Chapter 87 His real target isn't me
Upon hearing Xu Huaining's request, Xu Jinnian's calm eyes flickered slightly, and his gaze towards him revealed a hint of unfathomable light.
Meeting those eyes that seemed to see through everything, Xu Huaining unconsciously lowered his eyes, his voice trembling slightly: "As a fellow member of the Xu family, I also want to do my part for the glory of the Xu clan."
Hearing this, the clan chief was very pleased: "With children like you who care about the clan, how can the Xu clan not prosper?"
Other villagers echoed their sentiments, encouraging their own children: "You must remember your place and learn from your brothers Jin Nian and Huai Ning."
The children were bewildered, their little minds unable to comprehend the adults' expectations.
Xu Jinnian glanced at the excited crowd, then his gaze returned to Xu Huaining. A gentle smile curved his lips, and his words were full of apology:
"I need to prepare for the provincial examination in three years, so I may not have the energy or time to discuss academic matters with Brother Huaining. However, Brother Huaining's teacher is a scholar who has passed the county-level examination. I heard that he values Brother Huaining very much, so I suppose the teacher would be happy to answer Brother Huaining's questions."
Upon hearing this, the clan chief quickly said, "Yes, the provincial examination is important! I imagine the teacher is even stricter with you, otherwise he wouldn't have only granted you half a day off today."
Xu Huaining looked annoyed and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xu Jinnian: "I was so excited that I forgot myself and didn't consider Jinnian's difficulties."
Xu Jinnian returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "It's nothing, Brother Huaining, there's no need to take it to heart."
Xu Huaining breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with admiration for Xu Jinnian.
Seeing the two cousins getting along so well, the clan elder was greatly pleased and couldn't help but stroke his beard and sigh, "When brothers are of one mind, they can move mountains. The ancestors of the Xu clan would be very happy to have such a pair of brothers like you!"
Unlike their fathers, who fought so fiercely that they took their ancestral graves to the grounds, bringing shame upon the Xu clan.
After saying goodbye to the clan chief and villagers, Xu Jinnian and Xu Chenglin boarded an oxcart and returned to the city.
The oxcart drove away from Xujiaba, and there was no one else on the narrow road. Xu Chenglin let out a sneer: "No wonder he's Xu Laosi's son, just as cunning as his father!"
Xu Jinnian remained calm, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "If he weren't shrewd enough, why would that couple willingly support his education?"
Xu Chenglin fell silent, looking at his son with a hint of heartache.
Xujiaba is located in a remote area with little and barren farmland. The villagers can barely make ends meet after a year of hard work, and it is extremely difficult to save money to do anything else.
Xu Laosi and his wife alone could not afford to support Xu Huaining's schooling.
Not to mention the annual tuition fee of two taels of silver, the daily consumption of paper and pens alone would be enough to overwhelm them.
As a result, Xu Laosan and his wife, as well as their several married daughters, all became Xu Huaining's blood donation bags.
"Hmph, not content with sucking the blood of Xu Laosan's family, they've even set their sights on you. How shameless!"
Xu Chenglin was indignant and cursed at Xu Laosi's family: "I used to think that Xu Huaining was a good shoot among bad bamboo, but it turns out he's just like his parents, full of scheming!"
After saying that, he patted his son on the shoulder with relief: "It's good that you didn't fall for it, otherwise if he had gotten involved with you, wouldn't that have ruined your future?"
In Xu Chenglin's view, delaying his son's studies is tantamount to delaying his son's future.
But Xu Jinnian's next words shocked him so much that he almost swore: "Father underestimates him. His real target is not me."
The villagers of Xujiaba watched the oxcart drive away before returning home in twos and threes.
Xu Huaining also returned to his own home with his parents. As soon as he stepped into the yard, he saw chickens fluttering around and excrement all over the ground, and his brows involuntarily furrowed.
When Xu Laosi saw this, he quickly urged his wife, "Hurry up and clean it up, don't get Huaining's shoes dirty."
Aunt Xu didn't dare to delay and hurriedly picked up a large broom to sweep.
Dust billowed up and blurred the view.
Xu Huaining coughed a few times, covered his mouth and nose and walked into the house. He accidentally stepped in a puddle of fresh chicken droppings, and immediately slipped and fell forward.
If he hadn't reacted quickly and grabbed a nearby osmanthus tree, he probably would have fallen heavily to the ground.
"Huaining, are you alright?"
Xu Laosi was terrified and hurriedly stepped forward to help his precious son up, his eyes scanning him up and down, afraid that he might have been hurt somewhere.
"I'm fine."
Xu Huaining took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging emotions in his heart: "Dad, invite Uncle and Aunt over for lunch, and ask Mom to cook a couple more dishes."
Without asking why, Xu Laosi readily agreed: "Okay."
However, before he could go to Xu Laosan's house, Xu Laosan and his wife rushed over.
They didn't even glance at Xu Laosi and his wife, heading straight for Xu Huaining, who was sitting at the door reading a book.
"Huaining, give your third uncle a straight answer: will you be able to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar next year?"
Xu Laosan gripped Xu Huaining's arm tightly, his bloodshot eyes filled with resentment and anticipation.
Aunt Xu also looked at Xu Huaining with pleading eyes, this nephew whom she doted on like her own son: "Huaining, that cursed loner has already become a scholar. You are a few months older than him. You must not let him surpass you!"
Just now, their neighbors deliberately came to their doorstep to talk, openly and secretly mocking them for being fools who listened to a wandering Taoist priest and abandoned their promising biological son.
Hmph, these opportunists, why didn't they jump out and stop them when they were going to throw the child away?
Now, to fawn over that wretched child, they dare to come to their doorstep and laugh at them—it's outrageous!
Huaining must pass the imperial examination to become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations) and have a brighter future than that wretched boy. Only in this way will no one say they were blind, and they can prove that their choice was right.
Xu Huaining pulled his hand away from the grip, suppressing his displeasure, and put on a gentle smile: "Third Uncle, Third Aunt, the provincial examination is held every two years, so the earliest I can take it is the year after next."
Xu Laosan's face stiffened, and the resentment in his eyes intensified: "If I had known it would be like this, you should have participated this year. You are much more capable than that cursed lone star. You might have been the one to win first place."
Aunt Xu nodded repeatedly in agreement: "Yes, that's right. Huaining is the smartest. He should have been the first place winner."
She grew angrier as she spoke, gritting her teeth as she said, "The Taoist priest was right after all. As long as that bastard is alive, he will bring misfortune to our Xu family, ensuring we will never rise to prominence!"
Xu Huaining's expression darkened, and he interrupted his third aunt's incessant chatter: "Third Aunt, Brother Jinnian is a scholar, and he is a junior favored by the clan elders. Don't say such things anymore."
Aunt Xu's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously covered her mouth, looking towards the outside of the courtyard.
Only after making sure no one was passing by and had heard her did she relax, and her gaze toward Xu Huaining became even more kind: "Third Aunt knows that Huaining is the most filial."
Xu Laosan didn't dare to continue shouting and cursing, but his expression remained indignant: "Huaining, you must study hard and make sure you surpass that wretch!"
Xu Huaining's eyes showed a hint of impatience, but his gentle voice remained unchanged: "Third Uncle, don't worry, I will definitely not let you and Third Aunt down."
Upon hearing this, Xu Laosan's expression softened and a smile appeared on his face: "It's good that you know what's going on. As long as you can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, your aunt and I will do everything we can to support your studies, even if it means selling everything we own."
Xu Huaining's face showed gratitude, and her eyes reddened slightly: "Thank you, Third Uncle and Third Aunt."
Xu Laosi and Xu Sishen, who were not far away, witnessed this scene and exchanged a glance, seeing the smugness in each other's eyes.
Their son is really something else; he can easily fool those two idiots with just a few words.
As noon approached, the oxcart arrived at the city gate.
Xu Jinnian jumped off the carriage and instructed Xu Chenglin inside, "Go back first. If An'an asks, just say I'm with the teacher."
Xu Chenglin quickly asked, "Where are you going?"
Xu Jinnian pretended not to hear and turned to leave quickly.
Xu Chenglin glared: "You brat, you didn't tell me where you were going! Be careful, or I'll tell your wife!"
Xu Jinnian didn't turn her head back, and walked even faster with her long legs.
Xu Chenglin cursed and swore, but had no choice but to let the driver go into the city.
If Xu Chenglin had lingered for even a moment, he would have discovered that Xu Jinnian was heading in the direction of Huai Shu Village.
Sheng An knew nothing of Xu Jinnian's whereabouts. Finally managing to steal a moment from her busy schedule to sit down and have a couple of sips of tea, Shuqi walked over happily.
"Master, a gentleman has reserved a table for lunch at Shengyuan the day after tomorrow. Here are the dishes and the deposit. Some ingredients need to be purchased first thing tomorrow morning."
Sheng An was overjoyed and quickly took the order to look at it, his smile growing wider and wider.
The first order alone is fifty taels of silver; it seems the gentlemen of Qingzhou City have considerable spending power!
After calculating the net profit, she realized that this order would net her at least thirty-five taels of silver, which was a pretty good return.
Sheng An felt a surge of joy; for a moment, her back and legs no longer ached. She said to her four children, who were still busy:
"Go to the market tomorrow to buy a chicken, and while you're at it, buy the other ingredients on the list. If you see any unusual ingredients, buy some of those too."
The four children readily agreed, but didn't stop plucking and gutting the chicken.
After all the morning's roast chickens were cooked and delivered to the right people, Sheng An returned to the small building in a good mood with the food.
Not seeing Xu Jinnian, she assumed he was at the teacher's house and wouldn't return until evening, so she didn't ask any further questions.
After making roast chicken all morning and giving on-site lessons to the four children, Sheng An was exhausted. After eating, she didn't care about health or anything, and went straight upstairs to sleep.
In a daze, she sensed a figure by the bedside, which startled her awake. She jumped up and bumped into Xu Jinnian's focused gaze.
"People can scare each other to death, you know that?"
Sheng An kicked him in annoyance, his brows furrowed with irritation at having his sweet dream disturbed.
They may still be growing and have high sleep requirements, so they are prone to being grumpy when they wake up in the middle of the night.
Xu Jinnian held her slightly cold feet, reached out and pulled the blanket over her to cover her completely. His handsome face showed a hint of annoyance: "I thought sitting by the bed wouldn't disturb you since you were sleeping so soundly."
Sheng An scratched her head in frustration, her frizzy hair instantly turning into a bird's nest: "Xu Jinnian, you better be in trouble."
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