"Mother, what good ideas do I have? We can't just sell our house to buy grain!" Chen Zhancai muttered under his breath, his head drooping.
These words nearly sent Old Man Chen to his death on the spot. He was so angry that he was panting heavily and said with a flushed face, "You spendthrift good-for-nothing! You've ruined our family like this, and you still want to sell the house? Do you want your mother and me to have nowhere to live?"
"That's not what I meant. You all forced me to do it." Chen Zhancai had an expression that said it was all their fault.
Seeing this, Ruhua quickly tried to smooth things over, "Father, Mother, don't worry. Zhancai is a scholar. He can make a living by teaching in town or setting up a small stall to write documents. Our family will be fine."
"Ruhua, you're right." Old Man Chen sighed and looked at Chen Zhancai. "Son, I can't blame you for not passing the exam. After all, you tried your best. It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
"My good son, I was too anxious just now and forgot that my son is a great scholar."
Old Mrs. Chen's anger subsided considerably, and she even felt a little happy. Her earlier worries vanished, and she smiled as she looked at Chen Zhancai:
"Zhancai, since you came back in Chen Zhanshan's carriage, you must have saved a lot of money along the way. Check how much money you have left in your pocket and take it out so your father can go to town to buy some grain. We can improve our meals."
"Mother, I..." It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned money, because as soon as he did, Chen Zhancai immediately became dejected. He felt heartache and regret; that was forty taels of silver!
If he hadn't been scammed, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state, and he wouldn't have signed an IOU for sixty taels of silver.
With his talent, he could easily find a job in Ningjing to make a living, so he wouldn't have to come back to be the pillar of his family or shoulder any burdens.
Once you establish a firm foothold, you can participate in the imperial examinations in three years, with a good chance of passing with flying colors...
But now it's a complete mess.
If I had known this, I wouldn't have had that family division dispute in the first place, and all these troubles wouldn't have happened.
Seeing his hesitant and sullen expression, Old Mrs. Chen became a little anxious. "Zhancai, what are you fussing about? Hurry up and take out the money!"
"Yes, hurry up, your mother and Ruhua haven't had a proper meal in days," Old Man Chen urged.
Chen Zhancai frowned. He knew that some things couldn't be told the truth; he had to make up a story.
"Father, Mother, there are some things I don't want to tell you. I'm afraid you'll worry. If nothing unexpected happens, I would have already returned with the money."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen became curious and asked, "What's wrong, son? What happened?"
"Since you want to know, then I'll tell you,"
Chen Zhancai sighed, feigning a serious expression, and then began to fabricate a story.
"Ever since I learned I failed the exam, I embarked on my journey home. Along the way, I thought a lot. I realized how hard my parents had worked. To bring honor to our family, they sold grain and land. But I failed to do so. However, I have a conscience and a filial heart. I will save every penny and use the remaining money to buy back the land we sold. That way, our family will have food to eat, and my parents won't have to go hungry anymore."
I thought it was a good plan, but when I was carrying that heavy forty taels of silver, I had only walked a short distance from Ningjing City when I encountered a group of bandits. A steel knife was pressed against my neck, and they demanded that I pay to save my life.
At that moment, I remained calm and without thinking, I retorted, "I have no money, but you can take my life."
This money was my parents' life-saving money; how could I let them have it? Instead, I was met with a beating.
As he spoke, Chen Zhancai pointed to his face, "Look, this is what those people did to me."
The group of people were stunned.
Grandma Chen rushed over to take a look, "Oh dear, why are there bruises here!"
"That's right, look, there's still a cut here!" Old Chen said, pointing with his finger.
Ru Hua's face was also full of heartache, "These people are really ruthless, husband, are you still in pain?"
"How could it not hurt? It almost killed me with pain!" Chen Zhancai gritted his teeth in anger as he recalled the beating he received from the shopkeeper and waiter.
Those two snobbish bastards act like they're begging for money, practically begging to kneel down and lick his toes.
I heard that after they ran out of money, they treated them like they'd killed their own father and slept with their wives, beating them mercilessly, literally killing them.
My face still stings just thinking about it.
To convince his family, he had to continue spouting nonsense.
"Those guys beat me so badly I was rolling on the ground, but I just clung to the silver and wouldn't let go until I lost consciousness."
When I opened my eyes again, I found that the silver was gone.
I was heartbroken and devastated. I felt ashamed to go home and face my parents, so I thought of ending it all.
Just as I was about to hang myself from the crooked tree, Chen Zhanshan and his gang saw me. After hearing what had happened to me, they had a change of heart and brought me back with them.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Chen's face immediately changed, his eyes widening in shock. "What did you say? Forty taels of silver were stolen?"
Chen Zhancai pretended to be heartbroken and wiped away the tears he had managed to squeeze out. "Yes, Father, they've all been taken away."
"Oh my God, how am I going to live from now on!" Old Chen felt dizzy and collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
Grandma Chen felt dizzy and almost fainted on the spot.
Ru Hua acted swiftly, patting Chen's back and soothing her breathing, finally calming Old Lady Chen down.
"Mom, don't worry. As the saying goes, there's always a way out. Even though the money is gone, at least Zhancai will come back safely. It's a blessing in disguise. You must try to think positively!"
After a while, Old Mrs. Chen finally recovered and said, "Ruhua, you're right. It's good that Zhancai is back safe and sound."
Chen Zhancai was startled by what he had just witnessed. He was afraid that he might have upset his mother so much that she would be paralyzed on the bed. He would have to take care of her every need, and if that happened, he would have to run away from home and wander the world, living a carefree life where he could eat his fill and no one else would go hungry.
Seeing that Old Mrs. Chen was alright, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mother, it's my fault for making you worry. As long as you're alright, I'll definitely take good care of you in the future."
"Good son, mother is fine." Old Mrs. Chen believed these insincere words and nodded with satisfaction. "My son is so good and filial. For that alone, mother is content."
Old Chen didn't want to respond, but the word "filial piety" sounded particularly grating to him, and a surge of blood rushed to his head.
"Alright, old woman, anyone can make empty promises. Filial piety isn't just about empty words; you have to show some real respect. Stop with the empty talk and start thinking about how we're going to make a living!"
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