At this moment, Old Mrs. Chen was also standing in the crowd.
Everyone in her family agreed to grow sugar beets, except for her, who was strongly opposed.
She believed that agreeing to grow sugar beets was tantamount to working for Chen Qingqing, which was a very shameful thing.
Why should they toil in the fields while that brat gets to reap the benefits and make a fortune?
Old Mrs. Chen hated Chen Qingqing to the core and placed all her hopes on her third son. As long as her son could pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, she would be able to vent her anger.
When that time comes, those who mocked her will surely regret it.
Seeing that everyone in the village agreed to plant sugar beets, Old Mrs. Chen felt a pang of jealousy; she curled her lip in disdain.
"You all need to think this through carefully, since we've never grown that stuff before."
They say the yield is high and they'll buy it back for three cents a pound, but what if we end up with no harvest?
Or, if there's a bumper harvest, but they don't want it for three coins a pound, and instead offer three pounds for one coin, will you sell it or not?
Therefore, we need to be more careful and not let others lead us by the nose.
Da Longzi asked, puzzled, "Auntie, what do you mean by that?"
"You still don't understand what I mean? We're not going to plant any of them. Let them plant them themselves. If they actually manage to grow them, we can plant them next year."
Old Mrs. Chen's words provoked dissatisfaction among the crowd.
"Auntie, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're thinking too badly of people. Qing'er isn't the kind of fickle and unreliable person."
“That’s right, Qingya is kind and righteous. She’s doing this so that the whole village can get rich. How can you describe her as so petty?”
"That's right. Qing'er is a big name in our entire Qingshui Town now. Everyone knows that her brown sugar is in high demand. Would she ruin her reputation for such a small amount of money?"
"Who says otherwise? I believe Qingya a hundred percent."
Grandma Chen rolled her eyes at the scolding and retorted irritably, "You can plant it if you want, I'm not planting it."
Hearing her say that, the sixth son's wife couldn't help but laugh and tease, "Auntie, we peasants can't compare to you. Your son Zhancai should have passed the provincial examination by now. If he passes the county examination this year and then becomes a provincial graduate, your family will be able to eat the government's grain and won't have to suffer so much to grow sweet potatoes."
Other villagers echoed this sentiment.
"Yes, Auntie, we roughnecks can't compare to your family. The provincial examination should have been over by now. Has your Zhancai sent a letter yet? Did he pass the county-level examination? Did he fail again? It's okay if he didn't pass, he can try again next year."
"If your son Zhancai ever passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, you must invite us to your celebration."
"Yes, yes, as long as your Zhancai passes the imperial examination, even if I don't have any money, I'll squeeze some out of my own pocket to contribute to your family's contribution."
As soon as Da Longzi finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter...
Old Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes in anger at these words. They were really asking for it; they even dared to make sarcastic jokes about her third son.
You bunch of short-sighted, penniless fools, just you wait. When the third brother really makes something of himself, you'll be begging for his attention.
Her idea was good, but she wasn't sure about it right now.
The provincial examination should have ended long ago, but why is there still no news about Zhan Cai? Could it be that he failed to pass the county-level examination again this year?
Impossible. All the money that needed to be spent has been spent, and all the necessary favors have been taken care of.
But you can't be too afraid of the unexpected. If Zhancai really doesn't pass the exam, she, as his mother, will be too ashamed to show her face in public.
Thinking of this, she felt extremely depressed, lowered her head, and dared not say a word.
Just then, a donkey cart came from a distance toward the village.
"Look, who's back?"
"Oh~~ Isn't that Zhan Cai?"
"That's right, it's him, Auntie, Zhancai from your family is back."
The donkey cart slowly came to a stop. Old Mrs. Chen hurried over and asked in a trembling voice, "Zhancai, you're back! How did it go? Did you pass?"
Before Chen Zhancai could reply, Liu Fengjiao excitedly exclaimed, "Mother, he passed! Zhancai passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai!"
The unexpected good news shocked Old Mrs. Chen to no end. She stood there stunned for a long time before she came to her senses. She excitedly grabbed Chen Zhancai's hand and exclaimed, "Zhancai, it's true! You really passed the imperial examination and became a scholar?"
"Mother, what are you doing? It's just a scholar, what's the big deal?" Chen Zhancai said, but inwardly he was overjoyed and couldn't wait for everyone to know that he had passed the imperial examination.
Grandma Chen was so excited she almost jumped up, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "My son passed the imperial examination! He became a top scholar! Our ancestral graves are finally emitting auspicious smoke!"
The surrounding villagers were startled and quickly gathered around.
The people who had just made sarcastic remarks stared in disbelief, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Damn it, I never expected this!
Even a blockhead like him passed the imperial examination; it's true that even a donkey's dung ball can have a fever.
After a moment of stunned silence, they couldn't help but shower him with compliments.
"I knew it! Zhancai was born to study. Look at him, he's actually passed the imperial examination and become a top scholar!"
"Zhancai is truly remarkable; you've brought honor to our Nanshan Village."
"Yes, Auntie, your family is doing really well now. Zhancai has passed the county-level exam and will soon be able to pass the provincial-level exam. If he becomes a high-ranking official, you'll be able to enjoy a life of leisure!"
"This is such a joyous occasion, Auntie! Remember to invite us to your wedding feast!"
"Yes, we still have to give a gift!"
Listening to everyone's flattery and sycophancy, Old Mrs. Chen felt quite elated and incredibly pleased. She waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry, I guarantee there will be lanterns and decorations, and a big banquet. You can all come to my house for the wedding feast. We don't care about formalities; the main thing is to have fun."
Chen Zhancai was also flattered and became somewhat confused, deliberately putting on a show by clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"Thank you all for coming. I must inform my father of the good news and must leave now. Please forgive me."
Everyone was taken aback by his flowery language, and it took them a while to recover.
“Oh my, listen to how learned you are. You don’t call your father ‘father,’ you have to call him ‘my father.’”
"If it were us, that would be fine. I need to go home and tell my dad I passed the imperial examination. I'm heading home now, so I won't waste time chatting with you guys."
"That's right, that's why people say he's a scholar."
"Alright, you guys get out of the way and let Zhancai through. He's in a hurry to go home and tell his father—no, no, tell his father the good news!"
"Yes, yes, Zhan Cai, slow down."
Chen Zhancai nodded slightly, then put his hands behind his back and slowly walked home with a pigeon-toed gait.
Grandma Chen was so happy she almost stammered, and she walked so fast her heels barely touched the ground as she strutted after him...
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