Qi Mingyu, who felt much better after another acupuncture treatment by Dr. Lu, never expected Dr. Lu to say such a thing.
For him, no, for both him and Old Man Qi, this news was nothing short of a bolt from the blue!
Being unable to hold a pen or sit for long periods of time meant being ineligible to participate in the imperial examinations.
Without the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), and only a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations), he was nothing.
Moreover, if the Xue family knew this outcome, they couldn't imagine what they would do.
The engagement was called off.
And along with the annulment of the engagement came the repayment of the money!
He's used all his money to pay for his parents' medical treatment, pay off debts, and build a house; he doesn't have much left for himself...
Old Qi was also calculating, and after a while, he asked in a trembling voice:
"Second brother, how much money do you have left? How much did you take from the Xue family in total?"
Qi Mingyu dared not hide this from his father at all, and said:
"The money and the goods together amount to about five hundred taels!"
As for the silver, besides the one hundred taels used to repay the clansmen, the twenty taels that were previously given to Father and Mother were also given to you.
It was originally said that the money was for proposing marriage and buying gifts.
Later, after you and Mom were injured, the medical treatment and the construction of the house cost another hundred taels.
In addition, the Xue family also gave Zhuang Zilan fifty taels of silver as dowry money after her remarriage.
The total here is 270 taels.
When it was decided to arrange a marriage between the Xue family and me, the Xue family gave me an inkstone.
Brother Wenming said that the inkstone was made by a famous craftsman and cost about a hundred taels of silver.
In addition, they also provided me with two sets of winter clothes, a 30-year-old ginseng, and fifty taels of miscellaneous expenses.
I can return the inkstone, but I gave the ginseng to Brother Wenming as a favor.
Then there are the winter clothes; I've already worn them all, so it's not appropriate to return them.
Old Qi didn't care about clothes or ginseng.
He only counted the silver, and when he heard that there were 320 taels of silver alone, he almost fainted on the spot.
Nowadays, not to mention how much the price of land has dropped per mu, even the best farmland in good years would not cost more than ten taels per mu.
His land couldn't even be sold for a hundred taels of silver.
Even if we stop building the house now, and considering the little bit the second son might still have left, it might still not be enough for half.
What about the rest?
No, this marriage cannot be called off under any circumstances.
Even if it's a lie, we have to lure the Xue family's daughter into our home and consummate the marriage first.
With this in mind, Old Man Qi gradually came up with an idea.
Before he could even speak, Qi Mingyu said:
"Father, I have studied poetry and books for so many years, and I am really unwilling to be unable to participate in the imperial examinations."
Dr. Xue said that my hand cannot hold a pen for a long time, but he didn't say that he couldn't write a single word.
I plan to participate in the autumn imperial examination anyway.
When my hand gets sore, I'll put down the pen and wait until it recovers before writing again.
Then, I couldn't sit for long periods of time. I did what I always did: I would sit and write first, and then lie down to rest when my lower back and abdomen started to hurt.
Even if the autumn imperial examinations are difficult to endure, it's only a few days; you'll get through it.
In any case, I have to pass the imperial examination first.
As long as I have the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), even if I don't continue to advance, I can still become a teacher at the prefectural school.
At the very least, one can open a private school at home and discipline oneself through religious practice.
In addition, one could spend some money to find a job in the government office.
Besides, I've already passed the imperial examination; why would the Xue family make things difficult for me?
Upon hearing this, Old Man Qi thought that although it would be a bit hard and tiring, it was still a good idea.
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