Chapter 69 If Qiu Yu discovers Su Yun…
When Qiu Yu noticed that Su Yunting seemed preoccupied, she assumed it was because he was worried about his ranking, so she didn't pay much attention.
It's normal to be worried about something as important as the imperial examination; it wouldn't be normal if he hadn't been worried when he first returned.
At the end of August, Su Yunting went to the prefectural capital again. He had received the news that he had topped the list of successful candidates in the provincial examination and arrived home before everyone else.
Upon receiving the news, Qiu Yuruo immediately had someone call Yun Che back from the academy. By the time Yun Che arrived home, some quick-thinking families had already brought gifts to his door.
Yun Che received male guests in the outer courtyard, while Qiu Yuruo, accompanied by her two younger sisters, received female guests.
Qiu Yuruo discovered that, just as Su Yunting had said, all sorts of people, regardless of whether they had any dealings with the family, came to congratulate her with gifts.
Su Yunting was not without connections. Not to mention that his teacher had taught several students who had entered officialdom in the past, Lu Tongzhi, who had been enjoying great success in his official career in the last two years, treated him like a son or nephew.
Therefore, everyone came to make friends, and the gifts they brought were all appropriate to match Su Yunting's current status as a scholar.
At this time, the skills of dealing with people that he had learned from the wife of Prefect Lu came in handy.
The account books and gift registers, which used to be only a few pages long in a year, have suddenly become much thicker.
After several days of excitement, when Su Yunting returned from the prefecture, he went back to his hometown first. Upon receiving the news, the clan chief opened the ancestral hall to inform the ancestors.
After Su Yunting returned to his hometown, gentry from both his own town and other towns brought gifts to congratulate him.
When Su Yunting achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, the entire Su family village, except for Old Man Su's family, was plunged into a frenzy of joy.
At this point, no one mentioned the reconciliation between Su Yunting and Old Man Su anymore, because the first thing Su Yunting did upon returning to his hometown was to announce that after the spring imperial examinations next year, once he entered officialdom, he would begin purchasing sacrificial land for the clan.
If Su Yunting reconciles with Old Man Su and he acquires the sacrificial fields, Old Man Su will definitely have a lot of say in the matter.
Old Su was the kind of person who couldn't bear to part with even his own grandson, so he could only be more demanding of the villagers.
When it came to their own interests, those who had once advised Su Yunting to be magnanimous were no longer so generous. When the old man Su was mentioned again, they hated him even more than Su Yunting did.
Although the villagers no longer advised Su Yunting to reconcile with Old Man Su, they dared not make fun of him casually. Even if they laughed at Old Man Su in their hearts, they would not show it. After all, he was Su Yunting's grandfather. They could ignore him, but they could not bully him.
Old Man Su was so disappointed by the unexpected wealth that he regretted it deeply. Two other families suffered the same fate: Su Yunting's maternal family and Qiu Laoda's family.
Su Yunting's grandfather and maternal grandmother were ridiculed by the villagers, but they still considered their blood relationship with Su Yunting, so they were not affected much in the village.
The Su family is in a different situation. He hasn't passed the imperial examination for the past two years, and his son failed the exam this year as well. Qiu Yuruo has long since severed ties with him, so the villagers laugh at him with their faces beaming.
Old Qiu and his third son returned from a banquet in Sujiazhuang. Before they even entered their house, they heard their eldest son and wife arguing.
After two years of being pressured by his wife, Qiu Laoda had long since come to believe that his repeated failures in accumulating wealth were all due to his mother's interference.
When I went out today, the villagers ridiculed me, saying that I was unlucky and that even the perfect son-in-law sent to me by heaven could be turned away. They said I shouldn't even think about taking the exam again, because with my fate, I would never pass.
After hearing countless taunts outside, Qiu Laoda returned home to find his mother scolding his wife. All the resentment he had accumulated over the past few days and nights finally erupted at this moment.
When Qiu Yu received the news that Old Man Qiu had suffered a stroke, it was already past midnight. She could only leave the messenger there to rest for the night and return to Qianqiao Village early the next morning.
Su Yunting wanted to accompany her back, but Qiu Yuruo stopped him.
After Su Yunting passed the imperial examination, he was promoted from a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) to the wife of a Juren (another higher-level scholar). His status was completely different from before. When the girls in the clan became the wives of Juren, they would only hope that their status would be secure and would no longer grumble behind his back about how lucky he was to have married well.
The next day, Su Yunting, who was not allowed to go back with his wife, could only let his younger brother Yun Che go back with his wife.
When they arrived at Qianqiaozhuang, there were people waiting at the village entrance. Qiu Yuru greeted the people she knew as usual.
Her status is different now, and people who are greeted by her feel that they look particularly good.
The carriage moved slowly forward and arrived at the Qiu family's old residence, where Uncle Qiu, who had already received the news, came out to greet them.
If Qiu Yu didn't rush in, she would delay and ask about Old Man Qiu's condition first.
Although Old Man Qiu was angry because his wife was unworthy, which had squandered the good fortune accumulated by his family over several generations, and also because his eldest son had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, he was also upset because he had just returned from Su Family Village. The contrast between the liveliness of the Su family and the chaos in his own home had caused him to fall ill.
But Uncle Qiu only said that what everyone saw was that Qiu Laoda and his mother were arguing, which eventually made his father suffer a stroke.
Qiu Yu didn't associate with Qiu Laoda, but since he was still an elder, she didn't say a word about his shortcomings and just sighed.
She only talked about the doctor's consultation: "Let's do whatever the doctor says, and I'll cover the treatment costs."
Uncle Qiu quickly refused: "You are a married woman, there is no reason for a married woman to treat the grandfather's illness!"
People around them also said that this didn't make sense.
Just then, the clan chief arrived.
The Qiu family patriarch, who was of the same generation as Old Man Qiu, also said that Qiu Yuruo did not need to treat Old Man Qiu.
Qiu Yuruo: "Grandpa Clan Chief, as you know, Yunting has become the top scholar in the provincial examination. Let's say something in our own family without fear of others being jealous: with our husband becoming the top scholar, our daughters are already different from other daughters. It's not something others should do, but it's my duty to pay for Grandfather's medical treatment when he's sick."
The villagers' advice was sincere; after all, there's no reason for a married daughter to be expected to support her in her old age and provide medical care, especially since she's their granddaughter.
But they were genuinely willing to listen to what Qiu Yuruo said.
Qiu Yuruo continued, "Everyone says it's difficult to deal with officials. Now, our village's son-in-law has become a top scholar in the provincial examination, and next year he will pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom. As long as I am still in the Su family, these officials will not dare to bully us so easily anymore."
The people gathered around were excited. Everyone hopes that their successful relatives will remember their past kindness and even lend a helping hand.
At this moment, Qiu Yuruo had gone from being Old Man Qiu's granddaughter to becoming the great-aunt of the entire village.
The clan chief has arrived and has expressed his gratitude to the village; now we can go in.
The Qiu family's old house—who in the village doesn't know what kind of life Qiu Yuruo once lived here? Even if they didn't know before, with Su Yunting passing the imperial examination, the topic of her being forced into marriage has been brought up again, and those who didn't know before now know.
Qiu Yuruo is no longer just Old Man Qiu's granddaughter, so everyone followed her inside.
Qiu Yuruo followed her third uncle into the main room and saw Old Man Qiu, who was unable to walk, lying on the bed with a crooked mouth.
Qiu Yuruo calmly said some polite words.
Only Old Mrs. Zhou was taking care of the old man in the room. It was unclear whether Old Qiu had gone out or was not there to take care of him at all.
Qiu Yu Ruo only gave Zhou Lao Tai a perfunctory greeting and did not inquire about Qiu Lao Da's whereabouts.
After seeing the elderly Qiu, who was already unable to walk, Qiu Yuru came to the outer room and, in front of the clan chief and the villagers, took out twenty taels of silver and placed it in front of Uncle Qiu, saying, "This silver is for Grandpa's medical treatment. Keep it here with Uncle Qiu, and Uncle Qiu will be responsible for Grandpa's medical treatment and medicine from now on."
Those who can become clan leaders are most skilled in interpersonal relationships. After Qiu Yu finished speaking, the clan leader said, "When the family was divided, your grandfather chose to follow the eldest son, and his share of the property also went to the eldest son. Now that he is sick, the third son did not shirk his responsibility and still lives with the eldest son on weekdays."
The clan chief was saying these things in accordance with Qiu Yuruo's wishes, but Qiu Yuruo didn't respond. As a married woman, she shouldn't interfere in her family's affairs.
If Qiu Yu didn't respond, the clan chief's words wouldn't have been heard, and the villagers who had come along echoed him, including Uncle Qiu.
Grandma Zhou stood at the door of the inner room, looking at her granddaughter whom she used to be able to bully at any time. Although she was sitting at the lower end of the table, everyone in the room revolved around her and fawned over her in every way!
Old Mrs. Zhou felt a lump in her throat, unable to swallow it. She stood guard over the clan leader, but dared not spit it out now.
In just two days, Grandma Zhou aged considerably. Her eldest son, whom she had always favored, had suddenly become estranged from her in the past two years. Her eldest granddaughter, whom she had doted on since childhood, had also married a man from a poor family who couldn't find a wife, and who didn't mind her bad reputation.
She truly never expected that of her three granddaughters, the one she had always considered a jinx was now doing the best, and the youngest's wife had also married into the town. Only the granddaughter she had once thought the best was the one who had married the worst among the three!
However, no one cared about her resentment and incomprehension.
Qiu Yuruo sat for a while longer before taking her leave, citing her busy schedule, numerous guests, and need for constant care.
Uncle Qiu didn't try to stop him, and said directly, "Family matters are important, you should go back quickly. The old man's illness needs to be treated slowly, and there's plenty of someone to take care of him at home. Yunting needs you to manage the family affairs during this period, so take care of yourself and don't come over unless necessary."
Qiu Yuruo responded with a voice: "Yes."
After being seen off by the crowd to the door, before getting into the carriage, he called the clan chief aside and instructed him: "As long as I am still in the Su family, I will never allow anyone to bully us. But Grandfather Clan Chief, you must tell the clan members that they must never do anything to bully men and women!"
The clan chief quickly said, "Yu Ruo, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on things in the clan. If anyone dares to do evil outside, I'll be the first to object!"
With the clan leader's assurance, Qiu Yuruo felt relieved and boarded the carriage, bidding farewell to the place she had once longed to escape.
She wouldn't come here much more often after that, but she didn't feel sad at all...
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