Chapter 41 [VIP]
"Such a thing is true?" Lu Chang'an looked incredulous. After all, in his mother's words, Chen Qingyan was someone else's child.
He began his formal education at the age of five, recognized all the characters by the age of seven, mastered the Four Books and Five Classics by the age of ten, and passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen. It would not be an exaggeration to call him a child prodigy.
I never imagined someone like that would cheat in the county exam...
Seeing that he didn't believe him, Zhang Shiqiu continued, "At first, I didn't believe it either. After all, I stayed with him in the county town for a few days. Brother Lu knows my family's situation. I can't afford a separate room and can only sleep in a shared dormitory for ten coins a night."
Lu Chang'an comforted him, saying, "Heroes are not judged by their background. Brother Shi Qiu, you don't need to worry about these things."
"Thank you for your understanding, Brother Lu. Chen Qingyan said the same thing back then, and even invited me to stay at his place. I was naturally willing to move there so that I could study in peace."
Zhang Shiqiu paused and continued, "I originally thought he helped me because he was kind-hearted, but after spending time with him, I found that wasn't the case at all. He just wanted to show off his different status from me. He showed off with Huizhou ink that I had never seen before, gave me his old calligraphy brush that he had used, and even pretended to be doing me a favor. What's most infuriating is that when he lost an ink stick, he actually accused me of stealing it!"
"How could he do this!" Lu Changning was furious. He hadn't known Chen Qingyan well before and only knew that he was arrogant. He never expected him to be so despicable in private!
Zhang Shiqiu pretended to choke up and said, "At that time, I was really helpless and wished I could move out as soon as possible, but I was afraid of angering him and being retaliated against. So I was on tenterhooks for those few days and kept at it until the county examination was over before I parted ways with him and never had any contact with him again!"
"Who would have thought that upon my return, I would run into him again at a friend's debate on scriptures. I greeted him with a smile, but unexpectedly, he suddenly launched into a tirade against me, accusing me of hiding cheat sheets in his pen, preventing him from taking the imperial examinations, and even punched me. Enraged, I threw a cup back at him, but unexpectedly, it cracked his head open..."
Lu Chang'an slammed his hand on the table. "This is outrageous! I'll have a serious talk with my mother and make sure she never associates with the Chen family again!"
Zhang Shiqiu was barely able to contain his joy. He knew Lu Chang'an was a bit dim-witted, always ready to stand up for his friends, and had a lot of acquaintances. With Lu Chang'an's help in spreading the word, it wouldn't be long before Chen Qingyan's reputation was ruined throughout Qingshui Town. By then, that kid probably wouldn't dare to leave his house!
The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand and pretended to be sad, saying, "I don't want to make enemies with him. His family are landlords and wealthy people, and I heard he even has an uncle who is an official. What if they investigate..."
"Don't worry, leave this to me. I will make sure you don't get caught up in this unjustly!"
"Then, Qiu will thank Brother Lu in advance!"
"You don't need to be so polite with me. I treat you like a brother."
The two chatted until evening, and Lu Chang'an wanted him to stay overnight for a late-night conversation by candlelight, but Zhang Shiqiu waved his hand and refused. He said his undergarments were already yellowed from wearing them, so how could he be embarrassed to sleep in someone else's house?
Before leaving, he deliberately mentioned, "Brother Lu's tea is excellent; even a rough person like me can taste the difference."
“Look, I forgot about that. Ah Fu, pack a portion of tea for Brother Shi Qiu to take with him.”
"No, no, I was just saying it offhand."
"Take it, it's not worth much."
Zhang Shiqiu pretended to be embarrassed and accepted the gift, but once he left the Lu family residence, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. How could Lu Chang'an be so stupid? He believed everything he was told; he was practically a brainless pig.
He waved the tea leaves in his hand and headed towards the pawnshop in town with a smug look on his face.
When he arrived at the pawnshop, he was surprised to find that the package of tea could only be sold for seventy coins, far below the price he had estimated.
"This is top-quality Maojian tea imported from the south; it's very expensive!"
"No matter how expensive it is, it's just tea. How many people in our town are willing to spend money to buy tea to drink? Those who can afford to drink tea wouldn't come to a pawnshop to buy it, would they?"
"Seventy coins is too little, at least one hundred coins!"
The pawnshop clerk waved his hand and said, "Then you should take it back and drink it yourself."
Zhang Shiqiu had no choice but to put the tea leaves on it. "Fine, seventy coins it is."
It was completely dark when he came out of the pawnshop, and he headed home as usual.
His home was in a small alley on the west side of the town. There were seven or eight families living in the alley, and they couldn't bear to burn oil for lamps, so the alley was pitch black at night.
He stumbled to his doorstep, and just as he was about to open it, someone called out to him from behind.
"Is that Scholar Zhang?"
"Yes, who are you?"
Before he could even see who it was, a sack was stuffed over his head, followed by two loud thuds as excruciating pain shot through his legs.
"Ah!!!" Zhang Shiqiu screamed in terror and fainted from the pain.
The man stepped on his leg to make sure he had been interrupted, then hurriedly left.
*
Today is the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, and there are only two days left until the Chinese New Year.
The Chen family has already bought all the New Year's goods. With the arrival of their third aunt and two cousins this year, the family has prepared more things than in previous years.
Wang Ying specially bought two pigs and a sheep, planning to have a barbecue at home with the children during the Chinese New Year.
Li and Chen Rong were also busy. Chen Rong sewed new clothes for Chen Qingyan and Wang Ying by hand.
She was famous for her needlework even before she got married; not only were her stitches fine, but her designs were also exquisite.
Li Shizhao was far inferior to her, so she simply had two new outfits made for Lin Qiu and Lin Sui at a tailor shop. As for Qingyun and Qingsong, they also had them made at the shop.
Time was too tight, so Chen Rong planned to make spring clothes for the two of them after the New Year.
Today, the shop delivered the new clothes, so Li asked the servants to call everyone to the front yard to try them on.
Chen Rong made Wang Ying a sky-blue satin robe. The fabric was a dowry she received when she got married, and she had never been willing to use it. This color is not for everyone; it makes people with dark skin look even darker.
Lin Qiu and Lin Sui weren't particularly dark-skinned, but their photos were significantly worse than Wang Ying's.
Wang Ying has a cool-toned fair complexion, which he had in his past life. No matter how long he spends in the sun, even if his face gets sunburned and peels, he can recover his fair complexion after a while.
After changing into the clothes Chen Rong made for him, he looked like a beautiful woman standing there, incredibly handsome!
Chen Rong clapped his hands and said, "I knew this fabric would be perfect for making clothes for Ying'er; no one else could pull it off like this!"
Wang Ying felt a little shy wearing her new clothes. Touching the smooth fabric, she said, "It's such a waste to use such good material to make clothes for me. I don't have time to wear these when I'm running my shop."
Chen Rong quickly replied, "It's not a waste. Clothes are meant to be worn. As long as you like them, Auntie will be happy."
"Of course I like it!"
Chen Rong smiled from ear to ear and took out another set of light blue robes for Chen Qingyan to change into.
The man's robe with a cross-collar was looser, and since he had lost a few pounds in the past few days, it gave him a rather ethereal and otherworldly air, which made Wang Ying stare at him intently.
"Thank you, Auntie. I really like this dress."
The children also changed into new clothes. As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and they looked much more energetic than usual!
Li stroked Lin Sui and Qing Yun's heads and said, "Our children are all so handsome, I wonder which boy will be lucky enough to marry one of them in the future."
The two children blushed slightly. They would both be thirteen years old after the New Year. In ancient times, this age was generally considered an age to be engaged, and they would get married after turning sixteen.
Chen Rong looked at her eldest son and couldn't help but show a trace of worry. Lin Qiu would be seventeen after the New Year, and his marriage was still undecided. If they delayed any longer, there would be no good young men left...
Li noticed her worry and said, "I visited a few days ago and asked around about a few families for Qiu'er. We'll visit them one by one after the New Year."
"Why……"
Suddenly, the doorman, Lin, came over to report, "Madam, someone has come from outside and says they want to bring us New Year's gifts."
"Could it be someone sent by Fourth Uncle? In previous years, the New Year's gifts from Laizhou would arrive around the fifth or sixth of the month, but this year they've arrived much earlier."
The group left the house and walked towards the courtyard gate, where they saw a tall young man standing.
He was wearing a navy blue robe and a dark brown mink hat. Upon seeing the visitor, he quickly took off his hat and luggage.
"My name is Cao Kun. I greet you ladies and gentlemen."
"Cao, Boss Cao?" Wang Ying's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Why did this man suddenly shave his beard? He looks like a completely different person.
"Happy New Year, Manager Wang."
Cao Kun directed his men to unload the goods from the truck: half a pig, eight boxes of pastries, and ten catties of white sugar. These items were worth at least four or five strings of cash!
Wang Ying, unsure of his intentions, quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Why is Boss Cao sending so many things? We're not close enough to exchange New Year's gifts."
"What are you saying, Manager Wang? I've made a lot of money from you, so it's only right that I come to visit you."
Li asked, "Ying'er, who is this person?"
"He's a regular customer of our shop, and he came here specifically to visit."
"Then please come to the front hall for a cup of hot tea."
Chen Qingyan accompanied the two of them. When they arrived at the front hall, Wang Ying got straight to the point: "You came here for my cousin?"
"Manager Wang is clever!"
Wang Ying knew that the weasel's New Year's greeting to the chicken was not a good deed.
"You two have only met a few times and don't know each other at all. Isn't that too hasty?"
Cao Kun was prepared. He took out his household registration from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I am twenty-four years old and still unmarried. I have no brothers or sisters, only an old mother who is still in relatively good health. Over the years, I have traveled all over the country and saved up some money. I have bought a shop in the county town, which will be handed over to him to manage after I get married."
Chen Qingyan and Wang Ying looked at each other, speechless for a moment, taken aback by his frankness and straightforwardness.
"Do you know anything about my cousin's situation?"
Cao Kun nodded. "I know a little. He was once engaged, but the other party passed away. Lin's father wanted to marry him off to Fang Erlang in exchange for a shop. Later, Madam Chen divorced him and returned to Qingshui Town with her two sons."
This goes far beyond just knowing a little; it's practically like digging up his cousin's ancestral graves.
Chen Qingyan said, "Since you know all this, you should also know that my aunt won't easily marry off my cousin. You should ask a reliable matchmaker to come over."
Cao Kun had been waiting for these words, and excitedly cupped his hands, saying, "Cousin, don't worry, I'll send someone to propose marriage after the New Year!"
This guy is shameless; he's already calling himself "cousin" before anything's even started.
After everyone left, Wang Ying told Chen Rong and Li Shi about it, and both of them looked incredulous.
"He's here to ask Qiu'er for her hand in marriage?"
Wang Ying nodded, "I saw him once before when my cousin took us to the porter's shop in the county town to deliver some things. Later, when my cousin Qiu was injured, I saw him again at the clinic. The medicine for his injury was given to me by this man."
Chen Rong asked, "He's so much older than Qiu'er, why hasn't he gotten married yet?"
Wang Ying was also curious and asked casually, "Cao Kun said that his family used to be very poor. His father died early and his mother raised him alone. Life was very difficult. He started working with a porter when he was sixteen, traveling all over the country. Although life was better, he didn't have time to get married. Later, when he became the second-in-command of the porter, he was even busier, and his marriage was delayed."
After listening, Madam Li said, "If it is really as he said, then it is indeed a good match."
Chen Rong was still worried. She was terrified of Lin Changbin and feared that her wrong decision would ruin her son's life.
"Don't worry, Aunt. I have business dealings with Cao Kun, and he's a trustworthy person. We can ask around about his family situation before making a decision."
"Okay." Chen Rong felt much more at ease.
Wang Ying came out of the house and directed the servants to move the things into the storeroom. Uncle Chen came over and whispered, "Young master, the silver has been delivered."
"Is everything taken care of?"
"It's done."
"Won't Uncle Chen think I've gone too far?"
Uncle Chen quickly said, "How could that be? He caused the young master to be unable to take the imperial examinations anymore. Breaking only one of his legs is too lenient for such a person!"
"Forget it, don't tell anyone about this. Just pretend you don't know anything."
"yes."
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