Chapter 42: Shen Heng Slaps His Face
At this time, Chen Shuwei was standing in front of a small stall selling pitching pots and spent one penny of silver to buy eight arrows.
There were many prizes on the stall, ranging from common sachets and purses to exquisitely crafted lanterns, but Chen Shuwei took a fancy to the first prize, a lucky sign that the stall owner said had been blessed by a high-ranking monk, with four powerful and vigorous characters engraved on it: "Winning the First Prize in the Imperial Palace."
Chen Heng will take the Autumn Examination in a few months, which is a good sign.
However, Shen Shuwei threw several times in a row, and after using up all eight arrows, he only got a rabbit lantern.
It was rare for Chen Heng to see his usually arrogant and mature third sister reveal her childish side. He couldn't help but curl his fist to his lips and curl his eyebrows.
Just when Shen Shuwei took out the silver to buy eight more arrows and was ready to make another effort, a hand suddenly reached out and took the arrows from her arms.
"Let me do it." Shen Heng said softly.
Shen Shuwei looked up at him and blinked.
My eldest brother has always been frail and sickly, and he also has a bookish air. Would he be able to play this kind of entertainment game?
Shen Heng seemed to see what Shen Shuwei was thinking. He reached out and rubbed her head, the corners of his lips slightly raised, and he pulled out an arrow.
He had long wanted to rub his third sister's head. Although she was only two years older than Ayang, her temperament was much more stable.
"Clang." The arrow flew out of his hand and hit the target steadily.
Chen Shu raised his eyebrows slightly, but before she could be surprised that her frail elder brother could play this, there were several more crisp sounds.
Chen Heng still had that calm expression on his face. He held the arrows and shot them slowly, finishing the eight arrows in his hand.
The stall was already filled with people who came to watch the fun. When they saw the eight arrows firmly inserted into the pot mouth, they immediately broke into thunderous applause.
"Good! That's really amazing!"
"This young master looks weak and scholarly, but I didn't expect he has such great abilities!"
"Oh, the young master is quite handsome. I wonder if he's engaged yet."
Listening to the chattering around him, a smile appeared on Chen Shuwei's face. He looked at the stall owner and said, "Boss, my brother won all eight prizes. Shouldn't we give the first lucky ticket?" The boss was also pleased to see this. He readily took off the wooden lucky ticket and handed it to Chen Shuwei with both hands.
Just as Shen Shuwei was about to take it, a hand reached out from nowhere and snatched the stick.
"Winning the first prize in the imperial examination is a good omen. How much is this stick? I'll buy it." The person who spoke was Chu Yunlan. He sneered and glanced at Shen Shuwei and Shen Heng.
Is Chen Heng worthy of winning the first prize in the imperial examination?
The boss looked at him hesitantly and explained to him that the lottery ticket was a prize and was not for sale, and that it had already been won by someone.
Chu Yunlan turned a deaf ear to him, untied the purse from his waist and threw it on the stall, "There are twenty taels in here, enough to buy your whole stall, right?"
The boss looked at Shen Shuwei and Shen Heng in embarrassment.
Chen Shuwei looked at him coldly, "Mr. Chu, don't you understand what I'm saying? This lucky lottery ticket was won by my eldest brother playing pot tossing. You're robbing someone."
"Sister Shen, it's just a wooden stick. I'm willing to pay ten taels of silver for it." Chu Xinrou stood beside Chu Yunlan without knowing when. She smiled and took off her purse and handed it to Shen Shuwei. "Sister, just give it to me. Why make everyone unhappy?"
The people watching nearby were stunned by the wealth of the two men. An ordinary family would only spend more than twenty taels of silver a year, but these two young men and women spent half a year's expenses just to buy an ordinary wooden skewer.
Chu Xinrou really enjoyed the eager, envious looks from the people around her. She couldn't help but straighten her back, turned around and smiled softly, "My eldest brother is going to take part in the Autumn Examination this year, and I'm praying for a good omen for him after ten years of hard study."
After listening to Chu Xinrou's explanation, the people around her all sighed that she was a good sister.
There were also those who were busy with gossip, saying, "You guys are making a profit by buying a wooden stick for ten taels of silver. Just sell it. This girl was bought to ask her elder brother to win the championship. It's not easy to be a scholar these days."
Taking advantage of the people's momentum, Chu Xinrou looked at Shen Shuwei again and was about to force the purse into her hand, "Sister, you heard it too, it's just a wooden stick, or do you think the silver is not enough and that's why you don't want to sell it to me?"
His words implied that Chen Shuwei was greedy for money and wanted to raise the price, which was why he refused to sell the fortune sign to him.
Suddenly, someone snatched the purse and threw it to the ground.
Chu Xinrou raised her head and met Chen Heng's calm eyes. She bit her lower lip unwillingly and lowered her eyes to hide the resentment in them.
Big brother actually looked at her like that and even threw her purse, just because she wanted to buy his fortune sticks?
She is her sister, how can he look at her like this!
She raised her face again, looked at Chen Heng with a smile and said, "Brother, didn't you find a way to get the investment banking papers before? I recently met a friend whose father is the chief examiner of this imperial examination. I can-"
"No need, you just need to take him away." Before Chu Xinrou could finish her words, Chen Heng interrupted her expressionlessly.
Chu Xinrou's smile was a little distorted, her fingertips dug deep into the flesh, and she forced herself to maintain her composure.
How could my eldest brother speak to me like that? He used to be the most gentle person to me in the family.
She even recommended the examiner to him, which was a great opportunity, but he actually told her to get lost. Is he crazy?!
It was obvious that she had broken the vase at home and pushed Shen Zhiyang out to be punished. However, her elder brother did not get angry with her after finding out the truth. He just gently stroked her head and told her not to do it again and not to plot against his sister.
What kind of magic potion did Shen Shuwei give them that made them abandon their sister and rush to please Shen Shuwei?
Chen Heng then turned to look at Chu Yunlan and spread his hands towards him, "This lucky lottery ticket was won by my third sister specifically for me. It's a token of her love. Please take it back, Master Chu."
Chu Yunlan looked at him, a trace of viciousness flashing in his eyes. He suddenly loosened his grip, letting the stick fall to the ground.
"It slipped, so if you want it, pick it up yourself."
Chen Heng immediately bent down to pick it up.
Seeing that Chen Heng's hand fell on the sign and was about to pick it up, Chu Yunlan curled his lips coldly, raised his black boots and crushed the back of his hand fiercely.
If his hand is crippled, he will see how he can still take part in the Autumn Examination.
Because it was night and the light was dim, even those who were close could not see Yunlan's movements clearly. Moreover, Chu Yunlan was not afraid of being discovered. He had the Jingning Marquis Mansion behind him. What could the Shen family do to compete with him?
"Ah!" A scream rang out.
The people around looked up and saw that the wealthy young man had a bowl of hot soup poured on his face, and the greasy vegetable leaves were still hanging in his hair.
It was Chen Shuwei who splashed the water on others. Her face was stern and her hand holding the bowl was trembling slightly.
Chu Yunlan, he dared——
Before Chu Yunlan could recover from the severe pain, Shen Shuwei slapped him twice in the face, causing him to stagger back and almost fall to the ground.
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