Chapter 222: Being flattered is a real pleasure
"Wait, come back first."
Old man Chen paused, his face full of confusion as he asked, "What's going on? You're so startled that you can scare someone to death."
Old Mrs. Chen frowned and glared at him fiercely. Then she reached into her purse and carefully took out a few dozen copper coins and handed them to him. "Spread the wedding money first and then go. Remember, don't keep it for yourself!"
"Don't worry, old lady. I promise not to leave any one behind."
Old man Chen had a smile on his face and turned around and walked out the door happily.
He looked at the dozens of coins in his hand, feeling a little conflicted. His eyes were filled with reluctance, and he muttered to himself,
This is money! It would be a shame to give it away for nothing!
But the son said that this concerns the Chen family's reputation and cannot be saved.
Never mind. I usually keep my pockets clean. This time I finally got a chance. I'll put the few coins in my pocket and save them for buying sesame cakes later.
Having made up his mind, he danced with joy and rushed out of the house like a gust of wind.
The old hen that was eating in the yard was scared and started to cluck and flap its wings and fly around.
The onlookers saw Old Man Chen rushing out of the house as if his butt was on fire, and they all greeted him enthusiastically.
"Uncle Zhonghou, the scholar's father, congratulations!"
"Congratulations, scholar father! Your family's talent is truly remarkable. Not only did they pass the examination for scholar, but they also passed the examination for Juren. Don't forget us peasants in the future."
"Yes, Zhancai has become very successful, but don't forget us."
........
Old man Chen was overjoyed by the compliments. Although he didn't like being flattered on a normal day, he had to admit at this moment that the feeling of being flattered was simply a pleasure, and he felt so refreshed all over.
He was so happy that his teeth were showing and his eyes were not visible. The wrinkles on his face were squeezed together. He was busy bowing to the villagers who were watching.
"You all are overly praising our son Zhancai. He has only passed the imperial examination and is still a little short of achieving great success.
But don't worry, as long as my son can pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official in the future, he will never forget his fellow villagers.
As long as you have any difficulties, just speak up and I, as your father, will take care of it for you..."
Old man Chen was talking with saliva flying everywhere and patting his chest loudly.
"Okay, Uncle Zhonghou, you must remember what you said today and don't lie to us."
"Don't worry, I will never forget what I promised you."
Old man Chen was complacent and gradually lost himself in the flattery. He waved his hand and threw all the copper coins in his hand, shouting,
"It's time to spread out the money for the wedding, and everyone wants to share in the good fortune."
When the villagers saw the copper coins scattered all over the ground, they were suddenly in an uproar. Their eyes lit up and they scrambled to bend down to pick up the copper coins on the ground.
The children in the crowd used their agile bodies to shuttle between the adults' legs, and their little hands quickly grabbed the copper coins on the ground.
The young and strong men were not to be outdone. They stretched out their arms, wishing they could grab all the copper coins in one go.
The women kept muttering "Get rich, get rich" while carefully picking up the copper coins, afraid of missing any.
Erdanzi rushed too fast and accidentally bumped into Dalongzi. Both of them staggered and almost fell to the ground.
But they didn't care about each other and immediately bent down to continue picking up money.
The sixth wife simply lay on the ground, groping around with her hands, not caring that her hair was all messed up...
Old man Chen looked at the chaotic scene in front of him, feeling both proud and a little distressed.
While he was proud of his own power, he naturally felt sorry for the coins he had spent.
In a short while, all the copper coins on the ground were picked up.
Those who picked up the coin had a satisfied smile on their face, while those who didn't picked up any looked frustrated and blamed themselves for being too slow.
Old man Chen suddenly felt superior and snorted in his heart, "You poor bunch, you always say cold words to us. From now on, you can just come and curry favor with us, the Chen family!"
Thinking of this, he suddenly realized something and nervously touched his pocket. He was so angry that he wanted to slap himself in the face. He felt extremely regretful.
Oh, I had planned to save a few coins to buy some sesame cakes, but I lost them all in the heat of the moment. I was so careless.
But then I thought, my son is a scholar now, and he will be successful and famous in no time. He will have everything he wants to eat in the future.
Smashed cucumber, shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and every now and then, some stewed pork belly. The mouth is full of oil when you bite into it. Isn't it much better than a big pancake...
Just as he was stunned, Wu Baoan squeezed in from the outside of the crowd, his face full of smiles, his eyes narrowed into slits, "Uncle Zhonghou, congratulations, your family's talent has brought you honor."
"You're so polite, security guard. Congratulations! Come in and sit down. Your aunt just asked me to invite you."
As Old Man Chen said this, he grabbed Wu Baoan and turned to go into the house.
Inside the house, Mrs. Chen was chatting happily with Chen Zhancai and his wife.
Seeing Wu Baoan coming in, he hurriedly stood up, served tea and water, and greeted him warmly, "Security, please sit down quickly."
After some compliments, Mrs. Chen spoke first.
"Second security guard, you are well-informed. Zhancai has passed the imperial examination and we would like to invite all the young and old men in the village to celebrate properly. So we need your help in making decisions about how to arrange the banquet so that everyone can enjoy the food and we can still maintain the reputation of our Chen family."
Wu Baoan frowned slightly, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and after thinking for a moment, he said,
"Old Auntie is absolutely right. Zhancai's passing the imperial examination is a truly unprecedented event for our Nanshan Village. We should celebrate it properly, but if we hold a grand ceremony as you suggest, the cost will be substantial. It would be better to simply set up a few tables first..."
"No, no, this is a big wedding for our family. How can we just set up a few tables casually? This is just fooling people!"
Before Wu Baoan could finish his words, Old Lady Chen interrupted him.
"Security guard, you just said that Zhancai passed the imperial examination. This is a great and unprecedented event for our Nanshan Village. We must celebrate with lights and decorations. We can't just do it casually."
Wu Baoan's face froze. He had only just passed the imperial examination. Was there any need to show off like that? He was such a show-off!
But Chen Zhancai was the first scholar in Nanshan Village after all, and it was not easy to pass the examination, so he had to give him some face.
Thinking of this, he forced a smile.
"Don't worry, Auntie. We definitely have to have a banquet, but I think we shouldn't be too extravagant. Let's just call all our relatives and friends together to celebrate.
When the provincial examination is over in the autumn, if Zhan Cai wins first place, we will hold a grand ceremony and invite all the villagers to come. Wouldn't that make you even more proud? "
.......
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