Chapter 109
109
The people in their village were well-informed. When they saw Shen Yuntang and Cheng Yeran coming back, many people came over to see them and asked them why they came back. Is business not doing well and you want to come back?
The reason why no one asked about his studies was because as early as the time when he returned to the village during the Chinese New Year, someone said that Cheng Yeran had been expelled from the academy and was now running a small noodle restaurant with Shen Yuntang, bowing and scraping to people all day long.
Although they did not earn as much as Cheng Yeran, they grew their own crops and did not have to serve anyone. They were very confident and felt superior when they saw Cheng Yeran. Their tone was full of instructions to Cheng Yeran. A group of people who had never done business began to tell Cheng Yeran how to open a noodle shop.
Several uncles and aunts also told Cheng Yeran that he should not let his husband be the housekeeper, and that he should be the manager of the noodle shop. How could he let his husband be the manager and he be the waiter? It would be a mess.
If a man cannot stand firm at home and lets his husband climb over his head, he will be unlucky. They also said to Cheng Yeran: "Don't disbelieve it, these are the words passed down by our ancestors. If you don't do what our ancestors said, you will definitely be unlucky."
"Really? Why did I pass the exam and become a scholar?" Cheng Yeran didn't go crazy. He was happier today and pretended to be innocent and asked them, "Which ancestor said that? Did he pass the exam and become a scholar? If not, it means his theory is wrong. You have to listen to me. I listen to my husband in everything at home. I passed the exam and became a scholar. If you listen to your ancestors, can you pass the exam?"
Shen Yuntang, who was standing by, heard him arguing with the villagers again and praising him highly, so he quickly went into the kitchen, feeling embarrassed to listen any longer.
"What? How could you pass the exam and become a scholar? Could it be a coincidence that the examiner made a mistake and gave you a pass?" An uncle was more upset than if his life had been wasted when he heard that he had passed the exam and become a scholar.
"No, I passed the exam based on my own ability. You said the examiner had poor eyesight? When I become an official in the future, I will talk to the examiners about it. I will tell them that there is an uncle in our village who needs eye treatment?" Cheng Yeran still pretended to be innocent, gentle and kind, but his words were full of thorns.
The uncle was so frightened when he heard this that his legs went limp. How could he dare to gossip about the official behind his back? He just wanted to belittle Cheng Yeran.
Another onlooker asked him, "What's the point of passing the exam? Xia Xiaowu was ranked in the top three before, so don't brag about your last place and even hold a banquet. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the whole village?"
"I also ranked in the top three. If you think it's easy to pass the exam and become a scholar, why don't you take the exam too? I have confidence in you, and you will definitely get first place." Cheng Yeran said this in a calm tone, but made the group of people angry.
How can a lazy guy become a scholar? Why should he do that? Why is my life so good? Not only did he marry the most handsome guy in the village by accident, but that guy was also so good at making money, and he also passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. Why did all the good things come to his family?
"It's time to have a wedding banquet. When Xia Xiaowu passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, there was no wedding banquet because he was waiting to hold a wedding banquet when he became an official." An uncle nearby felt unhappy and wanted to say something to make Cheng Yeran feel bad. His words implied that Cheng Yeran's life was over after he passed the imperial examination and that he was not as good as Xia Xiaowu, who would become an official in the future.
Moreover, he specifically brought out Xia Xiaowu to compare with Cheng Yeran because Xia Xiaowu was Shen Yuntang's ex-fiancé. An ex-fiancé and a current husband are often brought out for comparison.
Xia Xiaowu is usually the positive character in this comparison, while Cheng Yeran is the negative character. In the minds of the villagers, Cheng Yeran is inferior to Xia Xiaowu in every way except for his appearance and height. However, no matter how good one's appearance and height are, they cannot make a living. Knowledge is still the most important thing.
Cheng Yeran asked them, "That's because their family doesn't love him. My father-in-law loves me. He holds a banquet for me every time I take the exam. He will hold another one when I pass the exam. Are you jealous? Even if you are jealous, let your father-in-law hold a banquet for you."
No one has ever seen someone so shameless as him, yet he still talks about love all the time.
When it was time for dinner, the relatives of the Shen family came, as well as the village chief. No villagers were invited, only familiar relatives and friends. Those villagers who came to watch the fun were not invited either, and had no intention of contributing. It was too uncomfortable to just watch others eat and smell the delicious food, so they dispersed.
All the relatives of the Shen family came and gave money as gift. Although there was no custom in the village to give money as gift when one passed the imperial examination, there was no wedding banquet when Cheng Yeran and Shen Yuntang got married, so they thought of making up for the loss.
Cheng Yeran had to go back to class in the evening, so he didn't drink with everyone.
Shen Yuntang did drink one or two cups. People in the village said that he was lucky. His previous fiancé was a scholar, and now he married someone else, who was also a scholar. They said he was destined to be rich.
When Shen Yuntang heard this, her face turned red because she had drunk a little. She anxiously refuted them, "My husband is much better than Xia Xiaowu. He only studied for one year and he was assigned to the same class as Xia Xiaowu. Xia Xiaowu studied from elementary school to adulthood and it took him so many years to pass the exam to become a scholar. My husband passed the exam to become a scholar after only one year of study. Moreover, my husband is tall and handsome, a good person, and he treats me well. He even gave me money to open a noodle shop. He also bought me this new dress. I said I could make it myself, but he insisted on buying it for me. He also picked this necklace and this hairpin for me in the shop. Xia Xiaowu only knows how to keep my cousin at home and let his mother-in-law scold him. What kind of man is he? He can't even protect his own husband."
Normally, Cheng Yeran would be the one praising Shen Yuntang crazily to others. Now, Shen Yuntang was a little dazed after drinking, and he talked a lot. He didn't feel ashamed anymore and told everyone how good her husband was.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yeran was so good to him on weekdays. Many aunts, uncles and sisters-in-law were envious when they heard it. They looked at how other people's husbands knew how to care for others, and then they looked at their own men, who did nothing but yell at people at home and did not know how to care for others.
Cheng Yeran saw that Shen Yuntang had drunk a little too much, so he helped him up and said, "I'm sorry, my husband can't drink anymore. I'll help him go in and rest for a while."
Shen Yuntang was helped up by someone. He was a little dissatisfied at first, but when he looked up and saw that it was Cheng Yeran, he followed the person obediently.
After entering the room, Cheng Yeran helped him to the bed. Seeing that he had his eyes wide open and had no intention of sleeping, Cheng Yeran pulled a chair to sit beside the bed and asked him in a coaxing tone: "Who is the best person in the world?"
The drunk Shen Yuntang was surprisingly frank, "It's my husband!"
"Who do you love most in the world?" Cheng Yeran asked him.
"It's my husband too!" Shen Yuntang was dizzy from drinking. Although he was drunk, what he said was not drunken talk, but words that he wanted to say but was embarrassed to say on normal days.
"I love you the most in the whole world." Cheng Yeran touched his head, "Why are you so cute? I will drink with you more often in the future.
Nanshan
”
"No, you have to stop drinking." Shen Yuntang said frankly, "When you get drunk and act crazy, it will be troublesome to take care of you."
"Well, I promise that I won't drink unless it's necessary." Cheng Yeran took the quilt and covered him. "You go to sleep first and have a good rest. We'll leave tomorrow morning."
"No, you have to go to class." Although Shen Yuntang was drunk, he still remembered the business.
"Don't worry, I told Yuanbao that if I can't get back in the evening, ask him to go to the academy to help me ask for leave." Cheng Yeran used a tone of coaxing a child when speaking to the drunk Shen Yuntang. He felt that Shen Yuntang was like a little kid now and needed someone to take care of him.
"No, we have to go back, now." Shen Yuntang is not only like a child, but also a child who will make noise if he doesn't achieve his goal.
Cheng Yeran had no choice but to go along with him. The banquet outside happened to be over, so he said goodbye to his parents and left with Shen Yuntang.
When they left, it was around three or four in the afternoon. There was no one on the road except their car.
The scenery on the road is nice and the weather is cool, so you don't have to be in a hurry and can just drive back slowly.
Shen Yuntang sat next to him, leaned on him, and put his arms around his waist. After a while, he was about to fall asleep in a daze.
Cheng Yeran heard him mumbling something, but the voice was soft and small, so he couldn't hear it clearly. In order to hear it clearly, he leaned over and put his ear close to it, and heard Shen Yuntang say, "I love my husband the most."
When Cheng Yeran heard this, he was so happy that he even forgot his last name.
Although Shen Yuntang fell asleep after muttering a few words, Cheng Yeran kept smiling foolishly all the way, and was even happier than if he had passed the examination to become a scholar.
It was not until they were almost at the county town that Shen Yuntang woke up. He was sober and sober.
Although he was drunk just now, he did not lose his memory and remembered what he said and did just now.
He sat up with a red face, "I will also stop drinking in the future."
…
In the autumn, Yang Shiming and Zhao Yanlin went to take the exam and passed the examination. In the spring, they took part in the palace examination.
Zhao Yanlin said to Lin Yu, "You'd better be quiet. When I pass the exam, come with me to Beijing. I'm doing this for your own good. If you want to divorce, think about the consequences. Will your parents take you in? If no one takes you in, you will be homeless and you won't even have a place to register. Are you going to become a refugee? Be careful not to be arrested by the government and forced to do hard labor."
The government would capture some vagrants to perform labor service, but they would not capture every one they saw, although there was a risk.
Lin Yu also knew the situation of his mother's family. They would never take him in as a burden, and he could not register his household registration with Shen Yuntang's family. Although he wanted to divorce, he could not afford the consequences.
If he had a powerful mother's family, he wouldn't have to compromise on these things.
Before Zhao Yanlin took the exam, Lin Yu was still able to work for Shen Yuntang. He regarded Shen Yuntang as his brother and would tell him about his troubles whenever he had any problem.
After listening to this, Shen Yuntang went back and discussed Lin Yu's future with Cheng Yeran. Lin Yu had finally gotten out and couldn't be locked up again.
Before Yang Shiming and Zhao Yanlin went to Beijing, Cheng Yeran had a meal with them. He specifically told Zhao Yanlin about Lin Yu, "My husband wants to expand his business to Beijing, and would like to ask Lin Yu for help. Let him open a shop in Beijing and let him manage it. You need to help him when the time comes."
Zhao Yanlin originally wanted to lock Lin Yu up in the backyard, but it had to be said that when Lin Yu could only stay at home before, although his mind was full of him, it was very annoying. Later, after working outside for a year, his whole temperament and personality changed.
If we go to Beijing to do business, maybe things will be better than now.
Lin Yu had no relatives or friends in the capital, so it was even more impossible for her to leave him.
Moreover, Lin Yu's attitude towards him has been cold recently, probably because he is afraid that he will not be allowed to do business. If he were allowed to go out to do business, Lin Yu might be better to him.
Zhao Yanlin agreed to Cheng Yeran's request, saying that he would help him keep an eye on the shop after arriving in the capital. "But can my husband manage the shop well? You should think about it carefully. Don't blame us if you lose money."
Cheng Yeran: "Of course. If there is profit, I'll give him commission. If there is loss, I'll bear it."
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