Chapter 115
115
Ever since the news that Cheng Yeran passed the imperial examination spread throughout the village, those who once mocked him changed their attitude and began to fawn on him.
If someone comes to give him gifts, and if he can’t afford it, just say nice things to make him happy.
Cheng Yeran found that it was always the same group of people coming and going. In the past, they looked down on him and always said some sarcastic words to him, but now they say flattering words to him without any shame, and he himself felt embarrassed.
However, there are also a group of people in the village who never ridiculed him before, and now they would say congratulations when they meet him.
The relatives of the Cheng family regretted what they had just said about removing him from the family tree. They wanted to slap themselves in the face when they got back. Now Cheng Yeran had the right to remove him from the family tree.
The village chief was afraid that after Cheng Yeran moved away, he would remove his name from the family tree, and then open a separate family tree and claim himself as the ancestor.
After all, the most powerful person in their family tree is not as powerful as Cheng Yeran. Cheng Yeran has brought honor to their Cheng family. How could they let such a person go?
The village chief hurriedly took the relative who said the wrong thing to Cheng Yeran's home and asked him to apologize to Cheng Yeran.
Cheng Yeran thought about it and decided to keep his name in the Cheng family's genealogy. After all, the village chief was quite good to him, and he wanted to open a separate one for himself, so there was no conflict between the two.
The family tree in the village is very feudal, only recording men, not women or boys, nor their husbands.
His family tree must record Shen Yuntang, as well as his children and their lovers.
He felt that the family tree was just a tool for recording the family. Future generations could look through it to see who was in the family and what they did. Even if the boys were getting married, wouldn't it be enough to add their wedding dates?
He had discussed with Shen Yuntang before that he would have a child after becoming an official. He had always wanted a cute and soft little daughter.
After the village chief and his friends left, Lu Liu came over to congratulate them. "I heard that you were going to start a magazine company and wanted me to go. I thought about it and decided that I should stay in the village to teach for a while. The children in the village become more educated and well-mannered after they have studied. The next generation will definitely not be like their parents."
Cheng Yeran knew that Lu Liu knew what the villagers had just said to him.
"Besides, if I stay in the village, I will have more free time to study. I also want to temper myself and take the exam in a few years." Lu Liu has no confidence now. He is unstable and is always careless when taking exams in the academy. He makes low-level mistakes, not to mention serious exams.
He was under a lot of pressure in the academy, which made his temperament even more impetuous. He felt much better after returning to the village.
Cheng Yeran gave him his notes and said, "I believe you. This is the note that Yang Shiming gave me when he passed the exam. I copied a copy for you. I wish you success."
After Lu Liu left, the Shen family came over. Dad and Mom said that this time they must hold a big banquet and invite all the villagers to come and have a lively time.
Shen Yuntang persuaded his father, "There will be an exam next spring. It won't be too late to hold a wedding after he passes. We already held one when my husband passed the exam. If we hold another one, the relatives will be unhappy. They will think we are holding so many weddings just to collect money."
What Shen Yuntang said made sense. Some relatives were afraid to give any more share of the money after hearing the news.
As relatives of Cheng Yeran's mother's family, they had never been able to benefit from Cheng Yeran's success. When Cheng Yeran passed the imperial examination and became a scholar last time, they thought that was the end of his career. They never expected that he would have such a great future.
…
On the other hand, Xia Xiaowu's family was not having such a good time. Shen Yunfeng found it strange that Xia Xiaowu had passed the imperial examination in the third year of his previous life, so why did he fail several times in this life?
He didn't believe it, and together with Xia's mother, he stopped the officials who came to report the good news, asking them if they had made a mistake and if Xia Xiaowu had been left behind. He annoyed them to death and finally managed to break free and leave.
He and his mother-in-law were also laughed at by the villagers. In the past, the villagers dared not laugh at them. No matter what they did, everyone praised them. After all, the lazy Cheng Yeran passed the exam, but their Xia Xiaowu failed, which showed that Xia Xiaowu had no real ability.
The group of people who had mocked Shen Yuntang before began to speak sarcastically to Xia Xiaowu. No one in the Xia family dared to open the door, for fear that these visitors would mock them.
Shen Yunfeng closed the door and tried to figure out why things had turned out like this. If he had known that the lazy guy would change in this life, he should not have changed his wife. He should have married Cheng Yeran again like in his previous life, then he would have become the official wife. Moreover, Cheng Yeran is so rich. Every time Shen Yuntang comes back, she wears the best fabrics in the county and wears beautiful jewelry. He has been married for so many years, but Xia Xiaowu has never given him jewelry. It was not as good as when they were having an affair in the previous life. At that time, Xia Xiaowu always gave him money and gave him some jewelry or cakes. But after marrying Xia Xiaowu in this life, he has nothing.
Nanxi
, Xia Xiaowu has taken the exam so many times but failed. I wonder if he will be able to do well in the future?
Could it be true, as the villagers said, that my cousin was destined to bring good luck to my husband, but I was not, and that was why Xia Xiaowu failed to pass the imperial examination? So my cousin is destined to be an official’s wife in both of her lives?
We both have the surname Chen and look similar, so why is it that my cousin has the appearance of a lucky wife and I don’t? He didn't believe it and thought something must have gone wrong. His cousin had consulted the village fortune teller before. Could it be that his cousin asked the fortune teller to help him and suck away his good luck? My cousin is so insidious!
Xia Xiaowu was also thinking about this. After Cheng Yeran married Shen Yuntang, Cheng Yeran's fate changed. He grew crops, and his crops grew better than others. He also did a big business and made a lot of money. Now he is taking the imperial examination and has passed.
If I had not despised Shen Yuntang and married her back then, would my life be as good as Cheng Yeran's?
Before, he thought that when he became an official and Cheng Yeran was still just a small businessman, he could discuss with Shen Yuntang and let Shen Yuntang divorce Cheng Yeran and let her become his concubine.
If both cousins married him at that time, it would become a good story. But now Cheng Yeran has become an official first. Will Cheng Yeran take revenge on him?
He didn't dare go out during the entire New Year, for fear of being seen by Shen Yuntang. Thinking of this kind of person, he wanted to deal with him, so he left the village early after the New Year.
Cheng Yeran and Shen Yuntang's family had a happy New Year.
During the New Year holidays, I went to watch opera almost every day and also visited my uncle's house.
The news that he had passed the imperial examination also spread to the neighbors. If Luwei and Liuya followed them, they would have a bright future. However, Liuya and Luwei did not come back for many years, saying that they would spend the New Year in the county town.
Knowing that he would go to the capital again next year and take the willow buds with him, his uncle felt reluctant to let him go. Over the years, they occasionally went to the county town to see the willow buds and reeds, and had to avoid the eldest son, for fear that the eldest son would say that they were partial. The eldest son also said that if they had followed Shen Yuntang to the county town, they would have been able to go to the capital in the future, instead of staying in the village to farm for the rest of their lives like now.
My uncle is also in a dilemma.
When Cheng Yeran and Shen Yuntang came, my cousin saw them, glanced at them, and left with resentment in his heart.
Shen Yuntang felt that it was better not to say hello, as it would save a lot of trouble.
After the Chinese New Year, Shen Yuntang went to Beijing with Cheng Yeran.
The journey was long. It was Shen Yuntang's first time to go to such a faraway place, and he was a little nervous. But when he thought about Lin Yu, who was alone in such a big capital city, and that he was one year older than Lin Yu, he decided to learn from him.
Zhou Hua also came along this time. They didn't bring any valuables with them, dressed more simply, and drove a donkey cart.
Zhou Hua's father also went with them. He knew the way and said that he had to go with his son in person for this exam.
And he could also drive the car and let the two children rest on the way.
After arriving in the capital, Lin Yu met them at the city gate and took them to his home to stay temporarily.
Their house is located in a good location and the materials used to build the house are also good, but the most valuable things are the furniture inside and the two trees in the small yard.
He didn't know the value of the furniture and didn't know that the furniture inside was made of good materials. He just thought it was sturdy and beautiful.
Cheng Yeran recognized it. After entering and seeing the furniture, he thought that the young general was really kind.
Lin Yu's house just happened to have two more rooms, but Zhou Hua and his family said they didn't want to live there anymore. They were two men, and Lin Yu was a brother, so it was inconvenient. It would be the same if they stayed in an inn.
There are many scholars living in the inn, and they can chat about academic matters together at ordinary times.
Cheng Yeran did not try to persuade them to stay and just let them go. He and Shen Yuntang lived together in Lin Yu's house.
Lin Yu was very happy. He chatted with Shen Yuntang for a long time and even said that he wanted to live with Shen Yuntang at night.
His personality has changed a lot in the past two years. He has become more talkative, less timid, and dares to express his emotions. More importantly, he and Shen Yuntang have not seen each other for a long time, so he is so enthusiastic.
Cheng Yeran was jealous. How could his wife sleep with another man? Although the other man was a boy, in Cheng Yeran's eyes, there was no difference between a boy and a man.
"You guys can chat during the day. My husband won't sleep with me in his arms at night because he's afraid of the dark and can't sleep." Cheng Yeran quickly pulled his wife back into the house.
Lin Yu had long been accustomed to the two of them showing affection, but Lin Yu's two maids had never seen it before and their eyes widened in surprise.
The two maids had always heard Lin Yu praise Shen Yuntang, praising him to the heavens. Now that they had met him, they found that he was indeed handsome. They had been in the capital for many years and had never seen such a handsome boy. He was even more handsome than the one on the soap package.
Fortunately, her husband will be an official in the future. If he were a commoner, he would probably be snatched away by the Prince of Jing.
The two maids advised Lin Yu not to take Shen Fulang out, lest he be seen by Prince Jing and taken away to the mansion. She should wait until her husband becomes an official before taking him out.
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