Chapter 36

Inside the house, the Lin family's three men, along with Xie Laohu and his son, took turns drinking heartily, truly embodying the saying that fathers and sons fight together, as they competed in drinking with the people from the Hebo Office.

Lin Yanchao and Lin Qianqian, on the other hand, returned to their room.

Lin Qianqian's face was flushed as she said, "Brother Chao, with five taels of silver a month, you won't have to worry about not being able to pay for your studies anymore."

Lin Yanchao, looking at Lin Qianqian's smiling face, couldn't resist and leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

Mm. Mm.

Lin Qianqian struggled a bit but then kissed back with effort. Lin Yanchao's other hand didn't stop, reaching under Lin Qianqian's clothes.

"Enough, Brother Chao, you mustn't be so improper." Lin Qianqian quickly blocked Lin Yanchao's mischievous hand, her face flushed.

Lin Yanchao chuckled, "Alright, alright, look what I have." He pulled out five taels of silver from his pocket.

"Huh, what's this? Where did you get the silver?" Lin Qianqian, seeing the silver, covered her cheeks and her eyes sparkled. "I've never seen such a large piece of silver before."

"It's from the county magistrate, five taels in total."

"Five taels!" Lin Qianqian's eyes widened, and she snatched it from Lin Yanchao's hand. "Brother Chao, don't spend this money recklessly. I'll keep it for you, and you can ask me for it when you need it."

Lin Yanchao, caught off guard, said, "How can this be?"

Lin Qianqian put the silver behind her back and stood up straight. "No, no, you'll spend it recklessly. I'll save this money for you to use when you get married in the future!"

As she said this, Lin Qianqian showed a cunning smile.

"Get married? Are you talking about a second or third wife?" Lin Yanchao huffed.

"You even want a second or third wife? You can only have me in this life! No concubines allowed!" Lin Qianqian said angrily.

Lin Yanchao almost spat out a mouthful of blood. "Qianqian, you can't play with me like this. Either give me the silver back or agree to let me take a concubine."

"No, neither!" Lin Qianqian huffed.

"You are my Lin family's betrothed, you should listen to me."

"But we're not married yet, why should I listen to you? Even if we were married, I don't have to listen to you. Anyway, when you marry me, all the proper wedding customs must be followed! This money is just a small down payment."

"Down payment? Five taels of silver, isn't that enough?"

"Not enough, at least one hundred taels. My mother said, if you're too good to a man, he won't cherish you!" Lin Qianqian lifted her head.

"Is this what your mother taught you about managing a husband? Give me the silver back first." Lin Yanchao's face turned fierce, and he lunged at Lin Qianqian.

"No way!" Lin Qianqian giggled and played hide-and-seek with Lin Yanchao in the room.

"Come, come, let's toast to the official!"

The sounds inside the room were quickly drowned out by the toasts from outside.

The next day, Lin Gaozhu went to the Hebo Office to take up his post, dressed neatly. The stableman assigned by the office had already hitched a carriage to his door.

This scene caused a stir in the entire Hongshan Village.

What was this? A government car to pick him up and drop him off! It was the first time in Hongshan Village!

In an instant, the news of Lin Gaozhu's promotion to the head of the Hebo Office spread throughout the village and the entire Yong'an County.

Wearing a new official robe and a crane-patterned badge, Lin Gaozhu sat in the carriage, and the villagers began to envy him.

The children in the village ran around the carriage. The Hebo Office was in Hongtang Town, and the old and young in the village all saw Lin Gaozhu off at the village entrance.

On this day, the uncles, aunts, and uncles-in-law also dressed in new clothes, their faces beaming with pride. After Lin Gaozhu's carriage left, the villagers came to visit, almost wearing out the doorstep. Some brought chickens, others brought geese, and relatives who hadn't visited in years also came.

How long had it been since Hongshan Village had someone of such standing? The money they gave was small, but their hearts were full of goodwill.

The commotion made it impossible for Lin Yanchao to study.

Now that the family's affairs were settled, things finally stabilized.

In the past few days, Lin Yanchao had fish and meat at every meal. The treatment of the head of the Hebo Office was enough for the Lin family to live comfortably. Lin Yanchao's mother no longer made things difficult for Lin Qianqian, and every month, five taels of silver were set aside specifically for Lin Yanchao's studies.

Lin Qianqian no longer had to wake up early to weave mats to save money for her tuition, but she couldn't stop doing it for now.

As the saying goes, a harmonious family leads to success in all things. Lin Yanchao, who had just started to enjoy life, was urged by Lin Qianqian to go to the village school. Lin Yanchao thought that with such a wife, he couldn't help but work hard.

Before leaving, Lin Yanchao got up early and washed his face with cold water.

Lin Qianqian also got up early, not only to make breakfast but also to sew a new student's robe for Lin Yanchao and put a small cloth bag with money at the bottom of his schoolbag.

Lin Yanchao picked it up and felt it was heavier than usual. Lin Qianqian slapped his hand and scolded, "Study hard, don't think about spending money. This time, I put in two hundred coins, don't make yourself suffer." Although Lin Yanchao inwardly grumbled about Lin Qianqian's frugality, it was still double the usual allowance of one hundred coins.

Then the young couple ate a bowl of noodles in front of the stove.

The soup was made from old ducks, with a layer of yellow oil on top and a bit of scallion.

"Drink more soup, it's very nourishing," Lin Qianqian said, ladling more soup and putting a duck wing in Lin Yanchao's bowl. "For good luck, I hope you soar to the sky, Brother Chao."

Lin Yanchao smiled and put a piece of duck neck in Lin Qianqian's bowl. "You love duck skin, there's a lot on the neck."

Lin Qianqian smiled, her eyes sparkling, and softly said, "Alright, Brother Chao, there's still half a duck in the pot, don't put it all in my bowl like you used to."

Lin Yanchao laughed. "Yes, our life is finally more comfortable now."

With his schoolbag on his back, Lin Qianqian saw him off to the village entrance. Lin Yanchao walked the familiar mountain path, heading back to the Hongtang Village School to study.

It had been about a week, and the leaves on the mountains were starting to fall. The hot summer was almost over, and autumn was approaching. The results of the examinations in various prefectures were also about to be announced. The child examination was held twice every three years, and after this session, there would be a break for a year, with the next exam in the following year.

The competition for the last session was always intense, but Lin Yanchao knew that Lin Chengyi's admission was almost certain. Lin Yanchao was waiting for Lin Chengyi to help him, but for now, he would focus on his studies at the village school.

After about an hour, he finally arrived at Hongtang Village before class started. The long-awaited school now seemed particularly warm. The school gate was open, but there were no familiar sounds of reading or playing. It was eerily quiet.

Xu Yanchao hurried to the lecture hall and saw an old man holding a ruler, scrutinizing the children below.

Xu Yanchao guessed this must be the new teacher, replacing Lin Chengyi. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Master!"

As he got closer, Xu Yanchao carefully observed the old man. He was wearing a tattered robe with several patches, and his beard was unkempt. His appearance as a teacher was far from ideal, and he clearly looked like a poor scholar.

Xu Yanchao performed the student's bow, but the old man didn't speak. After a moment, he asked, "Who is your master?"

The old man, hands behind his back, walked three steps to Xu Yanchao and pointed at himself with the ruler. "I've been teaching here for five or six days. Why are you only here today?"

Xu Yanchao, feeling a bit annoyed, replied lightly, "I had some matters to attend to, so I didn't come."

"What matters?"

"Family matters, of course." Xu Yanchao couldn't say he had met the county magistrate, the secretary, or gone to the educational office for tea, as it would shock this inexperienced teacher.

The old man, angry, said, "Skipping school without reason, and you're evasive when I ask you. Where is your respect for your teacher? Does your family know? How could our school have a student like you?"

Xu Yanchao said, "Master, I really didn't mean to. If you must blame me, please punish me!"

The old man huffed, "Of course, I will punish you. You cannot enter the school now. Leave immediately and bring your family here to explain where you've been these past few days. If they don't come, you will never come back to school again!"

What the heck, I actually encountered the legendary "call the parents"?

...