Chapter 74

Yesterday after bringing the old lady and other back, Ling Qiyun did not go to his private school not far away home. He only sent his biggest grandson of the first wife Ling Jinghong to inform the kids to go home. After Ling Chenglong and his wife went back, the old man asked the biggest son Ling Chengcai to send the old woman back to her own family in their face. Finally under his sons and grandsons’ pleading, the old woman stayed. But as Ling Chenglong anticipated, dividing the family and moving out to live alone went nowhere.

When the couple returned to their own room, Lady Wang could not help but tearing. Apparently having known the old man dig a pit and wait for them to jump in, they still chose to jump in,  while others, except receiving some scolding from the old man, got no punishment at all. If it had been before, they would only think the old lady was partial, the old man just turned a blind eyes and did not care. But seen from now, even the old man was partial to others.

“Mother, one heart is born partial. So many years have passed and we are already used to it. Anyway, my big brother and others are all OK. So, forget about it. If my illness can really be cured, I will take the imperial examination. As long as I can get a title, no one in this family would dare bully us as they want.”

Finally, it was ling Jinghan’s words soothed her. Filial piety was like a mountains pressing over their heads. What can they do expect persuading themselves? The ones who bulled them were their parents.

“Jingpeng, you are home? Good. Dinner is ready. Put things down and come eat some food.”

When Ling Jingpeng carrying two jars came back home, Lady Li, his big uncle’s wife who was missing yesterday, welcomed him as usual, like nothing had happened yesterday at all.

Lady Li was the old lady’s niece, who would always know how to please the old lady, also was generous and virtuous among those wives, also gentle and loving before the juniors. But Ling Jingpeng did not like him since he was little. It was not that he was smarter than others and could see her true color beneath that face, but one time, accidentally overheard that she complained before his big uncle that his parents had spent too much on someone who was destined to die. Since then, he distanced himself from her.

“Morning, auntie.”

Not infected by her enthusiasm, Ling Jingpeng nodded at random, carried the pots and walked into the yard.

“Bah! Who does he think he is? Sister-law-law, ignore him. He is just a bastard who only eats free food. Such an ungrateful thing!”

Behind, Ling Chenghua’s abusing clearly went into his ears. Ling Jingpeng indifferently closed the door, also indirectly cut off those annoying dialogues outside.

“Jingpeng, you are back. It’s time to carry fish from Jingxuan’s place. Why did you come back?”

Seeing his son, who didn’t get up early to do chores for the first time due to anger, Lady Wang hurriedly dropped the work of wiping the table and went to his side. Ling Chenglong, who was hunkering aside also gave him a strange look.

“My big brother asked me to take the decocted medicine over for my second brother. Ge, how you feeling now after taking the medicine big brother prescribed for you? Any better?”

Waving the pot in his hand, Ling Jingpeng poured two bowls of it and sent to Ling Jinghan’s bed, while caring about his situation.

“How can it be that fast? But I did cough much less last night. And I also barely coughed this morning when I was talking. It works, I guess.”

Holding up his body and taking over the bowl of herbs, Ling Jinghan said with a smile. Compared with the expectations of his parents and brothers, he already held no big hope for his own illness, in case he would get a bigger blow if it failed.

“It will work. Tell you what. Our big brother’s medical skills are superb. The prescription preventing the plague we took yesterday is from him. He ever earned ten taels of silver out of it! So, ge, rest assured. I believe big brother will cure you.”

Thinking of Ling Wen’s words, Ling Jingpeng leaned forward and said into his ear excitedly. Except the few of them, no other one knew it.

“What? Didn’t he just buy it since he happened to meet someone with plague? Since when it becomes his prescription?”

Hearing that, Lady Wang and Ling Chenglong also walked over. Even Ling Jinghan who was taking the medicine put down the bowl. Plague was no common colds. Every time a plague broke out, even those renowned so-called miracle doctors could do nothing. How could Ling Jingxuan even make a prescription for precaution? Are his medical skills that good?

“As for the details, I also have no idea. I heard it from Xiaowen saying that my big brother has superb medical skills and my second brother’s illness could be cured. And after he is cured, maybe he could join the county examination, and maybe become a xiucai next spring, and then a juren in autumn, and a jinshi the spring the year after next. And our good days would come.”

The more Ling Jingpeng thought about it, the more excited, like the scene that his second brother passed the imperial examination already became true. Even Ling Chenglong and his wife instantly forgot about the previous doubts and put on a smile one after another. If so, their good days were near.

“As you wish! Do you think the imperial examination is so easy to pass? Didn’t you see that our grandpa hasn’t made one step further for all these years?”

Ling Jinghan was rational enough. He poked his head and smiled helplessly, and also punctured his sweet dream. Ling Jingpeng wrinkled his nose and complained, “He couldn’t pass it doesn’t mean you can not. Maybe you can really pass it!”

Besides his brother, he admired his second brother most. Maybe because having lying in bed for too long, he was the most knowledgeable one in the family, even better that the old man…It was just…the ill body held him back from joining the imperial examination.

“Well, that’s all in the future. About dividing up the family, did big brother say something?”

Wanting to draw a stop on this matter, Ling Jinghan secretly switched the topic. Others may not know, but not him. The one who wanted to divide up the family should be his younger brother absolutely. When their big brother got thrown out of the family, they were only nine years old, and he could already tell his younger brother had been thinking about how to divide up the family and live alone.

“No, he just said yesterday was not the right time and asked us to wait.”

Speaking of this topic, Ling Jingpeng’s shoulders sank, looking a bit upset. Yesterday was such a good chance! How could he say it was not the right time?”

Ling Chenglong and his wife also felt troubled on this thing. When something wasn’t put above the table, people would only play dumb and days could go on. Once it was put above the table, days in the future would only be more difficult.

“Hmm, mom and dad, you don’t have to worry too much. I think big brother is right. Yesterday’s opportunity was not good. If grandpa really agreed to let us move out, wouldn’t it confirm the fact that grandma bullies his son and daughter-in-law as an elder? That is absolutely a shame to Ling family. Grandpa would never allow that to happen. You saw it with your own eyes. After all, they have been married for dozens of years, besides, they are your parents. You can’t see grandpa getting sent home because of this, can you? So, even if my big brother didn’t deny it, things would still go that way. So let’s listen to my big brother and wait. Maybe a bigger good chance is waiting ahead.”

Touching the chin, after a moment of silence, Ling Jinghan raised his head to look at his obviously worried and upset parents, he felt that it seemed that his big brother had already had a plan, he just did not tell them yet.

“Ah, since you also said so, we’ll wait. Jinghan, take the medicine. We won’t think of anything for now, we only hope that you’d be cured. As long as you three brothers could stay healthy, we’d rather live here for the rest of our life.”

Ling Chenglong and his wife gave each other a look, and sighed helplessly. Except waiting, what could they do? Anyway, they couldn’t lift a knife and force their parents to divide up the family, right? Such unfilial thing, they really couldn’t do.

“Hmm, I’ll also listen to my two elder brothers.”

Although he still couldn’t let it go so easily, Ling Jingpeng still felt a bit pacified after Ling Jinghan’s explanation. When left carrying the pot, it was almost half an hour later.