Chen Zhancai nodded repeatedly at Old Mrs. Chen's words, "Mother, you are absolutely right. The things they did in the past were too outrageous. Even if I were given five hundred taels of silver, I would not forgive them."
"That's right, those heartless bastards, no amount of money can appease my anger."
Old Mrs. Chen was hypocritical. If Chen Qingqing could forgive her and let her live in a large house with three courtyards and eat white flour buns every day, she would be willing to kneel down and kowtow to Chen Qingqing several times. But a sunken boat can be mended, and spilled water cannot be recovered. She regretted her actions.
"Alright, Mother, don't get upset on such a joyous occasion. Go and greet them quickly." Seeing her lost in thought, Chen Zhancai hurriedly reminded her.
"Alright, alright." Old Mrs. Chen calmed herself down and forced a smile as she went to greet them. "Oh my, Zhanshan, Xiumei, you're here. Please come in and have a seat."
Chen Zhanshan and Lin Shi nodded coldly and distantly to Old Madam Chen, as if to say hello.
Seeing their indifferent attitude, Old Mrs. Chen snorted inwardly and, not wanting to make a fool of herself, glanced at Chen Qingqing behind her.
Knowing that Chen Qingqing managed the money in the eldest son's family, she bypassed Chen Zhanshan and spoke directly to Chen Qingqing.
"Qing'er is here. Hurry up and go write up the accounts. The banquet will start soon."
Chen Qingqing glanced at her sideways, ignored her, and went straight to Wu Baoan. She placed the box in her hand on the table and said, "Uncle Village Head, please write down my father's name for me."
Wu Baoan's eyes were full of praise. This girl was sensible. Although Chen Zhanshan's family was successful today thanks to her, she knew how to protect her parents' face.
He smiled and said, "Alright, how much do you plan to give as a gift?"
As soon as Wu Baoan finished speaking, Old Mrs. Chen's eyes widened.
She wanted to see how much money Chen Qingqing would give; if she gave a hundred or eighty taels of silver, she'd be rich.
Even without these, it would still cost three to five taels of silver. No matter how you look at it, this banquet is a worthwhile investment.
Chen Qingqing shook her head and smiled, "Since it's a celebration of passing the imperial examination, wouldn't giving money as a gift seem too vulgar?"
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen was first taken aback, then overjoyed. Such a big box, if it didn't contain money, it must contain some other treasure, maybe even a big gold nugget.
Just then, Chen Qingqing opened the box, took out several smaller boxes from it, and opened them one by one.
Wu Baoan nodded in approval, "This is a good gift; it has a meaningful message."
The smile on Old Mrs. Chen's face froze instantly. She was extremely disappointed and couldn't help but blurt out, "How much money can this piece of junk be worth!"
Chen Zhancai was also full of anticipation, but when he saw the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table, he couldn't help but feel deflated. He had thought that Chen Qingqing would give him a dowry of several dozen taels of silver, and with that money, he could move back to town and continue his extravagant lifestyle.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be the Four Treasures of the Study. What is the use of these things?
He glared at Chen Qingqing with a dark expression.
Chen Qingqing had anticipated their reaction.
She made a special trip to town to buy a set of the Four Treasures of the Study. This set of the Four Treasures of the Study may look ordinary, but it is the best brush, ink, paper and inkstone in the Great Ning Dynasty. It comes from the Imperial Brush Pavilion and is used by high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. It is a symbol of status.
This set cost her a full one hundred taels of silver.
If Chen Zhancai knows its value, giving it to him wouldn't be a waste.
If he is short-sighted, then he is blind.
Seeing Chen Zhancai's gritted teeth, Chen Qingqing smiled and spoke slowly.
"These writing implements may not be valuable in monetary terms, but they symbolize perseverance in writing and academic success. How can money possibly measure their worth?"
Wu Baoan also glanced at Old Lady Chen, feeling dissatisfied. "Auntie, what were you saying on such a joyous occasion? What do you mean by 'how much money'? I think Qing'er's gift is excellent. Some things can't be measured by how much money they cost."
"No matter how good it is, it can't fill your stomach," Old Mrs. Chen said sarcastically.
Chen Zhancai also curled his lip, "My family has plenty of writing materials, we don't need this kind of thing. If Qing'er isn't genuinely giving this as a gift, she should take it back to Chen Han!"
Chen Qingqing said with amusement, "Since the scholar didn't like the gift I gave him, I'll change it."
As she spoke, she took out two strings of copper coins that she had prepared in advance from her pocket and handed them to Wu Baoan.
Wu Baoan announced loudly, "Chen Zhanshan's congratulatory gift is two strings of copper coins."
Two strings of copper coins are equivalent to two taels of silver, which is much better than the Four Treasures of the Study.
Grandma Chen immediately beamed with joy, "Alright, alright, please come in. The feast will begin soon, please eat your fill."
Chen Qingqing retrieved the writing set from the gift table and casually handed it to Chen Han, saying, "Xiao Han, since the scholar doesn't like the writing set, this limited edition set from the Imperial Brush Pavilion is yours."
"Sister, thank you." Chen Han smiled happily. "Scholar, I am so grateful for your kindness in letting me get such a great deal. I thank you again."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhancai's face turned pale and then red, looking extremely unpleasant.
He secretly blamed himself for being blind, for looking at the sky with his bare bottom exposed, and for being utterly ignorant.
Those are the limited edition Four Treasures of the Study from the Imperial Writing Pavilion, a set that every scholar dreams of owning.
The most basic set of writing implements in the Imperial Brush Pavilion costs fifty or sixty taels of silver. This limited edition set is conservatively estimated to be worth at least eighty taels of silver. Even if you try to sell it secondhand, you'll be scrambling to buy it for sixty taels of silver...
He was filled with regret at that moment, his eyes fixed on the box in Chen Han's hand, wishing he could snatch it back immediately.
Seeing her son's pale face, Old Mrs. Chen was puzzled and quickly asked, "Zhancai, what's wrong?"
Chen Zhancai lowered his voice, "Mother, that set of writing implements is very valuable, worth at least seventy or eighty taels of silver. I really didn't recognize its value!"
"Oh dear, that piece of junk is worth so much!" Old Mrs. Chen grimaced upon hearing this, stamping her feet in regret and muttering, "What kind of mess is this!"
Just as the situation was getting a little awkward, someone outside the courtyard shouted, "My dear son-in-law, my good son-in-law, your father-in-law has come to see you!"
This shout drew everyone's attention, and they began to whisper among themselves.
"Hey~~ what are these people doing?"
"Didn't you hear what that old man was shouting? That old man in front is Chen Zhancai's father-in-law, Liu Dashan."
"Oh really? This is the first time I've seen this. I've heard that this old man isn't a very kind person?"
“That’s right. I have a relative from that village. I heard that the old man is a scoundrel. He’s just like the old couple from the Chen family. He’s full of bad ideas and looks down on people.”
"It's like dragons finding dragons, shrimps finding shrimps, turtles finding tortoises, and villains getting together."
......
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