What Old Master Lin was really thinking was: You old rascal, are you trying to make fun of me?
Is it possible for officials to form marriage alliances with peasant families?
Why does this sound so unreliable?
More than 20 years ago, you were just a scholar, yet you refused to marry into our peasant family. Now, your son has become a high-ranking official, so why would you agree to let your eldest son marry a village girl?
It's not like he's out of his mind.
I'm not well-educated, so don't try to fool me.
Seeing that Old Master Lin also had a "you're kidding me, I don't believe it" look on his face, Old Man Shi smiled helplessly.
yes!
If he weren't afraid that his eldest grandson would be devoured by his stepmother, leaving not even a bone fragment, he wouldn't have traveled all this way to bring up that so-called marriage agreement from back then, which was as child's play as it was.
I thought I could take my time educating my grandson, but things didn't wait for me!
He had been holding back a lot of resentment for the past two years, and as he got older, his mental state deteriorated.
More than a month ago, I suddenly felt that something was wrong with my body and had a premonition that my time was coming.
He panicked immediately.
It's not that he's afraid of death, but rather that he hasn't been able to straighten out his eldest grandson's temper yet.
Now that he's gone, who in this family will truly treat him well?
One day, the old man accidentally stumbled upon his eldest grandson's servant trying to lead his master into a brothel, and he instantly flew into a rage.
He felt he could no longer hesitate and had to take advantage of his remaining life to devise a way out for his beloved grandson in this desperate situation.
With him, the grandfather, keeping things in check at home, the daughter-in-law still had some restraint in her actions. But once he's gone, I'm afraid she'll become even more ruthless.
At that time, it was hard to say whether this eldest grandson could even save his life.
So he couldn't afford to collapse until he had settled his eldest grandson in peace.
Previously, he had hoped that his grandson would be as successful as his father and become an official in the future.
Now, he no longer expects his eldest grandson to achieve anything; he is content as long as his grandson lives a peaceful and stable life.
Then he remembered the verbal marriage agreement he had made with his friend Lin Huaiyuan years ago.
This old friend from years ago.
This is probably the only person he can entrust his children to.
Due to their different circumstances, the two inevitably drifted apart, but he still trusted his old friend's character.
With his eldest grandson in his hands, even if Old Man Shi were to die, he could die with a smile on his face.
In fact, he had this idea long ago when he was thinking about how to reform this problem teenager.
He felt that although his eldest grandson was not favored by his son, he had been raised in a privileged environment, and that some drastic measures would be necessary to reform him.
First, the grandson must be kept away from his stepmother, and then all the maids and servants around him must be dismissed before any talk of reform can be made.
Ideally, one should place a person in an unfamiliar environment, cut off all previous supplies, and teach them to experience hardship so they can understand how people at the bottom of society live.
It also allowed him to truly experience the myriad aspects of life, the wickedness of the human heart, and the deceitfulness of sweet words masking a treacherous heart.
What can persuade a person is never reason, but rather a wall.
What truly awakens a person is not preaching, but hardship.
Old Shi wanted to give his eldest grandson a profound lesson in moral education.
Overall, the approach is correct.
If we follow this line of thinking, we might actually be able to correct the stubborn and unruly nature of that grandson.
Old Shi, as expected of a scholar with the title of Xiucai, was far more insightful about human relationships than his son, who had passed the imperial examination.
Then, Shi Laoxiucai inadvertently thought of his old friend Lin Huaiyuan, who had lived in the village all his life.
Then a brilliant idea struck him, and he excitedly exclaimed, "That's it! Let's send our eldest grandson to Linjia Village and let that old farmer give him a good makeover!"
It saves him the trouble of teaching his grandson himself, as he's always too soft-hearted and can't bring himself to be strict with him.
But after calming down, he hesitated.
This is a feasible idea, but why would anyone educate your grandson?
Besides, what he did back then was indeed unethical. Perhaps the other person still harbors resentment, making it even less likely that they would agree to this.
Offering money would be somewhat hurtful.
But the thought of his eldest grandson, the son of an official, marrying a peasant girl made him feel uneasy, as he felt it was a real injustice to his grandson.
And it's not that point yet.
There must be other ways.
The old scholar thought that if he could enlighten his eldest grandson and make him see through his stepmother's evil intentions, perhaps he would be willing to repent, work hard, and devote all his energy to studying.
With this in mind, why worry that the eldest grandson won't be able to enter officialdom like his father in the future?
If the eldest grandson passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi, with his handsome appearance, he will surely be able to marry the daughter of a Beijing official, just like his father.
With the support of the Yue family in officialdom, even if the son is persuaded by his wife to refuse to lend a hand, the eldest grandson's career will surely be smooth sailing.
They even rose rapidly in rank.
At that time, his grandfather could laugh in his sleep.
But this grandfather's beautiful dream was soon shattered by cruel reality.
It's highly likely that he will pass away before he sees his eldest grandson reform.
As the saying goes, when you're desperate, you'll try anything.
To save his eldest grandson, the old scholar gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and said bitterly, "As long as my eldest grandson can change for the better, what does it matter if I become a farmer?"
Even a farmer can do it.
Marrying a peasant girl would be perfectly fine.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
