Quick Wear: I'm Really Not a Scumbag

Chapter 456: A Farmer’s Scholar in Troubled Times (13)

——Chen Shunjia

As soon as Wu Yueying saw her younger sister, she no longer cared about her two sons and hugged Wu Yuewan and cried for a whole hour.

"Sister, don't cry, I'm fine. Wenlang left me some money before he left. I'm just worried that eating and dressing too well would arouse suspicion from others." The fear in Wu Yuewan's heart had completely dissipated on the day her two nephews came to pick her up.

The shameless scoundrel kept pestering her time and again. If she wasn't pregnant, she would have definitely taken action!

Wu Yueying sneered, "What's good about that? That heartless man left you to pursue his own wealth and fame, without even thinking about what to do with you?! You're pregnant!"

"I think he's probably been blinded by wealth and fame, and now he doesn't know where he's hiding to enjoy himself."

Wu Yuewan felt a little bitter, but she still didn't want to believe her words, "Sister, Wenlang is not that kind of person. He must have been tripped up by something important."

"Wen Lang and I have been married for five years, and this child was hard-earned."

She knew Wang Zhaowen very well. He would definitely not abandon her. It must be because something happened outside.

I'll go find him after I give birth to my child!

"Sister, let me tell you, all men are the same, none of them is a good guy!" Wu Yueying looked at her and started crying too. She didn't dare to speculate about Wang Zhaowen anymore.

"Look at you. You've been pregnant for three or four months, and you've become as thin as a skeleton! I have a chicken here. You can eat two eggs a day with some brown sugar to make up for the loss. Otherwise, you will definitely not be able to give birth when the time comes! You might even get into trouble!" She has experience in this area.

She took good care of Chen Zhao and Chen Xuyan when she gave birth to them.

My younger sister was the youngest and didn't get married until she was almost thirty, delayed by family matters. Fortunately, she was born young. She had always lived with our mother in Xianshi County, but her life wasn't much better than hers.

The last bit of their family property was used to treat their mother, but unfortunately she did not live long before she passed away. My younger sister learned to read and do math from her parents, so she made a living by doing accounting for other people's shops.

She would give money to their family from time to time, but unfortunately Xianshi County and Houyun City were too far apart. In addition, it was not easy for a woman to go out, so they only saw each other once every one or two years.

Wu Yuewan's shoulders trembled as she cried, "Sister, I'm lucky I still have you!"

She suffered too much grievance alone.

"Silly boy, I'm your sister. If I don't take care of you, who will?" Wu Yueying knew that she couldn't get anything out of her, but she made up her mind to take good care of him.

......

"Grandma, are you going to kill a chicken?" Chen Quyue's face was full of shock.

Wu Yueying rolled her eyes and asked, "I can't kill so many chickens?"

Chen Quyue quickly covered his mouth. His grandmother would rather sell the chicken than cook it for food. It seemed that he was really benefiting from his aunt's kindness today.

Huang Yiyi and Chen Luzhu were both in the room with Wu Yuewan.

"Aunt, the pattern you embroidered is so beautiful." Huang Yiyi praised brightly.

Although my mother-in-law's younger sister is only a few years older than me, she looks no different from a girl in her teens or twenties, and you can even see a bit of my mother-in-law's shadow in her face.

Wu Yuewan smiled and said, "I'll teach you more, and you'll be able to embroider it in the future."

She likes dealing with such straightforward people, and the daughters-in-law her eldest sister finds all have the same personality as her.

Chen Luzhu was a little dejected. "Aunt, mother, your embroidery is all beautiful, but mine is not as good as yours."

The gap between people is really huge.

Wu Yuewan took over her needlework and made only a slight change, and the embroidery pattern became more exquisite. "Isn't this good?"

"Aunt, what's wrong with your head? This is really ingenious." Chen Luzhu quickly became happy again after looking at the embroidery pattern.

Huang Yiyi poked her head and asked, "How can you talk like that, kid?"

"so rude."

Chen Luzhu smiled awkwardly. It was because she had no pressure at all when getting along with her aunt that she lost her composure.

It would be different if she was with her grandmother. She would have to be very careful, otherwise she would be scolded like her brothers.

Wu Yuewan didn't take her words to heart, "She is still a child. When my father was alive, I was also so unruly."

This happened more than ten years ago.

- One hour later

"Come out and eat!" Wu Yueying called inside.

"Okay." Huang Yiyi responded and wanted to support Wu Yuewan.

Wu Yuewan waved her hand and said, "It's okay, I'm not that delicate."

-At the dinner table

Several people stared at the food but didn't pick up their chopsticks. Wu Yueying had to come personally to serve the meat and vegetables, otherwise they would be in trouble.

In addition to the chicken, Wu Yueying gritted her teeth and cooked half of the meat that Chen Xuyan bought.

There are strangers at home today, and they said that she will follow her youngest son in the future, so she can't be too stingy and make a fool of herself.

But after a long time, we can no longer eat it this way at home.

Wu Yueying picked out two chicken legs, put one in Wu Yuewan's bowl, and the other in Chen Xuyan's bowl.

"Eat."

Everyone then began to eat happily, but because Wu Yueying always loved finding reasons to get angry, they ate very politely.

But those pairs of glowing eyes are still impossible to ignore.

Huang Shangshu did not look down on this scene. His childhood was even more miserable. His father did not love him and his mother did not care about him. There were seven or eight children in his family. He only had a full meal after he became a disciple.

When he returned home, his parents had already moved away with their entire family, and he didn't even think about looking for them.

His parents and siblings had no feelings for him at all, because he had no money when he first started learning martial arts, and he had to fight for food at the martial arts school. Not only did his parents not want him to come back, they even worried that he would eat up all the food rations at home.

It is obvious at first glance that Chen Xuyan's family are all affectionate and loyal, otherwise the two brothers would not have taken such a big risk to go all the way to Xianshi County to bring their aunt home.

It's just that their aunt looks too young. You can't tell that she is already thirty years old like herself.

Chen Xuyan looked up at her mother, but ultimately did not have the courage to share the chicken legs with her two nephews.

......

--night

Chen Xuyan mysteriously asked his father to call his mother out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Wu Yueying was busy all afternoon and was a little sleepy now. Luzhu slept with her youngest sister today, and she felt a little worried.

Someone has to make a small bed for Luzhu tomorrow, otherwise she will always be worried about this matter.

"Here's the money for you." Chen Xuyan took advantage of the darkness and stuffed two silver notes into his hand.

Wu Yueying stopped him and said, "Although it's easier for you to earn money by copying books than by farming at home, you still have to make some expenses. Don't be hard on yourself. When you become successful in the future, it will still be in time for you to repay us."

Chen Xuyan smiled and said, "Mom, you should go into the house and take a look at the money, then tell me whether you will give it to me or not."

After saying that, he went into his room without looking back. Today, Huang Shangshu slept on the floor in his room.

"This child." Wu Yueying turned and walked into the room in a daze.

She lit the oil lamp, rubbed her eyes and looked at the banknotes.

"This!" Wu Yueying's sleepiness completely disappeared.

The silver note her son gave her was actually worth a hundred and fifty taels?! She carefully examined it twice. Was it a real silver note?!

After Chen Xuyan passed the exam, their family paid less tax and was able to start saving money, but they only managed to save fifteen or sixteen taels a year. How could this be a full one hundred and fifty taels?!

How long would it take for this family to earn this much money even if they didn't eat or drink?

"Old man?! Don't sleep! Get up and take a look at this money. Is it real?"

Chen Shun stood up when he heard the sound.

"Is this true? Yan'er gave this to you? Where did he earn it?"

Wu Yueying was really worried, "Really? How did he earn it?"

"I have to ask."

Chen Shun stopped her, "Alright, don't make any noise so late at night. We have outsiders at home today. When we have time tomorrow, we can pull our son aside and ask him. We'll know. Don't be impatient."

This old woman's impetuous character is really hard to change.

Wu Yueying quickly clutched the banknote in her hand and said, "Yes, yes, you are right. This matter cannot be made public. I have to find a place to hide the money."

"If we get robbed, it'll be all over. We'll have to have someone at home at all times. We can't go back to the way we were before."

Having said that, she couldn't hide the excitement on her face.

With this money, not only will Chen Xuyan not have to worry about taking the exam in the future, but the family will also not have to starve when an emergency occurs. The family will have a foundation and can hold on.

After the rush, we have to change the money into small change bit by bit so that it can be spent more easily. I'll let the boss do this later.

"Aren't you sleeping yet?" Wu Yueying lay in bed for a long time and couldn't fall asleep. She kept thinking about how to spend the money.

Chen Shun was also very nervous. "This is the first time I've seen so much money. I'm so happy. That's why I have to study. Look, our family is in this state now because we sent Yan'er to school. If he didn't study, he definitely wouldn't be able to earn this much money."

Not only did he never think that the source of Chen Xuyan's money was not right, he even started to praise his son.

Wu Yueying didn't refute him. "You're right. I was originally hesitant about whether to send both of my grandsons to become apprentices. I could only afford one, but now I can definitely afford both."

Now Gousheng and Goudan are studying with an old student from the neighboring village. Yan'er says that this cannot last long and it would be better for them to become a scholar.

But to become a scholar's disciple, one has to pay tuition. Their family has to support a son and two grandsons, so they don't want any of them to be unable to study.

She definitely didn't want her grandson to drag down her son.

Both husband and wife fell silent.

......

—— One month later, Qingshan Academy

"Brother, did you bring me something again today?" Chen Xuyan put down the book in his hand with a smile.

Chen Zhao nodded. "My mother asked me to bring it to you. She was worried that you couldn't handle studying."

The things he brought included pickled meat, as well as new winter clothes and boots, socks, and undergarments that Wu Yuewan had made for him.

Since he has decided to take part in the provincial examination next year, he must be studying very hard now. If he continues like this for a long time, his health will be ruined. His mother said that people with poor health are more likely to die in the examination room.

Chen Zhao didn't want his younger brother to lose his life because of studying, so he always cared about his health.

"How are you doing with Brother Shu?" Chen Xuyan asked.

During this month, Huang Shangshu has been guiding Chen Zhao, who has some basic knowledge in martial arts. When the old hunter in the village was alive, he often took his brother hunting, which made his archery skills extraordinary. In addition, he could also follow the hunter to the mountains for snacks from time to time, so his physique was exceptionally strong.

What her mother fears most now is that her brother will be drafted into the army. I heard that the Zhou Dynasty has already recruited soldiers in Xianshi County, so it’s no wonder her mother has such an idea.

The reason why Houyun City didn't reach this situation was entirely because of Zheng Huan's strong backbone.

"Very good, he is very skilled in martial arts." Even if one of his legs cannot move, he can still beat himself into submission.

Chen Xuyan smiled and said, "Then you should practice well with him. Maybe one day our family will have to rely on you to protect us."

Chen Zhao's personality makes it difficult for him to be valued in prosperous times, but it is different in troubled times. At this time, one has to rely on brains and fists to speak.

An extremely smart brain, or an extremely skilled person.

In the army, he must be able to lead troops into battle. Given his loyalty, Chen Xuyan has no worries at all that he will not be valued.

"It's chaotic outside now. It's not enough for me to learn alone. Gousheng and Goudan also need to learn so that we can protect you when the time comes." Chen Zhao also had his own plans in mind.

Although this plan may not seem wise in the eyes of others.

"You can wait until you finish your exams next year and then study with us for self-defense."

Chen Xuyan poured him a cup of tea and said, "I understand, brother."

"Everything is okay at home?"

It has started to get cold in Houyun City recently. It will start snowing in less than half a month. By then, it will not be easy to travel such a long distance.

"Everything is fine at home. Mother has already started buying things for the winter." Thanks to my younger brother, my mother gritted her teeth and bought some cotton, and used the cloth that Chen Xuyan had brought back before to make new winter clothes for everyone.

I also need to prepare a lot of food for the winter, and I bought a big fish tank.

This time he also came to see if the price of meat was appropriate.

"That's good. Don't be stingy, mother. I have sold a few storybooks recently, and they were bought by the shopkeeper in Phoenix County for a very high price." At the moment, there was still laughter and joy in Phoenix County. The young ladies were fascinated by the story of a heroine for the first time.

The men in the city were also fascinated by the story of the Phoenix Man who made a comeback with the help of the Yue family. His books sold very well, and there was no one to replace him.

He earned a full five hundred taels this time. The shopkeeper must have made a fortune, otherwise he would not have come to this small place of Houyun City to urge him to submit the manuscript and add more chapters.

"Since you have decided to take the exam, you must not neglect your studies." Chen Zhao was a little worried.

Chen Xuyan took out a bag from the house and said, "Take all these back with you."

"Don't worry, I only write in my free time. Otherwise, they wouldn't give me gifts to make me write faster."

Chen Zhao finally felt relieved. His younger brother had always been diligent in his studies and should not have missed out on important things.

......