After walking out of the big courtyard, Mrs. Cheng looked back.
This big house was really big. She never dreamed that her second daughter could live in such a place.
Now that Zhaoer has become a civil servant, he is still the first. When he becomes a high official in the future, will the emperor also reward him with such a big house?
Mrs. Cheng reluctantly left the house and said to Patriarch Cheng: "Wait for me for a while, and I will go find Aunt Zhaoer."
She had heard that at the instigation of the second daughter, the eldest daughter divorced that bastard from the Liu family and has been living in Dahe Village for the past six months.
The second daughter did not hesitate to take out five hundred taels of silver in one go. The eldest daughter must have benefited a lot from living here. The yard that is bigger than the Cheng family is the best proof.
The old lady walked to the door of the courtyard where Cheng Wanwan used to live.
After seeing the big house, this yard doesn't look very good again, but it is definitely unique in Chengjia Village.
The courtyard door was open. As soon as she entered, she saw two girls, Daya and Erya, busy with something in the courtyard. They were so busy that she didn't even see them when they came in.
The old man coughed, and Daya raised her head and was startled: "Why is grandma here?"
"Why, I can't come?" Mrs. Cheng said coldly, "Where's your mother? Tell her to come out."
Cheng Yuanyuan, who was busy in the room, immediately came out: "Mom, why are you here so late? Have you eaten? Do you want something to eat?"
For this eldest daughter with no future, Mrs. Cheng no longer had to hide it. She went straight to the point and explained her purpose: "I heard that your life in Dahe Village was quite good, and you even hired people to help you. You must have saved a lot of money.”
Cheng Yuanyuan understood it immediately.
During the hottest summer, Da Ya Er Ya was in the ice powder business. This business sold well in the village. There were also restaurants in the city that came to stock the goods. The volume was large, so she had to hire someone. She hired three or four young men. They come over to help every afternoon, and the three of them do other things by themselves. They work until late every day. Although they are busy, they earn a considerable amount of money.
All the money he earned was given to Wanwan as the money to buy the yard. After a summer of busy work, it was almost enough to pay back.
But now is the autumn and winter season, and this business has long ceased.
Cheng Yuanyuan went into the house and took out a small cloth bag: "This is some money I saved. Mom, please give it to Zhao'er."
Old Mrs. Cheng opened the cloth bag and found only some broken silver, which was estimated to be only three or four taels in total. Her face turned green: "You are sending a beggar away!"
"There's only so much." Cheng Yuanyuan pursed her lips, "I know Zhao'er needs money now, and this is all I, an aunt, can do."
This summer, she earned a total of seventy or eighty taels of silver from selling ice powder, and all of her debts were paid off. The money she saved was her wages, which she originally planned to use to buy land, but now she can only use it for Zhao'er's emergency needs.
"You two sisters are exactly the same. You are so greedy and stingy!" Mrs. Cheng cursed loudly. "She lives in such a big house and has so many people to serve her. She is not even willing to help Zhao'er with some money. She is such an aunt. Really, what evil have I done to give birth to two such heartless girls..."
Cheng Yuanyuan frowned.
It's okay to call her stingy, but Wanwan is not stingy.
She said: "A few months ago, Zhao'er went to the provincial capital to take the exam. I gave Zhao'er five hundred taels of silver. If this is called stingy, then I really don't understand what it means to be generous."
Liu Daya came over and protected her mother: "Last time, my mother only had two taels of silver in her body, and she gave it all to her eldest cousin. This time, the four taels of silver were all our family's money, and my mother did not hesitate to take it. Come out, why are you stingy? If grandma doesn’t like it, don’t take it!”
She reached out and snatched the cloth bag back.
"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Cheng was shocked, "Wanwan gave Zhaoer five hundred taels of silver, is it true?"
"Of course it's true." Cheng Yuanyuan replied, "When Zhao'er lived in Dahe Village, everything he ate, drank, and wore was paid for by Wanwan, as well as those writing brushes, inkstones, etc., it was all money, Wanwan It was wasted by keeping silent, and I will never go to your Cheng family to ask for credit. These five hundred taels of silver were given to Wanwan as soon as he asked. If I hadn't mentioned it, your old Cheng family would never know about it in my life. "
Old Mrs. Cheng asked: "Have you written an IOU for the five hundred taels of silver?"
"Mom, what you said is too much. Ever since Zhao'er was studying, Wanwan and I have subsidized the Cheng family overtly and secretly, and every penny has been written as an IOU." Cheng Yuanyuan was a little angry, "It's getting late, so I I don’t want to keep my mother here for the night, Sanmao, you can take grandma to the entrance of the village."
Sanmao came over immediately and sent Mrs. Cheng out.
Old Mrs. Cheng sat on the bullock cart and sighed quietly as she looked at Dahe Village getting further and further away.
If she hadn't come tonight, the five hundred taels would have definitely been sent to Zhao'er. Now, she was in debt for five hundred taels of silver for no reason.
But no matter what, I have money at least, so I have to send someone to the provincial capital quickly.
At night, Cheng Wanwan was lying on the bed, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
Before going to Beijing to take the exam, spending money on official connections always feels a bit like bribery.
Zhao'er is already excellent. Even if he doesn't take the exam, he will definitely be admitted to the Jinshi. If he does, will it be counterproductive?
She got up early in the morning, had breakfast, and walked to the school.
Master Yu was reading a book. When he saw her coming over, he asked Yu Jiao to serve tea and please go into the study and sit down.
"Master, I'm here to ask something." Cheng Wanwan doesn't know much about the imperial examinations of this era. There are some things that must be asked clearly, "After becoming an examiner, do I have to spend money on things?"
"Every year, the academic officials responsible for grading the examination papers in the rural examinations come from the capital. After the results of the provincial examinations are announced, those students who have become candidates will rush to get close to the academic officials, just to learn about the situation in the capital from the academic officials." Master Yu said. He replied, "When we get to the capital, this kind of atmosphere will become even more popular. We will go around everywhere, climb up and down, and make friends with the powerful... In the year of scientific examination, it will be three times as bad as the city..."
Cheng Wanwan frowned slightly: "Does the court turn a blind eye to this kind of thing?"
"As long as it's not too much, the court won't care." Master Yu looked at her, "Does An Ren want to give Ziyu some official career? If you come to ask my opinion, I suggest An Ren not do this. Can Ziyu Becoming the head of the court examination case, and becoming the Jieyuan of the rural examination, Jinshi will definitely not be a problem, and maybe he will enter the palace to participate in the palace examination. After a person stands in a high place, there will be countless eyes staring at him, then, what he has done before Some insignificant things can become evidence of crime, can Anren understand what I mean?"
"Master's words are shocking." Cheng Wanwan stood up immediately, "I will write a letter to Zhao'er right now."
She hurried back, studied ink and wrote a letter. She finished it in a short while, and then asked Cheng Bing to hurry up and send it to the provincial capital. However, since she was going there, she would not just bring a letter with her. She had prepared winter clothes at home. Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng brought one set for each person, and also prepared a change of inner clothes, as well as dried fish and meat jerky and other items that are always available at home.
Cheng Bing got on his horse. There was a huge bag on the horse's back, which was full of clothes, food, and some transportation expenses.
The horse galloped and soon disappeared on the village road.
