Chapter 296: The Scholar and the Good-for-nothing

Chapter 296: Chapter 296: The Scholar and the Good-for-nothing

So, it was settled that Ji Mingfang would learn to read from Dabao.

He continued to work in the backyard during the day. After lunch, he would guess when Dabao’s nap was over and come by early for a short lesson. Then, after work in the evening, he’d go home for dinner before coming over again.

Ji Huan had said that time was like water in a sponge—if you squeezed, you could always get some out.

Ji Mingfang agreed wholeheartedly.

His days were now more fulfilling than ever before. He would long for dawn as soon as night fell and even mutter his lessons in his sleep. Whether working or studying, he was brimming with energy.

His family witnessed his transformation with a mix of heartache and relief, and they felt an indescribable gratitude toward Ji Huan.

Ji Liansong even wanted Ji Mingfang to return his wages to Ji Huan, treating it as Dabao’s tuition.

Fortunately, Ji Mingfang knew Ji Huan’s temperament well enough not to listen. Instead, he simply poured his efforts into working even more diligently.

The only one in the entire family who wasn’t optimistic about Ji Mingfang studying was Yang.

She felt that with her son’s leg being the way it was, studying was useless. The only reason she didn’t object was that it wasn’t costing them any money for now.

But when she thought about Ming Fang’s plan to attend a proper school in another two years, she became terribly worried again.

She didn’t dare say anything in front of the three of them, but she sighed endlessly behind their backs.

"What’s the point of wasting money? No matter how well he studies, he’ll never be like Song Jing. That boy just became a Scholar, and now I hear he’s passed some other test. Next month, he’s taking the exam to become a scholar..."

The news of Song Jing passing the qualifying exam came from Village Chief Meng’s household.

He was now the center of attention in Dafeng Village. His every move was watched and inquired about. He couldn’t keep a low profile even if he wanted to.

The villagers had, at best, heard of the Scholar exam. As for what the annual and qualifying exams were, they were completely clueless.

Village Chief Meng patiently answered the questions for every fellow villager who came asking.

Although he only half-understood it himself, that didn’t stop him from getting the main point across: passing the qualifying exam meant earning the right to take the provincial examination. In other words, next month, Song Jing was going to take the exam to become a scholar!

WHOA!!!

Everyone had thought that becoming a Scholar was the highest one could go, but who would have thought he was already aiming to become a scholar.

Granny Kang went around calling him "Master Scholar" all day, but what did she know? Once he became a scholar, then he would be a *true* master!

That young man from the Song family was truly something else.

Other people struggled for half their lives just to become a Scholar, but look at him! Was he trying to score a double victory?

The buzz around Song Jing hadn’t even died down, and this just added fuel to the fire.

Those who were related to him wanted to bask in his glory, and those who weren’t... well, they had to find a way to forge a connection.

And what connection could be better than a familial one? Becoming in-laws, of course!

Back when Song Jing had just become a child student, the villagers praised him, to be sure, but no one was rushing to marry their daughters to him.

An orphan living with his widowed mother at his maternal uncle’s home... who knew when he would make something of himself? He couldn’t compare to Ji the Fourth, who, despite also being a child student, came from a family with some means.

Who would have thought Ji the Fourth would fail the Scholar exam multiple times, while Song Jing passed on his very first attempt?

After becoming a Scholar, Song Jing instantly became the top choice for a son-in-law, yet more people were watching from the sidelines than making a move.

Although the villagers weren’t very worldly, they were good at gathering information. They knew a Scholar’s title was prestigious, but it was hard to say how long that prestige would last.

This was because Scholars also had to take an exam every year.

Only first-rank Scholars received a grain stipend.

Those who ranked second-class or lower would have their grain stipend suspended, even if they had been an imperial scholar before.

Those in the fifth or sixth class faced punishment or even had their titles revoked.

With Song Jing’s talent, he wasn’t likely to end up in the fifth or sixth class. But what if his momentum flagged, and he only managed a mediocre second, third, or fourth class ranking? What good would that be?

No grain stipend, tuition to pay, and then there were the daily expenses for brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books—it all had to come out of one’s own pocket.

That was a huge financial drain!

Without substantial resources, who would dare try to fill that pit? They feared they’d be dragged down by the expense before they ever got to enjoy any of the benefits.

But then, the unexpected happened—again!

While they were all watching from the sidelines, Song Jing had actually taken another step forward!

If they didn’t act fast, once he truly became a Master scholar, they would have no hope at all.

Not that their chances were very high to begin with.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that a celebrated Scholar wouldn’t be interested in a village girl.

But there was always that one-in-a-million chance. What if he actually took a liking to one of them?

Even if he wasn’t interested, what if she caught Mrs. Meng’s eye? Song Jing would have to do as he was told.

Everyone was making their own calculations, but their goal was one and the same.

All the village families with decent finances and a daughter of marriageable age sprang into action, shamelessly plastering on smiles as they tried to cozy up to Mrs. Meng.

Mrs. Meng could hardly fail to see their ulterior motives, so most of them were turned away at the door.

Yet everyone, furious, dared not voice their anger. What could they do? She was the one with the brilliant son.

Faced with this strange spectacle, some people mocked, "The treasures of this world go to the quick-handed. If you’re slow, you get nothing. You can only blame yourselves for being blind and failing to recognize a treasure when you saw one. It’s just what your fate decreed!"

The words sounded harsh, but on second thought, wasn’t that just the truth?

Back then, they only wanted the sure bet—the already-hot stove. Adding wood to a cold one seemed like too much trouble. Now, it was too late for regrets.

Widow Tian was one of the regretful ones.

"Why didn’t we see it back then! If I’d known he’d be where he is today, I would’ve sent you to town to work in the same workshop as that Mrs. Meng. Going back and forth, you would have definitely run into Song Jing. With a little effort on your part, you might be a Scholar’s wife by now! And I could have gotten some tangible benefits out of it..."

Widow Tian sat with her legs crossed, berating Tian Jiao as she cracked melon seeds.

"Why did I have to give birth to such a short-sighted daughter? You thought that Jiang Wu was so wonderful, you had to have him no matter what. Take a look now. Is there any comparison between him and Song Jing?"

Tian Jiao sat across the table, clutching her stomach. Her face was sallow, and she looked much more haggard than she had recently.

"How was I supposed to get involved with him? I’ve barely even seen the man. Besides, didn’t you support me when I was trying to snatch Jiang Wu from Ji Huan? What’s the point of saying this now? I’m already married. If someone overheard, it would just cause another scene."

Widow Tian’s eyebrows shot up. "That old whore, Mrs. Mao, she’s been cursing you again?"

Tian Jiao’s face was a mask of misery.

’Cursing? It was more than that.’

A family in the same alley married off their son right around the same time as Jiang Wu, and their new daughter-in-law just gave birth to a chubby baby boy at the end of last month.

Mrs. Mao, who was already obsessed with having a grandson, was now consumed with envy.

Before, she would just mumble about Tian Jiao not being able to lay an egg. Now, she was pointing a finger in her face and screaming at her.

And that wasn’t all.

Mrs. Mao had also found some folk remedies from god-knows-where, claiming they would help with conception. She brewed them and forced Tian Jiao to drink the concoction, not letting her miss a single day.

If they were just ordinary herbs, it would have been one thing. But it was all nauseating stuff like cicada molts, centipedes, and toad skins. On top of that, they had to be prepared and consumed according to bizarre instructions.

That very day, she had caught Mrs. Mao adding cow dung juice to the medicinal pot, and in a fit of rage, she had fled back to her mother’s home.

She hadn’t eaten lunch and couldn’t stop throwing up; she felt like she’d vomited up all her bile.

When Widow Tian heard this, she slammed her hand on the table, ready to march over and settle the score with Mrs. Mao.

But Tian Jiao managed to drag her back.

"What’s the point of going over there and winning a shouting match? I still can’t get pregnant, and she’ll just have even more power over me in the future... Forget it. Maybe those remedies really do work. Once I give birth to a son..."

There wasn’t another woman in the village who had been married for a year without any sign of pregnancy. It wasn’t just Mrs. Mao who lost face; Tian Jiao couldn’t hold her head high in public either.

Furious, Widow Tian poked her on the forehead.

"So what if you don’t have a son? I only have you, and I’m getting by just fine! I used to laugh at Mrs. Wei for having such a dull daughter, but now that girl is about to become a Scholar’s wife! Meanwhile you, the ’clever’ one, are just regressing!"

Mrs. Mao had indeed worn down much of Tian Jiao’s spirit. Lately, she had been so consumed with trying to have a son that she hadn’t paid Ji Huan any mind.

When she heard her mother comparing her to Ji Huan again, Tian Jiao was initially annoyed.

’No matter how bad her own situation was, she was only unable to have a child. Ji Huan, on the other hand, couldn’t even get married. That fact alone gave her a sense of superiority.’

But as she replayed her mother’s words in her head, she sensed something was off.

Tian Jiao’s expression slowly changed.

"Mom," she said, "say that again. Who’s going to be a Scholar’s wife?