Chapter 131
Qin Sanniang and Qin Shan are already fifteen years old this year, and even Qin Siniang, the only remaining child in Uncle Qin's family, is already fourteen years old. It is time for them to consider marriage.
But the Qin family never arranged their marriage.
Firstly, the Qin family considered themselves to be of noble status, but now they were stuck in this remote mountain area, where could they possibly find a husband worthy of their wife? Secondly, they thought that with the new emperor's ascension to the throne, they could regain their status as citizens of the capital, so it would be better to go to the imperial capital and look for an official family than to look for a rough woodcutter here.
After his dream of being pardoned by the new emperor was shattered, he hoped that Qin Si would be admitted to Shenglin Academy and enter the officialdom.
Many people in Pingtan Village and even in the county town, especially the families who were asked to look after one or two of the Qin family members, wanted to establish a relationship with them and tried to inquire about the marriage of the two ladies, but they were all rejected.
Qin Sanniang was even more arrogant.
When she was in the capital, her social circle consisted of ladies from powerful and wealthy families, and the men who discussed marriages with them were also sons of powerful and wealthy families. How could she be willing to casually agree to the wishes of those who wanted to marry into the Qin family when the family was at its lowest point and its status was the lowest?
Even if she was crazy, her mother would not allow it.
She will return to the capital in the future. Once there, which family can she choose from that is not better than the lowly people in this wild land?
Even when Qin Si, Qin Sanniang's brother, failed the imperial examination, this idea never wavered.
My brother is a famous talent in the capital. If you fail once, then take the exam a second time.
She had heard that many men from different families passed the imperial examination after many years of hard work. This was only her brother's first time taking the exam, so it was no big deal.
But she didn't expect that her mother would no longer provide money for her brother to continue his studies.
"How can this be? You are the only one in our family who can study. How can mother be so short-sighted?"
When Qin Sanniang heard her brother tell her about this, her first reaction was anger, "I'm going to find my mother."
"It's useless, Shan'er, you don't need to look for her. Not only did my mother agree to this, but my eldest sister-in-law and my third brother also agreed."
"Then what are you going to do, brother?" Qin Sanniang was also anxious.
If I don't send my brother to school and take the imperial examinations, won't the Qin family only be able to be farmers in Pingtan Village in the future?
What about her marriage? We can't just let her marry into a farming family, right?
"Mother said that I can continue my studies if I want, but I'll have to raise the tuition and other expenses myself." Qin Si smiled bitterly. "Shan'er, tell me, my brother has been good at nothing but studying for so many years, and my father and mother haven't taught me any other skills. How can I make money?"
Qin Sanniang said nothing.
"So, my mother told me to find a good marriage first, a woman from a well-off local family. After we get married, my wife's family might support me to continue my studies. When I pass the exam, I can divorce her and find another woman of equal status."
Qin Sanniang's eyes flashed.
"But, Shan'er, you also know that I have been divorced. It is okay for me to find another marriage, but if I divorce after passing the imperial examination, I am afraid it will damage my reputation. And having a good reputation is the most important thing for an official in the court. I am afraid that if I want to divorce at that time, I am afraid that my in-laws will not agree. If divorcing and abandoning my wife becomes a stain on my brother, then even if I want to be promoted to the third rank like my father, I will still be looked down upon." Qin Si sighed.
"So, brother, what do you want to do?"
"What can we do? Do as Mother says and start looking for a husband tomorrow." Qin Si said, "By the way, Shan'er, you should also start looking for a husband." Qin Si glanced at Qin Sanniang with a guilty look on his face, "Shan'er, it's my fault. I shouldn't have taken the exam lightly. Otherwise, if I could pass the exam and come back, you could find a good family. As it is now, I'm afraid neither of us can find a good family."
"Brother!"
"It's also our fault for being born in the wrong place. We weren't born from the same mother as my eldest sister-in-law and my third brother. Otherwise, how could my mother favor one over the other?"
Qin Sanniang's eyes suddenly turned red, but she remained silent.
"I'm going to the city tomorrow and will drop out of school first. As for the rest, we can talk about it after we get married!"
Qin Sanniang was skeptical about her brother's words.
After all, my mother spent a large sum of money to send my brother to school the day before, and my eldest sister-in-law and third brother had no complaints. However, a few days later, when Qin Sanniang was called over by Mrs. Qin and given instructions, she believed it.
Qin Si was right. He could not rely on the imperial examination to enter the officialdom in the short term, and he would probably have to stay in Pingtan Village for a long time. As the money in his hands was running low, Mrs. Qin began to take care of the household chores.
Those who used to have enough food and clothing are now cutting back on food and clothing.
There was no need to consider buying new clothes for each season. Three meals a day was reduced to two. The family had originally hired a chef, a somewhat famous chef in the city, but he was dismissed. The eldest and third daughters-in-law took turns cooking.
The family no longer hired a laundry maid, and instead asked each family to pick up and wash their own clothes.
Next, he fired the two security guards and two servants hired by the family.
Since Sanlang and Silang are both husbands, how can they not learn to do the chores at home?
As for the security guards, they had little property and money, and were not afraid of being stolen, so they resigned.
There is also the wasteland that the Qin family wants to reclaim in Pingtan Village. Each person is given ten acres, so a total of seventy acres should be reclaimed. Now only thirty acres of the wasteland have been reclaimed. They originally planned to hire people to reclaim the remaining forty acres, but now it is just right, so they let Sanlang, Silang and the people in the room reclaim it themselves. Once it is reclaimed and rented out, the family will have a steady income.
This operation immediately saved a lot of money.
Now that we have saved money, the next step is to increase revenue.
Not sending Shiro to school saved a lot of money;
Let Sanlang and Silang find their own livelihood, so that they can have income in the future;
A family that originally had two donkey carts kept one and sold the other, earning a sum of money.
How else can you make money?
Mrs. Qin glanced at everything in the house: Oh, and Sanniang and Si Niang are old enough to get married, so it’s time to arrange their weddings.
After finding a wealthy family to marry them off, they will not only receive a betrothal gift, but also gain two more relatives who can help them. This means there will be two fewer mouths to feed and clothe the family, killing two birds with one stone.
So she called Qin Sanniang and Qin Siniang into the house and told them her intention. The matter was settled. She had to find two better families while others still believed that the Qin family could recover.
Qin Sanniang and Qin Siniang walked out of the main hall in a daze, both looking confused.
Qin Sanniang glanced back at A'niang in the room, and saw the maidservant following A'niang diligently serving her tea. She couldn't help biting her lip.
Mrs. Qin did fire many of the maids and servants hired to work in the house, but she originally had two servants serving her. Now that one has been fired, the other is still there.
In the family, she is the only one who can order the servants around.
Qin Sanniang felt indignant and thought: My brother is right after all!
Looking into the courtyard again, Grandma Qin was dressed elegantly and neatly, and her little nephew Lu Ge'er was wearing half-worn clothes, but he was carrying a basket of books. The mother and son were talking and laughing as they walked out.
Qin Sanniang was shocked: "Where are you taking Lu Ge'er?"
Qin Si Niang glanced at her and said, "Third sister, don't you know? Today, my eldest sister-in-law is sending Lu Ge'er to the village school!"
Pingtan Village is a large village with many households, so there is a private school in the village that was built with money contributed by each household in the village, and a teacher was hired to teach the young men in the village to read and write.
"Let Lu Ge'er go to school?" Why not send his talented brother who is already in the capital?
"Don't misunderstand, Third Sister. Brother Lu's tuition for the private school was paid by my eldest sister-in-law herself."
"What misunderstanding? How did my sister-in-law get the money on her own?" Qin Sanniang was furious. "Did she hide it when my mother asked everyone in our family to hand over the money?"
"Of course not. My sister-in-law earned her money as a teacher."
"What are you talking about? My sister-in-law can earn money by being a teacher?" Qin Sanniang sneered, "Aren't you afraid of misleading the students?"
"That's right. Mother didn't give money to support the sons of each family to go to school, letting them find their own way. To send Lu Ge'er to school, my eldest sister-in-law volunteered to be a teacher at the village school, thinking that this way she could support Lu Ge'er's education and rely on the imperial examination." Qin Si Niang said enviously, "Lu Ge'er is like my eldest brother, smart and hardworking. Maybe he can really get a good score in the exam."
Qin Sanniang bit her lip and sneered, "Do you think the imperial examination is so easy?"
Like her brother, who was praised by everyone in the capital for his talent, he also failed the exam! Lu Ge'er just started from scratch and knows a little bit of the basics, so he thinks he can pass the exam easily?
Qin Sanniang didn't believe it, but after returning to the side room, she thought about it over and over again, and she felt uneasy.
Firstly, he was afraid that the marriage arranged by Mrs. Qin for him would not be good. Secondly, he was afraid that Mrs. Qin would fool his brother and find him another marriage at random.
You know, if she gets married, she probably can't rely on the Qin family. The only person she can rely on from her parents' side is her brother.
After all, she and her brother are siblings with the same father and mother, and only her brother can protect her.
If her brother doesn't live well, she will have no one to rely on in the future.
Qin Sanniang thought about this matter over and over again. When she saw her dejected brother the next day, she told him that Mrs. Qin wanted to find a relative for her.
"I knew it, that's it." Qin Si pretended to be helpless. "There's no money at home. She wants to marry you off to Fourth Sister so she can save more money for herself."
"She's wishful thinking." Qin Sanniang was also holding back her anger. "Brother, you studied at the official school in the county and know a lot of people. Can you help me choose a good family?"
"Shan'er?"
"Brother, find me a husband from a wealthy family. I will support you in your studies. If you pass the exam, I will also be proud of you."
Now seeing my mother tightening her belt and eating frugally, fussing over everything, and even having to wash her clothes herself, it would be better if I got married.
It would be better to find a mistress in a family where servants can be commanded, rather than staying in this family and being a slave.
Qin Si looked at Qin Sanniang and felt secretly happy.
"Sister-in-law can send Lu Ge'er to school, and I can also send you to school. When the time comes, when you pass the exam and become an official, I will divorce you and rely on your official status to find a good marriage for me. Is that okay?"
Qin Si looked embarrassed: "Shan'er, how can this be? I can't sacrifice your marriage just because of this."
"What kind of loss is this? As long as my brother studies hard and gets a good grade in the imperial examination, I will be the Prime Minister's sister, and no one will dare to look down on me." Qin Sanniang became more and more happy as she thought about it. "My brother, you know a lot of people in the county. Even the students in your official school are from wealthy families, right? Can you choose one for me?"
"Since you said so, Shan'er, of course I'm unwilling." Qin Si nodded, "Don't worry, I will definitely choose someone with a wealthy family for you."
The Qin family used to be from the capital, and some people knew that Qin Si was the son of the former Prime Minister Qin. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, although he has not held accountable the court officials who once supported the third prince, there are still hidden dangers as to whether the third prince's family can be reused.
He was afraid that being involved with the Qin family would affect his career, so he didn't want to have anything to do with the Qin family.
However, Qin Si was not looking for a family that could help him develop his career. He just wanted to find a wealthy family that he could control. The husband he finally found for Qin Sanniang was a merchant in the county who dealt in southern cloth.
When the merchant was introduced to Mrs. Qin, although Mrs. Qin was dissatisfied and thought that Qin Si was overstepping his bounds, she still agreed to the marriage because of the generous betrothal gift.
Qin Sanniang married and moved to the county town. She also did as she had told her brother and tricked the money from her husband's family into giving to Qin Si.
Qin Si was very proud. With a sister like this, what else could he ask for?
So he continued to study in the official school without distraction.
In February of the following year, Qin Si took part in the county school and actually passed the examination to become a student. Qin Si immediately felt proud, and even Qin Sanniang, who had secretly embezzled money to support her brother, felt proud of herself.
Look, look, who is it that thinks he can’t pass the exam?
As long as he is given a chance, he can do it.
At that time, when the Qin family learned the good news, they had all kinds of thoughts.
Mrs. Qin regretted it. Mr. Qin San and his wife have now become the main labor force in the family. Mrs. Qin San takes care of the household chores, while Mr. Qin San is responsible for running errands outside and managing the family's land and property.
Compared with living in the capital, life is naturally poor and difficult.
But when he saw Qin Si pass the exam, he became complacent and said jealously, "The exam is just the simplest of exams. Fourth brother has studied in the capital for so many years. If he can't even pass the exam, it would be a real joke."
But Mrs. Qin still regretted it, and even secretly gave a lot of money to help Qin Si.
The following year, Qin Si took the imperial examination again, thinking that he would be able to pass and become a scholar. Unexpectedly, Qin Si failed again.
Qin Si was not afraid at all because of his experience of failing the major exam but being able to pass the examination to become a student.
As long as he has money, he can continue studying and take the exam more times. Is he still afraid of failing in the end?
But at this time, Qin Sanniang's mother-in-law found out that she used money from her husband's family to support Qin Si. After scolding her, she detains her and orders her to reduce contact with Qin Si.
However, he did not break off relations with Qin Si in the end, as he was afraid that he would rise up again in the future, so he allowed him to ask for money, but not too much.
Although he still had some money from his brother-in-law, it was nothing compared to the money Qin Sanniang had embezzled, and it was not enough to support his studies. So Qin Si reverted to his old ways and went to ask for help from Mrs. Qin again.
At this time, Mrs. Qin finally understood that Qin Si was not her husband, Prime Minister Qin.
Qin Xiang has been extremely talented and well-read since childhood. He has never failed in the examinations from the county school to the palace examination. However, Qin Si is obviously lacking in talent and has a weak foundation. If he is allowed to continue his studies, it will take several years or even decades or twenty years of planning.
Qin family, can you afford it?
If Qin Si was her biological son, she might have considered it, but unfortunately Qin Si was not, and now seeing that the Qin family was getting more and more difficult, Mrs. Qin refused it outright.
Qin Si’s path to study was cut short from then on.
After this, Qin Si vented all his anger and resentment on the Qin family. He gave up and spent his days in a daze, with no desire to study.
Qin San and his wife could no longer tolerate it. When they were thinking with Mrs. Qin about how to drive Qin Si out, the rumor came from the capital that General Qiao had been rescued. They also heard that the lady from the Gu family who rescued General Qiao was the second lady of the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion!
"The second lady of Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, isn't that Gu?"
"Is it Gu Erniang?"
"impossible."
Mrs. Qin and Mr. and Mrs. Qin San were simply in disbelief.
How could it be that Gu Er Niang?
If it really was her, how could she go back to the capital to meet the emperor and receive the reward while the Qin family was still suffering in Pingtan Village?
The injustice done to General Qiao was a major case, and it happened in Minzhou. Since the incident began, it has been spreading not only in Jianzhou but throughout Minzhou. Now that General Qiao has been rescued and returned to Beijing, it is also big news for the people of Minzhou, so it has been spread everywhere.
When it was confirmed that General Qiao's savior was the former grandmother Qin Si, his own daughter-in-law, not only did Mrs. Qin feel extremely regretful, but Qin San and his wife were also unwilling to give up.
Why did you agree to her divorce from Qin Si in the first place?
How great it would be if she was still the fourth grandmother of the Qin family!
Just based on her merit of saving General Qiao, she can not only return to the capital, but also meet the emperor. That is enough to get rid of the Qin family's guilt and let the whole family return to the capital.
When I inquired about it in detail, I regretted it so much.
It turns out that this Gu Er Niang had some luck and actually had enough money to buy such a large isolated island in Jianzhou. She also planted hundreds of orange trees on the island. It was heard that she could earn several hundred taels of silver every year just from that orange grove.
How could a mere woman, with nothing and no friends, live better than them?
Now, the Qin family has no other income except from the income from those dozens of acres of land.
Qin San said nice things verbally and wanted to make a living, but when he was in the capital before, he didn't get involved in many household affairs. With his second uncle and his eldest and second brothers supporting him, he was used to being idle.
When he really went out to make a living, he was not good at hard labor and did not want to do rough work. Later, relying on his literacy and arithmetic, he worked as an accountant. However, he only earned one or two taels of silver a month, and the work was hard and tiring. If he made a mistake, he would be scolded.
Qin San couldn't stand it anymore, so relying on the dozens of acres of land in his family, he simply went back to the village to take care of the work in the fields. Anyway, the fields were rented out to local farmers, and it was all the tenant farmers' work. He just had to take a walk in the fields and he would have fulfilled his duties.
As for the other female members of the family, Mrs. Qin naturally refused to work, and Mrs. Qin San was now doing chores at home and could not earn any money. Only Mrs. Qin Da was still able to work as a teacher in a private school.
But the money she earned with great efforts was only a little over one or two taels, and she had to save this little bit of money for her own son's education.
As for the others, Qin Si Niang and Qin San Niang had married long ago, and their only grandchildren were six and five years old, who were even less able to do any work.
Now that Mrs. Qin's only servant has resigned, no matter how particular they are, they still have to do things themselves most of the time. The Qin family is seeing their lives becoming increasingly difficult.
After jealousy, resentment and envy, the Qin family was ready to take action.
Gu Er Niang has such a big island and produces so much every year. It would be great if it belonged to the Qin family!
Besides, she can now return to Beijing to receive rewards, and the money she gets from the emperor must be quite a lot. If she takes that money back, why would their Qin family have to live a hard life?
When he heard that Gu Er Niang was still a widow, he was immediately delighted.
She has been divorced from Qin's Silang for many years, but she is still not married. I'm afraid she is still thinking about their Silang!
He quickly went to find Qin Si, who was just taking things as they came, and told him what Gu Er Niang had done today. Qin Si finally came to his senses.
Qin Si immediately understood what they were planning.
In the end, don't we still have to rely on him?
That's Qin Si's wife. If she wants to get benefits from Gu Er Niang, doesn't she have to come to him?
They looked down on him before, but now they are urging him to get back together with Gu Er Niang!
Qin Si was filled with disdain, and he spoke with contempt towards Madam Qin Da and Qin San and his wife: "That's right, Second Lady Gu is my wife. No matter how much wealth she has, it belongs to me, Qin Si. Not long ago, you were yelling at me, mocking me, and now you have to beg me for mercy, aren't you?"
"Fourth brother, if you really get back together with Gu Erniang and can revive our Qin family, then this family will be yours in the future." Qin San, who is now in dire straits due to lack of money and cannot move forward, said with shortness of breath and guilty conscience.
"That's right, Silang! If you can convince Gu Erniang to reconcile with you, the money she has will be yours. Why would you worry about not being able to send you to school?" Madam Qin also said humbly, "When the time comes, you can take the imperial examinations and the provincial examinations. If you fail once, you can take them twice. If you fail twice, you can continue. You won't have to worry about not having money."
Qin Si couldn't help laughing as he looked at his mother and brothers who were surrounding him and flattering him.
After all, Qin Si's luck is about to change.
He immediately packed up and took the travel expenses given to him by Mrs. Qin, planning to go to Jianzhou to find Gu Er Niang.
In fact, Qin Si had already forgotten what his ex-wife looked like, the only thing he remembered was the fright this wild woman brought to him during his exile!
He actually dared to break a criminal's leg. His heart is truly cruel.
In addition, in order to prevent those bandits from targeting the Qin family, of course they had to draw a clear line with her.
When I first arrived at Pingtan Village, I was afraid that the bandits would come to my house, so I hired two bodyguards to guard against the accomplices of these revenge-seeking bandits.
But now that I think about it, there’s actually no need to worry at all.
The place where those bandits were exiled was thousands of miles away from them, and they might not know exactly where the Qin family was exiled.
However, his divorce from Gu Er Niang was also a blessing for her.
Otherwise, how could she have gotten the land she bought on the island, saved General Qiao, and been able to get rid of the crime and return to Beijing to meet the emperor and receive the reward?
He was willing to divorce her at the beginning, which actually helped her.
Since she had remained faithful to him for many years and refused to marry, he could naturally tolerate her rude and unreasonable temper and reconcile with her for the time being.
Even if he looked down on her, she was now favored by the emperor, and was the adopted daughter of the Ningyuan Marquisate. She also had the Qiao family of Damao City behind her. He could make good use of these connections and plan for his own benefit.
So Qin Si came to Jianzhou.
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