Chapter 118 My Mother Will Never Get Married
Grandma Cheng pushed the man behind her out.
"This is the man I found for you. The bride price has been paid, our birth dates have been exchanged, and all the necessary procedures have been completed. You can go with him today."
Cheng Wanwan was so angry she almost laughed.
She sneered, "I have in-laws above me and a son and daughter-in-law below me. Who do you think you are, Old Mrs. Cheng? You're just talking big and spreading rumors. My marriage is none of your business. Besides, did you even ask Da Shan's opinion when you found me a man? Da Shan is watching from heaven!"
Her words were sarcastic and forceful, and she even pointed to the sky.
A cold sweat inexplicably broke out on Grandma Cheng's back.
Then came even greater anger.
This is her own daughter who crawled out of her belly, so why can't she control her own daughter's marriage?
She shoved the man behind her again: "What are you standing there for? This is your wife. Tie her up and take her home. Today is her wedding night, and from now on she's part of your family!"
The man had been single for over a decade, not because his family was poor, but because he was ugly, had a large mole on his face, and after his wife died more than ten years ago, he had several children, making it even more difficult for anyone to marry him.
He fell in love with Cheng Wanwan the moment he saw her.
These days, there aren't many women who can keep themselves clean and tidy, and this woman has quite fair skin; marrying her would be a great honor.
The man said in a deep voice, "My family owns forty acres of land and I have more than five taels of silver. After you marry into the family, you can manage the land and the money."
Zhao Sidan grinned angrily, "My mother doesn't want your land! She doesn't want your money! My mother will never remarry!"
Grandma Cheng was furious: "You little bastard, if you dare to ruin this marriage, see how I deal with you!"
She had to ask someone to act as a go-between to arrange this marriage. The dowry was only three taels of silver, a price even a young virgin wouldn't get. It's a blessing that this brat Cheng Wanwan could get someone to willingly give up three taels of silver. And yet she dared to refuse. Where did she get the audacity to do that?
However, Mrs. Cheng realized that her own daughter was no longer as easy to manipulate as before.
She suppressed her anger and softened her tone, saying, "Wanwan, it's really hard for you, a woman raising four children alone. I only found you a man because I felt sorry for you. His family is quite well-off, so you won't go hungry these days. His parents are both dead, so you can be the head of the household right away. This is a great opportunity, something most people would kill for..."
Cheng Wanwan sneered, "It's as if I can't be in charge now. Old Mrs. Cheng, if you don't leave soon, I'll have to call someone over. I'm not afraid of losing face, but I'm afraid that you'll ruin the reputation of your Cheng family."
Grandma Cheng was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder.
This despicable wretch is completely impervious to reason.
She gave the man beside her a wink, intending to force her way in and take Cheng Wanwan away.
Just then, a refined voice rang out in the courtyard.
"Grandma, what brings you here?"
Just as Grandma Cheng was about to make a move, she looked up and saw their beloved eldest grandson.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
After her eldest grandson came home last time, he insisted on becoming a teacher. These past few days, she has been planning to take some time to go to town to inquire about which academy he would be teaching at.
The village has been busy with locust control and hasn't had time to spare. Yesterday, they happened to meet a matchmaker, so they decided to first arrange a marriage for their second daughter and secure the three taels of silver dowry before looking for their eldest grandson.
Unexpectedly, they found their eldest grandson at their second daughter's house.
"Zhao'er, what are you doing here?"
Grandma Cheng spoke in a daze, looking at the person in front of her in disbelief.
Their Zhao'er always wore a clean blue and white long gown, exuding the elegance of a scholar from head to toe. But now, Zhao'er was wearing patched clothes and straw sandals, with his big toe sticking out.
Her precious grandson has suffered so much.
Grandma Cheng slapped her thigh and burst into tears: "That heartless wretch! How could he treat his own nephew like this? Our Zhao'er is a scholar, how could he wear such tattered clothes? My poor Zhao'er, it's all my fault for being useless, letting you be tormented like this..."
People passing by not far from the village heard the commotion and gathered around to see what was going on.
What's going on?
"Cheng Zhao came to stay at his second aunt's house, and the Cheng family didn't know?"
"It's strange, isn't Cheng Zhao supposed to be studying at the town's academy? Why is he still living at his second aunt's house?"
"Didn't I say I was going to teach Si Dan and the others to read?"
Many people around were talking about it. Grandma Cheng finally understood: her eldest grandson was actually teaching in Dahe Village.
Damn it, she thought it was an insult to her grandson's talent to send him to teach in town, but she never expected that Cheng Wanwan, that rotten heart, would dare to let Zhao'er stay in the village to teach Si Dan and those little bastards to read and write!
"Grandma, I'm doing well here." Cheng Zhao walked to the courtyard gate, opened it, and helped the old lady Cheng, who was sitting on the ground, up. "Grandma, don't worry about me. Tell Dad and Mom that I'm doing well here with Second Aunt."
"What's so good about it? You're dressed in tattered clothes, and you're probably not even getting enough to eat every day. Look at you, you've gotten so thin." Grandma Cheng said with heartache. "Grandma will take you home and make you something delicious. Come on, come on, let's go home!"
Cheng Zhao pulled her hand away: "Grandma, I'm not going back."
Grandma Cheng got anxious: "What nonsense are you talking about, child? You are a scholar, how can you suffer in a place like this? Let's talk about it at home."
Cheng Zhao spoke slowly, "I can no longer study. I am no longer a scholar."
"Zhao'er!"
Grandma Cheng quickly covered her eldest grandson's mouth.
The fact that their eldest grandson was expelled from Nanfu Academy was known only to their own family members, the village head, and the clan chief of Chengjia Village.
This isn't something to be proud of, and since it can be resolved anyway, the fewer people who know about it, the better.
Cheng Zhao's gaze swept over the villagers who had come to watch the commotion.
Ever since he came to Dahe Village, everyone here looks at him with respect and admiration, as if he were some kind of saint.
Even the most gossipy women in the village, the most unruly scoundrels, or the laziest rascals would all avoid him when they saw him.
He knew that the status of a scholar was highly revered in this village where there were no scholars.
The villagers were willing to send their children to school to learn to read and write because he was a scholar and they firmly believed that he could pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.
In fact, he had long since lost that qualification.
He needs to explain this to everyone.
"I was expelled from Nanfu Academy for some reason and lost my qualification for the academy examination. In other words, I can only be a child student for the rest of my life."
"What?!"
"What does that mean? I don't understand."
"Didn't the people of Chengjia Village say that their village is going to produce a second scholar?"
"Cheng Zhao said he could no longer take the provincial examination, which probably means he can no longer go to Huzhou to take the examination. If he can't even go to take the examination, how can he pass the county-level examination?"
More and more people gathered at the entrance of Cheng Wanwan's courtyard.
She really didn't expect Cheng Zhao to make this public at this time.
She looked at her nephew, his eyes clear, his back straight, accepting whatever the villagers said with equanimity.
With such a mindset, one is destined for great things.
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