Seeing his determined expression, Old Mrs. Chen glared at him and said, "You can't remember important things, you just like those messy things. Go away."
After saying that, he ignored Old Man Chen and put on a smiling face towards Chen Zhancai.
“Son, God has given you a hint. You have to work harder this time. Our family is counting on you to achieve your goal.”
"Mother, don't worry, your son has made all the preparations. Just wait and enjoy your retirement with your son!"
"Alright, alright, I believe you. Today I'll take out all the eggs I've been saving at the bottom of the chest to give you a good boost."
"No need, Mother. You can keep the eggs!"
Chen Zhancai quickly waved his hand, inwardly smiling bitterly. All he did all day was boil eggs and fry eggs; if he kept eating like this, he'd turn into a bastard.
Luckily, I bought 100 jin of refined rice, otherwise I would have to eat coarse grains every day.
There's not much fine rice left in the house. If he doesn't leave soon, he'll have to use his last bit of silver to buy more food, which will further reduce his travel expenses.
He wished time would pass quickly so he could set off for Ningjing as soon as possible to participate in the imperial examination.
At least we can eat and drink something good.
While you're at it, take a stroll through the breathtaking scenery of Ningjing.
As the saying goes, "It's better to be early than late," so it's always better to set off early. With that thought, he changed the subject...
"Mother, I called you back to discuss something with you. I'm thinking of setting off for Ningjing in the next few days."
Grandma Chen frowned. "Son, isn't it a bit early?"
"It's getting late, Mother. The journey to the imperial examination is long and arduous. If there's any delay, it will be too late to regret it!"
“You’re right. Then you should get ready, and we’ll choose an auspicious day for you to set off.”
"What else is there to prepare? Just bring enough money. I'll leave tomorrow." Chen Zhancai didn't want to stay at home for even a day longer and couldn't wait to set off.
Old Mrs. Chen shook her head, saying, "No, no, you're going to take the imperial examination, not to go to the market. How can you travel so hastily? Tomorrow is the fifteenth of the month. You should at least go to the City God Temple to offer incense so that the gods can bless you to pass the exam."
"Alright, I'll go offer incense tomorrow to choose an auspicious day before setting off," Chen Zhancai nodded in agreement.
Ru Hua looked very unhappy and said, "Husband, what will I do if you leave?"
"Ruhua, I'm going to take the imperial examinations, not to never come back. You and Fengjiao should stay home and take good care of your parents. When we meet again, you'll be the wives of officials!"
As soon as Chen Zhancai finished speaking, Liu Fengjiao walked in from outside. "Husband, could you please not rush off?"
"Fengjiao, is something wrong?" Chen Zhancai looked up at Liu Fengjiao, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he quickly understood the meaning behind her words.
These days, my daughter-in-law has repeatedly asked me to take her to the Fan family residence to visit her daughter, Chen Ruolan.
But Fan Tong had already said last time that his daughter had died suddenly from an illness, and he dared not tell the truth for fear that his wife would be anxious and upset.
Liu Fengjiao nodded. "Husband, I miss our Ruolan. I wonder how she is doing. Could you take me to see her?"
"Didn't I already tell you? I went to see her last time. Ruolan is quite something now. She has maids serving her whenever she goes in or out. She's living a wonderful life!"
"Why doesn't she go home and visit her family?"
"What are you looking at? What's there to see? The Fan family is a high-class family, and they have many rules for coming and going. Unlike us poor folks, we can visit each other every now and then and have some family ties."
Chen Zhancai knew that the truth would eventually come out, but he didn't want his family to know right now. After all, taking the exam was the most important thing. If he told the truth, Liu Fengjiao would definitely make a big scene. In order not to let such a small matter trip him up, he would keep it a secret for as long as possible.
As the saying goes, "A child is the apple of a mother's eye, and a mother is her child's shield from the wind."
Ever since Chen Ruolan married into the Fan family, Liu Fengjiao has always been thinking about her.
Although the Fan family was a wealthy and powerful household, she was still worried about her daughter, fearing that she wouldn't eat or dress well, and that she would have no one to confide in if she suffered any grievances. After all, she knew how difficult it was to be a woman.
She had thought a lot these days and realized that Chen Zhancai was just a pleasure-seeking, unambitious person who only had a good opinion of himself and was actually nothing but rubbish.
Who knows what kind of mess he'll make of the Chen family in the future? For her and the child's future, she must plan ahead.
As the old saying goes, "A mother's status rises with her son's," so she must not place her hopes on Chen Zhancai; her son is her only hope.
As long as she raises her son to adulthood, she will surely enjoy wealth and luxury in the future.
Liu Fengjiao shook her head and sighed, then said what she had already prepared.
"Zhancai, I want to take Jiye back to town."
Chen Zhancai was slightly taken aback. "Going back to town? What are you going back to town for?"
Grandma Chen looked surprised and said irritably, "Isn't it fine at home? What are you going to do in town? You'll have to rent a place and spend money on food and drink!"
Liu Fengjiao shook her head and smiled, "Mother, you know that Jiye is just like Zhancai, he's smart and loves to read and write. I want him to go to school in town."
"Studying? That would cost so much money!" Old Mrs. Chen was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Chen Zhancai was almost speechless with surprise. "Fengjiao, why are you in such a hurry? Our son just wants to study. There's no rush. Before long, I'll be successful, and then we can find a tutor for our son."
Liu Fengjiao didn't want to listen to these vague and unfounded empty words.
He scoffed inwardly, "You lazy bum who gets up late in the morning and sleeps until dawn, how could you possibly bring glory to your family? What a fool's dream!"
He looked down on her in his heart, but his face didn't show the slightest displeasure; he just chuckled softly.
“Zhancai, you don’t need to worry about the money. I have my own way to get Jiye to study. I’ve heard that Elder Wang in town wants to find a tutor for his son. I think Jiye can be his page. This way, we can save money and Jiye can study. Elder Wang has also promised to give Jiye two hundred coins a month. This is a win-win situation.”
"What kind of good thing is this?"
Before Chen Zhancai could speak, Old Mrs. Chen hurriedly interjected,
“Fengjiao, are you stupid as a mother? A pageboy is just a servant who serves others. Our family is not what it used to be. Zhancai is a famous scholar, and Jiye is the son of a scholar. How can we let Jiye do the work of a servant? No, no, I can’t bear the shame.”
“Yes, sister, Mother is right. Jiye is still too young. Serving others is hard work; they’ll beat and scold him if he doesn’t do it right. We can’t let Jiye do it,” Ruhua couldn’t help but say, trying to persuade her.
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