Free Web NovelChapter 36: Chapter 36
Chapter 36
"Xiao Heng, we just came to visit. With the snow so high, may we come in and talk inside your house?"
"Sigh, this house is always so chaotic. Maybe next year we should consider moving to a house in the city, or perhaps build a wall around this one," Yueqian said without caring.
It seems no matter what, there are always demands from them. These people should be taught a lesson by the authorities to deter them from repeating their behavior.
"Um, perhaps you are being too harsh, Granddaughter-in-law. We came in goodwill today," Ji Chuang interjected, though her expression was not pleasant, she refrained from scolding.
"Am I being too harsh? I should be the one asking you if you’ve gone too far. I have never seen any uncles, aunts, or grandparents constantly make demands from their relatives who have their own households. Only you do that. What more do you want? Do you want the land back? The 7 mu of farmland that you so desire? Well then, husband, you can give it back to them. I will ask to reclaim the 50 mu back from Grandfather Mu for you to farm on."
Yueqian ended the conversation. She asked them as if she was extremely exhausted, mentally. All that Mu Heng owed them was just 7 mu of farmland. Any other gratitude or grudge had been settled before they split the household. Wait, no. In fact, even after the split, these people were still pestering them endlessly. Instead of living quietly and happily, they kept meddling.
"Ah, don’t be like that, Granddaughter-in-law Qin. We didn’t come for any trouble. The land that was divided for farming is not in question,” the elder man quickly said, fearing they might lose the right to the 50 mu of land for farming.
"Brother Heng, sister-in-law, it’s actually because of us, I apologize for bothering you," Xiao Feng, who had been quiet, finally spoke. He admitted it was his fault, even though he had promised the sister-in-law to keep this matter confidential. But this winter was too quiet; besides sleeping, they had nothing else to do, so they started playing like children.
He had set up a play area with wood and filled it with snow to play with Xiao Fu, Lan’er, and Lin’er, writing characters as they had secretly learned from their sister-in-law. While they were enjoying themselves, Xiao Fong and Lu’er, Ji Chuang’s and the eldest uncle’s children, came out and saw this. They tried to steal the playground but didn’t know how to play.
The two ended up crying and complained to their mothers, leading to an investigation into what they were playing and why Ji Chuang’s children were not allowed to join.
The kids accidentally revealed they were practicing writing, Xiao Feng and Lu’er did not know this, so they cried, turning the situation into a big issue. Yi Fan, their mother, was thrilled that her children, Xiao Fu, Lin’er, and Lan’er, were all knowledgeable.
Ji Chuang was upset. Even though her son Xiao Feng was knowledgeable, he did not share with his two younger siblings, leading to Xiao Feng countering that the knowledge he gained was from asking the sister-in-law to teach him. Xiao Fong and Lu’er were not close to Mu Heng’s household and never visited the sister-in-law, so how could they learn anything? They just sat at home playing by themselves all day.
And that was the reason everyone rushed here.
They knew that even if the kids came by themselves, Mu Heng might not allow his wife to teach Xiao Fong and Lu’er. The others came hoping she would continue teaching their children.
When Mu Heng heard Xiao Feng’s words, he immediately frowned in displeasure. Regardless of how guilty the other party felt, they were causing them trouble. The husband looked at his wife apologetically; if he hadn’t invited the children into their home that day, this chaos would not have ensued.
"Xiao Heng, you know that passing the examinations to become a scholar and entering civil service is the dream of our Mu family. Since the establishment of our family, no one has yet achieved this, which is a great disgrace. If there is such an opportunity, as the current head of the Mu family, I would kneel and beg you to teach the children," the elderly man sincerely stated.
He did not merely speak; he knelt in the biting cold snow, pleading for mercy from his nephew.
Seeing this, Mu Heng almost rushed to lift the elder from the ground. But others also agree with him, including the usually evil Yi Fan and the rude Ji Chuang, who also knelt beside him. The uncles did the same, and even Grandmother Zhu joined them. She looked at the two children who were her hope with pleading eyes.
Only Mu Tian stood with arms crossed, displeased, the only one among them without children or a spouse, never having had suitors come to her door. This visit was significantly disadvantageous for her; she only came to see if they truly possessed knowledge, not to beg anyone for anything.
"Everyone, please stand up; let’s discuss this inside," Yueqian exhaled in frustration. Such minor knowledge wasn’t a significant issue; the fault lay with the adults, who were far too annoying. These children were innocent.
Moreover, some kids were easy to manage, merely saying they’d observe Xiao Long and Huan’er practicing their writing, and they did just that. Yueqian didn’t see it as a problem.
She was merely annoyed by the adults, the parents of the children.
Hearing her words, everyone stood up, excited as it seemed Yueqian had softened towards them; otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed them to stand, right?
After everyone entered the house, they were immediately greeted by the aroma of food, in stark contrast to their daily hard, grill pancake. These children were eating such fragrantly scented meals, seemingly even including meat.
Yueqian walked inside first, followed soon by others. Initially, their eyes searched for the source of the aroma, but they found only unfamiliar, hard dough sheets. Beside them was a clear broth that seemed to contain nothing—just plain hot water. Their eyes returned to each other in confusion.
They all smelled the food, but why wasn’t there any meat visible?
Mu Heng and the children also entered, initially thinking they’d have to lose delicious food. Unexpectedly, upon arrival, they found only strange dough sheets and a few sheets of paper—proof that they were indeed practicing their writing.
"Please sit down, everyone. Xiao Long, take the food back to the kitchen; we’ll eat when we have time," Yueqian called her brother-in-law over, signaling him that they would dine after the guests had departed.
"What is this odd dough? Is this your food?" Grandfather Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking they must be living comfortably.
"Yes, these dough sheets are dry food that came with my dowry. They can last a year, but since I didn’t think the children here don’t know how to write, I invested all my remaining money in buying them stationery, as I didn’t want them to be uneducated. Meanwhile, they endure eating this hard food to survive," Yueqian explained with a modest smile.
Her words silenced those who wanted to seize the paper and books from her.
"As you know, education requires substantial funds. If you want the children to learn, you need to bring your own supplies. These days, we only eat once a day just to survive this crisis," Yueqian added emphatically, pretending to affectionately stroke Huan’s hair’s bun. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"And what about your dowry? Why not use them to pay for food first?" Ji Chuang pretended to peer into the storeroom, unaware that all of Yueqian’s dowry had already been stored in a dimension before their arrival, leaving only empty chests in view.
"Are you suggesting I sell these chests for food? Could I sell them to you? I’ve tried to sell them to others, but no one wants them," Yueqian smiled as if she already resigned.
"T... Then... the money..."
"I’ve already spent it all on land."
"And the ginger..."
"I’ve sold that too. Is there anything else you see in my house? If there is, let me know, and I’ll sell that too." Yueqian hurriedly showed them around, satisfying their curiosity. Those who saw her home devoid of valuables were extremely surprised.
In fact, part of the reason Yueqian let them in was to show them that there was nothing left for them to covet in her modest home.
"Couldn’t you sell some of the land? Return it to the government?"
"How could I? The land is in my mother’s name. Even if I were to die, it would still revert to her and then to my younger siblings in the capital," Yueqian stuck to her planned response.
The others were taken aback at this point.
"How expensive are these textbooks that you’ve spent all your dowry?"
"You could try looking in the city market yourself. Not only that, but we also have to buy clothes. I don’t even know why my husband’s home doesn’t have any good clothes to wear, even though people in town say he is very skilled, both in hunting and foraging," Yueqian sarcastically criticized the older generation once again.
If it weren’t for them, would Mu Heng and the younger ones be living in such dire conditions? They had stolen so much share from them, leaving only a little money for food.
"And what about the 100 silver taels that Mu Heng got from your family?"
"Oh, that... my husband has already paid it to the imperial school. Next year we will send Xiao Long to study. We had to pay in advance," Yueqian smiled malevolently.
Those people glanced at each other again, realizing that their 100 taels were already gone.
"Why did you pay so quickly? It’s not until next year. You could have saved it. Nothing is certain."
"That’s right, nothing is certain indeed. The money in hand today might be stolen tomorrow. So rather than letting any pig or dog take advantage again, it’s better to invest in the future at the imperial school, isn’t it? At least once Xiao Long presents himself and passes the examination, he will be enrolled as a little scholar," Yueqian spoke bluntly, making those present secretly clenched their fists. freewebnσvel.cøm
"Yueqian, who are you calling pigs and dogs that steal?" Ji Chuang burst out, unable to contain her anger, knowing that Yueqian’s words were directed at her.
"Hmm? What startles you so? I meant pigs and dogs that steal. Why are you troubled, unless you are..." Yueqian left her sentence hanging, letting them draw their own conclusions as she smirked.
