing the endless stream of matchmakers coming to his house, in the evening, Lin Sen bowed to Song Jiaoniang and said, "I was confused."
"Right?" Song Jiaoniang sighed, "Our Zhijie is like a piece of fragrant braised pork. Everyone who sees her wants to take a bite. Yan'er is a clerk. Some people think he has no future and think those officials' families are better. I think it's good. At least they won't stop Zhijie from doing what she likes.
After a pause, Song Jiaoniang muttered, "Besides, Madam Yu asked me last time about Yan'er, saying that many ladies in the neighborhood were interested in him and wanted to test his opinion."
In the eyes of ordinary people, being a clerk is a good job with a stable salary.
"The key lies in Sister Zhi's thoughts." Lin Sen said, "I think we should test her attitude first, so as not to show no intention at the time and make it awkward when we meet Brother Yan later."
Song Jiaoniang rolled her eyes. "Why are you trying to find out? Just say it straight! Yan'er is already at the age of marriage. If both sides are married, or only one side is married, will they still be able to interact with each other? Have you forgotten how Madam Qi looked when she first came to our house?"
Lin Sen was silent for a moment: "...That's right."
The couple made up their minds and went to Lin Zhi's house that night. Song Jiaoniang said straight to the point: "Sister Zhi, do you have any ideas about your marriage?"
"Didn't I say last time that I wouldn't mention this?"
"How can I not mention it? The matchmakers have been knocking down the door these past two days!" Song Jiaoniang raised her hand and poked her daughter's forehead, feeling both angry and amused. "Tell me, what kind of person are you looking for?"
Seeing that her parents insisted on an answer, Lin Zhi no longer pretended to be reserved: "I just want a decent character, fewer relatives at home, no concubines in the courtyard, and they also want me to agree to let me continue to run the shop."
After a pause, she added softly, "If...if he were more handsome and had a better figure, it would be even better."
The couple compared them one by one, and the more they listened, the more they felt that their daughter was talking about Chen Yan! Song Jiaoniang couldn't help but asked quietly, "Sister Zhi, what do you think of Brother Yan?"
Lin Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and she said with a stern face, "Yan Ge'er never mentioned these things, so please don't talk nonsense."
Song Jiaoniang took in all the changes in Lin Zhi's expression, and said a few "hmm" and "ah" to get by, then turned around and gave Lin Sen a look: This has a chance.
Song Jiaoniang knew her daughter was shy, so she joked a few words before leaving, whispering to Lin Sen. Now the couple began to worry about Chen Yan's orphanage again, wanting to find out more, but they didn't know who to turn to.
"Wait until he comes to visit, and then find out a little more?"
"Well, that's all we can do."
Meanwhile, Chef Wei was completely absorbed in the affairs of Wei Zhai. He first resigned as head chef, handing the job back to his father. He didn't consider who would take over the job. Then, he packed his bags at home, preparing to leave Bianjing.
The woman had never thought he would make up his mind so quickly. After packing his luggage under the candlelight, she buried her head in sewing the paper everywhere: "Don't be frugal when you are out there. Take care of yourself."
"Be cautious of others, keep your money separate, and don't walk around with large amounts of Jiaozi..."
"When I get to a place, I go to the post office, or send someone to deliver a letter..."
The day of the Autumn Examination results arrived in the blink of an eye. Wei Langxing woke up at dawn. Since handing over his duties as head chef, he no longer had to get up early to go to Baiweizhai. His days suddenly became freer, and he felt rather bored.
Wei Langxing was losing interest and was yawning when he suddenly remembered what Chen Yan said that day.
He sat up straight and looked out the window. He saw the morning sunlight shining through the window sill, falling on the tables and chairs, and reflecting the dust particles floating in the air.
"Are you really going to take the exam? I'm afraid you're not just talking casually?" Wei Langxing said this, but he actually put on his shoes, called the servants to change clothes and wash, prepared the donkey cart, and planned to go to the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall to take a look.
Although the results had not yet been announced, the area from the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall to the other end of the street was already packed with people, making it impossible to get through.
In addition to the students who have been waiting for nearly two months and have been unable to sleep at night, there are also idlers who are waiting to see the list to beg for money, servants of wealthy families, ordinary people who bring their children of school age to try their luck in literature, and businessmen and officials who dress unusually - most of them hope to find a son-in-law from under the list.
Of course, since there are so many people waiting, the vendors will not miss such a good opportunity, so the roadsides are filled with stalls and the sounds of hawking are everywhere.
Wei Langxing originally thought that he had left home early, but when he saw the scene in front of him, he could only smile bitterly.
He intended to squeeze into the crowd, trying to find a good position where he could see the announcement.
But everyone present thought so, so Wei Langxing spent a whole cup of tea but made no progress at all, and his shoes were almost stepped on.
Wei Langxing retreated in embarrassment, sighing as he looked at the wall of people in front of him.
"Sir, let me squeeze in." The servant who followed him volunteered and tried to squeeze in by relying on his thin body.
The advantage was that he was thin and could easily squeeze into the gap. The disadvantage was that he was not strong enough and was squeezed out by the surging crowd in a few seconds, and fell on his butt to the ground.
Wei Langxing didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and raised his hand to point to the teahouse nearby: "Never mind, there's no need to rush. I'll go sit over there first. I'll have plenty of opportunities to read the results after they're announced."
The teahouse was also full of people, but at least everyone had to pay a tea fee, so it was better than outside even if it was full.
Wei Langxing ordered a pot of tea and two snacks, then asked the servant to go out and buy breakfast, and then listened to the gossip of the people around him.
Most of the people sitting in the teahouse were students, and the topics they talked about naturally revolved around court documents and even rumors and news from all over the place. Of course, everyone was focused on the imperial examinations, and after a few words they began to speculate about who would be the provincial champion this year.
"If you ask me, it should be Brother Xu Yan," someone said. "He studied under Master Yan. I've read his articles before, and they're truly astonishing!"
"No, no, no, it should be Brother Hou Jingwen! He's one of the best in the Imperial College! He's at the top of the list for this year's provincial champion betting!"
Everyone was arguing over who would be the winner. Wei Langxing listened while eating. Anyway, he didn't recognize anyone up to this point.
Of course, some people also said, "What's there to guess? Maybe it will be a sudden rise like in the past few years."
As he was speaking, the noise outside suddenly changed. The students who had been sitting calmly suddenly stood up, craning their necks in groups of three or four to look outside. They saw a group of officials coming out of the Imperial Examination Hall and posting the red list on the wall.
"Who is the provincial governor?"
"Let's go, let's go quickly!"
Wei Langxing was also among the crowd. Just as he was following the flow of people towards the red list, he suddenly heard a loud shout: "The provincial champion is...Chen Yan of Kaifeng Prefecture?"
Wei Langxing paused and his eyes widened instantly.
"who!?"
This exclamation did not come from him, but from the people who were chatting in the teahouse just now.
"Chen Yan? Who is this person?"
"How come I haven't heard of it?"
"...Oh my god, is there another dark horse this year?"
Chef Wei's ears were filled with exclamations and surprise. He walked straight to the front of the list without saying a word, and his eyes fell on the top.
He rubbed his eyes subconsciously, and when he looked again, the two words were still clear.
"Goodness..." Chef Wei let out a long sigh, feeling shocked and sighing in his heart, as well as a bit of indescribable complexity.
His every trace of emotion, every trace of reluctance, every trace of regret all melted away completely.
As for Chen Yan, he hadn't left the house today, instead staying at his old house. Manager Jiang had sent someone to check the list early, and now he was pacing around the house with his hands behind his back, looking even more anxious and frantic than Chen Yan, the real boss.
Chen Yan felt dizzy after reading this and quickly advised, "The Xingbang list has just been posted. Even if the servant is fast, he can't come back so soon. Uncle Jiang should take a rest first."
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves could be heard outside. Manager Jiang flung open the door and trotted forward, bumping into a young servant who had fallen off his horse. The servant, upon seeing Manager Jiang, blurted out, "The young master is the provincial governor!!!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
