"It's alright. I heard you started studying hard a few days ago, unlike when you first came back and spent your days drinking and having fun with your friends?" Old Master Hu nodded in his heart, but his face remained expressionless.
"I was blinded by the fame and fortune of the scholar and forgot what I wanted. After being enlightened by Xichun, I temporarily cut off those connections and focused on studying at home."
Fu Changfeng didn't dare to hide anything. If Old Master Hu had asked so many questions, he must have already investigated thoroughly. If he dared to conceal anything, he would probably be looked down upon by Old Master Hu.
"You're fairly honest. Of course, you need to make friends, but at your current level, the people you can befriend are mostly around your level, so they won't be of much benefit. You should focus on your studies. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me as long as I'm here."
It is important to understand that one must not be lazy when it comes to reading; one must be diligent in learning, ask questions, and concentrate on studying, and avoid making mistakes.
"Thank you very much, senior. I have learned a lot and will definitely visit you more often in the future. Please don't find me too inconvenient."
"Chen girl, if you ever make anything delicious again, be sure to remember this old man. Those two brothers often come to my place, and I'm always busy." Old Master Hu didn't answer him directly, but instead looked at the dazed Xichun beside him.
“Sure, definitely. If I come up with anything new, I’ll definitely send it to you two grandfathers first.”
"Alright, you can go back now. If there are any problems, come back another day. This old man needs to rest."
After the three left the Hu family, Fu Changjin and his brother finally breathed a deep sigh of relief. Only Xichun didn't have to worry about being tested and didn't feel any pressure. The two of them were more worried and had been keeping a straight face. Only now could they relax a little.
"Xichun, thank you so much for today. I'll take you home." After saying goodbye to his brother, Fu Changfeng took Xichun to the restaurant.
“I really didn’t expect to have such an opportunity. These days, I’ve heard Zhu Nian say that some people are whispering behind my back. Don’t worry, and don’t pay attention to what others say. Anyway, I always have you in my heart.” Fu Changfeng said quietly when no one was around.
"I don't care. Everyone is born to be talked about. If you think so much, you won't even have time for yourself. Now I work as soon as I open my eyes and sleep as soon as I close them. I don't care about those gossips."
"That's good. If you need anything, just come to me. Although my status as a scholar may not be enough in front of Old Master Hu and the others, I still have some influence among ordinary people."
"I know. I've used your name to stop so many ill-intentioned colleagues and rivals. Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who's stupid enough to be bullied."
The two arrived at the restaurant. Fu Changfeng walked around inside, greeted the people he knew, and then left. This move also had a deterrent effect. The scholar's fiancée was someone those people would have to think twice before making a move on. He was not a poor scholar, but a scholar with considerable wealth.
Since meeting the two old men, Fu Changfeng and his brother have become even more enthusiastic about their studies. The old man Fu did not let them continue to manage the family business, but instead let them focus on their studies, saying that they would be fine as long as they could change their family's fortune in the future.
The Fu family in the prefectural city has now declined, and they no longer need to be subservient to those people. The two families have no contact anymore, except for the last time when Fu Changfeng passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, his uncle's family came in person.
Xi Chun also occasionally researched new dishes. In order to make the two old men comfortable, she had Zhu Nian bring the food to the Hu residence so that the two old men could enjoy delicious food without having to travel far.
This led Xichun to relaunch his barbecue business in the dead of winter. There weren't many barbecue stalls in the county, and they mostly sold meat. When people suddenly saw that Xichun's stall also had various kinds of grilled vegetables, they were initially skeptical, thinking that it might not taste good.
But after eating it, there are only two words to describe it: It's so delicious!
So barbecue has become popular, and even Guo Xuewei has started making vegetable barbecue. It has to be said that this kind of food, which can be grilled simply by putting charcoal in an iron box, is quite popular.
Since it wasn't as expensive as meat, many people were willing to buy one or two skewers, which allowed her to make a profit.
However, Xi Chun made even more money because many people in the shop would order it, so Xi Chun specially hired two villagers to be in charge of grilling and barbecuing. With the seasonings that Xi Chun provided, the taste was absolutely delicious.
"Boss, I'll have twenty skewers of meat, and some vegetables too, anything goes, just mix and match."
"Okay."
Although I was sweating profusely in the dead of winter, not everyone can understand this feeling of being tired but happy.
That year, Taoyuan Village had more income channels, and every household earned a lot of money. As long as they weren't lazy, they could have a prosperous New Year.
Now, only Grandma Chen and her youngest son's family are living together. It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. After moving to the city, Chen Shunan's family had been living off their elder brother's family, eating and drinking without having to work, and getting used to being waited on hand and foot. Therefore, they could not adapt to the poor life in the village all at once.
Old Mrs. Chen spent her days cursing her son and daughter-in-law at home, telling them to work hard. However, the two of them were lazy and would push the idea of farming onto each other. They barely managed to grow some vegetables under Old Mrs. Chen's supervision, but the village chief was too lazy to take any from them, which made their impoverished life even worse.
“Mom, all you do is scold me all day long. Is it because I don’t work hard? Don’t you see? Chen Xichun is powerful now. He doesn’t even care about us anymore. He won’t let the village chief take our vegetables. Does he think we’re poisoning the fields? Even the villagers don’t like our family. We get scorned when we go out.”
Chen Shunan heard Old Lady Chen cursing again, so he didn't tolerate her and instead blamed Xichun for the problem.
"Hmph, it's all that little brat's fault. She dared to complain. If it weren't for her, would your brother and his family have been exiled? Not only did she not try to rescue them, she happily got engaged. I'll teach her a lesson. She wants to sell vegetables? Bah! I'll see if she still dares to buy vegetables from the village. If she dares to bully us, then I'll make sure everyone has no job."
Old Mrs. Chen's small eyes were full of malice. No one knew what kind of evil plan she had come up with. She asked her son to come close and whispered her plan to him, asking him to cooperate.
"Mom, this isn't a good idea. What if the villagers find out we're doing this? We'll be in big trouble then." Chen Shunan was still a little scared, but Old Mrs. Chen said no, since no one could know what he was doing.
However, they didn't know that their secret plot in the courtyard was overheard by the neighbor's daughter, Daya.
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