Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen became so anxious that she started grabbing her hair.
“Son, what are you saying? You are our family’s hope, the apple of your parents’ eye. We love you to the bone. How could your parents not care about you?”
"It's just money, we'll figure it out. You're destined to be a high-ranking official, how can you say you want to go teach!"
"Then you must hurry up and find a way to raise the travel expenses. Our son needs to set off early. If he is delayed on the way and misses the exam, then all his trip will be for nothing."
"Don't worry, son. I've already thought of a way for you. As long as you dare to go, I guarantee you won't come back empty-handed."
"What do you want me to do?" Chen Zhancai was stunned.
Grandma Chen rubbed her hands together and said with a smile, "Go find Fengjiao's father, who is your father-in-law. His family has a lot of land and grain. As long as you ask, I don't believe he won't lend it to you."
"No, no."
Chen Zhancai refused without even thinking.
"Mom, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into? You know what kind of person my father-in-law is; his whole family are snobs."
And my brothers-in-law are even worse than animals.
They used to treat me like a mad dog, hitting me with a stick.
I'd rather die poor than have anything to do with those people again. You should just give up on that idea!
He said that because he had concerns. If he actually passed the imperial examination, things would be fine, but he would become an official that everyone would fawn over.
But if he fails the exam, he'll still be a poor scholar. Given the character of his father-in-law and his brothers-in-law, even if they don't beat him up, they'll block his door and demand payment. That would be incredibly embarrassing and shameful.
Old Mrs. Chen was at a loss for what to do and stammered, unable to speak.
Seeing that she remained silent for a while, Chen Zhancai's eyes darted around, and he curled the corners of his mouth, offering another bad idea.
"Mom, we have land, can't we just sell a few acres?"
Upon hearing that he was again eyeing the family's farmland, Old Man Chen flew into a rage.
"Nonsense! We only have a few acres of land left. If we sell it, our whole family will really have no way to survive."
"Dad, what did I say wrong? Why are you so angry? What's wrong with selling the land? It's just for an emergency!"
Chen Zhancai twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a disgruntled snort.
"You're just too old-fashioned, your brain isn't flexible at all, you're fixated on those few acres of land."
If you really haven't farmed enough land, that's easy to fix. Once your son passes the imperial examination, we'll buy you several hundred acres, and you can farm as much as you want, all at once! Isn't that enough?
"What nonsense are you talking about? How can I possibly cultivate hundreds of acres of land by myself? You're treating me like an animal. No matter what, the land is definitely not going to be sold."
"Alright, shut up. Stop craning your neck and glaring at me, who are you trying to scare!"
Old Mrs. Chen glared fiercely at Old Mr. Chen, then smiled and looked at Chen Zhancai.
“Son, your father is right. We only have about ten acres of land left. This land is the foundation for our family’s survival. We can’t sell it. Let’s think of another way!”
"If this won't work and that won't work, then what do you suggest we do?"
"Don't worry, don't worry. As the saying goes, 'There's always a way when you reach the end of the road, and things will work themselves out when you reach the end of the bridge.' There's always a way."
Although Old Mrs. Chen said that, she was in a state of confusion.
If we really can't gather the necessary funds, my son won't be able to participate in the scientific expedition.
If a son cannot participate in scientific expeditions, he cannot become an official.
If she doesn't become an official, she, as her mother, won't be able to enjoy wealth and luxury.
If you can't enjoy wealth and luxury, you can't stand up straight in front of the main house.
She couldn't hold her head up in front of her fellow villagers; it was worse than being killed.
Ever since she kicked the first wife out, her life has gotten better and better, and the villagers have made plenty of sarcastic remarks about her, both openly and secretly.
They said she was unlucky, neglecting her perfectly good granddaughter and insisting on kicking her out.
And some people even cursed her behind her back, saying she deserved it, that she was blind...
It almost drove her crazy; she was still seething with anger.
As long as the third son passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, she will find an opportunity to humiliate the first wife...
But where was she supposed to get one hundred taels of silver?
Selling land?
no!
If we really sell the land, the second son and his wife will cause a huge uproar!
The family now relies entirely on the second son's family to manage things. If they were to quit, who would do all the housework?
Therefore, land should never be sold unless absolutely necessary.
Should we borrow it?
Only that brat in Nanshan Village has money. That heartless girl never gives her a kind look, so she definitely won't be able to lend it to her.
What should we do?
Just as she was caught in a dilemma, Liu Fengjiao pushed open the door and walked in.
"Mother, what's so difficult about that? I've already thought of a way for you."
Liu Fengjiao had overheard their entire conversation in the west room, and she was truly heartbroken.
I didn't want to get involved in Chen Zhancai's affairs, but then I thought, Wang Qizhang is no human being, he's almost ruined her life. If I use the name of a male scholar, I probably won't scare him.
But if her husband really passed the imperial examination, he might be able to become an official in Anyang County, and she could leave Qingshui Town behind, just to find a way out for herself.
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen immediately perked up. "My good daughter-in-law, what's your idea? Tell me quickly!"
Chen Zhancai greeted her with a beaming smile, grabbed Liu Fengjiao's hand and sat her down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), "My dear wife, tell me quickly, what's your good idea?"
"Stop pretending to be helpful. Now you know how good I am."
Liu Fengjiao suppressed her disgust, feigning a coquettish glare at him, then looked at Old Madam Chen, smiled with pursed lips.
"Mother, don't worry. Your daughter-in-law has already thought of a solution. We don't need to sell land or borrow money from all over the place. As long as we do it without anyone noticing, we guarantee that we'll easily get a hundred taels of silver."
"Oh, that's great! Tell your mother what the solution is!"
"Yes, my wife, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly!" Chen Zhancai said anxiously, rubbing his hands together.
Liu Fengjiao cleared her throat and lowered her voice, "Don't forget, the brokerage firm in our town is a good place. As long as you have the right person, you can definitely get a good price."
"You mean human slave traders?" Old Mrs. Chen was taken aback.
Chen Zhancai understood the meaning behind Liu Fengjiao's words from her eyes, and clapped his hands excitedly, "That's right, how could I forget about this place?"
Old Chen shuddered at the thought, goosebumps rising all over his body, and he instinctively covered his crotch with both hands.
He knew that the brokerage firm in town specialized in the buying and selling of people; the women were enslaved or prostitutes, and most of the men were castrated and made eunuchs.
His voice trembled as he said, "What do you mean? Do you want me to become a eunuch? That's not right!"
......
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