Chapter 66 pt 2
Hey readers,
Sorry for the late update! Here is part 2 of chapter 66. And this is also when there is some more drama in the story. So don’t forget to eat some melon while reading!
-Cinnabun
PS. I will be updating Tues-Fri from now on. [I promise! Pinky swear!]
After the two got home, the first thing they did was take a shower.
Zhao’er washed first, followed by Xue TingRang. When he finished washing and walked out from the back with a change of clean clothes, he heard Zhao shi sitting in front of the main room cursing.
The cursing was naturally about the Qinghe Academy, which had closed its doors after receiving their money. When Xue Juncai came back from the academy, he didn’t say anything about what happened in the academy. He just said that the master of the academy had committed a crime and the academy was closed down, so he didn’t have to go to school now.
Xue Qingshan took him to the town the next day, and he went to see it, and as expected, there was a big seal on the door, so they could only return without any success. From then on, whenever she remembered this, Zhao shi had to scold the school a few words, scolding the master of the school for harming others, and scolding the school for cheating others.
“Mother, can you say less. Juncai is still reading in the room.” Yang shi said through the window, and Zhao shi said nothing immediately.
Xue TingRang entered the door of the second family’s house, and Zhaoer inside the house heard the words outside. The two looked at each other and sighed helplessly.
After that, Zhao’er also asked Xue Juncai if he wanted to study in Qingyuan. With Xue TingRang’s relationship, plus the fact that the reversal of this case relied heavily on TingRang’s help, it is not difficult to have him enter Qingyuan.
She didn’t know that the time she chose to talk to him was a bad time, and she was bumped into by Yang shi, and caused a mess. Yang shi said that Zhao’er didn’t have good intentions and was gloating over their misfortunes. Why was she pitying them? The kind of shabby places like Qingyuan were not fit for their Juncai.
The fight actually brought out Zhao shi and elder Xue. Elder Xue came forward to stop the fight, and this matter was resolved.
In this case, Xue Juncai naturally refused. Since returning from the town, Xue Juncai has been idle at home, and he is rarely seen outside.
“Why don’t I ask again?”
“No, don’t worry about this mess. Xue Juncai is fine, but Uncle and aunt are not good people, and they will cause trouble.”
Zhao’er nodded. In fact she didn’t want to bother either, otherwise she wouldn’t speak in this tone.
When it was time for dinner, Xue Qingshan came back from outside. He looked intoxicated, and at a glance, it was evident that he had gone somewhere to drink.
“Shanzi, have you eaten before? Sit down and eat some if you haven’t eaten.” Father Xue said.
Xue Qingshan weighed his stomach and drunkenly burped: “Father, I won’t eat anymore.”
Zhao shi said, “Yang shi, help your man go back to the house and rest.”
Yang shi put down the bowls and chopsticks and supported Xue Qingshan back to the their bedroom.
She put him on the kang, but didn’t help him adjust comfortably. She just saw him struggling on the kang and gave him a look that was indescribably hateful.
Yang shi angrily asked, “Have you figured out how to get Juncai to go to school? Seeing you go out every day, drinking until you are unconscious, yet you haven’t shown any results. I have no more money at the bottom of my box. I’ve given it all to you. If this can’t even help, you find a way to solve this issue yourself.”
Xue Qingshan waved his hand and said impatiently: “Do you think it is easy to solve this matter? It is better to stay at home than to go to a bad academy. The good academy does not accept people at this time. Qingyuan academy is actually very good. But who told you to make things like this. Because of this, I have to go out to run favors every day?”
Yang was speechless.
If she had known that Qingyuan Academy would be so good, she wouldn’t have said that even if she was killed. It’s also that things change so quickly. Who would have thought that the otherwise ordinary Qingyuan Academy would suddenly be favored by the county magistrate and become one of the hottest academies in Huyang Township.
Also in these few days, she was annoyed by the bad luck at home, so when she heard Zhao’er say that and saw her son troubled, she subconsciously thought that Zhao’er, the dead girl, was deliberately mocking his family.
Now that the whole family knew about the fight, even if she knew afterwards that she had no eyes, she would have no face to turn back.
This is really no way even with the couple’s money combined. Yang shi gritted her teeth and took out the money she had saved for a long time, and asked Xue Qingshan to go out for favors. She must find Xue Juncai a better academy than Qingyuan. It’s a pity that Xue Qingshan ran for many days and didn’t bring back any good news.
“You give me some more money, and I will invite my classmates to have a drink tomorrow. This matter is almost solved.”
“Invite wine again? How about if you invite them to the house? Why don’t I cook…”
“You hurry up. Inviting my classmates to have dinner at home? In our poor countryside, would anyone be willing to come? How can there be people who are willing to help without receiving payment. If others will find you for things without money, are you willing?”
“Where is there any money left in the house…”
Xue Qingshan squinted his eyes, leaned against the kang, and hummed, but did not speak.
Yang shi hesitated for a while before going to the cabinet. Turning back soon, she was holding a piece of broken silver in his hand, her face full of pain.
“This is all I have left.”
Xue Qingshan snatched it over, tucked it into his arms, and continued to lie there to sober up.
Every time Xue TingRang comes back for break, Zhaoer will try her best to choose this day to stay at home.
On the one hand, she can make some good supplements for him, and on the other hand, she can also take the opportunity to clean up the house. When Xue TingRang was not at home, she went out and did not return. Even when she came back, she was too tired to clean up, so she just took advantage of this day to clean up.
So early in the morning, Zhao’er was busy washing clothes and quilts. Some of them were from home, and some were brought back by Xue TingRang from school.
Xue Tingdan couldn’t help, so he helped her fetch water.
He has done this work many times. In the past, he could only bring half a bucket of water and was ridiculed by Zhao’er, but now he can bring more than half a bucket. This bucket can only be filled halfway, and if it was filled over the halfway mark, a lot of water will flow out when it is pulled up from the well.
The two of them were talking while washing their clothes. Zhao’er washes very quickly, and with someone fetching water for her, she has saved a lot of time.
After washing, the two worked together to wring out the sheets, one by one, twisting in the opposite direction. Now Xue TingRang is more and more proficient at doing chores, and he doesn’t need to Zhao’er to teach by the side.
Don’t look at Zhao’er who usually spoils Xue TingRang. She doesn’t believe in the idea that a gentleman does not cook and men do not do housework. Xue Qingsong was also a good example. When he was still alive, he did everything inside and out the house.
The rope for drying clothes was behind the house, and the two took the sheets to the back to dry them. From a distance, they saw Xue Qingshan’s sneaky figure disappearing behind the haystack.
The Xue family’s vegetable plots are all enclosed by a tall fence. The country folks are simple. Although there are some meanings to guard against the gentleman but not the villain, no one comes here to steal things. And there is a door behind the vegetable field. In the past, Zhaoer used to go out and do business from here. They were usually tied with straw ropes and unlocked when they were used.
This Xue Qingshan in the daytime didn’t walk through the main entrance yet is coming around here right now?
The two were curious, but didn’t think much about it.
Because there were still clothes to dry, the two of them went back to the front again, but when they walked around from the back of the house, they ran into Xue Juncai, who was hurrying with his head down.
“Uh, I’m going to the lavatory.” Xue Juncai seemed to have something on his mind, and he didn’t realize how strange he looked at all, because he usually doesn’t talk to the people from the second family, not to mention the fact of going to the lavatory.
Zhao’er and Xue TingRang looked at each other, and they turned their heads and followed from behind.
After arriving at the house, Xue Juncai did not go to the latrine, but disappeared behind the haystack.
Behind the haystack is the back door.
“Let’s go and see.”
“Your curiosity is too heavy.”
Zhao’er chuckled: “It’s okay anyway, I always think there is something suspicious.”
In fact, Xue TingRang thought so too.
The two went out the back door and followed Xue Juncai all the way away.
It was in the middle of the morning when the sun was already very poisonous, there were almost no people on the road in the village. Especially when Xue Juncai went to the end of the village, where there are fewer people.
The layout of each house in the village is similar. There is a yard in front of the house and a vegetable field behind the house. There are several haystacks behind each house. For a while, he walked around, and the road was turning more and more remote. Seeing Xue Juncai quickening his pace and then disappearing behind a haystack, Zhao’er and Xue TingRang also hurriedly accelerated their pace and chased after him.
But after chasing after him, no one was seen, and this place looked like the back of a certain family’s house. The two looked at each other, and Xue TingRang asked in a low voice, “Where is this?”
“Widow Xue’s house.”