Chapter 40 Su Jia Er Lang Su Jia Er Lang
"Erlang is back. What did the county magistrate say? Was he praising you?"
"Of course, our Erlang is the top scorer in the county exam. He's called the top scorer. The county magistrate is very satisfied with him."
"Feng Zhang, come to my house for dinner when you have time. I'll ask your aunt to make chicken soup for you."
"Tsk, the Su family is still short of that chicken, you're so stingy. Erlang, come to your uncle's house, your aunt bought some pork elbows."
"Your wife's cooking skills are just feeding pigs. Feng Zhang, you should come to your uncle's house. Your aunt's cooking is delicious. She can even make wild vegetables taste like delicacies from the mountains and the sea. It's delicious."
The county magistrate invited many candidates on the second day after the incident. On that day, Su Fengzhang did not ask anyone to send him off, but went to the county town by himself.
When he came back leisurely, he was warmly welcomed by the villagers as soon as he stepped into the village. Everyone wanted to take him home for dinner.
Su Fengzhang smiled and called them uncle and aunt, but he didn't agree to any of them.
The Su family is a big family in Yuexi Village. Eighty percent of the families in the village have the surname Su. Most of them are indirect relatives, but the only one with the closest blood relationship to Su Fengzhang's family is actually Uncle Su's family.
Moreover, compared with the clan of the Gu family in the neighboring village, the clan power of the Su family is not that strong. This is mainly because Su Wenzhong, who is also the clan leader and village chief, prefers to govern the village by relying on the title of village chief.
This can be seen from the ranking of the Su family. Each family has its own ranking and they are not combined together. Even in Su Fengzhang's generation, although most people still use the character Zhang as their generation, some people no longer follow the ranking.
But this situation seemed to change after Su Fengzhang showed his talent for reading.
He maintained a warm smile on his face, and even his refusal sounded polite to others.
When he walked into his own house, the person who was rejected laughed and said, "This Su family's Erlang is really a good person. He is the first in the county examination. He will definitely be able to pass the examination and become a scholar, but he is still as easy to talk to as before."
"Yes, they are willing to call us uncles and aunts, unlike those boys in the village who have only studied for a few days and their noses are turned upside down. They can't read anything like that."
"Speaking of this, I'm reminded of Su Dianli. He was a good man, too. If he had lived a few more years, who knows what would have happened to our village... Fate plays tricks on us. Old Su was the only one in the village who could read, and now his son has become successful too. Don't you think the Su family's ancestral tomb was chosen particularly well?"
The topic veered off in an unknown direction, but many people still thought so. Even in the next few years, when an elderly person in the village passed away, they all wanted to be buried in the Su family's ancestral tomb.
The villagers have sharp eyes. Those who look down on the villagers and even their own families after getting educated will be of no use even if they become successful in the future. They will definitely not take care of their village.
Su Fengzhang is different. Although Su Zhaoshi doesn't go out often, he has a very good relationship with the villagers. He has been teaching children in recent years. If such a person can have a promising future, it will be of great benefit to their Yuexi Village.
When Su Fengzhang walked into the house, he happened to bump into a woman in red and green. The woman looked to be in her early thirties. When she saw him, she smiled from ear to ear, like a weasel seeing a fat chicken.
"Isn't this our scholar? He's truly a man of talent. Look at his physique, his looks, his talent. How would you scholars describe him? Yes, he's as smooth and gentle as jade, just like the finest jade..."
"Aunt, you are too kind. I am not a scholar yet, so I can't say such things carelessly."
"Hey, with your talent, it's only a matter of time. Why are you so modest, kid?"
Su Fengzhang was overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, fortunately Su Zhao came out to rescue him.
"Madam Song, my Feng'er is also tired and needs to rest early, you see..."
Madam Song was also very perceptive and quickly said, "Well, I won't bother you anymore. Madam Su, as a mother, you have to be more careful. If you have any ideas, please send me a message and I will be there at your beck and call."
After closing the door, Su Fengzhang asked, "Mom, who is this aunt? She looks unfamiliar."
Su Zhaoshi smiled and replied, "Mrs. Song from the next village is a famous matchmaker in our area."
"What's the matchmaker here for? Who are you matchmaking for?" Su Fengzhang suddenly thought of something and asked, "Isn't it for me?"
Su Dianli was only fifteen when he passed away, so he would barely be eighteen this year. However, at that time, the age was calculated based on the lunar calendar, and the custom in Yuexi Village was to use the lunar calendar to calculate the age by two. His birthday was in July, which meant that he was not even sixteen years old yet.
Aunt Bai came out from the back and laughed when she heard this: "I'm here to match you up, and there's more than one. I brought a thick booklet over and told you to take your pick."
Su Lanzhang appeared out of nowhere and shouted with a smile: "Second brother is getting married."
For the first time, Su Fengzhang felt embarrassed, his cheeks turning red: "Mom, just refuse it. I'm still young."
Not to mention anything else, he couldn't even bring himself to do it. This is torture of minors.
Su Zhaoshi didn't object and said cheerfully, "Mother had already rejected it, but they just wouldn't give up."
She also said: "You are still young, there is no rush for this matter. Besides, what good family can come to you now? Wait until you pass the examination for the scholar, and then pass the examination for the juren next year, then we can talk about marriage."
Su Zhaoshi had her own considerations. She was different from the villagers. Although she had no rank, she had at least been an official's wife.
The villagers think that being a scholar is a great achievement, but that's because there are so many scholars in the village, but no one has even passed the exam to become a scholar, which seems strange.
But Su Zhaoshi was different. Scholars were not very useful, and Su Zhaoshi knew this very well. Otherwise, the Chen family would not have canceled the engagement so easily, not to mention that her son was not even a scholar now.
Only those who pass the Juren examination can be appointed as an official. Even if you fail to pass the Jinshi examination in the future, you can still get an official position and own land with tax exemption. That can be considered as having overcome a hurdle.
Su Zhaoshi had her own plans in mind, so she naturally wouldn't arrange a marriage for Su Fengzhang so early.
Su Fengzhang breathed a sigh of relief. No matter why Su Zhaoshi rejected the matchmaker, it was a good thing for him. "That's good, mother. Don't think too far ahead. I haven't even passed the exam to become a scholar yet."
Su Zhaoshi smiled and said, "Mother has heard your father mention that the difference between first place in the county exam and becoming a scholar is only one step. If you don't make any mistakes, you can pass."
"That has to be right." Su Fengzhang felt it would be bad if the news got out like this, so he added, "I'll go to the village chief later and ask him to remind the villagers not to spread it around. It's not good."
"Why don't you go now?" Su Zhaoshi said, "I've already arranged with your second uncle to have dinner at his house."
"He said that getting first place in the county exam is a big deal. We won't celebrate at home, but we should at least have a meal together to celebrate."
"Okay then." Su Fengzhang didn't care.
In fact, the county examination was only the first step in a long journey, and even if he got the first place, it was no big deal. The villagers were so excited mainly because he was the first one to pass the county examination after Su Dianli. Su Zongzhang did not count because he did not return to the village when he took the exam.
Second Uncle Su was really happy. He bought fish and meat and even wanted to buy a big pig's head. However, Su Fengzhang insisted that he should not offer sacrifices to the ancestors now, at least until he passed the college entrance examination. Only then did he give up the idea.
Zhang was preparing the wedding banquet with her two daughters-in-law, and she felt indescribable emotions in her heart.
They are all brothers from the same family, so how come every one of them in my uncle's family can go to school? Su Zongzhang is fine, as he was studying in the city at that time, and my uncle was an official, so it was not surprising that he could get the title of scholar.
Erlang has been staying in the village all the time and has not gone to school in the past few years, but he unexpectedly won the first place in the case.
The two families are brothers, so why can't her two sons be successful? After studying, they can only settle accounts with others.
Feeling sour in her heart, Zhang's face looked unhappy. Little Zhang and Cao Zhang's wife Liu looked at her secretly. They could probably guess what their mother-in-law was thinking, and they looked at each other helplessly.
Just at this time, the two sisters of the Su family arrived, and there was no room for so many people inside, so Liu quickly left the kitchen holding her big belly.
When Su Fengzhang and Su Zhaoshi brought their two children to the house, the banquet at their second uncle's house had already been prepared.
Aunt Bai was determined not to go out. In the past few years, she would not go out unless it was necessary, and she rarely showed up to visit relatives. She knew that her identity was embarrassing and did not want the villagers to remember the birth of her two children.
"Come, come, come and sit down." Uncle Su greeted with a happy face.
The men sat at one table and the women sat at another. Although Su Lanzhang was still young, she sat next to Su Fengzhang.
Not only Su Caozhang was there that day, but Su Cizhang, who had been working in the city and rarely came back, was also there. The three brothers clinked glasses of wine and seemed to be no strangers to each other.
Second Uncle Su was so happy that he drank too much. When he drank too much, he started to act crazy. He held Su Fengzhang's hand and cried, "Brother, it would be great if you were still here. Our Erlang has made a lot of progress. Did you see that, brother?"
He added, "Feng Zhang, you are a child who strives for success. When you pass the examination, your uncle will prepare a banquet for you. Although your father is gone, our Su family cannot be looked down upon. Your uncle is rich, so don't worry."
"Where's the money? Where's my silver? I made a lot of money from selling rice last year."
Su Fengzhang and his brothers were at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and they had to persuade him to settle down.
Su Ci Zhang is five years older than Su Feng Zhang and is about the same age as the late Su Zong Zhang. The two were born half a year apart. Because he went out to make a living early, he looks much more mature and stable than his younger brother who is one year younger than him.
At this moment, he patted Su Fengzhang's shoulder and said with a smile: "Fengzhang, study hard and don't worry about anything else. If you don't have enough money, come to me. I suffered a lot because I didn't have the heart to study. Now I understand that if a family wants to prosper, it can't do without scholars."
It's not that there are no educated people, it's that there are no people who can stand out. Without a backer, they have no way out.
Su Fengzhang also drank a lot of wine, but the alcohol content was not high at this time, so he was still clear-headed and steady-footed.
It was late at night when he returned home and found that Su Zhaoshi did not look well. When he asked her, she just said she was tired and wanted to sleep.
Su Fengzhang secretly called Su Huihui over, "What's wrong, mother? Did Second Aunt say something at the banquet?"
Su Huihui was smart and told him everything: "Second Aunt wanted to arrange a marriage for you, second brother. It seemed that it was the sister-in-law of my eldest cousin. Mother refused, and Second Aunt got upset. She said that when you need it, you only think about your cousins, and good things will never come to her family."
Su Fengzhang knew Zhang's character. He sighed helplessly and touched Huihui's hair: "It's okay, don't worry about her. Her second uncle is the one who makes the decision anyway."
Uncle Su and his two cousins are really nice, but Su Fengzhang can also understand Zhang's mentality. For the sake of his uncle and two brothers, he doesn't care. After all, this aunt cannot be the head of the family.
Just take what was said today. Su Fengzhang could almost conclude that his second uncle definitely didn't know about it. If he knew, he would definitely not agree.
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