Chapter 281 Bad News
At this time, Chen Zhancai arrived outside the gate of Fan's house.
He straightened his clothes and sleeves, took a few steps forward, and raised his hand to knock on the door.
"Open the door, open the door. Your master's father-in-law is here."
The doorman heard the sound and came out to open the door. Seeing that it was Chen Zhancai, he immediately curled his lips and asked, "Why are you here again?"
"How rude! How can a servant like you talk like that? What do you mean I'm here again? Can't I come?"
Chen Zhancai raised his chin, looking arrogant.
"Hurry up and inform your Master Fan that his father-in-law has passed the imperial examination and ask him to come out to greet him."
The servant frowned and waved his hand in disgust. "Our father-in-law of the Fan family has long passed away. What kind of father-in-law are you? Get out of here!"
Chen Zhancai was so angry that his teeth itched and he raised his hand to point at him.
"You are such a good dog slave. Even a mad dog wouldn't bite anyone you see. How dare you treat your scholar master with such contempt?
You are dead this time. When you meet your master Fan later, I will let him punish you severely."
"Get out of here! Who do you think you are? What's so great about passing the imperial examination and becoming a poor scholar? If you keep trying to act like a fool in front of me, I'll be rude to you!"
The servant said this, chuckling.
"Let me tell you, my uncle is the county magistrate of Anyang County. He wouldn't dare to speak in such a tone even when he came to my Fan family. What are you yelling about? You really want to take yourself seriously. Wait until you win the top prize before you show off!"
"You, you, you are so insolent!... It's simply disgraceful." Chen Zhancai's face turned red, and he took a long time to utter such a sentence.
The servant snorted coldly and was about to close the door when he saw a carriage parked in front of it.
He hurried over with a smile on his face, trotting over and lifting the curtain of the sedan chair.
"Master, you're back. Are you exhausted? Come back to your room and rest. Third Aunt has prepared tea and is waiting for you!"
Fan Tong hunched over and got out of the carriage, without even looking at the servant, and started to walk inside.
Chen Zhancai put away his dissatisfaction and greeted him with a smile, "Good son-in-law, you are back."
Fan Tong stopped, frowned slightly, looked Chen Zhancai up and down, and said in a cold tone, "Who are you?"
"Sir, you are such a forgetful person. I am Ruolan's biological father, your biological father-in-law."
Chen Zhancai said, cleared his throat, and continued solemnly,
"Now that I, your father-in-law, have passed the imperial examination, I've come to inform you, my son-in-law, and to visit my Ruolan. Let's have some fun together."
Fan Tong then remembered that he did have such a poor relative, and he also heard from that unlucky person that his father was a scholar.
Seeing Chen Zhancai putting on that hypocritical smile, Fan Tong felt very uncomfortable.
But he knew that he must not offend this person, what if this guy got a fever one day, or got lucky?
If I really pass the imperial examination and become the top scorer, wouldn’t that bring me more trouble?
Fan Tong's eyes rolled around, and a fake smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Great news, truly great news. Father-in-law, please come in."
"Okay, okay, please come in, sir." Chen Zhancai was very proud. It seemed that the scholar's identity was indeed extraordinary.
He glanced at the servant coldly, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly with a hint of sarcasm.
Then he raised his leg and followed Fan Tong into the Fan family's gate.
As soon as Chen Zhancai entered the yard, he was attracted by the magnificent buildings and couldn't help but admire in his heart that the rich man's house was really grand!
After entering the hall, after some polite exchanges, the host and guest sat down and a servant brought tea.
Fan Tong smiled and raised his hand, "Father-in-law, please have some tea."
"Okay, okay, you're welcome, sir."
Chen Zhancai looked at the maids and servants coming in and out, and felt envious.
Ruolan has really fallen into a lucky nest. When she sees her later, she must get some money to spend no matter what.
He picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, then said slowly, "My dear son-in-law, Ruolan has been married to the Fan family for more than half a year. I miss her so much. Can you call her over so I can see her?"
Fan Tong was shocked, but he remained calm. Ever since he had a passionate night with that jinx, he thought marrying her would be a great beauty and he could have a great time every night.
Who would have thought that after that night, he could no longer have sex with any woman in just one, two, three seconds.
He was almost angry to death. He believed in his heart that Chen Ruolan was a jinx to his husband. In order to avoid seeing her and being bothered by her, he had given her away long ago.
He didn't know whether she was dead or alive. Now her father came to see her. If he was an ordinary citizen, he wouldn't care about him at all.
But Chen Zhancai is a scholar after all, and he should be given the face he deserves. Why did he say that?
If she told him that he had given her away, he would definitely make a scene. Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
Just when he was in a dilemma, Shi Taishou shook his head with a sad face, "My dear, Miss Ruolan..."
Chen Zhancai's heart tightened and he looked at Fan Tong, "Son-in-law, what happened to Ruolan?"
Shi Taishou kept winking at Fan Tong, and he immediately understood and pretended to be sad as he wiped away the non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Father-in-law, I'm so sorry. I didn't take good care of Ruolan. Ruolan fell seriously ill last winter and has passed away."
"What, my Ruolan is dead!" Chen Zhancai's head buzzed when he heard the bad news. Although he loved money, he had raised his daughter with love since she was a child. How could she die like this?
He shook his head in disbelief, "No, it can't be. This can't be true."
"Father-in-law, please accept my condolences. I didn't go to inform you of the death because I was afraid that you couldn't bear the blow. If you want to blame me, just scold me!" Fan Tong was in tears, his face full of self-blame.
Shi Taishou also spoke up at the right time to persuade him, "Master, don't be too sad. You loved the Fifth Concubine the most when she was alive. If she knew you were so sad, she would be distressed."
Fan Tong shook his head and said to Chen Zhancai in a hypocritical manner, "Even though Ruolan is no longer with us, please don't be so reserved. Come when you need to, and we should still visit each other. You will always be my, Fan Tong's, father-in-law."
Chen Zhancai was momentarily distracted, and it took him a long while to come back to his senses.
He knew that the dead could not be resurrected, and now even if he worried himself to death, his daughter would not come back to life.
Fortunately, Fan Tong was still afraid of his status as a scholar and could speak a few human words, so he might as well take this opportunity to ask for some money.
Having made up his mind, Chen Zhancai shook his head pretending to be heartbroken.
"My dear son-in-law, since you say so, I, as your father-in-law, will not be polite to you. In a few months, I will go to Ningjing to participate in the Autumn Examination. I am short of money. Can you give me twenty taels of silver?"
Upon hearing this, Fan Tong couldn't help but get furious. This shameless old man asked for money right away, and he had the guts to open his mouth like that.
"Father-in-law, logically speaking, I have to meet your request, but to be honest, the rich family is not doing well either, and we don't have any surplus food. If there is nothing else, I won't keep you here."
As he spoke, he waved his hand towards Shi Taishou and said, "Butler, please show the guest away."
"Son-in-law, what you said is not true. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. How can you be so wealthy and have no money..."
Fan Tong sighed. "Life is hard for everyone. Only those who know how difficult it is."
Shi Taishou made a gesture of invitation, "Master Xiucai, let's go. I'll see you off."
Seeing that Fan Tong had ordered him to leave, Chen Zhancai stopped talking in frustration, feeling extremely disappointed.
I thought I could see my daughter and ask for some benefits, but I didn't expect to hear the bad news.
He stood up woodenly, and walked out of the Fan family with his head hung low...
Fan Tong laughed so hard that he fell backwards. "The shit stinks, so what? My reaction was quick enough, and my acting was good enough!"
"Okay, master, you are smart." Shi Taishou flattered him.
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