Old Mrs. Chen nodded repeatedly as she listened, “Zhancai, you’re right. It’s all that brat’s fault for ruining our plans. If it weren’t for her causing trouble, your second brother and sister-in-law, with their silly personalities, would never have argued with us about separating the family.”
"If you had listened to me and hadn't sold Erbao, none of this would have happened to our family!" Old Man Chen couldn't help but sigh.
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen became furious and kicked him.
"You can't stand not getting scolded, can you? If you can talk, then say something; if you can't, then shut up and listen. All you do is offer hindsight advice all day long. If you had been more decisive and hadn't wasted your time, you wouldn't have been caught."
Old Chen received a solid kick to the buttocks, which made him wince in pain.
"Old woman, what are you doing? I was just saying it casually, why are you kicking me?"
"You fucking deserve a kick. You can't do anything right, but you're good at talking nonsense."
"I...I...I won't say anything, okay?!"
Old Chen felt aggrieved. This damned old woman was becoming more and more outrageous. It wasn't enough to just curse her a couple of times; now she had even started hitting him.
She's been spoiled rotten. Don't think that honest people are easy to bully. If you really push her too far, you'll have to teach her a lesson when you get the chance.
Seeing the two start arguing again, Chen Zhancai rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Alright, you two, stop talking nonsense and use that time to figure out where to get me some travel money!"
When Grandma Chen heard this, she was worried. Her son's future could not be delayed, but the family was so poor that they had no money to send him to take the exam. What could they do?
I racked my brains, thinking until my head ached, but I still couldn't come up with a solution.
Seeing that she remained silent for a while, Chen Zhancai became somewhat impatient.
"Mother, time is of the essence. You must find a way to get the money quickly. I need to set off two months in advance. If I am delayed in taking the imperial examination, my career and your wealth and honor will all be in vain."
"Good son, I understand all of this, but I really can't think of any good solutions right now."
"Oh my goodness, how could someone as smart as you be stumped by such a small thing!"
"Son, what do you mean by that?" Old Mrs. Chen frowned, her face full of confusion.
Chen Zhancai chuckled softly, "Mother, think carefully, what valuable things do we still have?"
"What valuable things could we possibly have? Besides broken pots and pans, there's just..." Old Mrs. Chen suddenly remembered, her eyes widening. "Son, you mean our six acres of land?"
Chen Zhancai smiled and nodded, "Mother is indeed a smart woman; she understands things immediately."
“This won’t do. We only have these six acres of land left. If we sell them, we’ll have nothing left. What will we eat then?”
"Yes, Zhancai, those lands are the ancestral property that our ancestors worked hard day and night to preserve. We must not sell them again!" Old Man Chen couldn't help but object.
Chen Zhancai gave a disgruntled snort, his empty promises becoming increasingly fluent, flowing effortlessly from his lips.
“You are really short-sighted and lack foresight. You only see the tiny benefits right in front of you. It’s just a few acres of land. What’s so hard for you to give it up?”
"Selling the land for money is so I can live a life of glory and honor, not so I can indulge in eating, drinking, and merrymaking. As long as my son passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, wealth will flow in like a tidal wave. At that time, let alone a mere six acres of land, my son will grant you hundreds of acres of fertile land. Is that alright?"
Old Man Chen frowned upon hearing Chen Zhancai's rambling words.
"You make it sound so easy. As the saying goes, you won't go poor from eating or dressing, but you will if you don't plan ahead. If you pass the imperial examination, that's fine, but what if you fail? If you have no land and no food, our family will starve!"
"Oh my dear father, no wonder my mother always scolds you. You're a good person in every way, except you're too tight-lipped. There are always so many 'what ifs' in life, can't you say something auspicious?"
"Of course! With your foul mouth, you've eaten shit. What nonsense are you spouting?"
Old Mrs. Chen also craned her neck and glared at Old Mr. Chen.
"Let me tell you, if our son fails the exam, I'll tear your stinking mouth apart!"
"I just don't agree to sell the land, why are you all staring at me like that?"
Old Chen subconsciously moved his buttocks to the back edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), afraid of getting kicked again.
Old Mrs. Chen gave him an annoyed look. "You don't agree to sell the land? Fine, then you'd better find a way to get money for your son to take the imperial examination."
"Where am I supposed to get that? You're making things difficult for me!"
"See, you get all flustered when it comes to serious matters!" Old Mrs. Chen sneered disdainfully. "If it weren't for me, someone like you would starve to death."
Old Chen was so angry at these words that his ribs ached, and he really wanted to slap her across the face.
He gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, thinking, "That self-important, spendthrift old woman! If it weren't for her domineering ways, our family wouldn't be in this state of poverty."
I really regret not disciplining her properly back then; she's become increasingly arrogant and overbearing.
It made me so afraid of her that I'd turn into a mouse before a cat; even a fart from her would scare me half to death.
If I were twenty years younger, I definitely wouldn't stay with him...
The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He simply turned his head away, his back to Old Mrs. Chen, and said, "I've never been in charge of this family. Do whatever you want!"
"Look at you, you pathetic sight!"
Old Mrs. Chen cursed and ignored him, then turned to Chen Zhancai to discuss the matter.
“Son, as the saying goes, ‘Leave three steps in front for a good walk, and three steps behind for a good journey.’ How about this: our family has six acres of land, right? Let’s sell half of it. That way, we’ll have money for your academic research, and we can still have some land to make a living. What do you think?”
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
