CH 54

Didn’t he just pass the county examination and become a xiucai? Why would he still get beaten up?

Qiao Yuan was puzzled, but seeing the tense expression on Yu Shanwu’s face, he quickly put on his clothes and went to the old house with Yu Dameng.

Upon arriving at the old house, they realized it was a false alarm.

“Last night, the county magistrate held a banquet, and there were dancing girls accompanying the guests. One of the dancers got a bit too close, and that’s how the fragrance powder ended up on me.”

Yu Xiangxue noticed that Meng Qiu’s expression changed at the mention of the dancer and hastily explained, “I moved away immediately!”

Qiao Yuan glanced at the powder residue on Yu Xiangxue’s left shoulder. For it to have reached there, his face must have been in very close contact with hers. No wonder Meng Qiu misunderstood.

“The county magistrate intended to recruit me, but I did not want to accept, which made him somewhat unhappy. I was afraid you all would worry, so I didn’t tell the truth just now.”

After listening to his detailed explanation, Meng Qiu also calmed down. Yu Xiangxue had been married to him for two years and had always loved and respected him. He was a gentleman, and even if he really fell out of love one day, he should bring that person to him. Meng Qiu knew that he had made a fool of himself and said guiltily, “I…shouldn’t have overthought.”

Lin Cuifen protected him, “It’s not your fault. Who asked him to be so vague when he came home? He didn’t explain clearly from the beginning!”

Meng Qiu turned pale and almost fainted when he recognized the fragrance on his shoulder. When Old Man Yu and Lin Cuifen saw this, they asked where Yu Xiangxue had gone. At first, he didn’t realize he had been exposed and said he had rushed back to the village from the county town overnight. This obviously didn’t match the current situation, and Old Man Yu became angry and chased after Yu Xiangxue, wanting to hit him.

Meng Qiu was now more than seven months pregnant and could not withstand major emotional fluctuations. Qiao Yuan also comforted him, saying, “It’s inevitable to have many thoughts during pregnancy.”

Yu Xiangxue took Meng Qiu back to the room, coaxed him for a while, and then came out to tell everyone the truth.

Surprisingly, the county magistrate intended to make him his son-in-law!

Lin Cuifen cursed, “This despicable person dares to break up someone else’s marriage!”

Even if she did not know many words, she understood the principle of not destroying a marriage for the sake of tearing down a temple. Moreover, someone who abandons their faithful wife after achieving success is no different from a heartless and treacherous person.

She looked at Yu Xiangxue with a deep gaze.

Yu Xiangxue sighed, “Mother, I would never do such things. However, let’s keep this matter from Qiu Ge’er. I’m afraid he would overthink.”

All the members of the Yu family nodded. However, Qiao Yuan was still not at ease and asked, “Brother, will this offend the county magistrate and affect your future imperial examinations?”

“It’s fine,” Yu Xiangxue stood with hands behind his back, a sharpness in his eyes unseen before. “He’s just a seventh-rank county magistrate, and his influence doesn’t extend that far.”

On the way back, Qiao Yuan became increasingly frustrated as he thought about it, “The higher the rank, the more oppressive the officials are!”

Since coming here, Qiao Yuan had conducted his business diligently. Apart from dealing with the Qiao family, who were somewhat troublesome, he hadn’t encountered much difficulty. He initially believed that with his and Yu Dameng’s financial support and Yu Laoda succeeding in the imperial examinations and becoming an official, they wouldn’t face much trouble.

Now, he realized that a seventh-rank county magistrate could do whatever he wanted and oppress people. Although there was currently no problem, the autumn examination was still nearly half a year away. During this period, it was difficult to guarantee that the useless county magistrate would not hold a grudge and create obstacles.

As a precaution, Qiao Yuan decided to write a letter to Chu Li, asking him to investigate the county magistrate at that time and perhaps obtain a lifeline.

He couldn’t afford to donate his hard-earned profits in vain; it was crucial to have a means of saving his life when needed!

After Qiao Yuan dictated and Yu Dameng wrote the letter, the pair ate breakfast before heading late to their shops.

Qiao Yuan’s store had enough staff to manage, but Yu Dameng was busy. Although spring had arrived and there were fewer orders for custom-made stoves for warmth, many merchants and vendors had ordered large charcoal stoves for their food businesses, which were expensive and profitable. Additionally, with the approaching busy farming season, there was a high demand for repairing farming tools, keeping them occupied.

Yu Dameng accompanied Qiao Yuan to the entrance of Yu Qiao Ji, and they parted ways.

Qiao Yuan kissed Yu Dameng on the cheek, gave him a quick hug, and then happily got off the cart. “I’ll bring you delicious food for lunch.”

Yu Dameng nodded, feeling wonderfully sweet inside as if he had eaten honey, and drove away.

Qiao went to inspect the shop and found that there was nothing for him to do. He then focused on practicing calligraphy.

After a period of reading, he could recognize most of the commonly used characters of this era, but when it came to writing, he still had to refer to books, which was quite laborious. Determined to improve, he practiced diligently.

He was sitting by the window in a second-floor private room facing the street. The spring sun was not yet scorching, and it shone warmly on him, which was quite pleasant.

After practicing for a long time, Qiao Yuan looked up and saw that the sun was high. He was about to move to the kitchen to cook something delicious for Yu Dameng when he heard Ma Shun’er shouting downstairs, saying an important guest was at the door.

Qiao Yuan went downstairs to see, and it turned out to be Zhang Wensheng.

His expression changed instantly, and his tone wasn’t too friendly. “What brings Scholar Zhang here?”

Zhang Wensheng smiled and walked around the shop with his hands behind his back before posing dramatically, “Yuan Ge’er, have you regretted it yet?”

Qiao Yuan was speechless!

How narcissistic could someone be? Fortunately, the shop wasn’t busy at this hour; otherwise, his reputation would have suffered even more!

“Pah!” Qiao Yuan placed one hand on his hip and pointed at him with the other. “Who do you think you are? You’re nothing special!”

Zhang Wensheng took two steps back, looking incredulous.

How did the gentle and considerate Yuan Ge’er turn so rude?

Qiao Yuan continued criticizing him, “Who do you think you are? You are nothing but a person who is greedy for fame and fortune and forgets gratitude and loyalty!”

“So what if you’re a xiucai? My husband’s elder brother is one too. He even placed first in the rankings. He is far more accomplished than you!” Qiao Yuan mocked. “You became a xiucai at nineteen. It wouldn’t be surprising if you don’t pass the provincial exams even by the time you’re fifty!”

This really hit Zhang Wensheng’s sore spot, and he immediately lost his scholarly demeanor. He stomped his feet and gritted his teeth, saying, “I will definitely pass the provincial examination this autumn!”

As a young genius with the support of the county magistrate, how could he not excel!

Qiao Yuan dismissively said, “We’ll see about that.”

Intent on mocking him, Qiao Yuan smirked as he continued, “I’m quite skilled in physiognomy. Your pointed forehead, broad cheeks, and long face all suggest a lack of blessings. You definitely won’t pass!”

Zhang Wensheng was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. He trembled all over and said a few curt words, “Since you don’t know how to repent, then just wait and see. But don’t come to me for help when the time comes!”

After speaking, he brushed his sleeves and left.

Qiao sneered and turned to Ma Shun’er, who was still standing there without daring to speak. “Don’t tell my husband about this.”

If Yu Dameng found out, he would definitely go beat him up. Now that Zhang Wensheng had the title of a xiucai, it was illegal to assault him. It was not worth taking risks for someone like him.

With Zhang Wensheng gone, Qiao Yuan was in a good mood. Humming a tune, he went to the kitchen to prepare something delicious for Yu Dameng.

Seeing Yu Dameng further lifted his mood.

Seeing him happy also made Yu Dameng happy. Curiously, he asked him, “What’s the matter? Why are you so happy?”

Qiao Yuan bounced over to Yu Dameng’s side and coquettishly said, “Seeing you makes me happy!”

Yu Dameng scratched his head and laughed foolishly. No matter how long they had been together, he couldn’t resist the straightforward words of Qiao Yuan.

Yu Dameng scratched his head, looking somewhat foolish. No matter how long they had been together, he couldn’t resist Qiao Yuan’s straightforward words.

Qiao Yuan pouted before pinching Yu Dameng’s waist, threatening, “What, you’re not happy seeing me?”

“No!” Yu Dameng smoothly embraced him and gave him a kiss. “Seeing you makes me happy every day.”

Being flattered, Qiao Yuan achieved his goal and became even happier.

The two of them fed each other and ate lunch while being affectionate with each other. After resting for a while, Yu Dameng started working while Qiao Yuan was idle and stayed in the iron shop to accompany him.

Since Yu Xiangxue had become a xiucai and topped the exam rankings, the news had spread throughout Yunshui County. That afternoon, many parents brought children to the iron shop, eager to bask in the scholarly aura of the top scorer.

Today, Old Man Yu did not come to the shop and stayed at home to help Yu Xiangxue entertain guests. Qiao Yuan took the initiative to give these people some discounts, which attracted many future regular customers for the shop. This will not be mentioned for now.

Three days later, the Yu family held a celebratory banquet for Yu Xiangxue.

Originally, they planned to host it on the second day after Yu Xiangxue returned home, but the Zhang family held banquets for three consecutive days.

Not wanting to clash with their celebration and cause a dilemma for the villagers, the Yu family decided to wait until the Zhang family’s event concluded before holding their banquet.

Following Yu Xiangxue’s preference, considering he was currently only a xiucai and didn’t want to make an extravagant display, the Yu family intended to host a banquet for one day, inviting Yu Xiangxue’s former teachers, classmates, and villagers.

The head chef was the same one who had assisted Qiao Yuan in the previous banquet. With skillful hands, he prepared eight meat dishes, four vegetarian dishes, and four dim sum dishes, filling the plates to the brim.

After taking a hearty bite of meat, a villager commented, “Now, this is a proper feast!”

Qiao Yuan knew that something had happened at Zhang’s family banquet a few days ago, and he was happy to watch the joke, so he listened on the side.

The person said, “What is going on with the Zhang family’s affairs!”

Another person agreed, “Exactly! The dishes look good on the plate, but none of them taste good, and there’s hardly any meat! Don’t think I don’t know. The dishes he served inside are completely different from what we’re eating outside!”

“I thought it was not easy for our village to produce a xiucai. Still, all those expensive gifts are a waste of money. People look down on us. Look at Zhang Wensheng’s mother; her nose is practically in the air!”

“Don’t even mention it. I’ve never seen anything like that at other banquets! The host just left people sitting there, only serving distinguished guests.”

“But I have to admit, becoming a xiucai is a good thing. When I attended the banquet, I saw many rich people going to Zhang’s house, and I heard they were all bringing gifts of money.”

Another villager sighed. “We still have to work hard and send our kids to study. Hopefully, they’ll also become xiucai one day! Hahaha…”

Qiao Yuan also laughed when he heard it. He thought that Zhang Wensheng might really have some real talent and knowledge. After studying hard for a long time, he passed the imperial examination and became a xiucai. However, he was already so arrogant and conceited with just this achievement. In the future, he would inevitably lose himself and his knowledge in the flattery and praise of those around him.

In contrast, Yu Xiangxue remained humble and composed. According to Lin Cuifen, he had become even more diligent in his studies after the incident with the county magistrate seeking a son-in-law. He treated others with respect, declining the gifts from the gentry but still managing to send them away with a smile. This, Qiao Yuan thought, was a more prudent and far-sighted approach.

As Yu Dameng added more food to Qiao Yuan’s plate, he snapped out of his thoughts, realizing there was no point in thinking about unrelated matters. His happiness at the moment was the most important thing.

Smiling, Qiao Yuan pointed and said, “I want more fish!”

The next day, the Zhang family really caused trouble, and the whole village knew about it.

It turned out that Zhang Wensheng intended to marry the daughter of the county magistrate and make Qiao Yingying his concubine.

How could Qiao Yingying, who is proud and arrogant, tolerate it? She caused a scene at home and went back to her parent’s house.

However, she was promptly sent back by Qiao Guangzhi in the afternoon, claiming she was willing to become a concubine. As a result, Qiao Guangzhi obtained an official post at the county office and enjoyed great popularity for a while, with many social interactions.

Qiao Yuan sighed that it was true that when one person succeeds, the whole family benefits. He had a bad feeling and was afraid that these two people would team up to retaliate against him. He hoped that Chu Li would reply to him soon.

But it was only a few days before the shop had an accident.

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