Chen Zhancai was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into his pants. "Mom, please stop talking. Let's go home quickly."
"Son, don't rush. It's better to make some things clear sooner rather than later, so that some people won't become like stubborn plasters that you can't get rid of later."
As she spoke, Old Mrs. Chen snorted coldly and looked at Chen Zhanshan.
"I didn't realize you were such a sycophant. You knew that the third son had passed the imperial examination, so you rushed to curry favor with him. Even though my son came back in your carriage, it was you who were trying to curry favor with my son. I don't care about your relationship."
"I'm telling you this right now: if you want to benefit from our family's wealth and status, you're dreaming. Don't even think about it, understand?"
Chen Zhanshan was both amused and exasperated. He really wanted to tell the old woman what Chen Zhancai had done in Ningjing, so she would know what kind of person her most valued son really was.
But he couldn't. Putting aside the fact that he had already promised Chen Zhancai, even if he hadn't, he couldn't bring himself to expose someone's shortcomings in front of so many villagers.
"Don't worry, even if I have to beg for food, I won't beg at your doorstep."
"Hmph, remember what you said. Our two families will never have anything to do with each other again. Just wait and see what happens to you."
Old Mrs. Chen had lost all sense of propriety and become arrogant. She pointed at Chen Qingqing and made threatening remarks.
"And you brat, don't think you're something just because you have a few bucks. One day I'll make sure you're bald and begging me on your knees."
Seeing that Old Mrs. Chen was barking and snapping like a mad dog, Chen Qingqing retorted without hesitation, "Fine, if you have the ability, then bring it on. I'm waiting."
The onlookers all assumed that Chen Zhancai had passed the imperial examination, which was why Old Lady Chen was so arrogant.
Seeing that Chen Qingqing showed no fear, they all felt a pang of worry for her.
Da Longzi's wife tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Qing'er, now that Zhancai has passed the imperial examination, you mustn't offend him, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."
The sixth son's wife quickly chimed in, "Yes, Qing'er is an official, not someone we common folk can afford to offend."
Chen Qingqing's gaze was stern. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Even if her son becomes a scholar, this old woman shouldn't utter such vile words or cause trouble for no reason."
"You dare to call me an old hag, you brat! You're asking for it!" Old Mrs. Chen trembled with rage. "Zhancai, listen to this! She insulted your mother! Punish her immediately!"
Chen Zhancai hung his head and remained silent, his face flushed with anger, and he really wanted to shut Old Lady Chen up.
Chen Zhanshan couldn't stand it anymore and glared at Chen Zhancai, "Chen Zhancai, control your mother, stop making a fool of yourself here."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen immediately put her hands on her hips, striking a pose as if she were about to start a fight. "Chen Zhanshan, you damned ingrate! How dare you speak to my son like that? Let me tell you, my son is now a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations. If you dare to yell at him again, I'll have him punish you and send you to jail."
Chen Zhanshan laughed in anger, "Chen Zhancai, even at a time like this, you still won't tell the truth."
“This…” Chen Zhancai hesitated, his face turning pale and then red. With so many people watching him, how could he say that he hadn’t passed the exam?
Seeing that her son remained silent, Old Mrs. Chen assumed he was too embarrassed to admit it.
She didn't care about any of that. In her mind, now that her third son had passed the imperial examination, it was time for her to establish her authority in the village.
She gritted her teeth and glared at Chen Zhanshan, "What are you talking about? You ingrate! Kneel down and kowtow to me to admit your mistake, or this isn't over."
Seeing that Old Mrs. Chen was becoming increasingly unreasonable, Chen Zhancai was so anxious that he jumped up and down, and had no choice but to plead.
"Mom, please stop making a scene, okay? Let's go home quickly."
"Go home? I can't swallow this anger."
Chen Zhancai was so anxious he kept hitting his head. He knew that if he didn't tell the truth, his own mother might do something even more outrageous. He quickly went to Old Madam Chen and lowered his voice, saying...
"Mother, please calm down. Your son didn't pass the imperial examination this time, so please say less!"
These words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Old Mrs. Chen completely stunned and frozen in place, as if in a daze.
It took her a while to come to her senses. Incredulously, she asked again, "What did you just say? You didn't pass the imperial examination?"
Chen Zhancai nodded. "Yes, it didn't work."
"Why didn't you say so sooner?!"
"I wanted to tell you, but you didn't give me the chance!"
"Oh my God!" At this moment, Old Mrs. Chen felt like she wanted to die. Serves you right for bullying others and showing off. You didn't even know the truth before you acted like a fool. Now look what happened. You're making a complete fool of yourself.
Chen Qingqing didn't want to have anything to do with the people in the old house, so she took Chen Zhanshan's arm, called Da Bao and Sun Shi, and headed home.
Upon seeing this, the villagers, who were unaware of the situation, began to whisper among themselves.
"Oh dear, that gave me quite a fright! I thought her son had really passed the imperial examination and become a scholar. It was just a false alarm!"
"Yeah, that shout totally stunned me. I almost knelt down and kowtowed. Luckily I didn't kneel down, or I would have made a huge fool of myself."
"That's right, Old Mrs. Chen's bossy manner is really intimidating. If you didn't know better, you would really think that her son has become a high-ranking official."
"Luckily we didn't win. As the saying goes, when a petty person gets ahead, he becomes arrogant. If they had gained power, they would definitely have bullied us. We would have been doomed!"
Although the crowd's voices were soft, they still reached Old Lady Chen's ears.
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