Chapter 221 Testing the Waters
Watching the clan elder's grandson leave, Xu Chenglin looked at his eldest son and couldn't help but sigh, "Becoming a scholar makes all the difference. When you return to the village, everyone will fawn over you."
Xu Jinnian didn't care about being praised or not, and looked at Sheng An and asked gently, "Do you want to come back together?"
Sheng An nodded vigorously: "Go back!"
She had to go back; she wanted to see how Xu Laoda and his gang would react!
Even though Xu Huaining was also a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, the effect of the slap in the face was greatly reduced, but it didn't stop them from being truly slapped in the face.
Xu Jinnian saw through his wife's little scheme and smiled as he patted her head: "Okay, and invite your sister-in-law along too."
My aunt also enjoys watching the excitement.
As Xu Jinnian expected, upon learning that her successful nephew was going back to the village to pay respects to their ancestors, Xu Cuilian decided to go with him without hesitation.
Since falling out with Xu Laoda and his gang, she hasn't returned to Xujiaba except for the Qingming Festival when she goes back to the village to pay respects at the graves of Xu's parents. She has completely cut ties with Xu Laoda and his gang.
They didn't even keep in touch with the eldest sister, Xu Guilian. When the three Zhang brothers got married and had children, they didn't invite Xu Guilian's family to their wedding banquet.
But this time is different.
Xu Cuilian reminded her nephew: "Your status is not ordinary now. Putting aside those people in Xujiaba, Xu Guilian will most likely try to get close to you and ask you to promote her son and grandson."
Xu Jinnian said calmly, "You are my only aunt."
Xu Cuilian was deeply moved, her eyes reddening: "You are my only nephew."
This scene, witnessed by Wang Xiaofang, the youngest daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, made her think a few more things.
While her mother-in-law was out busy, Wang Xiaofang said to Fang Yuying, who was soothing the child, "Our family is very close to my cousin's family. My cousin is becoming more and more successful. I can't even imagine what his future will be like."
Fang Yuying nodded, agreeing with her sister-in-law: "Who says otherwise? It's a pity that our three men didn't inherit the Xu family's cleverness. I wonder if our children are any smarter."
As she spoke, she looked lovingly at the child in her arms: "If you had half the intelligence of your uncle, I would sell everything I own to send you to school."
Previously, Fang Yuying could not perceive the difference between ordinary people and those with official titles. It was only in the past few days, when her neighbors had been extremely attentive to her, and even the most sarcastic auntie greeted them with a smile, that she began to understand the difference.
Wang Xiaofang was very thoughtful. Seeing that Fang Yuying was not getting to the point, she couldn't help but guide her: "It's not enough to just be smart; you also need to find a good teacher."
Fang Yuying shook her head: "As long as the child is smart enough, a good teacher will come to you on their own initiative."
Even good teachers are selective about their students. Take Xu's cousin, for example. If he hadn't caught Teacher Jiang's eye, even if he had kowtowed so much to Teacher Jiang that he damaged his brain, Teacher Jiang wouldn't have accepted him.
Otherwise, Master Jiang wouldn't have only taken on four students over the years.
Wang Xiaofang's lips twitched, and she decided to be blunt: "We ordinary people don't have access to good teachers. Haven't you thought about asking your cousin Xu for help?"
Fang Yuying was stunned for a moment before saying, "It seems like it's possible."
Wang Xiaofang: "..."
That silly girl, it takes forever to talk to her.
My second brother-in-law has terrible taste in choosing a wife!
Fang Yuying, unaware of Wang Xiaofang's complaints, glanced at her breastfeeding son in her arms, pondered for a moment, and finally shook her head in uncertainty:
"You can tell what a child will be like at three and what they will be like at seven. It's too early to say these things now, let's see if they're academically inclined when they grow up."
Wang Xiaofang knew this was true, but she still wanted to find out her in-laws' thoughts as soon as possible:
"Why don't you ask your parents? Otherwise, when your cousin Xu passes the imperial examination next year and decides whether to stay in the capital or take up an official post elsewhere, it will be difficult for us to find him, even though we are thousands of miles away."
Fang Yuying didn't think much of it, figuring it wasn't a big deal to ask: "Okay, I'll go ask in a bit."
When Xu Cuilian returned from outside, she immediately hugged her son and came over, asking with a simple, honest smile:
“Mother, my cousin is so successful, I also want Sanbao to study. Can you ask my cousin if he can help Sanbao find a good teacher?”
Xu Cuilian glanced at her simple-minded wife, then at her third grandson who was still breastfeeding, and immediately put her hands on her hips and began to curse:
"Ask, ask, ask what? Your cousin is at a crucial juncture, too busy with his own studies to have time to find a teacher for you. You better behave yourself and stop playing those tricks on me!"
As she said this, Xu Cuilian glanced at her youngest daughter-in-law in the courtyard not far away.
Wang Xiaofang's scalp tightened, and she swung the broom in her hand even faster.
Fang Yuying had been scolded by Xu Cuilian many times and was already immune to her scolding words: "Mother, my cousin is going to the capital at the end of the year and may not be able to come back for a long time. I'm just making plans for Sanbao in advance."
Xu Cuilian rolled her eyes at her: "You think you're all that kind-hearted mother? I'm a wicked grandmother, I don't know how to think about my grandson!"
Fang Yuying chuckled awkwardly, "Mother, that's not what I meant..."
Xu Cuilian raised her hand to interrupt her, her expression serious and her tone solemn:
“I know what you’re thinking, and I’ll tell you the truth: your cousin doesn’t owe us anything. If he’s willing to help us, I’m grateful to him. If he’s not willing, I won’t say a word. It just means you’re all too stupid. He can’t help us on his own, and he’s too lazy to help us.”
Fang Yuying: "..."
How could my mother-in-law, with her usually warm and passionate words, utter such cold remarks?
Xu Cuilian felt she couldn't reason with this simple-minded daughter-in-law, so she explained her thoughts clearly when the whole family sat down for dinner that evening.
Apart from Zhang Daikui, the remaining three men, father and sons, immediately guessed that someone had been causing trouble during the day.
Six suspicious glances swept past Zhang Zhaodi, lingered between Fang Yuying and Wang Xiaofang for a moment, and finally landed on Wang Xiaofang.
Wang Xiaofang: "..."
It turns out that even if she doesn't say anything, as long as her second sister-in-law, who is a terrible teammate, is there, her in-laws will notice any of her little actions.
Wang Xiaofang was on the verge of tears, and put down her chopsticks to admit her mistake:
"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry, it was my idea. I just felt that slaughtering and selling pigs was too hard, and I didn't want Erbao to do that kind of work in the future, so..."
These are Wang Xiaofang's true feelings: slaughtering and selling pigs can be quite profitable, but it's also really hard work, and it's not as respectable as other businesses.
Seeing that she took the initiative to admit her mistake, Butcher Zhang couldn't keep a long face and just gave his wife a look.
Xu Cuilian glared at Wang Xiaofang fiercely and said with a strong warning:
"You'd better keep your little schemes to yourself in front of your own family. Stop thinking about hiding behind the scenes to reap benefits and instigating your dim-witted sister-in-law. If you dare to cause discord in the whole family, I'll be the first to kick you out!"
Wang Xiaofang turned pale with fright and hurriedly promised, "Mom, I won't do it again, I'll never do it again..."
Feeling ashamed, Zhang Xiaokui said to Xu Cuilian in front of everyone, "Mother, you are the mother-in-law. If she dares to disobey you, you can send her back to her parents' home. Your son will not say a word!"
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