Chapter 41 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 41 Fang Shu You are jealous, can you...
For a long time in ancient times, participation in the imperial examinations was determined by one's family background. Those of good descent could take the exam, but those of low status could not. Low status was often passed down from generation to generation; if parents were of low status, their children would also be low status. Low status for three generations could not take the imperial examinations, could not marry members of good status, and most had to rely on their master's family or government agencies for survival.
Yu Qinglong vaguely remembered that during the Ming and Qing dynasties, some special circumstances arose, leading to some relaxation of the rules. For example, some people from lowly families who had performed meritorious service or redeemed themselves and were transferred to good status could participate in the imperial examinations and marry people from good status.
This era has some similarities with the Ming Dynasty, and Yu Qinglong guessed that this possibility might also be true.
Besides, Fang Shu's surname was Fang, not Wu. His grandmother had been a slave, but her family had tried hard to redeem her, so it shouldn't have affected Fang Shu.
So Yu Qinglong guessed that there was probably something fishy going on here.
As expected, Fang Shu said, "No one mentioned this matter when I took the Tongshi exam, and I passed the exam very smoothly. It wasn't until the Wu family found out that I passed that they started to pester me."
When talking about this matter, Fang Shu also sighed a lot.
Back then, his grandmother was redeemed by his grandfather and became a good citizen. They had even prayed to heaven and earth together, and there were witnesses.
But my grandmother didn't know my grandfather was married at the time. She thought he was unmarried, so she married him, established a family, and had a child. My grandfather then moved my grandmother and daughter into a small house outside, calling it his home, and my grandmother believed him.
Unexpectedly, one day someone came to the house with servants and accused my grandmother of being an immoral woman who had an affair with someone without a matchmaker.
Although Grandma had once sung for money, she was also a strong-willed woman. She refused to be a concubine, and she couldn't marry into the Wu family. Not wanting to tarnish her child's reputation, she quietly left the child alone after Old Lady Wu promised to raise her daughter.
Fang Shu said, "Mom didn't know she had a brother until she was three. But you can probably guess that, although he's my brother, he's not from the same mother, so he's different. Mom suffered a lot in the Wu family when she was young. I heard my father say that when he first saw Mom, she was washing clothes by the river, with two full basins. It's quite a coincidence that they first met by the river."
Yu Qinglong asked, "Is it also the Nanhe River?"
Fang Shu said, "That's not the case. We are in Qixia Town, and they are in Liangtang Town. My father met my mother when he was visiting a good friend."
Yu Qinglong felt like he was listening to a story from the past, so he asked Fang Shu to say more.
Fang Shu was happy to tell him, so he said, "The Wu family is considered wealthy in the local area, but the elders of the Fang family didn't agree with my father marrying my mother, thinking that my mother's family background was not good. Later, my grandfather took the initiative and promised my mother a large dowry, and only then did he marry her back to the Fang family. Today, my uncle and his family came, saying that they wanted the land. In fact, it was the land that my grandfather gave to my mother as a dowry. As you know, in the countryside, daughters and brothers are usually not given land when they marry. My uncle and his family felt that my grandfather's land should not be given to my mother as a dowry, so they always wanted to go back."
Yu Qinglong asked, "How many fields do they have to deal with this?"
Fang Shu said, "Ten acres."
No wonder. Ten mu of land would cost dozens of taels of silver. If it was particularly good land, it would cost dozens more.
Regardless of the old man of the Wu family's character, he was probably sincere towards grandma, which is why he loved his daughter so much and gave her good land as a dowry.
Of course, it is also possible that he was just making up for the debt in his heart. Yu Qinglong had never seen it, so he couldn't be sure.
"So, do you usually not interact with the Wu family at all?"
"Yes. After my mother married into the Fang family, she rarely went back. When my grandfather promised her the ten acres of land, the old lady of the Wu family was naturally unhappy. But my grandfather said that he would not have any more contact with her in the future, so he gave it to her."
"Then is your scientific expedition also related to the Wu family?"
"That's probably the case. My eldest uncle has a cousin who's a student and is already twenty-four this year. The old lady is angry with my grandmother and mother. Originally, they didn't know I was taking the imperial examination, so they didn't pay much attention to the Fang family. After they found out, they kept trying to make things difficult for me, both overtly and covertly, to prevent me from getting past this cousin. I guess they must have known about your marriage long ago, and they came here today to make an appointment to upset us."
"Don't laugh your head off. It's hard to say who's causing trouble for whom," Yu Qinglong said. "I'm telling you, you came all the way to the provincial capital to take the exam. It's so far away, who would know about your grandfather's family? Normally, people would ask about your own family, but you brought up your grandfather's family to bring up the matter. Someone must have deliberately reported it. So, you're worried that if you tell your mother about this, she'll blame you, so you said you were injured?"
"Yes, she broke off relations for my future. She was capable of such a thing. I was afraid that she would end up like my grandmother, leaving home and never being found. Fortunately, you were smart enough to help me make it right. Thank you, Brother Long."
"We're all family, what's there to thank? Speaking of which, if you pass the imperial examination, how much land tax can you be exempted from?"
"Two hundred and eighty acres."
"So many?!" He thought that the maximum was two hundred acres!
"Yes, quite a few."
"Husband!" Yu Qinglong suddenly grabbed Fang Shu's arm. "So from now on, this matter will all depend on you! My father, mother and I will work hard to earn money to buy land, and you work hard to solve the problem of the tax on these 280 acres of land. As long as this matter can be done, we don't have to worry too much even if we encounter other problems in the future. As for the 300 taels, even if it is true, we can work hard to solve it. You just need to study hard!"
"Okay." Fang Shu said while looking at Yu Qinglong's hand.
These hands were not particularly delicate, but neither were they rough. They were simply a pair of handsome young man's hands, flexible, strong, and with distinct joints.
Her husband loves cleanliness, even his nails are round and clean.
Fang Shu caught one as if by magic, as if he were catching a little rabbit.
Yu Qinglong subconsciously wanted to pull back, but Fang Shu used some force to hold it tightly, and then gently rubbed it with his fingertips.
Yu Qinglong asked, "What's wrong?"
Fang Shu said nothing. He dug out his money jar and gave Yu Qinglong twenty taels of silver and one string of coins. He said, "This is my own savings. Mother doesn't know how much it is. I'll keep it for you. You can use it when you need it."
Yu Qinglong was a little surprised. Why did this guy save so much? He asked, "Fang Shu, aren't you afraid that I will cheat you out of your money and run away?"
Fang Shu said, "You won't. I knew you weren't that kind of person the first time I saw you."
Yu Qinglong said with a smile, "Who would write their bad side on their face? But thank you for trusting me."
He put the money back where Fang Shu had left it and carefully kept it. "Leave the money here. We can take it when we need it. Fill this jar and add a new one."
Fang Shu said, "Okay, whatever you say."
Yu Qinglong then laid the mat again, and went out with Fang Shu to call the two elders to go to Fangshan's house together.
The Fangshan family was all there, but they hadn't come before. Perhaps they knew what was going on here and knew it would be bad for them to come, so they didn't come. They saw Fang Wu's eyes and nose were still a little red, but they didn't ask any more questions, which was enough to explain the problem.
Wu Nan opened the lid and stirred the goose meat in the pot, as if she hadn't heard anything before. She said, "You've arrived just in time. I asked Zhuangzhuang to go to Wusheng's house and ask Wusheng and Brother Ma to come over as well. We'll all eat together later. I stewed two gooses. Aunt, why don't you and my uncle eat first? I'll serve you two a few pieces of good meat, and I'll give the rest to the boys to eat slowly."
Fang Wu said, "That's fine. Give me some and your uncle and I will take it home. You two can sit in the yard and eat. I'm feeling quite hot."
Wu Nan smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll pack you a few more big buns."
Fangshan's wife was a straightforward person. She picked two goose legs and added some vermicelli, vegetables, and some tender goose meat pieces to fill a large bowl.
The old couple thought that the younger ones would feel uncomfortable staying there, and besides, the two generations wouldn’t be able to communicate with each other, so they took their bowls and went home.
Yu Qinglong went to the stove and asked, "Sister-in-law, is there anything I can help you with?"
Wu Nan said, "You can just help me eat more later. Sit down, and when you come to my sister-in-law's house, treat it like your own home. Don't be polite. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but your elder brother Fangshan and I treat my uncle and aunt as our real parents. Fangshu is our brother, so if you have any problems in the future, just come to us."
Yu Qinglong said with a smile, "I'm really not polite then. I'll eat more later."
At this time, someone outside shouted, "Fang Shoucheng! Brother Xiaoyu!"
It was Ma who came with a few of them.
These three guys must have stayed up late drinking last night and looked like they had just woken up. They were very happy to see Fang Shu, and they all ran over when Fang Shu turned around. When they stood at the door, they suddenly bowed to Yu Qinglong together and said, "Brother Fang, you are polite."
"Puff! Cough cough cough..."
He is drinking water!
Yu Qinglong quickly wiped his mouth and looked at these guys.
The few of them sat down with laughter. Fang Shu was a little uncomfortable with the noise: "Even food can't stop you from talking."
Yan Xikuan said, "The meat hasn't even reached your mouth yet, right, Sister-in-law Fang?"
Wu Nan said, "Brother Xikuan, just keep complaining. If you can't get the good meat, you'll cry."
It seems that this is not the first time that Yan Xikuan and Ma Qinsui have come. They are very friendly to everyone who has a good relationship with Fang Shu.
Ma Qinsui said: "Then put it all in my bowl. Brother thanks sister-in-law first!"
Wu Sheng said, "You won't be afraid of bursting your stomach with that big pot. Sister-in-law, I'd like to eat a piece of goose liver later."
Wu Nan said, "Okay, the foie gras is quite big this time."
Yu Qinglong saw Wu Nan pouring meat into the large basin and went to help hold it, to prevent it from falling on the narrow stovetop. Ma Qinsui then set up his chopsticks. "You divide the bowls, I'll serve the buns," they said, working together quite happily.
At this time, Fang Shan took out a jar of wine from the backyard and asked the others, "Do you guys want to drink? I still have some wine."
Several guys shook their heads like rattles: "No, no, no, no, no, no." "No, no, no." "Big brother, please spare us."
Fang Shan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll take it back. You can have more meat later."
The sun was just beginning to set, and it was still quite hot. They simply worked together to move the table to the shade of the large willow tree outside the gate. It was a nice, cool spot, and with a gentle breeze, it was a wonderful place to enjoy some meat and a steamed bun.
Fang Zhuangzhuang was following Fang Shu. He was five years old and looked like his parents, quite tall. He had only met Yu Qinglong once yesterday, and he kept looking at him now and then, feeling a bit unfamiliar, so he asked Fang Shu, "Uncle, what should I call him?"
Fang Shu said, "You can just call him 'Uncle'."
Yu Qinglong loved children. As a child, he was the king of the neighborhood. His grandparents encouraged him to make friends, so he could often go out and play. He knew nearly every child his age in the compound.
He called Zhuangzhuang over and asked him, "What do you like to play?"
Zhuangzhuang said: "I like playing in the water and digging out bird nests."
“I like these, too.”
"Can the uncle swim?"
"Duckling? I know a little."
"Really?" The child's eyes lit up instantly. "Uncle, can you teach me? I want to learn, but my father can't do it either. He only knows how to hunt."
"Yeah, that's fine. When I have time later, uncle will teach you."
"Okay! Thank you, uncle!"
Wu Nan said, "He's going to be ecstatic now. He saw someone else swimming once and he's been wanting to do it. Recently, whenever he sees an adult in the village, he asks if he can do it."
Yu Qinglong said with a smile: "He is still young and learns very quickly."
Fang Shu said: "Then can I learn it?"
Yu Qinglong said: "Of course."
Wu Sheng then asked, "Young Master Fang, is there anything you don't know?"
Can he cook, make shoes, and even wooden toys?! I heard he also knows medicinal herbs, studies medicine, and can even read!
Yu Qinglong originally wanted to say that he couldn’t have children, but then he thought, my God, he can do this!
He was just wondering what he still couldn't do, when Fang Shu said with a smile, "He won't be sad, won't get hurt, won't be unlucky, and won't be unhappy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xikuan and Ma Qinsui looked unbearable and said in unison: "Sour! So sour!"
Ma Qinfu said, "Xikuan, eat quickly. After you finish eating, let's leave here quickly to avoid getting angry with Fang Shoucheng."
Yan Xikuan asked, "Are you going back to town today?"
Ma Qinshou said, "What town are we going back to? Of course we're going back to Brother Changjie's house. Didn't we agree to go back together tomorrow?"
Wu Sheng said solemnly, "Why don't we go back today?"
Yan Xikuan and Ma Qinsui asked, "Why?"
Wu Sheng said, "I feel jealous too."
After saying this, the young men burst into laughter until the sun set and the birds gradually returned to their nests.
Yu Qinglong originally thought that it would take some time to adjust to the new family, but he found that after his wicked uncle and aunt came to visit, he was able to integrate into the Fang family more quickly.
But Wu Wei and Yang Feng didn't get home until late at night.
The whole journey was filled with chest tightness and dizziness, and the body ached all over. But it was so late that they couldn't even get a doctor. The old man and the old lady were already asleep, so they didn't dare to wake them up. They could only hold it in until dawn.
That morning, while combing her hair, Yang Feng looked in the mirror at the person with the torn corner of his mouth. She slammed a hairpin onto the dressing table and said, "This family of scoundrels, I'll make sure they have a good time when I get better!"
Wu Wei now felt a tightness in his chest whenever he saw water. He said gloomily, "Why don't we just forget it? Just mind your own business, is that all? You said every time we went back, we didn't get the land back, and it only made us angry."
Yang Feng turned around abruptly: "That's because you and your son are useless! You took the exam so many times and didn't even pass the exam to become a scholar. Why did his family pass? I don't care! I must get an explanation for this! Grandpa shouldn't have given them that land in the first place! It was squeezed out of your share, don't you know that?"
Wu Wei was very annoyed when he heard this: "Do I know what the use is? If the old man wants to give it to me, how can I stop him? At that time, I didn't even know what the land looked like! Anyway, I won't go there anymore. If you want to go, go by yourself!"
Yang Feng said, "I'll go by myself! The fortune teller said that our son failed the exam because of Fang Shu's curse! The ten acres of land that Wu Xialan took away is our family's official lineage, don't you understand? We must get that land back! I don't know what the old man was thinking back then."
Wu Wei said nothing.
He felt dizzy just looking at the water in the basin, and he didn't even want to wash his face!
He is not interested in whether he is an official or a scholar. He just wants to beat Yu Qinglong up!
Then he said, "You can do whatever you want with the land, I don't care. But if you want to find someone to beat up Fang Shu, I'll pay for it!"
Yang Feng said, "Beat him up? How can that make me feel better? They just got married. You wait and see. After this month, when he's pregnant, I'll find someone to beat him up. His Fang family, Fang Dingman's branch, has always had bad luck with descendants. I'll make sure his family is extinct!"
After hearing this, Wu Wei immediately took out five taels of silver.
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Author's words: Fang Shu: Husband, my husband, yesterday we two couldn't beg for food together as well as the day before, what do you think we should do? [bursts into tears]
Qinglong: It’s okay, if joining forces doesn’t work, we can still merge [dog head]
Fang Shu: How can I bring this up? [shy]
Qinglong: What's there to be embarrassed about? Come, let me clean your ears with my hands. As long as they are connected, they are considered a combination [smirk]
Fang Shu: Aunts, please give your opinions [laughing and crying]
P.S. The title of the book has been officially changed to "The Tough Husband". The previous title did not rise even after it was on the list, as if it was blocked [laughing and crying]
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