Zhang Xiong's mother replied with a smile, "You guessed right, my Xiong passed the exam."
Most people sincerely praised and congratulated him, saying, "That's great! If he's really hired, then our village will have someone from the imperial court."
"Yes, yes, none of our villagers work in the government office, but this time we'll have one."
"Not to mention the officers, even the militia squad leader in our village is from another village. It's really hard to muster any enthusiasm."
"Yes, my son. I told him to train hard and become a class monitor, but that brat said that to become a class monitor, you have to compete in real battles and train hard. He doesn't want to be that tired."
"My son didn't even get selected for the militia. Can you believe it?"
Someone complimented Zhang Xiong's mother, saying, "Your Zhang Xiong is so good. He's obedient, and you make him write and read every day. It seems it worked, because he passed the exam."
Zhang Xiong's mother was very pleased: "Ah Xiong is lucky. He is really obedient. Look, he just got back and went to weed."
"Zhang Xiong's wife is also very filial and skillful. Look, her stitches are the tightest." Some people not only praised Zhang Xiong, but also praised Zhang Xiong's wife, Zhen Alian, who was quietly doing needlework on the side.
Zhen Alian blushed slightly. She was very honest and never slacked off. She did whatever her mother-in-law told her to do.
Fortunately, she met a good mother-in-law. Although she is a bit of a perfectionist and likes to compare herself to others, she is really good to her family.
Because Zhen Alian was so obedient and honest, Zhang Xiongniang was very satisfied with her and truly treated her like a daughter.
Zhang Xiongniang was even happier when she heard people praising her daughter-in-law: "My daughter-in-law is the best one in the whole area. She is capable, obedient and filial. She makes all the clothes for my husband and me all year round."
Amidst the peaceful atmosphere, a sour voice sneered, "They haven't even been hired yet, and they're already sucking up to him after just passing the first test!"
Zhang Xiongniang looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was Wei Shi.
The discord between Wei and her had been going on for a long time. Wei's son had originally wanted to marry Zhen Alian, and Zhen Alian's parents had agreed, but the honest Zhen Alian refused to agree no matter what.
Zhen Alian told her parents, "I won't marry Wei Xiaowei, no matter how good his family's conditions are. Wei Xiaowei is too lazy."
Zhen Alian's parents valued Wei Xiaowei's family's good financial situation and were willing to offer a large dowry, but Zhen Alian was determined not to marry him.
Zhen Alian's parents ultimately loved their daughter dearly. Seeing her resolute determination, they decided not to become in-laws with the Wei family.
Later, Zhen Alian married Zhang Xiong. Zhen Alian's parents told her that Zhang Xiong's mother was quite formidable.
Zhen Alian smiled and said, "Although Axiong's mother is fierce, she is reasonable, and the family is harmonious."
When Zhen Alian's parents saw that she was determined, they finally agreed.
Unexpectedly, Zhen Alian was very good at judging people. When she arrived at Zhang Xiong's house, she worked diligently and was recognized. The couple got along well, and her parents-in-law treated her like their own daughter.
Wei Xiaowei also got married. His wife was considered honest, but she suffered a lot in their home.
Not only was Madam Wei formidable, but she also rarely rewarded her son. He was irresponsible and left all the work to his wife, while constantly finding fault with her.
Zhen Alian's parents were truly convinced of their daughter's excellent judgment.
Wei couldn't stand seeing the Zhang family doing well, and Zhen Alian even dared to cancel their marriage proposal, so she was furious with the Zhang family.
Upon hearing Wei's words, Zhang Xiong's mother retorted angrily, "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. You're just spewing filth. My Xiong will definitely make it. He's much better than your good-for-nothing."
When Wei heard Zhang Xiongniang call her son a good-for-nothing, she immediately became displeased and stepped forward to scratch Zhang Xiongniang.
Those around immediately separated the two.
"It's a blessing for our village that Zhang Xiong was able to pass the exam. As for the Wei family, they shouldn't make trouble. We might need their help in the future."
"Yes, if Zhang Xiong gets accepted, it will be a blessing from our ancestors. We'll be overjoyed."
Wei is stingy and domineering, and she is a formidable person. Many people have long disliked her, and they are happy to be able to put her down now.
Wei stormed off, spitting in the air as she left: "With your pathetic looks, you think you can get hired? Dream on!"
Everyone immediately reassured Zhang Xiong's mother: "Don't listen to her nonsense. The village chief will be very happy that Zhang Xiong has passed away. If Wei Shi makes trouble again, the village chief will not let her off the hook."
Wei Xiaowei was already a scoundrel who loved to harm the villagers, stealing chickens and dogs, and harassing young girls and wives. He was already hated by everyone. With the addition of Wei Shi, he became even more unpopular.
Wei stormed home and, seeing her daughter-in-law cooking, still gave her a cold look.
"You're so listless. You don't know how to properly manage your husband. What's the point of marrying you!"
Xiao Wei's eyes reddened. She was diligent and conscientious, never caused trouble, was filial to her parents-in-law, and gentle to her husband, but she still couldn't gain their approval.
They would beat and scold him at the slightest provocation, and even lock him in the woodshed without food.
When she could no longer bear it, she would go back to her parents' home to cry and complain, and even considered divorce.
But when her family heard her say this, they all advised her, saying that after many years of hardship, she would finally become a mother-in-law, and things would get better as her children grew up.
But looking at her three-year-old son and six-year-old daughter, how long will she have to endure this?
With no support from her own family and such treatment from her husband's family, it's difficult for her to live a good life.
Su Erya suddenly felt angry as she recalled the grievances she had suffered over the years.
Even a clay figure has some temper; even the most honest person will eventually rebel if pushed too far.
Su Erya threw down the spatula, stormed out of the kitchen, went straight back to her room, and slammed the door shut.
Wei was stunned; this was the first time Su Erya had ever rebelled.
Then Wei realized what was happening and jumped up, cursing, "You've gone too far! You dare to give me attitude? I'll beat you to death!"
As she spoke, she went to push Su Erya's door, but the door was locked from the inside, and she couldn't open it right away.
He kicked it once, then immediately clutched his foot, wincing in pain. He couldn't open the door; his foot was probably swollen from the kick.
"Su Erya, you wait, Xiaowei will deal with you later!"
With that, he limped up to the main room and went to chat with Old Man Wei.
Old Man Wei was also a lazy man. Although he didn't abuse Su Erya, he would coldly watch his daughter-in-law and son bully her.
He was hoping Su Erya would do more work, because if she did more work, he would have less to do.
In the current situation, the requirement from above is to distribute money and food according to people's labor.
To make things easier, the village calculated the labor volume of each family according to their household registration and then distributed it to each family individually.
Every member of the family, young and old, whoever is able to work, must participate in collective labor.
There would be half a day of collective labor each day, and the other half could be spent on one's own household chores. The extra land reclaimed in addition to the land allocated by the government belonged to each individual family for the first five years.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
