Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Do you still remember what she said back then...
"Why am I angry?" Xu Yunfan's question was baffling, but Qin Run quickly figured it out. He squatted in front of Xu Yunfan, his eyes locked. He stroked Xu Yunfan's face with one hand and said softly, "I'm not angry, because I know you won't want anyone else. You only want me for your whole life, right?"
"Yes," Xu Yunfan clung to Qin Run's palm, rubbing against it like a cat. "That's right. I don't want anyone else but you. They introduced me to some people today, but I refused none of them. I firmly rejected them all. Don't be angry. When I become a high-ranking official, I'll beat up anyone who dares to introduce me to someone again and drive them all away."
Now he has ranked first in the exam, but he is not an official after all, so he cannot act arrogantly. If he were a high-ranking official, they would be as quiet as chickens with just one word, and would not dare to say anything.
"Well, I saw it all secretly. You did a great job."
"Since I've performed well, is there a reward? Do you have a reward for me?"
"have."
Qin Run smiled. He knew what Xu Yunfan wanted. To him, the drunk Xu Yunfan was really easy to understand. What he wanted was clearly written on his face. At this moment, his eyes were filled with undisguised desire.
The joke that was on the tip of my tongue couldn't be uttered under this burning gaze.
He knelt at Xu Yunfan's side, his burning gaze meeting Xu Yunfan's slightly drunken eyes, and hooked his hands around Xu Yunfan's neck, forcing him to lower his head.
Xu Yunfan was satisfied with the touch of lips and teeth, but he was a little bit unable to do other things.
After Qin Run kissed him, Xu Yunfan drank half a bowl of water, and Qin Run helped him wash his face, hands and feet. Then he went to bed obediently.
Just as he lay down, Xu Yunfan seemed to remember something and stood up again, "Where are the children?"
Oh wow, this guy finally remembered his children.
Qin Run chuckled: "They are playing outside, each one of them is like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins. You can sleep without worry, I am here."
"Well, thank you for your hard work, my husband. Come, let me reward you with a kiss before I go to sleep."
Qin Run, sitting beside the bed, looked carefully at Xu Yunfan's sleeping face. The emptiness in his heart was filled. This person, who was at the top of his heart, was something he could never get enough of looking at.
In fact, today's situation was already within Qin Run's expectations. In the capital, because of the Qin family, other people who had such thoughts had to hold it in.
Even if they were given ten times the courage, they might not dare to steal the Qin family's women. Xu Yunfan married into the Qin family's family. Even if Qin Run had not yet officially recognized his ancestral home, Lord Qin and his family had taken him out several times. Even so, according to the Qin family's rule of not taking concubines, who would dare to act as a matchmaker?
This kind of thing is inevitable and it is not what Xu Yunfan wants. It is true that he feels uncomfortable, but he cannot lose his temper with Xu Yunfan, an innocent person. Besides, he can't bear to do that.
Qin Run sighed softly, leaned over and kissed Xu Yunfan, then went to the threshing ground.
After Qi Xiu Ze and his companions finished their meal, they took back all the gifts they had received.
They put aside those who needed to be returned, and also pointed out to Qin Run those who should not be befriended.
Xu Zhifeng scratched his hair and said, "There are many tricks involved here."
If it were him, he would probably be in the dark.
Xie Baizhou said with a smile, "You'll understand in the future. Once you become close to someone, they might become a stumbling block and a drag on your progress. So, accepting gifts is a big deal. You'll have to learn a little bit about it in the future."
Xu Zhifeng laughed and said, "It's still early."
"It's getting late. Didn't you say you performed normally in this college entrance examination?" Shen Ruxi remembered that they had talked about it after Xu Zhifeng came back from the exam. Xu Zhifeng said that the difficulty was indeed quite high, but Xu Yunfan had taught some of the question types before, so overall he was still somewhat confident.
"A little bit" is just a humble statement. Most people would say this. After all, Xu Zhifeng is not as thick-skinned as Xu Yunfan.
Xu Zhifeng nodded, "The results will be announced the day after tomorrow, so there's no need to say more."
Thinking of those wealthy families vying to be Xu Yunfan's father-in-law, Lin Xiaoran teased Xu Zhifeng, "When you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, even if there's no formal ceremony, you can probably marry a wife."
Speaking of getting married, Xu Zhifeng couldn't help but frown, "I don't want to get married so soon."
"In my opinion, you are still young. Although some students, like Yunfan, have married their husbands in their teens, have harmonious families and no worries, it's hard to say about others." It's not that Xie Baizhou looks down on others because of his self-proclaimed status, but that he is a reasonable person.
Even if Xu Zhifeng passed the imperial examination and could marry a woman from a wealthy family, why would Xu Zhifeng think that the other party would marry their daughter to him simply because of him?
For those people, marrying off their daughters or sons is actually a business, a disguised form of solicitation.
Don't think this sounds harsh, but it is the truth.
If Xu Zhifeng marries someone's daughter and becomes successful in the future, he will definitely have to help his Yue family.
Thinking of this, Xie Baizhou couldn't help but remind him, "When you pass the exam and people introduce you to a wife, you better keep your eyes open and don't marry just anyone."
Xu Zhifeng nodded and his eyes fell on He Gusheng. They had heard about his affairs from Qin Run. Just because his son had an extra "tail", his wife wanted to drown Xiao Weichen.
This kind of thing was hard for Xu Zhifeng to accept. He had been a mute since childhood and had to endure other people's strange looks. If his parents couldn't tolerate him, Xu Zhifeng thought, he would probably jump into the river.
He doesn't ask for anything else, just that he can meet someone who shares his thoughts in the future. He doesn't ask for anything else, such as appearance or family background.
Because of this thought, when Xu Zhifeng returned home and learned that a matchmaker had come to his house, he asked, "Which girl does the matchmaker want to introduce me to?"
Xu's mother said happily, "It's Xing'er from the village chief's family."
Hearing this, Xu Zhifeng immediately understood. No wonder Xu Xing's mother was so nice to him when she saw him. Even Xu Xing didn't call him a little mute anymore.
Xu Xingniang was not like this when she treated him before. It turned out that she was suddenly nice to him not because she had a change of heart, but because she had other intentions.
"What about mother? What does mother think?"
Mother Xu was distressed and looked at her son cautiously, worried that she might say something wrong and make him sad.
How could she not know that Xu Xing was the beauty of Xiaoli Village, and all the men from the nearby villages wanted to marry her? However, Xu Xing had high standards and didn't like any of them. Xu Xing's brothers even said that their sister couldn't marry a peasant, as she was going to marry into the town and become a lady in the future.
Even so, many men want to marry Xu Xing, and some even think that marrying Xu Xing would be a very face-saving thing. After all, some men, in addition to being attracted by beauty, also care about face.
Xu's mother didn't like Xu Xing very much. "I think she might not be suitable for you."
Xu Zhifeng: "Since mother feels it's not suitable, then please turn it down for me. If there are any matchmakers coming to our house in the future, please turn them down. My son doesn't want to get married yet. Mother, there's no rush. Let's wait a few years before we talk about it."
"Well, okay, let's not rush. You should study hard first and don't disappoint Master Xu's expectations." Xu's mother was relieved. She was afraid that Xu Zhifeng would have ideas about Xu Xing.
How should I describe that girl Xu Xing? She is pretty and fair-skinned, the type that men would like, but she is not the right match for Xu Zhifeng.
Xu Zhifeng didn't say anything else, just nodded, "Mom, I know, you don't have to worry about this." He just wanted to study hard now and strive to pass the imperial examinations as soon as possible. As for finding a wife, it all depends on fate.
On the other side, Xu Yunfan went to the home of the Qin clan leader and explained his purpose to Old Qin.
Mr. Qin didn't even think about it and just shook his head to refuse.
"Grandpa Qin, you're the clan leader. You promised me that you'd drink at my wedding. Are you going back on your word now?"
"You kid..." Old Qin's face was full of wrinkles as he smiled. Didn't he want to attend Xu Yunfan's wedding? Of course he did, but he also wanted to save some money for Xu Yunfan!
Even though Xu Yunfan came back in such glory, others may not know it, but as an old man who has lived for decades, how could he not know that in Beijing, even taking a shit costs money.
Even though Xu Yunfan is the son-in-law of the Qin family, he cannot do without some money of his own, otherwise he will be looked down upon.
It would cost at least twenty taels to hire a carriage from Dali Village to the capital, which is not a small expense. Not to mention that Xu Yunfan has called so many people, I am afraid that even five or six carriages will not be able to accommodate them all. After calculating it, Old Qin felt distressed. "This is such a waste. You children should be well in the capital. Remember us. It's good to have such a thoughtful attitude. You have no roots in the capital. You have to rely on yourself and the Yue family for everything. It's not easy."
Xu Yunfan felt warm at the words. "It's okay. I know people who can give me a discount. Grandpa Qin, you don't have to save that little money for me. This is also an opportunity. When you arrive in the capital, I'll have someone take you on a good tour."
Most of the villagers who have lived to Mr. Qin's age have rarely even been to the county town, let alone the capital.
Qin Dayou and a few others remained silent. To be honest, they were not unmoved by Xu Yunfan's proposal. The capital city was a place they had heard of but had never been to. If they could go there once, it would be enough for them to brag about it for the rest of their lives.
At the same time, they also knew that with so many people going, food, accommodation, and various expenses on the way to the capital would cost a lot of money. Even if Xu Yunfan made a lot of money in business, whose money came from the wind?
Qin Dayou's wife hesitated and offered a suggestion, "Yunfan, how about you and Run'er hold a wedding banquet in the village, and then another one when you get to the capital?"
"Oh, yes, why didn't I think of that?" Qin Dayou slapped his thigh, "That's a good idea."
"Nonsense." Grandma Qin slapped Qin Dayou. "Even if we want to hold it in the village, it would be fine if we didn't know before, but now we know, and Qin Tongsheng hasn't come back, it's not appropriate. Didn't Yunfan say that Qin Tongsheng is very busy in the capital. He has to go to work before dawn every day, and has to stay up late to do other things when he comes back. We can't let him come here when he is so busy." How much face do they have.
Old Qin: "Your mother is right. Yunfan is holding a wedding banquet in the village. Do you really think that we can just set up ten tables and serve three or four dishes like the other villagers do?"
Xu Yunfan is no longer the teacher who worked at Qingfeng Academy. Even if he is just an ordinary teacher, the scale of the wedding banquet cannot be too bad. His students, teachers in the same academy and those people he knows in the town must come, so the dishes cannot be cheap. All in all, it will cost at least several dozen taels.
Not to mention that Xu Yunfan is now a completely different person. On the day he returned to the village, the county magistrate and all the important figures in the town and the county came. Xu Yunfan wanted to hold a banquet, so he couldn't be casual.
After hearing this, Grandma Qin thought for a moment, "Indeed, it's not appropriate to hold this banquet in the village. If we don't hold it, then don't hold it. But if we do hold it, we can't lose face and make people talk about it later. It's better to hold it in Beijing. At least there are Run'er and his elders in Beijing. They will remind you of the things you should pay attention to."
Even though they are so old and they claim to have eaten more salt than Xu Yunfan has eaten rice, there are only those things in the village. But it is different in the capital. There are many twists and turns, and they sometimes can't help but think through them.
Xu Yunfan was left aside, listening to the discussion, and couldn't help but feel amused, "Oh, this matter is not that troublesome, go ahead, I'll have someone take you there, and I'll have someone build a carriage, then we only need to rent horses and hire a driver."
"But……"
"No buts, it's settled." Xu Yunfan stood up and said, "Grandpa Qin, I have to go to the village chief's house first, so I'll be leaving now."
It’s not that Xu Yunfan is bored, nor is it that he has too much money and doesn’t know where to spend it.
He still remembered how the Qin family helped him when he first arrived in Dali Village.
Now that he has gone to the capital, he has to fulfill his promise.
Besides, if the Qin family members don’t leave, Qin Run will probably feel strange about it.
On a happy occasion, who doesn’t want all relatives and friends to be present?
Those rich people arrange for special planes to pick them up when they get married. He doesn't have a plane, but a horse carriage will do.
When they arrived at the village chief's house, the village chief's husband and the village chief were hesitant. Their concerns were naturally the same as Old Qin's. After hearing that Xu Yunfan wanted to build his own carriage, and that one carriage could seat about twelve people, several carriages would be enough for them, they agreed.
Today's carriages can seat four or five people, but if you add some packages, it will be a bit crowded. When Xu Yunfan came back, his family of two adults and three children, plus a few bags of packages, fit perfectly. If it had been replaced by a few adult men, it would probably have been a bit narrow.
Xu Yunfan drew the blueprint of the carriage and asked Qin Mu and Qin Yi for help.
The weight that a horse can pull is limited. To pull a carriage that can seat more than a dozen people, there are many things to consider, including the horse's pulling force, axles, wheels, bushings, and connecting structures.
The current carriage drawings are very simple, with only two wheels underneath. However, the carriage designed by Xu Yunfan is different. Its complexity is naturally more complicated than that of ordinary carriages.
Just by looking at the blueprints, Qin Muqin felt dizzy and had only a vague understanding. They did whatever Xu Yunfan asked them to do.
Qin Run, who returned to the village, was not idle either. He took tools and led dozens of men up the mountain according to the location Xu Yunfan said.
Qin Jiabing, who was responsible for escorting Xu Yunfan and others back to the village, was confused. He didn't know what his young master wanted to do and actually asked them to smash stones.
Dozens of men worked hard for more than half a month, and the ox carts pulled away cartloads of stones at the foot of the mountain. The villagers who came to watch the fun were talking about it again.
After a busy period, June is almost here and it is time to return to Beijing.
Although Xu Zhifeng passed the examination to become a scholar, his ranking was only in the middle. Jiang Lanfang's advice was to hold back and not rush to move on. Xu Zhifeng also knew his own abilities. It was already very good to be able to pass the examination to become a scholar. Next, he needed to calm down and choose a college to enroll in.
Jiang Lanfang immediately stated that Qingfeng Academy welcomes Xu Zhifeng to join.
A scholar like Xu Zhifeng can be considered a genius.
Xu Yunfan had no objection to this. Jiang Lanfang was the only one who could bring it up. After Xu Zhifeng entered Qingfeng Academy, he would definitely be supervised and taught by Jiang Lanfang.
Xu Yunfan followed Xu Zhifeng on a small bench, his eyes fixed on the center of the river. The fishing rods by the river lay motionless. Xu Yunfan patted Xu Zhifeng on the shoulder and said, "Stay with Dean Jiang for now. When I'm established in Beijing, I'll find a way to get you over there."
Xu Zhifeng: "...Okay, I'll wait."
For Xu Zhifeng, Qingfeng Academy is good, but he prefers to follow Xu Yunfan than Jiang Lanfang.
If Xu Yunfan hadn't been there to help him, he would have had a hard time passing the examination.
When facing Jiang Lanfang, he would unconsciously feel awe, but he did not feel this pressure when he was with Xu Yunfan. When he was with Xu Yunfan, he only felt relaxed and interesting. Although he sometimes felt helpless, embarrassed and ashamed of Xu Yunfan's boasting, these were irrelevant.
"Has that girl named Li Xing or Xu Xing been bothering you recently? Don't get along with her, she's not a good person." It was the first time that Xu Yunfan talked about a girl's faults behind her back, but he spoke so openly and without any guilt.
After all, compared to spreading rumors about Qin Run behind his back, Xu Xing dared to do it, so why shouldn't he dare to speak openly?
If Xu Xing dares to do it on the first day, he dares to do it on the fifteenth.
It's just a matter of tit for tat, does he need to feel guilty?
In Xu Yunfan's opinion, anyone who dares to bully him, regardless of gender, will be treated equally and will not engage in gender discrimination. That would be bad as it would seem as if he looks down on women.
Speaking of Xu Xing, Xu Zhifeng couldn't help but have a headache, "Come on, I have to hide from her every time I go out." It's funny to say that since he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, not only has his popularity improved, but he always runs into a boy or girl every day when he goes out. Isn't this a coincidence?
"After my mother spread the word, matchmakers don't come often, but some people still have some feelings about me." Xu Zhifeng could understand it. After all, he was a popular commodity. Who wouldn't want a piece of it?
Let's not talk about anything else, just talk about Xiucai's tax exemption. The Xu family has no land. If someone marries him, as his in-laws, he can't just ignore it. How much tax would it cost for dozens of acres?
"These are all human nature. You can fall in love with anyone, but you should stay away from Xu Xing, otherwise you and I will become enemies in the future."
"What do you mean? Did she offend you?"
Xu Yunfan shook his head, then nodded, "She didn't offend me, but she scolded my husband, so isn't she also scolding me?"
"Ah? What did she curse Run'er for? When did they meet?" Since Xu Yunfan had said that Xu Xing said bad things about Qin Run, Xu Zhifeng believed it. He was bullied by Xu Xing a lot when he was a child, and he had experienced Xu Xing's skills in talking.
Before, when Xu Xingniang asked him why he didn't want to be with Xu Xing, Xu Zhifeng said in a good temper that Xu Xing had beaten and scolded him when he was a child, so he didn't like her very much.
In fact, Xu Zhifeng also wanted to say that no matter how good Xu Xing was, he would have to stay away from her as long as she had a mother like you.
Don't think he doesn't know that when he first started studying with Xu Yunfan, Xu Xingniang often laughed at him, saying that their Xu family was so poor that they couldn't even find a mouse hole. Even so, he still wanted to pass the exam to become a scholar?
It's really a pipe dream!
Xu Zhifeng is not a living Buddha. Even after being ridiculed like that, he still wanted to marry someone else's daughter. Now that he has become a scholar, Xu Xing's family wants to get any benefits from him, but it's impossible!
When Xu Xingniang heard what he said, she actually put her hands on her hips and laughed out loud, laughing at him for being ignorant. She also said that Xu Xing bullied him, which was a good thing. People said that they were just little enemies and childhood sweethearts. If they got married in the future, their relationship would be even better.
Xu Zhifeng didn’t know whether other people’s relationships were good or not, he only knew that he and Xu Xing would definitely not be able to have a good relationship.
欺负与打骂是两个不同的词，徐致风不会贱到要娶一个朝自己扔过泥巴，骂他是的脏臭哑巴，还叫其他小伙伴揍他的人。
Regardless of whether the saying that a person's character can be seen at the age of seven is accurate or not, he only knew that Xu Xing's words and deeds had left an indelible psychological shadow on him. Even at this age, Xu Zhifeng would still feel uncomfortable when he dreamed about what happened back then. He knew that this was the shadow left by being bullied.
That's it. He was really afraid that if he married Xu Xing, he would get so angry one night that he would strangle her to death. Wouldn't that put himself in trouble?
Because he had suffered emotional trauma from others' sarcasm, which he thought was insignificant, Xu Zhifeng couldn't bear to see Xu Yunfan being so petty and fussy about trivial matters.
How do you know how painful it will be if the knife hasn't stabbed you?
When Xu Yunfan learned the reason why Xu Zhifeng didn't accept Xu Xing, he laughed. "You two aren't called bickering lovers, you're enemies. Run Ge'er used to come to your village to work for your village chief. Xu Xing said that Run Ge'er ate a lot, like a pig, and could eat six bowls of rice in one meal. Their family suffered a great loss. Even if the speaker didn't mean it, the listener still took it to heart. Not to mention how old Xu Xing was at that time. People should always be responsible for what they say. She said such nonsense, and no one dared to hire Run Ge'er to work anymore."
Xu Zhifeng frowned slightly. Calling a guy a pig was a bit vicious. Qin Run had been spoken of like that in front of everyone. His dignity and face had been trampled into the mud. No wonder Xu Yunfan wanted to retaliate. "What are you going to do? Do you need my help?"
Xu Yunfan raised his eyebrows. "Of course. Next time you see their family, ask them what their daughter said about my husband. If she still remembers it, they'd better come and apologize in person. Otherwise...they probably won't want to know the consequences. I'll stay in the village for two more days and leave for Beijing the day after tomorrow. If they don't come in person in two days, tell them to wait."
"Okay, I'll pass the message to you when I get back." Xu Zhifeng accompanied Xu Yunfan fishing for an entire afternoon, and finally returned with an empty bucket.
Before leaving, Xu Yunfan called out to the man, "How about I give you one? Otherwise, wouldn't it be embarrassing to go back with an empty bucket?"
Xu Zhifeng was a little choked. "Can you give me one?" He looked into Xu Yunfan's bucket, where a few small fish, only two fingers wide and no longer than a palm, were swimming. He decisively refused. "No, the fish you caught is a bit big. It will take too much oil to fry. I don't have that much oil at home. Speaking of which, didn't you send people around to buy tea oil fruits?"
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