W Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Chapter 70 “A-Yue also thinks brother is the best in the world…”

Chapter 70: Chapter 70 “A-Yue also thinks brother is the best in the world…”

After Ling Yue’s fever subsided, Ling Xing took him home.

The carriage was prepared by Lin Yu’an, and it thoughtfully contained medicine and food. When they parted, Lin Yu’an smiled kindly and carefully told them to be careful on the road. Ling Xing responded with a smile, thinking in his heart that he should still find Magistrate Lin as soon as possible when he got back.

It was already evening when they arrived at Xiao Liucun. Xie Qingya was so tired that he just wanted to go home and sleep, so Ling Xing said goodbye to him.

During this time, Xie Qingya hadn’t been selling tofu because he was accompanying him, and he would have to find a way to make up for the losses of the past few days.

Because it was too late, the coachman stayed at the Shen family’s house for the night and would return to the prefectural city tomorrow morning.

The Shen family members were naturally overjoyed to learn that Ling Yue and Shen Hui had both passed the children’s examination.

They pulled the coachman to the table to eat together, preparing a lot of meat dishes to celebrate.

Xu Youfang said with a smile: “This calls for a good celebration. I’ll go to town early tomorrow morning to buy malt sugar and some firecrackers to set off in the village, and deliver sugar to every household.”

Shen Chengshan said: “Second Son has gone to participate in the prefectural examination, so why don’t we wait a bit? If he passes the prefectural examination and becomes a scholar, we can celebrate together.”

Xu Youfang didn’t agree, “That’s going to be a while. A-Yue is already a child student now, there’s no reason to make A-Yue wait. Just consider it my celebration only for A-Yue.”

Sensing the unhappiness in Xu Youfang’s words, Shen Chengshan didn’t say anything more, but sighed softly.

Everyone else in the Shen family, including Ling Xing, could feel that Mother had been having opinions about Second Son recently, and not wanting to upset her, they didn’t say anything either.

They followed Xu Youfang’s wishes.

The coachman thanked the Shen family for their hospitality and suggested, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to town in the carriage tomorrow, so I can give you a ride.”

Xu Youfang certainly didn’t mind and quickly thanked him.

In the eastern room that night, Shen Chengshan lay in bed and, after struggling for a long time, finally asked, “It’s been several months, what exactly did Second Son do to make you so displeased?”

Shen Chengshan had asked several times in the past few months, but he hadn’t gotten an answer.

He had also privately asked Shen Hui, but his son wouldn’t say either.

It was really driving him crazy.

Xu Youfang turned over, uttering the nine-character mantra, “Don’t know, very annoying, going to sleep.”

Shen Chengshan turned his head to look, letting out a long sigh, alas—

What was going on!

Xu Youfang went to town early in the morning, the carriage being very fast.

Ling Xing, Shen Lai, and Shen Gui went to town to open their shops and set up their stalls. They didn’t take the convenient carriage with Xu Youfang; they got up early, and there were too many people to fit.

When they got to town, Ling Xing didn’t open shop right away, but went to the bookstore to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and also bought some good meat to make a teacher appreciation gift.

It was to be given to Scholar Lu.

Wang Juan had also helped a lot, so Ling Xing prepared a share for him as well, to be sent to him when he returned to the village.

After buying the things, Ling Xing went to the carriage and horse shop to rent a carriage and coachman to go to the county to find Magistrate Lin.

The sooner he knew what Magistrate Lin was up to, the more at ease he could be.

Wang Tuan wasn’t surprised to see Ling Xing. Magistrate Lin had instructed long ago that if Ling Xing came, he should be taken directly to see him.

Ling Xing didn’t come empty-handed either, holding two jars of pickled vegetables in his arms.

When they got to the familiar small pond, Ling Xing subconsciously glanced at the fish basket beside Lin Qingyu’s legs. Finding fish inside, he was quite surprised, “The magistrate’s fishing skills have improved a lot.”

Lin Qingyu laughed heartily, obviously very happy.

“I put a pile of fish food in there.”

As he spoke, he caught another one, big and fat, almost too heavy to pull up.

Ling Xing was inwardly shocked, how much fish food had he fed it!

Lin Qingyu unhooked the fish, his eyes looking at the two jars of pickled vegetables in Ling Xing’s hand, “Just right, today I’ll eat fish with pickled vegetables. Your pickled vegetables really taste good, I finished what you sent last time.”

Ling Xing’s ears twitched.

Lord Lin was referring to himself as “I” now, not “this official.”

Ling Xing put the pickled vegetable jars on the ground, slightly rotating his wrist that was a little sore, “If you like to eat it, sir, I’ll send more later.”

Lin Qingyu said without ceremony: “Okay, send it then.”

“I heard that Shen Er went to participate in the prefectural examination?”

Ling Xing guessed that the person who entertained them in the prefectural city had sent the message to Lord Lin, “Yes, and thank you very much for your help, sir, for having a place to stay and rest.”

Lin Qingyu put away his fishing rod, waving his hand dismissively, “It’s nothing, just a small favor.”

“By the way—”

Ling Xing paused, perking up his spirits. Here it comes, whatever Magistrate Lin was plotting was about to come.

“The sausage recipe you came up with last time was good, what can I exchange for it?”

Ling Xing was stunned for a moment, was that all?

He should have said he wanted the sausage recipe earlier. Lin Yu’an’s attitude had been so good, like giving a condemned prisoner a last meal. He had thought it was something extraordinary, and he hadn’t slept well.

But he didn’t want it when I offered it before, why does he suddenly want it now…?

Lin Qingyu saw Ling Xing’s curiosity, but he couldn’t explain the root cause.

A letter had come from the family, saying that the Emperor’s attitude towards the Lin family was very good, and they had begun to employ members of the Lin family.

He was asked to make some political achievements so that he could rise in the ranks logically.

Political achievements, the most direct thing is a good-looking financial situation.

Especially since the national treasury is currently short of money, if the finances of his little place go up, the family can make a splash in front of the Emperor with some maneuvering.

However, Yunshui County doesn’t have anything particularly outstanding, unlike some counties that produce pearls, some that produce good wine, and some that produce herbs…

Yunshui County isn’t outstanding, so he can only think of other ways to make money.

Food is the most important thing for the people, and if you do this well, you can make a lot of money.

Otherwise, County Deputy Zhou wouldn’t rely on his wife’s younger brother to rope in so much real money from Yunshui County.

Tossing the money back and forth within his own territory was just that, Lin Qingyu wanted to earn money from outside.

Then this thing must be able to last for a long time.

Sausages need meat and labor. If there’s a lot of foreign sales, it can also drive pig farmers and allow some people to have work to do.

If more pigs are raised, there will also be more manure. If there’s more manure, there will be more grain harvested.

This is a virtuous cycle.

The premise is that the business can be done.

Lin Qingyu was very confident in himself. As long as he got the recipe, he could sell it on the largest scale to the outside, directly driving the economy of Yunshui County.

The current problem is that he doesn’t have the recipe.

Lin Qingyu couldn’t mention a word about political affairs. He just waited for Ling Xing’s reaction.

Ling Xing wasn’t the type to get to the bottom of things, and whether he knew the reason or not wouldn’t have much of an impact.

Originally, Ling Xing wanted to give this recipe to Magistrate Lin. If Magistrate Lin had accepted it directly before, he could have done so completely. However, the magistrate didn’t want to be criticized, so he didn’t want it.

Now that he could exchange it for something else, Ling Xing wouldn’t push the benefits away.

He thought for a moment, hesitating, “I’d like Magistrate Lin to find me a doctor who is willing to teach a ge’er medicine, and one who is truly knowledgeable.”

He could earn money himself, and the Lin family provided enough books, so after thinking about it, what he lacked was a doctor who could teach Shen Lai medicine.

This matter wasn’t easy to handle, at least Ling Xing had no clue.

Lin Qingyu indeed frowned.

Ling Xing was about to say that if it was difficult, he could see if any of the men in the family wanted to study medicine, teach a man, and then let him teach Little Fifth.

He could learn medicine flexibly.

But then he heard Magistrate Lin chuckle, “Is this little request worth you hesitating so much?”

“Forget it, you’re an honest child. If I give you the opportunity to ask for the moon, you’ll only grin. Like this, I’ll give you a courtyard in the county. Also, doesn’t your family have two people studying? The county academy will give two more places.”

Ling Xing’s eyes widened, he was giving so much!

But he wasn’t overwhelmed by the benefits, “Isn’t the county academy only for people who have passed the scholar examination?”

Magistrate Lin glanced at him, tsking, “Have you never suffered a loss for being so law-abiding? That’s how it is to the public, but if you pay more money, then you have the opportunity to enter. However, the number of places is limited every year, and you have to have connections to get them.”

Ling Xing nodded blankly, so that’s how it was.

Magistrate Lin thoughtfully said, “If Shen Er passes on his own, then convert his place into a shop. I heard you opened a snack shop in town, and the business is very good?”

Ling Xing didn’t expect Magistrate Lin to know so much. If Ling Yue really went to study at the county academy, he would definitely have to live in the county.

If he lived in the county, then the business would naturally have to be done in the county.

Then the shop and business in town would need to be adjusted.

Ling Xing hadn’t thought about not coming to the county. In any case, the county academy was the best place to study in the entire Yunshui County.

The teachers inside were the most amazing in Yunshui County, and he wanted Ling Yue to get the best education possible.

Ling Xing replied, “The business is okay, and I think it can be done in the county. Then let’s do as you say, sir.”

Lin Qingyu was very satisfied, “That’s straightforward.”

Ling Xing wrote out the sausage recipe on the spot, and the title deed and key to the courtyard that Lin Qingyu promised to give Ling Xing had been prepared long ago.

“The places in the county academy will have to wait until Shen Er’s prefectural examination results come out. At that time, you bring the ge’er who wants to study medicine, and I will arrange a doctor.”

Ling Xing wasn’t worried that Lin Qingyu would break his word. If he really were that kind of person, he wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.

He directly handed over the sausage recipe, took the title deed and key, and left the county government office.

Suddenly becoming rich and having a courtyard in the county, Ling Xing naturally wanted to go and take a look.

He had the coachman drive there, and found that the location of the courtyard was quite good.

It was quite close to the county academy, and there was a downtown area nearby, making it convenient to do anything.

The front of the courtyard looked a bit old, and there were weeds on the walls. It was probably abandoned for some time, and if someone wanted to live in it, they would have to find someone to clean it up and repair it properly.

Ling Xing didn’t stay long, got into the carriage, and returned to Yunxia Town.

……

Ling Yue passing the children’s examination was a bigger sensation in Xiao Liucun than Shen Hui passing the children’s examination, mainly because Ling Yue was too young.

The villagers got malt sugar from Xu Youfang, and were beaming, calling him a little prodigy and a little genius.

Scholar Lu knew that Ling Yue had passed the children’s examination, and he praised him to everyone he met. This was also glory on the face of him, the teacher!

This made Scholar Lu’s grandson feel very uncomfortable with Ling Yue. On the one hand, he envied Ling Yue for passing the children’s examination and also thought Ling Yue was very amazing. On the other hand, he was jealous of Ling Yue. His grandfather had never been so happy or praised him like this.

The village chief got the news and even came to the Shen family with Village Elder Zhu to congratulate them.

Learning that Shen Hui had gone to the prefectural city to continue the exam, the village chief’s eyebrows were full of smiles, saying that he was looking forward to good news from Shen Hui.

Village Elder Zhu was, besides the Shen family, the person in Xiao Liucun who most wanted Shen Hui to pass the scholar examination.

If Shen Hui passed, that would be beneficial to their village.

Because Xiao Liucun had a Scholar Lu, no one dared to bully their village.

Scholars could speak face-to-face with the big shots.

Compared to them, who toiled in the fields for food, they were already not on the same level.

Their Xiao Liucun had no foundation here, and they couldn’t compete with other villages when they went out to find work.

Other villages would also gang up and bully them, especially when it came to watering the fields.

Surrounding villages would fight for water and join forces to ostracize them, making them the last to water.

They could wait, but the crops couldn’t!

In the end, it was they who suffered the impact on the harvest, but there was nowhere to reason, and it was difficult to speak out.

But if there was a scholar in the village, it would be different. No one would dare to provoke scholars.

Not to mention that Shen Hui was different from other scholars who couldn’t lift a shoulder or a hand. If they caused trouble under his nose, if words didn’t work, he could use force.

In short, he had plenty of ways to deal with people.

Village Elder Zhu thought about the scene of the village having a scholar to support them, and he could laugh in his dreams. He was looking forward to Shen Hui passing the scholar examination day and night.

Ling Xing opened the shop for half a day. When he went home in the evening, he told the Shen family about the matters in the county.

The Shen family members listened in a daze, and couldn’t help but sigh that Brother Xing was born with good fortune!

At the same time, they were also very grateful to Ling Xing, who always remembered them. When exchanging the recipe for things, he only thought about Little Fifth studying medicine.

Shen Lai was even more moved, throwing himself into Ling Xing’s arms and sobbing, “Brother-in-law, you’re the very, very, very best! The best in the world!”

He could finally study medicine!

Ling Yue glanced at Shen Lai’s actions, and after withdrawing his gaze, couldn’t help but glance again.

In the end, he also hugged Ling Xing with a blushing face, his slightly hoarse voice very low. Just thinking about what he was going to say later, he couldn’t help but feel shy.

“A-Yue also thinks brother is the best in the world.”

Ling Xing and the Shen family members couldn’t help but laugh, raising their heads. The little cub, who was usually as rule-abiding as a little adult, had also learned to be coquettish and jealous today.

Now that they had decided to go to the county, the shop and business in town needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

The results of Shen Hui’s prefectural examination would come out soon, and when he came back, he would go directly to the county, with no time to delay.

Ling Xing had also thought about what to do and directly told the family his thoughts while they were all there.

“I want to give the snack shop in town to Third Sister to run. At that time, she can let Third Sister’s husband come down the mountain and run it as a husband-and-wife shop.”

He had given the pickled vegetable skills to Shen Gui, was taking Little Fifth to study medicine, and it wouldn’t do for the married-out Shen Yan to have nothing.

Giving the town shop business to Shen Yan was the best.

She was also very good at cooking, so it would be easier for her to learn.

There were already many people in the Zhao family, and subtracting one Zhao Changming would save the family some food.

Moreover, when Shen Gui was busy with pickled vegetables, the Zhao family could come down the mountain to help and earn some money, so they wouldn’t disagree with letting Zhao Changming run a shop down the mountain for a long time.

There was no reason to push away a money-making job.

Shen Yan didn’t expect to have anything to do with her, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t touched or happy. She was almost moved to death with happiness.

Everyone said that a married-out daughter and a ge’er were like water that had been poured out. It was already very good that her parents and siblings didn’t dislike her living at home, and her brother-in-law was wholeheartedly thinking of pulling her up to make money.

Her eyes turned red, and she couldn’t speak for a while. Her eldest brother-in-law was really the best person.

Xu Youfang touched her daughter’s hair, looking at Ling Xing with gratitude, “Xing-ge’er, thank you.”

Ling Xing shook his head with a smile.

Feelings were mutual. The Shen family treated him well, so he thought about them and hoped that they would be well too.

Shen Yan wanted to learn to make soup dumplings, pig skin jelly, cold noodles, sesame sauce, and other homemade seasonings from Ling Xing.

She listened carefully, was diligent, and learned quickly, but Shen Yan didn’t learn cold noodles.

Consistent with Ling Xing’s previous plan, Cao Manyue continued to make cold noodles, and the two split the profits.

Cao Manyue knew that Third Sister was thinking of her and accepted the kindness.

Shen Yan also discussed with Ling Xing, with the total income of the shop being split 50-50 with Ling Xing, and paying rent separately each month.

Shen Chengshan took the lead in speaking, saying that Ling Xing wouldn’t have to hand over money to the family finances in the future, and they would give Ling Xing money separately.

Shen Lai wanted to go with him to the county, and expenses would cost money.

This money couldn’t be paid by Ling Xing.

The Shen family insisted, and Ling Xing could only nod in agreement.

Xu Youfang and Shen Chengshan took Shen Yan and the children to the mountains to see the Zhao family.

Zhao Changming was, after all, a labor force in the family. It was okay to come down the mountain to help for a few days occasionally, but staying down the mountain all the time, the family would lack a labor force, which was different.

Even if it was for the Zhao family’s good, the two families needed to discuss it, rather than just one side saying what was what.

The Shen family elders were set on deciding, so their attitude had to be better and more sincere.

They couldn’t let people think that their family was bullying others with their power, saying whatever they wanted under the banner of doing good.

When the Zhao family saw the Shen family coming, they were very welcoming. None of them had a bad attitude, and they all greeted them with smiles.

The brothers who had gone down the mountain to the Shen family to help before the new year had all returned home with money.

The family’s savings suddenly increased, and the new year wasn’t as lifeless as before.

It was just that Zhao Changming had been depressed all along.

Well, only his wife and children weren’t at home, and he was all alone, looking quite pitiful.

At this time, when Zhao Changming saw Shen Yan and the children, he finally showed a smile on his face, his eyes staring intently, wanting his wife to look at him more.

Shen Yan was embarrassed to be stared at so much. There were so many people here, and she hugged the children and hid behind Xu Youfang a little.

The Zhao family elders had originally planned to wait for the weather to warm up in the spring and bring some things down the mountain to pick up Shen Yan and the children to go home.

It wasn’t right to keep living at her parents’ house.

They hadn’t expected the Shen family to come up the mountain first.

Zhao Old Madam stepped forward in time, taking Shen Yan’s hand, and said with relief, “You’ve suffered before, I told you, it’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back.”

Shen Yan had been eating well during this time in the Shen family, gaining some weight, looking rosy-cheeked and radiant.

Zhao Old Madam also looked at her grandson, who was also plump and fair.

She couldn’t help but sigh in her heart, worrying: Alas, the in-laws’ family is really developed, can Changming and Yan’er still get along in the future?

The Zhao family elders invited Shen Chengshan and the others into the house to sit down. Liu Qihua wasn’t as hysterical as she had been the last time they met, but respectfully brought hot water.

The family was poor, and there was no tea or sugar, so they could only drink plain water.

Fortunately, Shen Chengshan and Xu Youfang didn’t mind.