Chapter 115 [VIP]
Once the New Year is over, time seems to have sped up.
The county examination begins in mid-February each year. It takes about ten days to travel from the prefectural city to Longquan County, so you have to get there in advance.
The children had only been back for a few days when they had to leave again. Li was really reluctant to part with them. She was already very upset before they even left, and her mouth was full of blisters.
Wang Ying couldn't bear it either. As for Yuanbao, she didn't dare tell him. He had been clinging to his father every day for the past few days, and he would get anxious if he couldn't see him for even a short while. If she told him that Chen Qingyan was going to leave for more than a month, she estimated that the child would be heartbroken.
After much thought, Wang Ying decided to simply take her whole family back with her!
This trip back home wasn't just for the county exam; it was also to return to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors and, incidentally, to see how the people in the village were doing.
The men at home must be homesick too, especially Er Shun, who had known about the flooding at home for a long time but had been unable to go back. Now that he has this opportunity to go back and see the family, he can finally put his mind at ease.
After making the decision, Wang Ying mentioned it to everyone.
Everyone agreed, packed their things, prepared the vehicles, and the whole family set off for Longquan County on the eighth day of the first lunar month.
*
Longquan County.
Chen Rong was hanging out the laundry. Today was a rare sunny day, so she took out the bedding to wash and air it out.
The county exam is coming up soon, and all my nephews will definitely be coming. I need to pack everything in advance so I don't end up with useless stuff.
Xiaomai ran out of the house, "Grandma!"
"Hey, come inside, it's cold outside."
"I want a hug."
Chen Rong finished airing the last quilt, turned around, picked up Xiaomai, touched his little face, and asked, "Where is your father?"
“My father is inside the house, and my uncle is crying.”
Chen Rong sighed, carried the child into the house, and found Lin Sui sobbing on Lin Qiu's lap in the east room, her shoulders shaking with each sob.
Lin Qiu patted his back to comfort him, "Your mother and I advised you to wait and see what the Huang family is like, but you didn't listen and insisted on marrying into the family ahead of schedule. Now it's too late to regret it."
Lin Sui sat up, sobbing. "How was I supposed to know he was such an indecisive person? He listens to his mother in everything at home. If his mother says anything bad about me, she doesn't listen to my explanation and assumes it's my fault. She beats and scolds me for no reason."
"He hit you too?!"
"You kicked me last time, and my waist is still bruised." Lin Sui lifted her clothes, revealing a large bruise under her ribs.
Lin Qiu was furious and immediately got up to go to the Huang family to demand justice. "Let's go and ask them who's the one who beat and scolded the newlyweds!"
Lin Sui was so startled that she quickly grabbed him, "Brother, keep your voice down, don't let Mom hear..."
"So what if Mother heard that? What are you afraid of!"
Lin Sui lowered her head and murmured, "I don't want Mother to worry..."
Lin Qiu sighed, knowing that her younger brother was being considerate of their mother's hardships. "But this can't go on forever. Hitting someone is definitely wrong, no matter what. When your brother-in-law takes you home later, I'll have him tell Huang Yong a few things. Your older brother is still here at your mother's house. Don't treat him like he's nothing!"
"Mmm." Lin Sui wiped away her tears, just as Chen Rong carried Xiaomai into the house.
"What's wrong with Sui'er?"
"No, it's nothing."
"What did Xiaomai say about you crying?"
Lin Sui forced a smile and said, "Xiaomai is mistaken. I was just joking with my older brother."
Chen Rong nodded suspiciously, "If anything happens, just tell your mother. Don't keep it to yourself. Your mother is here for you."
"Sigh." Hearing her mother say that, Lin Sui felt like crying again, so she quickly made an excuse to go to the outhouse.
As soon as Lin Qiu left, Chen Rong immediately pulled her eldest son aside and asked, "Has something happened to the Huang family?"
"It's alright, Mother, don't overthink it."
Chen Rong was still worried. When they got married, the Huang family said a lot of nice things, saying they valued Lin Sui and wanted to marry her as soon as possible.
As a result, the Huang family's lukewarm attitude after the marriage did not seem to value Lin Sui much. When she visited them recently, they even criticized Lin Sui in front of Chen Rong.
They say he's lazy because he doesn't get up until 3 AM.
Chen Rong immediately retorted, "What are you doing up so early in the dead of winter, before dawn?"
Old Mrs. Huang pursed her lips and said, "When I was a daughter-in-law, I had to get up at dawn to prepare the food, wash the clothes, clean the yard, and wait for the elders to get up."
“My dear in-laws, you’re joking. You used to serve only your mother-in-law. Now the Huang family is thriving with more than ten people in several branches. You can’t expect Sui’er to serve them all by herself, can you? People who know you are just giving you some training after you married your son-in-law. But people who don’t know you might think you’re deliberately torturing people. It wouldn’t look good for Huang Yong if word got out.”
She then stopped nitpicking at Lin Suilan and instead asked him if he was infertile since he had been married for so long and there was no sign of pregnancy.
Chen Rong was even more unwilling to hear this. "You can't say that. It's only been two months since the two met and got married. How could she get pregnant so quickly? It took me half a year after I got married to have Qiu'er. Don't worry, in-laws, you'll have one sooner or later."
After returning from the Huang family that time, Chen Rong became very ill and couldn't eat anything for three or four days, losing a lot of weight.
Lin Qiu was furious, but dared not get involved, fearing that the more she interfered, the harder her brother's life would become.
Seeing that her eldest son was silent, Chen Rong had already guessed what was going on. Lin Sui must have been bullied again at the Huang family.
"Mom, don't overthink it. It's just that my brother and his wife had a little disagreement. I'll have Cao Kun take him home later and give him a few words of advice."
"Yes, your mother is too old to help much. You two brothers should help each other out and not let Sui'er suffer any injustice."
"I know."
Around noon, Cao Kun returned from the porter's shop. Now that he was the head of the shop, he no longer needed to go out to work and could stay at the shop every day to receive customers and communicate business.
He made a fortune from the grain he transported from the prefectural city last time, and doubled the profit after bringing it back. After deducting the wages he distributed to his men, he earned more than 130 taels of silver.
This money was used to buy a second batch of goods. Although the profits were not as high as the first time, they still made a profit of sixty or seventy taels of silver.
With money in hand, the porter business also revitalized. Now he has more than 20 employees and about 10 carts and horses, and can earn a net profit of 40 to 50 strings of cash a month.
"Lin Sui is here, I'll go get some meat."
"Brother-in-law, you don't need to bother." Every time she came, she would buy meat to treat him, which made Lin Sui feel embarrassed to come often.
Lin Qiu said, "Never mind him, let him go buy it. Even if you don't come, he'll still buy meat for Xiaomai every few days to satisfy his craving."
Chen Rong said, "Yes, I'm craving meat too. I'll stew some more later."
Cao Kun carried the basket out the door, and Lin Sui sighed deeply again. If Huang Yong had even a fraction of his brother-in-law's kindness, he wouldn't have been bullied like this.
Now he truly regrets it. He only saw the other person's good looks, his education, and the demeanor of a scholar.
Who would have thought that he was just a shiny-on-the-surface donkey dung ball, but was actually vulgar and utterly crude in his private life, hurling insults that were utterly offensive.
But it was too late for regrets. Marrying a young man was like a second reincarnation for a woman; once she jumped into the fire, it was hard to get out.
Moreover, with his mother having already divorced, if he were to divorce as well, it would definitely affect his brother's and Xiaomai's reputation.
Before long, Cao Kun returned with several kilograms of meat. The butcher was familiar with him and even gave him a big bone as a gift.
"Stew half of this meat, and have my second brother take the other half back later."
"Hey." Lin Qiu carried the meat into the kitchen and soon stewed a pot of meat and vegetables.
In winter, there aren't many fresh vegetables left, only radishes and cabbages. The meat is plentiful, making the food fragrant and mouthwatering.
Xiaomai was already impatient and kept asking for meat. Chen Rong was afraid that the child would burn his mouth, so she took a small bowl and served him a few pieces of tender fatty meat, blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to the child.
Lin Sui had nothing on her mind and didn't have much of an appetite, so she ate only half a bowl of rice before feeling full.
After dinner, Lin Qiu pulled her husband into the next room and told him about the Huang family's situation. "When you take the second son over later, have a good talk with Huang Yong. Tell him not to bully people too much. A husband and wife can discuss things together. There's no need for violence!"
Cao Kun nodded with a straight face, "Don't worry, I'll definitely say a few words to him. He's a grown man who does nothing but bully young men. What a disgrace."
"Don't do it... If you do, it will make things even more difficult for Sui'er."
He worked in the porter's trade for many years and came into contact with all sorts of people, so he naturally knew what could and could not be said.
"Don't worry, I know."
In the afternoon, Cao Kun drove the carriage to take Lin Sui back. When they arrived at the Huang family's gate, they happened to run into Huang Yong coming out of the courtyard.
"Brother-in-law." Cao Kun greeted him. Huang Yong stopped and stepped forward with his deadpan expression, saying, "So it's you, brother-in-law. I was just about to go pick up Lin Sui."
Lin Sui took a deep breath in the car, forced a smile, and got out. "I went back to see my mother and Xiaomai, and my brother-in-law happened to be free, so he brought me back."
"Thank you for your trouble."
If he were a normal person, wouldn't he invite his brother-in-law in for a chat, some tea, and a meal? But the Huang family members were all rather abnormal; without saying a word, Huang Yong lifted his leg to leave.
Cao Kun cursed inwardly, but maintained a smile on his face and said, "It's cold outside, Second Brother, why don't you go inside first? I haven't seen my husband in a long time and we haven't had a chance to talk."
Lin Sui paused for a moment, then nodded and carried the basket into the house.
After everyone left, Cao Kun said, "I remember there's a teahouse nearby. Brother-in-law, would you like to go for a cup of tea sometime?"
Huang Yong nodded and followed Cao Kun to the teahouse. After they sat down, Cao Kun first inquired about his studies, "The county exam is in February. I wonder how your preparations are going, brother-in-law?"
Huang Yong was also a student who had taken the imperial examination once before but failed. This was his second attempt.
"Of course I'm ready," he said confidently.
"Several of Lin Qiu's cousins will also be attending this time; they should arrive in a few days."
"Um."
Huang Yong had heard Lin Sui mention a few people, but he didn't take them seriously. He thought they were just students from a small town.
Especially since that older cousin is already in his twenties and hasn't passed the imperial examination yet, he must be someone who isn't very capable.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Cao Kun's anger flared up and he couldn't help but say, "You and Lin Sui have only been married for less than half a year. He is younger than you, so you should be more considerate of him and not bully him."
Huang Yong then understood what had happened; it turned out that Lin Sui had gone back to her parents' home to complain.
He sneered and said, "Brother-in-law, you're meddling too much. This is a matter between my husband and me. What does it have to do with you?" With that, he flicked his sleeves and got up to leave.
"Ugh, you!" Cao Kun was annoyed, but he didn't dare to really turn against him, since Lin Sui still had to live with the Huang family. He could only angrily throw down a few copper coins and drive home.
When I got home, I didn’t dare tell Lin Qiu about it, afraid that he would worry even more. I thought the matter was over.
Unexpectedly, just two days later, news suddenly came from the Huang family that Lin Sui had miscarried...
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