Chen Zhancai saw that the villagers were trembling with fear, their eyes full of disdain; they were truly a bunch of peasants who had never seen the world before.
I was just about to walk past them with my head held high, neither humble nor arrogant, when...
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. That's it! He hadn't been looking for an opportunity to show off his status as a scholar in front of the villagers.
If he could exchange a few words with the county magistrate, he could brag about it for the rest of his life in Nanshan Village.
Let's see if those peasants dare to speak ill of him behind his back again...
Having made up his mind, Chen Zhancai quickly straightened his clothes, took a few quick steps, and bowed to the leading constable.
“Your Honor, I am Chen Zhancai, the only scholar in Nanshan Village. Since the magistrate has come here, I cannot be negligent. I hope you will allow me to greet you.”
Seeing someone blocking their way, and not having heard what he said, the constable quickly raised his hand to signal the carriages behind to stop, and scolded them impatiently.
"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you obstruct the county government from handling a case! If you don't want to get beaten up, get out of my way!"
Having been met with a cold shoulder, Chen Zhancai was extremely embarrassed, and quickly put on the air of a scholar and said...
"Sir, I have no intention of stopping you. I just want to meet the county magistrate."
Because he was a little nervous, his smile was extremely unnatural, making people feel nauseous.
The yamen runners had long been accustomed to swaggering and being arrogant in front of the common people, and they were furious at Chen Zhancai's obsequious manner.
"You think you can just see the county magistrate whenever you want? If you don't want to die, get out of my way." With that, he raised the water-and-fire stick in his hand as if to strike.
Chen Zhancai shrank back in fright, no longer daring to play dumb, and hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Yes, yes, I'll move aside right away."
Seeing this, the villagers couldn't help but want to laugh, but they dared not laugh out loud.
Sitting inside the carriage, Chen Ruolan saw the carriage stop and quickly lifted the curtain to look outside. She saw Chen Zhancai slinking away to the side.
She frowned, then without hesitation lifted the sedan curtain and stepped out of the carriage. She walked straight towards Chen Zhancai and softly called out, "Father..."
Chen Zhancai was humiliated and felt utterly ashamed. Just as he was about to leave this awkward situation, he suddenly heard someone call out "Dad!"
He looked up, and the moment he saw Chen Ruolan, he stared wide-eyed as if he had seen a ghost, stammering "You you you..." for a long time without being able to utter a single word.
Chen Ruolan shook her head and smiled, "Father, I am Ruolan, don't you recognize me?"
Chen Zhancai was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses. He was somewhat incredulous. "Are you really Ruolan? Didn't Fan Tong say that you died suddenly a long time ago? What exactly happened?"
"Dad, these are long stories, I'll tell you about them slowly later. Where's Mom?"
"Your mother works for someone in town." Chen Zhancai's expression was blank, his mind a complete mess. He glanced at the fierce-looking constables and couldn't help but ask, "Ruolan, what, what exactly is going on?"
The constable had figured it out: the pretentious, poor scholar in front of him was actually the county magistrate's father-in-law.
He secretly berated himself for being too rash, for speaking ill of her without asking clearly. If the county magistrate's wife were to blame him, he would surely receive a severe scolding.
Before Chen Ruolan could speak, he hurriedly stepped forward with a beaming smile, trying to ingratiate himself.
"So it's you, sir. I was so rude earlier. You may not know this, but your daughter is now the wife of our county magistrate."
These words stunned Chen Zhancai. He thought he had misheard and stared blankly at Chen Ruolan, "Is what he said true?"
Chen Ruolan curled the corners of her lips and smiled smugly, "Father, it's true."
Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Chen Zhancai's heart pounded with excitement.
It's true that the blessed don't need to work hard, while the unlucky run themselves ragged.
Although Chen Zhancai wasn't very capable, he had a good daughter and a son-in-law who was the county magistrate. As his father-in-law, he could do whatever he wanted in Anyang!
He was overjoyed, but he suppressed it and didn't show it. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Ruo, Ruolan, come back with me, come home."
“Father, I’m not back to visit my family this time. I’m here on official business on the orders of the county magistrate.” Chen Ruolan finished speaking and a cold smile appeared on her lips. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the case of Chen Qingqing poisoning someone. She murdered for money, and her crimes are heinous. I’m back to raid her house and take over her sugar business.”
"Great, this is fantastic news! Ruolan, you don't know how powerful the eldest son's family is now. Their sugar mill is making a fortune every day, and their gold and silver treasures must be piled up like mountains. Let's hurry up and leave. If they hear about it and hide the things, then all your hard work will have been for nothing."
“Father is right,” Chen Ruolan said, turning to return to the carriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen witnessed this scene clearly, and Mrs. Chen was so excited that she almost jumped up.
My goodness! I never imagined my granddaughter was still alive, and had even become the wife of a county magistrate.
With this connection, wouldn't she become the magistrate's ancestor?
Thinking of this, she took a few quick steps, her voice trembling with tears, "Ruolan, my eldest granddaughter, Grandma misses you so much."
Chen Ruolan abruptly stopped, glanced coldly at Old Madam Chen, ignored her, and turned to get into the carriage.
Old Mrs. Chen was taken aback. Just as she was about to say something more, Chen Zhancai quickly waved his hand and said, "Alright, what are you doing here causing trouble? Go home and stay there."
"Zhancai, what are you saying? Ruolan is my own granddaughter. How can saying a few words to her be considered causing trouble!"
"Ruolan doesn't have time to chat with you. Get out of the way."
Chen Zhancai didn't give Old Lady Chen a friendly look. He was now displaying the arrogant demeanor of a petty person who had gained power, and he waved his hand haughtily at the villagers beside him.
"You all get out of the way, don't block the way. Can't you see my daughter? No, I mean the magistrate's wife is busy with a case!"
The villagers who had been watching were stunned until Chen Zhancai shouted at the top of his lungs, at which point they snapped out of their daze, backed away, and began to whisper among themselves.
"Oh my god, did you hear that? Chen Zhancai's daughter has become the wife of the county magistrate."
"That's right, what's going on? I remember this girl married Fan Tong from town, how did she suddenly become the county magistrate's wife?"
"Who says otherwise? It's really strange. It seems that Chen Ruolan has some tricks up her sleeve."
"Yes, Chen Zhancai has really stood up for himself this time. We need to be careful in the future and not let such a villain cause trouble for us."
"Alright, stop talking. Let's hurry up and follow them. Judging from this situation, Chen Zhanshan's family is going to be in trouble."
The group followed behind, heading towards Chen's sugar shop...
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