The matter was resolved, but everyone was in a bad mood on the way back.
Widow Wang was essentially ruined; her spirits collapsed instantly, and she sat silently on the carriage, wiping away her tears.
Back in Lujia Village, Widow Wang bowed her head to thank Jiang Ling and then left without saying a word.
Jiang Ling watched Widow Wang's retreating figure, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. It wasn't that she was a saint; it was just that everyone has a heart, and Widow Wang had already suffered enough punishment this time.
She lost her child, her husband went to jail, and her reputation was ruined. She'll probably end up alone for the rest of her life.
However, Jiang Ling's mind wasn't on that. Instead, Jiang Yaojie bit his lip and whispered, "Mother, you still hate..."
Jiang Yaojie didn't say the word "father" aloud, knowing that the name Lu Youren was taboo in this family.
Jiang Ling shook her head helplessly, and looked at Jiang Yaojie, who was already taller than her, and replied meaningfully: "Son, some things are in the past and that's it. Whether you hate or not is hard to say. You have to treat your wife well in the future and not favor boys over girls!"
"Only by treating your wife well can your family be peaceful and prosperous, do you understand?"
Jiang Yaojie is all grown up now. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I will treat Congxin well!"
Just as Jiang Ling was sighing, there was a knock on the door.
"Godmother, it's me!" Zhao Qianyu said as the door was pushed open.
Zhao Qianyu frowned as he looked at Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie, whose expressions and demeanor were unusual, and asked, "Godmother, Yaojie, what's wrong with you two?"
Jiang Yaojie shook his head without saying a word. At this moment, he really wanted to be with Shen Congxin. He quickly returned to his room and started being affectionate with her.
"It's nothing. Qianyu is about to go to Qingzhou to take the imperial examination. Why didn't he study properly and instead came here?" Jiang Ling asked.
Zhao Qianyu smiled mysteriously, then ran outside again, and soon appeared in front of Jiang Ling with a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was tall and thin, dressed in a dark blue robe, exuding a scholarly air, and looked like a learned man.
"Godmother, let me introduce you. This is Scholar Wu!" Zhao Qianyu said, sticking out his tongue at Jiang Ling.
"Scholar Wu?" Jiang Ling was momentarily taken aback, looking at Zhao Qianyu with a puzzled expression.
“Brother Zhishan and I are going to take the spring exam. I’m not very confident, but Brother Zhishan might just make a name for himself. I figure I won’t have much time to teach the children after this, so I decided to talk to my father about it!”
“Although my father said that it was a matter for Magistrate Duan of Pingxi County and that he had no right to interfere, he still found me a tutor!” Zhao Qianyu explained.
Jiang Ling sighed helplessly. Despite Zhao Qianyu's seemingly carefree attitude, he was often much more meticulous than she was.
Jiang Ling hadn't had time to find a tutor for Jiang Suihe, but Zhao Qianyu brought the tutor back to her now.
Jiang Ling looked at Zhao Qianyu gratefully, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Zhao Qianyu waved his hand and said, "Godmother, are you alright? I heard that there was a plague outbreak in your village before, it scared me to death! If my father hadn't stopped me, I would have run over here long ago!"
Jiang Ling smiled. Although Zhao Qianyu said that, his gaze kept glancing at Jiang Suihe behind Jiang Ling. After confirming that Jiang Suihe was alright, Zhao Qianyu breathed a sigh of relief.
“This child, the plague is no joke. Your father was just worried about you. I’ve made a note of this and will come to thank you another day!” Jiang Ling smiled and took out a silver ingot from her pocket to give to Zhao Qianyu.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qianyu shook his head, swallowed hard, and said to Jiang Ling, "Godmother, I don't need the money. Could you cook me something to eat? Your cooking is so delicious!"
Jiang Ling smiled upon hearing this, glanced at Jiang Suihe who was reading beside her, and said, "Suihe, you and Qianyu go to the village chief's house and find him. We need to tell the village chief about the matter of our village needing a teacher!"
Jiang Suihe was fine, but Zhao Qianyu beamed with joy when he heard that he was going to find the village chief with Jiang Suihe.
Before long, the two men appeared before Jiang Ling with the village chief.
Jiang Ling briefly explained the situation, and Zhao Qianyu added some details. The village chief was both surprised and delighted.
Stroking his beard, he opened his mouth wide and said, "What? Yaojie's mother, I don't understand what you're saying. What do you mean? You're saying that Wu Xiucai came to our Lujia Village to teach us?"
The village chief kept glancing at Wu Xiucai, who was standing to the side. Perhaps it was because scholars were naturally shy, but Wu Xiucai moved a little awkwardly.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling quickly said, "Village Chief, why don't you stay for a meal today? It'll be a good opportunity to find a place for Scholar Wu to stay!"
Jiang Ling's culinary skills are undeniable, and the village chief was overjoyed to hear this. He nodded and said, "Alright, Scholar Wu is a learned man after all, unlike us roughnecks!"
The village chief's words made Wu Xiucai even more embarrassed. He never expected that a scholar like himself would receive such respect here.
Lunch consisted of sweet and sour pork ribs, braised chicken pieces, stir-fried wild mushrooms, hot and sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried vegetables, and a large bowl of tomato and egg soup.
Wu Xiucai was somewhat surprised to see the sumptuous dishes on the table. He hadn't expected that the food in a rural farmer's home was better than that of a wealthy man in town.
However, he thought again that although he was a scholar, his reputation had been damaged after that incident. It was already a great blessing that others did not look down on him. What right did he have to look down on others?
"Scholar Wu, have some food! Yaojie's mother's cooking is second to none!" Before he could even react, the village chief had already kindly placed a chicken leg in Scholar Wu's bowl.
Looking at the reddish-brown chicken leg in the bowl, which filled the room with its aroma, Wu Xiucai finally crushed the last bit of pride he had as a scholar.
Needless to say, the taste was superb. Even Wu Xiucai was secretly amazed. How could the woman in front of him have such good cooking skills? Even Taibailou in Shengjing would feel ashamed of this taste!
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Jiang Ling and the village chief exchanged a glance and said to Wu Xiucai, "Wu Xiucai, the accommodation and food conditions in our village are not very good. Please forgive us!"
"It's alright, it's alright. The desire for food is the least important thing!" Wu Xiucai quickly waved his hand and explained.
“You are a scholar brought by Qian Yu, so we certainly won’t treat you unfairly. I’ve discussed it with the village chief, and he’ll take you to see the house in a bit. The maintenance fee will be three taels of silver per month. What do you think?” Jiang Ling said.
Wu Xiucai was stunned for a moment after hearing this. He never expected that his price in Lujia Village would be so high, three taels of silver a month. This was much more than he could earn copying books for others outside. Afraid that he would miss this precious opportunity if he hesitated for even a second, he quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, no problem!"
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