Chapter 18 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 18 Scholar Fang's family calls someone over...
Fang Dingman and his wife waited and waited, and it was already noon, but Yu Qinglong still hadn't come back. If he didn't leave, they didn't know what to talk about with Doctor Mo.
Besides, they were hungry, so they simply drove the ox cart to the farm. Someone brought food to the farmhands, so they went there and ate whatever they wanted.
Fang Wu said, "Why did that child go out and never come back? Maybe he had something going on with Shu'er and was afraid we would find out."
Fang Dingman also felt a resemblance. But he thought his wife and he might not be guessing the same thing. His wife didn't know, but he did know that the small windlass well and waterwheel in his son's house were probably made by Yu Qinglong. If it were Yu Qinglong's second brother, his son wouldn't be thinking about marrying Yu Qinglong now, but would be rushing to befriend Yu Qinglong's second brother.
Although his son said he bought these, he must have bought them from Yu Qinglong. Perhaps Yu Qinglong was afraid that they would find out, so he hid himself.
Fortunately, this trip was not without gain.
Fang Dingman said, "Maybe he's afraid people will start spreading rumors again. Shu'er came to Doctor Mo's house two or three times before, and some people said that Qinglong was deliberately taking advantage of his visit to Doctor Mo's house to seduce Shu'er. Tell me, how can these people be so fond of spreading rumors?"
Fang Wu said, "He's quite sensible, considering his reputation. But he's not doing this just for show, is he?"
She wasn't flattering herself. Ever since her son passed the imperial examination, many families had expressed interest in marrying her. A scholar's rank meant his land was exempt from taxes and corvée labor. Furthermore, according to the rules of Dayan, the entire family of a scholar was exempt from corvée labor. That was a story that many envied.
Every time she attended a wedding or funeral, wouldn't those unmarried boys and girls not greet her with a smile?
But Yu Qinglong was quite good at avoiding her.
Fang Dingman asked, "So what do you think? Should you find someone to propose marriage or not?"
Fang Wu was also torn. Secretly, she certainly didn't want to ask anyone to propose marriage. Putting aside Yu Qinglong's family situation, the reputation alone wouldn't be a good reflection on her son. Having been rejected three times, marrying someone like him would definitely lead to gossip. Furthermore, the Fang family was large, and while their branch was small, they still had branches. Fang Shu's eldest and second uncles had quite a few people in their families.
The eldest and second uncle's families both had men, and they had married good wives and husbands. Her sisters-in-law always looked down on her.
But her son was so stubborn, he insisted on marrying this guy, so what could she do? And what Doctor Mo said about Yu Qinglong being a fertile man really touched her heart. A healthy body and the prospect of having a strong child were obvious, but her family just needed that.
Her son is tall, but skinny. If she finds a skinny guy, what will happen if the baby is even weaker?
Fang Wu said, "Let me think about it again. Anyway, the matter with Li Da from the bun shop has not been completed. There is no rush."
Fang Dingman said, "You're not anxious, but Shu'er is. And don't you see the most crucial point? Qinglong is a studious child. If he were with our Shu'er, would you still worry that Shu'er wouldn't learn? If Qinglong were married home, it would be like finding Shu'er both a husband and a servant. How could such a good thing happen in this world? Why don't you hurry up?"
Fang Wu was quite tempted now.
Children from wealthy families all had a servant to help them study. But there were good servants and average servants. A good servant was literate, and not only was he responsible for grinding and memorizing for his master, he also helped his master learn.
They had tried to find one for the child, but the child didn't want one, saying that the few they had found were all very boring.
Seeing his wife's interest, Fang Dingman quickly added fuel to the fire: "When Shu'er goes to the provincial examination in the future, Qinglong can go with him. This would be inconvenient for a girl, but it would be much more convenient for a boy. It also saves you from worrying about no one being able to take good care of Shu'er."
Fang Wu said, "But he has indeed been rejected three times. If people say in the future that our son married someone who no one wants, how embarrassing would that be?"
This was true, but Fang Dingman was more concerned about something else: "But I want to have a grandchild soon. Don't you?"
Fang Wu also wanted to.
Several of her sisters in and outside the village have become grandmothers. Every time she sees them, they ask when their families will have weddings. How would she know when?!
The son I raised is as stubborn as a donkey!
Fang Wu said, "Please let me think about it again."
Fang Dingman said: "Okay, but don't think too long."
Fang Wu said, "I see. You're the only one who's anxious. If I figured it out, I'd send someone to the Fang family to ask."
The couple agreed, but when they got home they didn't tell Fang Shu right away. This was Fang Wu's intention; she also wanted to see how determined her son was.
Marrying someone is no small matter; it affects one's lifelong happiness, so it cannot be decided hastily.
Fang Shu went on a food strike that night. Wasn't it said that the man from the Wang family fell in love with the neighbor's cousin and cried, made a scene, and even hanged himself to break off the engagement?
He didn't want to do that, as it was too disrespectful. But he could skip a few meals. Maybe if he fainted from hunger, he could go to Doctor Mo's house to see Yu Qinglong earlier.
The next day, Yu Qinglong was still worried about whether Fang Dingman and his wife would come to look for him again, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief when he found out that they didn't come.
His after-sales service wasn't great, but who could blame him for being so poor? He spent a lot of the remaining twenty cents after paying eighty cents home.
Some things learned need to be memorized and reviewed, otherwise, too much would inevitably lead to forgetfulness and omissions. But writing without ink was inconvenient, so he bought some loose, cheap ink blocks. Together, they weighed about two taels, but the price was more than half the price of a full ink stick, only twelve wen. Yu Qinglong bargained down and bought it for eleven wen, so the price of this wooden toy could not be returned.
"Has anyone come to see you these past two days?"
Yu Qinglong was learning calligraphy, and when he heard Doctor Mo's question, he replied, "No, Master."
Doctor Mo said, "So the Li family's matter is completely over?"
Yu Qinglong said, "It should be over. The old lady loves her precious grandson so much that she wouldn't risk sending me to town again. But it hasn't stopped yet. Recently, there have been rumors that I have a bad temper, a wild personality, and lack of education. Most of these rumors must have come from them. But it's okay. It's likely that no one will propose marriage to me in the future."
Doctor Mo said, "You kid, a boy, why do you always talk about marriage? Aren't you ashamed? Besides, how do you know what will happen in the future?"
Yu Qinglong thought his master was just trying to comfort him, so he smiled and said, "I understand, master. I won't tell you anymore."
When returning home that day, he met Hu Bo again.
The village was so small, and every time he went between his home and the Mo family's, he would pass by the unlucky ghost's house and would encounter him from time to time, especially in the afternoon. He really hated it, but taking the long way would add at least a quarter of an hour to his walk, and he was reluctant to waste that time.
Just as he was about to ignore him and walk past, Hu Bo laughed and said, "That day, when Mr. Fang's parents came, why did you rush out? Could it be that you were scolded for being shameless and you were embarrassed so you ran away?"
Yu Qinglong looked at Hu Bo, then raised his head to look at the birds flying in the sky.
Seeing that he was ignoring him, Hu Bo asked him, "What are you looking at?"
Yu Qinglong said, "I see the birds in the sky don't associate with mice. There must be a reason. This mouse hangs out in the gutter all day, so everything it thinks is dirty, everything it says is smelly, and getting close to it is unlucky, just like you, an eyesore."
"You!" Hu Bo gritted his teeth in anger. "Don't be so complacent! Do you think that if the Li and Zhao families don't come to your house to propose marriage, you can live a peaceful life in the future? I tell you, that's a dream! The Li and Zhao families are not good people. You expect to suffer the consequences after you provoke them?"
Yu Qinglong narrowed his eyes suddenly: "How did you know?"
Hu Bo said, "How do you care how I know?"
Yu Qinglong chuckled, "So it's Yu Qingfa, you and him..."
Before he finished speaking, Hu Bo's expression suddenly changed: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Yu Qinglong smiled and said, "My grandmother is very strict and never lets Qingcai discuss these matters. My second and third aunts would never tell an outsider like you that the Li and Zhao families are not good people. Otherwise, what would they be like? Where did you hear that from?"
He first learned the news about Zhao Laosi from Hu Bo, and most likely from Yu Qingfa.
Hu Bo clenched his fists and said, "Stop spitting blood!"
Yu Qinglong said, "You know whether I'm slandering you or not. I'll say this one last time. Next time you see me, just be yourself and don't talk to me. Otherwise, if you piss me off, I'll ruin your reputation. Anyway, I'm barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes. Haven't you been saying bad things about me behind my back these past few days? Well, I'll tell you about yours too. If you can handle it, give it a try."
Hu Bo was really frightened this time.
The key point is that he had indeed met Yu Qingfa several times in private. But he didn't want to marry into the Yu family. He just wanted to find out some things from Yu Qingfa and see if he could find out what Yu Qingxi was doing.
That scholar, Fang, had a good family background and was handsome, making him the best candidate for a husband. However, he lived far away from him, and the two families were too different. However, he was close to Yu Qingxi's family. They were also of the same age, so he...
He hadn't expected that Yu Qinglong would guess he'd met Yu Qingfa just by casually saying a few words. Even if he just denied it, it wouldn't matter, but what if...
Seeing Hu Bo’s pale face, as if frightened, Yu Qinglong finally left with satisfaction.
You can't treat this kind of person well.
If he had a younger sister or a younger brother, he'd be more careful, at least less arrogant, lest his reputation be ruined and the younger one's marriage be difficult. But he was the youngest, and there were no other women in his family who were expected to marry, so what was there to be afraid of? The villagers had been gossiping about him for eight hundred years anyway, so a little longer wouldn't matter.
As for the Bai family using his marriage as an excuse to allow Bai Wanqiu to marry in, that was primarily a matter of money, not his fault. He wouldn't blindly blame himself. All he had to do was study hard with Doctor Mo and see if he could find a way out after completing his studies.
This place is so poor, and the news is so isolated. Every day, he only sees a few people. He wants to make money, but there is no purchasing power here, so how can he make money? The town is better, but not much better.
He had to go to the big city. There was little entertainment here, few friends, and even a hot bath was a luxury. He could only numb himself and temporarily forget his troubles by working and studying non-stop.
He had finally finished making the parts for the waterwheel he could make. All he had to do was wait for his second brother to bring them over so he could try to assemble them. If he could sell them, he would start saving for his travel expenses.
Yu Qinglong said to the Qing family that night, "Brother, I need a stone for the base of the waterwheel I'm making. It's a bit large, and I'm afraid I can't move it by myself. If you have time, can you help me carry it home?"
Yu Qingjia said, "Of course. My eldest brother has to go to the mountains to collect firewood these days, but he can squeeze out some time in the afternoon. Have you found a suitable stone?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Not yet. I plan to look for it in the next few days. I see there are a lot of big rocks in the river to the south."
He remembered there were quite a few of them, right where Fang Shu had moved the stones. But he had been busy with waterwheel parts and studying recently, so he hadn't had much time to look for them.
Now that the water truck parts are done, it's time to look for them.
Yu Qingjia agreed and said that when Yu Qinglong found a suitable one, he would go to help move.
In the next few days, Yu Qinglong went to wash clothes and look for stones every day.
The weather is generally getting warmer day by day, and people who work are always sweating. They always need to wash themselves, so it's convenient.
Yu Qinglong finally found a nice one that day and planned to tell his eldest brother about it when he got home. But as soon as he entered the house, he saw a guest. The guest looked unfamiliar, but the style of the clothes he wore looked vaguely familiar, resembling the ones worn by the matchmaker surnamed Li he had seen at the door before.
Yu Qinglong suddenly had a bad feeling, but he didn't dare to ask directly.
At this time, Zhou Jianer waved to him from outside: "Little brother, come and help your sister-in-law."
Yu Qinglong went out and asked quietly, "Sister-in-law, what does that person in the room do?"
Zhou Jianer was particularly happy and said with a smile, "She's a matchmaker. She came to ask the Fang family in Xiaxi Village if they are interested in marriage."
Yu Qinglong frowned: "Marriage? Who will marry whom?"
Zhou Jianer said, "Silly boy, of course it's Scholar Fang who's with you! The Fang family likes you and wants you to marry into their family and become their Scholar husband."
Yu Qinglong: “?!”
Is Fang Shu seriously ill? He just finished his three-year plan and is about to start implementing it!
The author has something to say:
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Yu Qinglong: Wow wow wow, my three-year plan [bursts into tears]
Fang Shu: Husband, can you include me in your plan? [Let me see]
Yu Qinglong: [rolls eyes]
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