The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 158 College Examination

"Mom, you guys go back. There are too many people here. I can walk over by myself to meet up with my brothers." Changping said to his mother and brothers in the car.

"Then you should be careful and check the things you bring into the examination room again later to avoid any mistakes." Chen Cui advised earnestly.

"Brother, I wish you all the best." Changan said softly.

"Brother, you will definitely pass the exam!" Changfu blessed with confidence.

Changping nodded vigorously, jumped off the mule cart, waved to them, and walked towards the examination hall in the distance.

There seemed to be an unusually large number of people taking the college entrance examination this time, and the mule cart was still a few hundred meters away from the examination hall and could not get in, so it could only take him here.

Chang'an and Changfu looked at the crowds surging around them. They were all students taking the exams and their families sending them to the exam. The street was packed with people. The soldiers who were maintaining order were only guarding a hundred meters away from the entrance of the examination room. There were occasional minor disturbances in other places.

Chen Cui looked at the scene on the street and told Xu Dagui to drive the car back and come back to pick people up when the exam was about to end.

"Go back and take a nap, and get up before dinner." Chen Cui said to her two sons.

Neither she nor her eldest son wanted to let the two younger ones take them to the exam, but since the two insisted on getting up early to send their eldest brother off, they had no choice but to agree.

But this time to get up is too early. When I got home from sending my child to the exam, it was not yet the morning. There was still a long time before dawn, so I could go back to bed and sleep for a while.

"Mom, I'm not sleepy. I'm full of energy now. I can recite the lessons when I go back so that I can remember them better." Chang'an said with a bright face.

"Yes, I don't want to sleep at all now. I just want to read and wait until I feel sleepy." There was no sign of sleepiness on Changfu's face.

Chen Cui was helpless: "It's up to you. I'm going to go back and sleep for a while. If you're hungry, ask Aunt Mai to cook for you."

She knew that her two sons went with her in order to see the scene of the academy examination so as to prepare for their provincial examinations the following year, hence their high spirits.

These two men both passed the county examination and the prefectural examination this year, and finally became students like their eldest brother. They are full of energy and ambition. If it weren't for the kind advice of the teacher in the academy, the two brothers would have wanted to take part in this year's college examination.

The teacher at the academy said very pertinently: "Although the foundation of both of you is quite solid, your essays are not yet mature enough to cope with the academy examination. It is not wise to take your place as a reference this year."

Changping also had a long talk with his two younger brothers, and the two finally gave up the idea of ​​taking part in the examination this year. They decided to study hard in the next two years and strive to win the title of scholar in the examination the year after.

This year, Chen Cui's other two sons also passed the examination and became famous in Yinping County. Under public opinion, she had no choice but to bring her sons back to their hometown to worship their ancestors and hold a banquet.

This time, Liu Wende and his son Liu Changsheng specially rushed back from the county town to get close to the three Changping brothers.

In the past, when Chen Cui just got the title of imperial decree, Liu Wende and his son used the excuse to curry favor with her, hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to seek some benefits.

Chen Cui used the excuse that she was a widow and couldn't receive them, so she sent them out. Later, they would deliberately come when Changping and his family were at home, and chat with them about all sorts of things. Every time they talked about the same old things, bringing up blood ties and filial piety.

Chen Cui saw that Changping and the others could hardly bear it any longer and were unable to suppress their anger. She was afraid that these children might get angry and say something unwise, which would damage their reputation, so she quickly took measures.

She used Mrs. Zhang's people to put pressure on the owner of their father and son's shop, warning them to behave themselves and not to provoke the second wife again, otherwise they would no longer have a place to stay in Yinping County.

Sure enough, the father and son were both cowards. After receiving the warning, they didn't dare to do anything. They behaved themselves for a long time, and Chen Cui ignored them.

Anyway, the whole village knew that the two families were not on good terms, so it was normal for them not to have a close relationship. She had not done anything obviously wrong, so she was not afraid of gossip.

After the old man passed away, these two people were no longer a concern. In the past, they could bully the second branch, mostly by relying on the power of the old man and the old lady to let the two old people take the lead while they hid behind and enjoyed the results.

When the two elders were gone, Chen Cui's status was no longer the same as before. The whole village benefited from her. Whether it was true or false, everyone stood on her side. With public opinion one-sided, the eldest family could not cause any trouble and fell into silence.

This time, when Chang'an and Changfu passed the examination and held a banquet in the village, Liu Wende took a few sips of wine and took the opportunity to put pressure on the brothers in front of everyone at the table.

He said that now that they have made progress, they should not forget their roots and should take care of their brothers. He asked them to find good jobs for Changsheng, Changxing and Changrong so as not to make a fool of themselves.

Changping looked calm when he heard this, but his palms were clenched tightly. Chang'an's face was as dark as water, and his right hand holding the chopsticks had turned pale. He pressed Changfu's shoulders hard with his left hand to prevent him from getting up, so as to avoid being caught.

Fortunately, they were sitting at the main table, and Liu Youcai and several elders from the clan were there. Liu Youcai immediately gave Liu Wende a scolding.

"He started to go crazy after drinking a few gulps of cat urine. Changping and the others are so focused on studying that they don't have the time to take care of their brothers. Besides, you two separated eight hundred years ago. With your father around, it's not Changping's turn to take care of your cousin anyway."

Liu Youcai was really angry. He was angry that Liu Wende, this shameless and immoral guy, did not do good things.

In Liu Youcai's opinion, the three Changping brothers have all achieved fame and are good students. They are the hope of their clan. No matter which one can graduate, it will be a blessing for their Liujiaping and will benefit their descendants.

Liu Wende's making trouble like this affected the future of their brothers. He was trying to make things difficult for everyone, especially for him. He immediately asked Liu Changsheng and his brothers to take their father back home and stop embarrassing him.

Liu Changsheng and Liu Changxing helped Liu Wende home with shame on their faces. When they were halfway there and there was no one around, the drunk Liu Wende stood up, angrily pushed the two away, and walked home by himself.

Liu Changxing looked at his elder brother with a complicated expression: "It was you, right? You encouraged him to go, right?"

Liu Changsheng looked nonchalant: "I don't know what you are talking about. I want to go back to the table and apologize to Changping and the others. Let's go together."

Liu Changxing sneered: "Go ahead if you want to. I have no intention of taking advantage of you. You don't need to apologize. You are shameless and shameless. It turns out that we are all of the same bloodline!"

After saying that, he strode home. Liu Changsheng's face turned red with anger. He clenched his fists and stood there for a long time before slowly loosening them.

After Liu Changsheng adjusted his mood, he returned to the table and sincerely apologized to the three Changping brothers, but he only received indifferent expressions and so-called understanding from them.