Chapter 993: Imperial Examination Essay: The Evil Mother-in-law (16)
"Is there really no money at home? Haven't you been doing embroidery all the time?" Han Ji asked Zhang Luoyi in a low voice.
Zhang Luoyi had a bitter face, and shook her head numbly and tiredly: "Really, I have nothing left. It was my mother's birthday last month, and I couldn't go back empty-handed to celebrate for her, right? So I spent some money on buying gifts. Then I fell ill and needed money to treat the illness, so I didn't have the energy to continue embroidery... The family also had to buy rice, flour, oil, and salt..."
"What should I do? I still haven't figured out where to get my tuition for next year." Han Ji frowned and said unhappily.
Zhang Luoyi lowered her head and did not answer. If it were in the past, she could say to her husband gently and considerately: It’s okay, I still have some dowry money.
But she couldn't say that now, because after Han Ji went to study at Qingyang Academy in the county, her dowry had been spent all. She finally realized the difficulty of spending every penny carefully, and finally understood why her mother scolded her and said that it was a fool to spend money on men, but it was too late.
Han Ji has been studying at Qingyang Academy for more than a year, and there is still a year and a half before the imperial examination. Zhang Luoyi doubts whether she can continue to do embroidery to support her husband's studies.
"Husband, I really have no other choice." Zhang Luoyi answered in a low voice. How much she admired her husband in the past, how disappointed she was in him now. If he was really so smart and talented, why couldn't he even earn the tuition for his own admission to school, and had to rely on a weak woman like her to work hard to earn money to support him?
Feelings will be worn away by the hardships and difficulties day after day. Poor couples have many sorrows. When you live just to make money every day, you will no longer be able to enjoy the happiness that love brings you.
"Then, can you go and borrow some money from your parents-in-law?" Han Ji finally said this with shame. He had no choice but to do so. He didn't want to borrow money from his parents-in-law. After all, this would make him unable to raise his head in front of them. But if he didn't borrow money from Yue's family, he would have to interrupt his studies. But now there is only more than a year left before the next imperial examination, which is already very tight. If he cannot continue his studies due to lack of money at this time, it is very likely that this imperial examination will be ruined. He doesn't want to take such a big risk.
When Zhang Luoyi heard what he said, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Han Ji, unable to hide the astonishment in his eyes.
Han Ji turned his head away, not daring to meet her eyes, but he put his arm around Zhang Luoyi's waist, softened his tone, and said, "My wife, I know this will make things difficult for you, but if I can't continue studying in the academy, I will definitely lag far behind others in the next imperial examination. If you fail, you will have to start over again. Do you still want to continue living the hard life you have lived for more than a year? I am doing this for our own good. I will wait until I pass the imperial examination. By then, I will repay my parents-in-law a hundredfold..."
Zhang Luoyi felt very familiar when he heard his words. Pay back a hundredfold? Wasn't this what he said to comfort her after she took out the dowry money?
Zhang Luoyi was no longer the innocent girl she was when she got married. Her eyes suddenly turned red. She said to Han Ji, "I bought a cheaper gift for my mother's birthday last time. My sister-in-law secretly said that I was indeed a poor relative from the countryside who came to ask for money... Now you want me to borrow money from my parents? If my sister-in-law knew, I don't know how ugly she would be!"
Han Ji tightened his grip and hugged her tightly: "My dear, I know you feel wronged, but this is all for our future. When I pass the imperial examination and become an official, your sister-in-law will kneel down to please you and curry favor with you. Let's just be patient for now, okay?"
Zhang Luoyi cried silently. After crying for a while, she suddenly asked, "Husband, why don't you borrow money directly from my father? Why do you want me to borrow it?"
Han Ji's expression suddenly changed. He didn't know what he was thinking about. He twisted his face for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal and said gently: "Because you are their biological daughter, they love you very much. It is relatively easy for you to borrow it, but if I go to borrow it, it will turn into a very embarrassing situation. After all, the situation is complicated..."
When Zhang Luoyi heard his explanation, she did not think it was correct. She just sadly realized that her husband was leaving the problem to her to solve.
But she had no way to refuse, so even though she was reluctant in her heart, she finally went back to her parents' home to borrow money.
"What? You said you wanted to borrow money to support Han Ji's studies?" Zhang's mother couldn't believe her ears when she heard her daughter's words. "Why do you need to borrow money? Han Ji has studied for so many years, doesn't he have any good classmates? Can't he borrow money from his classmates?"
Zhang Luoyi whispered to Han Ji to defend himself: "If my husband borrows money from his classmates, how can he face them?"
"He wants you to come back and borrow money from your parents' home. Have you ever thought about how you will face your parents, brothers and sisters-in-law?" Zhang's mother asked sharply.
Zhang Luoyi fell silent again. Seeing her like this, Zhang's mother suddenly asked, "Did Han Ji force you to come back to borrow money?"
"No! No! He didn't force me, he just advised me!" Zhang Luoyi retorted quickly. Although she was disappointed with her husband, she didn't want her mother to look down on him.
"You are still stubborn!" Zhang's mother sneered, "Before you married him, how could he have the money to go to college? After you married him, he passed the exam and became a scholar, but he has no money to pay the tuition?"
Zhang Luoyi explained hesitantly: "That's because grandma used to work day and night to earn money for his studies, but later she was overworked, her health deteriorated, her eyesight was damaged, and she couldn't continue to work. Besides, the cost of studying in the town is different from that of studying in the county. The cost of studying in the county is much higher..."
"Hmph! In the final analysis, Han Ji is incompetent and has to rely on the women at home to work hard so that he can go to school. He's really useless!" Zhang's mother saw through Han Ji's true nature.
"Mom, don't say that. My husband's ability is not in making money, but in studying. He is really talented. He will definitely pass the imperial examination and then continue to pass the imperial examination. By then, you will be the mother-in-law of a high-ranking official. How great it would be." Zhang Luoyi cheered up and spoke for her husband. Now that she was married to Han Ji, she would prosper if he rose or fall if he fell. What else could she do?
"You don't have to say good things for him." Zhang's mother sighed, "I don't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing to agree to let you marry him."
Zhang Luoyi tried her best to persuade her parents and finally succeeded in borrowing money. However, the Zhang family's impression of their son-in-law Han Ji became worse and worse.
Originally, Wu Shichu didn't know that Zhang Luoyi went back to her parents' home to borrow money, but when the couple was talking in the room, they didn't know why they started arguing. Zhang Luoyi cried and said, "I will never go back to borrow money next time." She also asked Han Ji to work harder and think of ways to earn some money to supplement the family income, and not rely on her, a woman, for everything...
(End of this chapter)
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