Chapter 360 Who is she?
The Lu family are native Huzhou residents, and Mrs. Lu is an expert in making distinctive Huzhou cuisine.
Cheng Wanwan ate until her belly was round and full, feeling very satisfied. After she finished eating, Madam Lu even brought her a pot of wine.
Cheng Wanwan offered money, but Madam Lu refused it no matter what.
“My daughter has always been a worry since she was little. Now that she’s settled down in Dahe Village with Old Yu, which is far away, I, as her mother, am always concerned.” Madam Lu pulled Cheng Wanwan aside. “Yingxue is strong-willed and always wants to win. If she and her husband get into a fight, I hope Madam Sui can mediate and reconcile them…”
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "The couple has a great relationship."
Over there, Lu's eldest sister-in-law was also whispering to Lu Yingxue, then stuffing a money bag into Lu Yingxue's hand: "Since Xiaozhan is going down the official path, there will be places to spend money everywhere in the future. Don't refuse, keep it safe. When Xiaozhan becomes successful in the future, I will make you pay it back with interest."
Lu Yingxue had mixed feelings. Her family members were all sharp-tongued but kind-hearted. They would say the most hurtful things, but in reality, they had been secretly supporting her.
Because she chose Lao Yu, and Lao Yu was the greatest disgrace to all literati, the Lu family was also secretly talked about by their neighbors.
She spoke softly, "Sister-in-law, from now on..."
"Alright, enough about the future," Sister-in-law Lu interrupted her. "Go home now that you've eaten. Do you expect to stay for dinner?"
Lu Yingxue was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, then Wanwan and I will be leaving now."
No sooner had Cheng Wanwan and Lu Yingxue left than a servant-like man came to inquire. He first asked about the price of the wine, and Madam Lu sent him to the wine shop to buy it. The man then steered the conversation toward Cheng Wanwan, subtly inquiring about her identity.
Madam Lu kicked the person out immediately. She knew that Madam Sui had come to Huzhou in a low-key manner, and if people found out her identity, it would be inconvenient for her to do anything in the future.
The servant was rebuffed, but just then he ran into a woman from next door who was coming out of the Lu family's house, so he went up to ask her what was going on.
"The Lu family's daughter moved to the countryside at the beginning of the year. I guess it's because distant relatives from the countryside came to beg for her money..."
The servant pressed, "The countryside? Which countryside?"
"I heard it's some village in Ping'an County, Dahe Village or Dashan Village, I think," the neighbor said casually. "The Lu family's daughter was determined to marry that scholar surnamed Yu. And look, her life has become a complete mess. She's a native of Huzhou, and she could easily make a good living in the city doing any kind of work. But what happened? She married a man with a bad reputation, and now she can't even stay in the place where she grew up. She's become a country bumpkin, and all she knows are country bumpkins..."
The servant relayed every word of the information he had gathered to his master and mistress.
Master Leng stroked his beard: "Looks like he really is a country bumpkin."
"But they are scholars after all. They came to Huzhou to take the provincial examination. Even if they fail, they won't go back to the village to farm," Madam Leng said. "That woman was so eloquent that she tricked us into going. It was clearly them who didn't want to get married, but in the end, the whole of Huzhou is talking about how our Leng family went back on their word."
"How about this..."
Master Leng beckoned with his finger and began to discuss the matter in detail with Madam Leng.
Outside the door, Miss Leng's finger, which was knocking, paused. A hint of shame and indignation appeared on her usually aloof face. Her throat was also itchy, but she tried her best to hold it in and turned to hide in a corner to cough.
Several days passed, and Cheng Wanwan had a fruitful trip to Huzhou City. She found many seeds of various kinds of melons and fruits, including common ones like cantaloupe and honeydew melon. The less common ones were seeds she bought from the mall, such as watermelon, honeydew melon, and cucumber. She didn't know if these seeds could be grown in Dahe Village, but for the sake of a happy life in the future, she had to try no matter what.
In addition, I bought some spice seeds, such as cumin, pepper, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Of course, she wouldn't go for anything too unusual, and she didn't really want to attract too much attention.
Before we knew it, the day of the exam had arrived.
The prefectural and provincial examinations were held on the same day. The prefectural examination was supervised by the prefectural governor, while the provincial examination was supervised by an official from the provincial capital. Both examination venues were located near the prefectural government office and were not too far apart.
Early in the morning, Cheng Wanwan and Lu Yingxue took several children to the examination venue.
Because they would be staying in the examination hall for three whole days, eating, drinking, and even using the restroom there, Cheng Wanwan personally prepared all these things for Cheng Zhao, including writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, water bottles, dry food, and bedding for sleeping at night, and helped carry them to the examination hall.
From Yuelai Inn, the first thing you pass is the site of the prefectural examination.
Lu Yingxue handed the things in her hands to her son and earnestly instructed him, "Your father and I don't have high expectations for you. Just do your best."
Yu Zhan nodded. Despite his young age, he carried a huge suitcase, turned around, and walked into the examination room step by step.
Immediately afterwards, Cheng Wanwan led Cheng Zhao and the other two to the venue for the academy examination.
"Madam Sui." Old Master Qian was already waiting at the door, walking over with a smile. "My grandson has shamelessly stayed at the same inn as Madam Sui, which must have caused her a lot of trouble. How about I treat Madam Sui to a simple meal today?"
Cheng Wanwan waved her hand: "The children are taking exams inside, how can they be in the mood to eat? Let's talk about it later."
She stood on tiptoe and looked at the entrance, which had the words "Dragon Gate" written on it. No matter what kind of examination hall it was, the long passage leading into it was called the Dragon Gate. The carp leaping over the Dragon Gate was the only way for many poor people to change their family's fortunes. Every student who walked into this place carried the great hopes of their entire family.
"Mr. Qian, I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
After watching Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng go inside, Cheng Wanwan and Lu Yingxue turned and left.
Old Master Qian stood there, watching Cheng Wanwan leave, before turning around to get into his carriage.
Several people around were stunned. These were high-ranking officials and dignitaries who had brought their children to take the exam, and some of them were businessmen who had business dealings with the Qian family.
Although the Qian family were just merchants in Baiyun County, their business was actually quite large. Last year, the young master of the Qian family received the Four Treasures of the Study as a reward from the emperor for his meritorious service. Because the Qian family deliberately publicized and promoted it, everyone in the business world knew about it, which attracted many people to do business with the Qian family. In the past six months, the Qian family's business has expanded considerably, and many people in Huzhou know Old Master Qian.
As everyone knows, because of his successful grandson, Old Master Qian rarely pays attention to certain people.
But just now, they were shocked to see the old man behaving so humbly towards a woman who was dressed in very ordinary clothes.
"Mr. Qian, who are you chatting with?"
"Who was that woman just now? Why did you, Elder Qian, show her such deference?"
“I know many women of some standing in Huzhou City, but I’ve never seen this one before…”
Old Master Qian stroked his beard: "We're practically from the same hometown. When fellow townsmen meet, we should naturally be polite and courteous to each other."
What a joke! The Qian family hasn't even boarded the big ship of Lady Sui yet, how could they tell these people a shortcut?
Once the Qian family and Madam Sui have become completely on good terms, he wouldn't mind letting a little word slip out.
In short, the Qian family must be the first to board the ship.
Old Master Qian stroked his beard and boarded his carriage with a smile.
The remaining merchants became even more curious, feeling that Old Master Qian was deliberately hiding something... But the woman's clothes and appearance were unremarkable, and she didn't even have a gold hairpin in her hair. She didn't look like a person of status or position at all. Perhaps they were just overthinking it.
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