Chapter 248 Never Set Foot in Dahe Village Again
"Shouldn't I be asking Grandma Cheng what it would take for your Cheng family to allow Zhao'er to study properly?"
Cheng Wanwan's lips curled into a cold smile.
“Zhao’er studies diligently day and night in Dahe Village, with Master Yu personally guiding him. Passing the imperial examination is a sure thing. However, your Cheng family insists on tarnishing his life. Once he is interrogated as a criminal, he will never be able to pursue an official career again.”
"Don't say that I, as the second aunt, don't care about the child. I have no choice. You use filial piety to pressure me, but I can't disregard human relations. I can't punish my own mother and brother, but punishing my nephew shouldn't be a problem, right? In the future, whenever you come to my house to cause trouble, if I feel unhappy, I will transfer that unhappiness to Zhao'er, how about that?"
"You, you, you!"
Sister-in-law Cheng was furious.
She longed to rush over and slap Cheng Wanwan hard across the face, just like she used to.
But countless people were watching the three members of the Cheng family in the courtyard, and many villagers were gathered outside to watch the commotion. How could they dare to go against the entire Dahe Village?
Grandma Cheng restrained her angry eldest son and daughter-in-law, took a deep breath and said, "As long as you let Zhao'er go, I can agree to anything you ask."
Cheng Wanwan smiled.
There was no concept of severing ties with relatives in this dynasty. Even if ties were severed, it was only done when a member of the clan committed a serious crime of murder and the clan was afraid of being implicated.
If she were to do so rashly, she would be criticized and vilified. Most importantly, her four sons would be spitting on her back. That is why she has never severed ties with the Cheng family.
But the Cheng family comes every now and then, which is really disgusting.
She spoke slowly, “The three of you will each receive twenty strokes of the cane at the yamen, and after that, you are never allowed to set foot in Dahe Village again.”
Brother Cheng rushed out in one stride: "Why should I get a beating? Why can't I come to Dahe Village? Who do you think you are..."
"Smack!"
Grandma Cheng slapped Brother Cheng across the face.
"What kind of time is this? Still making a scene? Do you think the Cheng family isn't shameful enough already? You can embarrass yourself, but you're not allowed to embarrass Zhao'er!"
Zhao'er is the hope of the Cheng family; her future must not be ruined.
Old Mrs. Cheng turned around and said coldly, "You two, stop standing there and come with me to the yamen!"
Although Brother Cheng and Sister-in-law Cheng were arrogant, they didn't dare to go against the old lady, and they followed behind her with their heads down.
"Wait a moment."
Cheng Wanwan spoke softly.
Grandma Cheng clenched her fists and turned around: "Is there anything else?"
"Take your Cheng family's things with you." Cheng Wanwan placed the jade locust wrapped in red silk on the stone table. "This is a gift from the Emperor. If you pawn or sell it, it will be an act of disrespect to the Emperor. At best, your family will be raided; at worst, your entire clan will be exterminated. Take it back and treat it with respect."
Cheng Zhao turned back: "Second Aunt, this jade locust originally belonged to..."
“Zhao’er, this is something bestowed upon you by the Emperor. The imperial edict clearly states that your surname is Cheng and your given name is Zhao. What, are you trying to frame your second aunt for the crime of forcibly seizing a sacred object?” Cheng Wanwan smiled. “You are a member of the Cheng family. Imperial gifts should be enshrined in the Cheng family ancestral hall. Let your grandmother take it back.”
Brother Cheng rushed over and hugged Yu Huang in his arms.
Sister-in-law Cheng lifted the red silk cloth a little bit, and when she saw the locusts that were completely green, her lips trembled with excitement.
Fearing that Cheng Wanwan might change her mind, Old Mrs. Cheng quickly left Dahe Village with her eldest son and daughter-in-law.
Cheng Zhao lowered his head and chuckled, his shoulders slumped, and he looked listless, his usual composure and gentleness gone.
He spoke slowly, "I've stayed at my second aunt's house for so long, it's time for me to go back. Thank you for your guidance and care all this time. My kindness to you cannot be expressed in just a few words, and I will do everything in my power to repay you."
Shen Zheng asked in astonishment, "You want to go back? Go back to where? Back to the Cheng family?"
Cheng Zhao nodded: "I'll go pack my things first."
"Big Cousin!" Zhao Sidan grabbed his sleeve. "Didn't we agree to go back for the New Year? Please don't leave!"
Cheng Zhao didn't want to leave either.
But if he stays here, he will only bring endless trouble to his aunt's family.
He stayed behind to teach his four younger cousins, but now that Master Yu is here, there's no point in him staying. His second aunt will have to support him as well.
“Zhao’er, you can’t go back now.” Cheng Wanwan said calmly, “Today I went to Ping’an County and finalized a soap deal. Soap production will be expanded in the future. The most urgent need right now is packaging paper. Go to Nanfu Academy and find a few more classmates to help. A thousand sheets won’t be too few, and ten thousand sheets won’t be too many.”
She is confident that she can promote the soap to every region of the country.
Cheng Zhao pursed his lips. Although his cousins could read and write, they couldn't paint. Only he and Shen Zheng could, but Shen Zheng's style was more free and unrestrained, while his aunt needed more conventional patterns. It seemed that only he could do this.
He bowed his head: "Yes, Second Aunt."
His words brought a sigh of relief to the surrounding villagers.
Grandma Zhao patted Cheng Zhao on the shoulder: "You just said you wanted to go back, it really scared me to death. You're such a good child, I can't bear to part with you."
"Yes, yes!" Aunt Wang said with lingering fear. "Our son, Mudskipper, has learned a lot of great principles from you. If you leave, he definitely won't want to study anymore."
Tie Zhu's mother lowered her voice: "We all know that Master Yu is very knowledgeable, but the children are all afraid of him, and we don't know why."
"As long as Cheng Zhao is in the village, the children will have someone to rely on, and they can concentrate on their studies."
"Cheng Tongsheng, you are my son's role model, you can't leave!"
The villagers looked at Cheng Zhao with respect and gratitude.
He opened his mouth, and after a long while, he said, "Okay, then I'll stay for another two months."
He really will be going back home in two months when the Chinese New Year arrives.
After the villagers gradually dispersed, Cheng Wanwan announced a major event: "Tomorrow, Er Gou, Da Wang, and I will go to Nanyang. It will take a day and a night by water. The boat will stay in Nanyang for three days, and then we will take a day and a night to return. It will take a total of five days."
"Five days?" Zhao Sidan's little face was full of urgency. "That's too long, Mom, I want to go with her."
Zhao Sanniu nodded: "Mother, I want to go too."
He wanted to protect his mother from being bullied.
Zhao Dashan originally wanted to say he would go too, but when he looked up and saw Zhao Yuezhu waving her little arms in Wen's arms, his eyes softened immediately.
He said, "Mother, go to Nanyang without worry. I will take care of everyone at home and won't let anything go wrong."
Cheng Wanwan certainly wouldn't bring too many people, as it would increase expenses.
Next, she mainly explained the arrangements for various matters at home. It just so happened that Ms. Wen was at home taking care of the children. With an elder in charge, the children would have a pillar of support.
The farm work is still handled by Dashan. The soap workshop is running normally, and Grandma Zhao is in charge of overseeing it. San Niu will handle the technical aspects. Wu Xiaochui alone isn't enough for the warehouse, so Grandpa Zhao will come and give him a nudge from time to time. As for the cash on hand, it's all in Cheng Zhao's hands. If you need to buy goat milk, honey, or packaging paper, just write a receipt for Cheng Zhao to withdraw the money. Cheng Zhao will be responsible for keeping the books...
After everything was arranged, Cheng Wanwan began packing the things she would take to Nanyang. First was cloth, and second was soap. They filled an entire cart, piled high, and covered the top with coarse cloth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
