There is a saying that goes "In the morning, you are a farmer, and in the evening, you enter the emperor's palace" to describe the children who passed the imperial examination. Today, Mi Niang saw it from her father. Her father was just a scholar, but he was already so popular.
Grandfather Ruan had a rosy face, and grandmother Yu was smiling, which was a rare sight. In the past, the two of them were very indifferent to Second Grandma Ding and their granddaughter, and they looked at them as if they were stray dogs. Now, Yu kept calling her a good granddaughter, which gave Mi Niang goosebumps.
Even her aunt Ruan Ping'er called her mother "sister-in-law" in a very affectionate manner.
Mi Niang also felt deeply moved after reading this. The saying that everyone in the world is busy seeking profit is indeed true.
Mrs. Ding stroked her belly. She was in high spirits now because of all the good things happening to her. Her husband was promising, her daughter was obedient, and she had a healthy baby in her belly. Everything was moving in the right direction.
"Jiading daughter-in-law, you really made it through. I'm so happy for you."
One woman said sincerely.
Mi Niang looked at her. She was very fat, wearing a half-worn green jacket. She had sparse eyebrows and thick lips, and looked very honest.
This person is also an aunt named Liao from the side branch of the Ruan family. The relationship is very close. The eldest of this branch is the half-brother of Mi Niang's great-grandfather. Mi Niang's great-grandfather used to be a county magistrate and was well-known for his integrity. He used to have a lot of influence in the clan. At that time, the two families were as close as one family. Later, Grandpa Ruan was a very bad person, so the relatives became distant.
Only this Liao had always been in contact with Mrs. Ding.
But Mi Niang knew that her family was also having a hard time. If Mi Niang's family was ruined by Old Master Ruan's gambling, then Liao's family was in trouble simply because they had too many children. The older generation had four or five sons, and this generation also had three sons. But Liao herself was also able to give birth to five sons.
Having many children is good, but if you have too many, the family can only rely on the crops. The whole family is crowded in a small yard, and if too many people come, there will be no room to move in.
Financial difficulties are not terrible; the most terrible thing is having no hope.
I heard that Liao's husband, whom Mi Niang had to call her third uncle, was very mediocre. He managed a few acres of land but still made a mess of it. Their days were doomed.
This is unlike her father, Ruan Jiading, who did not have a happy life later on, but he had a grandfather who was an official when he was young, he had famous teachers to teach him, and he himself had talent. Although Second Grandma Ding had a hard life, she was very hopeful.
Mi Niang felt a bit sympathetic towards her. As the saying goes, men are afraid of choosing the wrong career and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man. If a man you marry is unsuccessful, it will be a lifelong problem. Of course, if your son is successful, then the mother can also rely on him for his status. Unfortunately, it is too difficult for ordinary people to change their family status.
Today, the family invited many people to the banquet. Although their family is not rich, their income has increased dramatically. First, the clan gave 20 taels, the Jiangling County Magistrate gave 20 taels, the provincial school gave 4 taels, and Ruan Jiading's academy also gave 10 taels, not to mention the 20 mu of land, bamboo forest, fruit forest, etc. given by the clan.
These are just what you can get if you win the first place in the case. If you succeed in the imperial examination in the future, it will be even more extraordinary.
No wonder everyone wants to study.
While Mi Niang was lost in thought, Second Mistress Ding had already found a topic to give Liao something: "Third sister-in-law, I have had morning sickness these past few days and cannot stand the smell of fish. But my parents sent me a few baskets of fish today. Third sister-in-law, take one back."
"This...how can I feel so embarrassed?" Liao was obviously tempted.
Grandma Shang Si knew about Liao's situation and smiled inconspicuously: "What's there to be embarrassed about? I'll take a few back too. We are here to eat at a rich man's house today."
When Liao heard that Fourth Madam Shang had also taken some, she felt relieved and smiled gratefully at Second Madam Ding.
Everyone started talking about other things. Second Madam Ding also heard some experiences of raising a baby. Some people even praised Mi Niang, saying that she had become more obedient and sensible.
At this time, the fourth grandma also asked: "I heard that you want to send Mi Niang to a girls' school? Have you found one?"
Girls' school? Liao looked at Mi Niang with envy. A little girl was going to school, but none of her five children had the money to go to a private school.
Mrs. Ding Er glanced at Mi Niang, with a look of joy on her face: "I've found it, it's right over there on Chongwen Street, and the teacher who teaches girls is from Hangzhou Prefecture."
"That's great. This girl has been smart since she was young. If she goes to a girls' school for a few years and comes out, she will be no worse than those rich girls." Grandma Shang said with a smile.
Liao was so astonished when she heard this that even after she opened the door, she was still wondering how much money this girl had spent on studying. It seemed that Second Master Ding had indeed made great achievements.
In the past, Second Madam Ding was pale and thin, and she would save the delicious food for her fat girl. The fat girl was famous in the area for her strength and bad temper. If her parents didn't buy her food, she would hit her father in the face. She also asked her mother to hold her all day long and was not sensible at all.
But a girl like this, just because she has a promising father, can go to a girls' school.
There were no servants in the house, and they couldn't afford to hire one, but today the whole family was going to a banquet, so there was no need to make any arrangements. She used a bucket to put a basket of fish in a water tank in the kitchen.
I have never heard of Lu's family coming to visit before, but now that her husband has won the case, her family is sending gifts to her.
She had heard that Lu's family was not actually poor. On the contrary, they were quite well-off among the peasant families. However, Lu's parents died early, and she lived under the care of others, suffering a lot.
This is normal. It's good enough that they can give you something to eat.
As she was thinking, someone knocked on the door. Liao opened the door and saw that it was her aunt.
This aunt wore a vest made of light gauze and had a golden hairpin in her hair, and she looked quite wealthy. Like Liao's mother, she did not have a good life, but this aunt married into a very good family after her early inheritance. She had never suffered any major losses in her life and was more than ten years younger than her mother.
"Aunt, are you here for something?" Liao asked.
My aunt smiled and said, "I came to the countryside to collect rent. I happened to hear that someone in your area had won the first prize and there was a lot of excitement. I remembered that you lived nearby, so I came to take a look."
Liao poured a cup of tea and handed it to her aunt. Her aunt did not reject it. She took it and took a sip without frowning.
The two of them started chatting about family matters. At first, Liao just complained a few words, but then she started crying out of grievance.
There are five men in her family, young and old, with so many mouths to feed and her husband not doing her job well, she doesn't know how she gets by.
"Hey, my shop is still short of employees. If you don't mind, I will let your eldest child come to my place when he grows up." The aunt looked reluctant.
Liao stammered, "Aunt, I...I want Fei'er to be able to study. He likes studying very much."
Only by studying can you change your fate. Just look at Ruan Jiading today to see the answer.
Moreover, the last time her son passed by a private school, he was so shocked that he could not walk. It made Liao sad to think about it.
My aunt's expression changed: "Studying is very expensive. I can't do anything about it."
"Yes, I know that too, but it's just wishful thinking." Liao smiled bitterly.
The aunt whispered, "Is there a wealthy family in your clan who doesn't have a son? If there is one, you can just inherit the family."
After that, the aunt pointed at herself and said, "Look at me. If I were like your mother, I would have lived a life of poverty. Although I am far away from my biological parents, I have made a good living, and my family can enjoy the happiness with me."
What my aunt said was true. The money, food and cloth that she asked people to bring back every year made my grandparents very happy. It was obviously my mother who took care of my grandfather and them day and night, but she never got a good word out of her.
But Liao felt heartbroken when she thought about her son being adopted. She suppressed her sadness and said, "There are two families in the clan without sons. One is the second son of our clan leader, but he is not very related to us and is already five generations away. The other one——"
She pondered for a moment, "It is the scholar in our clan today who took the first place in our Jingzhou Prefecture."
"I remember that family and you have the same great-grandfather."
"That's right."
"That……"
"The woman in his family just got pregnant."
The aunt lamented for a long time: "It would have been better if her child had come later. The chances of passing the provincial examination would have been even greater. If it were just a little bit, your Fei brother would have been born into an official family."
Liao was stunned, not knowing what she was thinking. She didn't even notice that her aunt had left.
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