Chapter 149: Villagers' Reaction

In Big Stone Village.

"Are you serious? Is Mai engaged?"

"Yes, indeed he is engaged, to a young master from the capital city."

"Pardon? Mai is engaged to a young master from the capital city? Does the young master know Mai is special?"

The travelling merchants from Forest Town brought home the news of Chen Xiao Mai and Ji Yun An's engagement.

"That makes me wonder if there is something wrong with this young master as well."

"You cannot be more wrong! That young master is not even eighteen yet, but you know what, but he has already passed the highest imperial examinations!"

"Really? Passed the highest imperial examinations at such a young age? That's amazing!"

"To think we only have a handful of Xiucais who have passed the imperial examination at the county level in our village! No wonder people all say there are a galaxy of talents in the capital city!"

"Indeed, the talents in the capital city have their own tutors since they were very young, but us villagers have to support a student with the entire house's income! Not fair competition to be honest."

The villagers all sighed hearing that.

"Are you sure this news is true? It's so hard to believe! Could it be a rumor?"

"The merchants had even seen their engagement banquet, that can't be a rumor!"

......

These villagers were shocked to the core, they kept talking about Chen Xiao Mai for so long, they couldn't figure out how come a promising young talent would take a fancy to a wild Bio boy like Chen Xiao Mai!

"This young master who just got engaged to Chen Xiao Mai is going to be an official one day, right?"

"Definitely! Plus he is a young master from an influential family, his family must have paved the way for him already!"

"If Chen Xiao Mai married a government official, then he would become a madam!"

"Amazing, amazing! Who would have expected Slow Mai to become an official's wife?"".

The villagers had slowly accepted the fact that Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Cai were capable and ambitious people, but they had always seen Chen Xiao Mai as deadweight. They got mad jealous when Mai had a sudden rise in life.

......

Tang stood aside and listened to the villagers talk for a while, then she left without uttering a word.

Lu Cheng Yu didn't pass the imperial examinations at the highest level.

Lu Cheng Yu had been studying so hard since Lu Lin bought the official title, but he had met yet another failure.

Those students in the capital city had the opportunities to learn and practice with the best scholars in the entire country, but the students from the villages weren't so lucky, there were only limited education resources available for them.

Lu Cheng Yu still wanted to keep studying and give the exam another try, but Tang wanted him to open a school so he could bring home some income.

Although Tang wanted her son to become an official, covered in glory and enjoyed the praises from the villagers, she became realistic over the years, now she just wanted her son to be able to make a living and shoulder the responsibility to support the family because she was getting old.

Tang had really been struggling to pay Lu Cheng Yu's tuition fee.

It had been so long since Tang bought any meat, sometimes she just wished her son could share the responsibility to support the family like his peers. Tang heard that there was an old Tongsheng in the neighboring village who had opened a school for kids, the school was so popular. Some parents would give the Tongsheng grains or meat as tuition fee. Tang wished Lu Cheng Yu could open a school as well, but she knew she needed to do this delicately and strategically in case Lu Cheng Yu took it the wrong way.

Tang was on her way to the farmland when she heard the villagers talking about Chen Xiao Mai's engagement. Her first reaction was 'that can't be true'! In the past few years, Tang has slowly accepted the fact that Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi were capable people with great plans even though she despised it when Lu Lin bought his official title. But she was secretly glad that Chen Xiao Mai would be their burden forever.

And now not only Mai was engaged, but he was engaged to a promising young master who had passed the highest imperial examinations. Tang almost collapsed on hearing that, she felt drained of energy. She couldn't help but blame her son for his failure, but she didn't have the heart to do so, because she knew how hard her son had been studying.

......

When Tang returned home, she saw Li Fang Yue feeding the chicken while her two granddaughters were playing in the yard.

Tang was ablaze with anger when she saw Li Fang Yue. "Where's Cheng Yu?"

"He is reading in the room."

After the Secretary-general was thrown into prison, Li Fang Yue's position in the Lu family suffered a disastrous decline. Lu Cheng Yu saw himself as a laughing stock for marrying Li Fang Yue with dozens of taels of silver. The relationship between Li Fang Yue and Lu Cheng Yu had been getting more and more tense over the past few years.

Tang walked into the study and saw Lu Cheng Yu who buried herself in the books.

Lu Cheng Yu's hair was a little messy, his eyes were sunken and black-ringed, he looked a little haggard.

Tang was a little worried. Lu Cheng Yu had already reached the point of losing sleep and forgetting to eat from anxiety. Tang was happy first when her son studied so hard. However, she became more and more worried as she saw her son getting thinner every day.

"Mother, you're back."

Tang nodded and said worriedly, " Cheng Yu, don't work too hard. Take care of yourself!"

All of a sudden, Lu Cheng Yu punched the table. "This is unfair!"

He had clearly worked so hard, but he couldn't pass the exam. But that Lu Lin just enjoyed all the glory because he was rich! He was even promoted by the emperor!

Lu Cheng Yu always thought he would be considered as a big shot in the village if not for Lu Lin, but now he was more like a joke, a failure.

Lu Cheng Yu was very confident in participating in the exam this time. And he was so indignant when he found out he failed yet again, he started to question the fairness of the exam and hated the talents from the capital city who enjoyed better education resources.

Lu Cheng Yu glanced at Tang and said, "They said that Chen Xiao Mai is engaged to a young master from the capital city who has passed the exam?"

Tang smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, the villagers are talking about that, but how is it possible! Chen Xiao Mai is retarded, you know that!" However, it was most likely a joke.

Lu Cheng Yu gritted his teeth and said, "It's not necessary a joke. I heard that there was a successful candidate named Ji Yun An who grew up in Sha County this year. This guy is only sixteen, and he planned on giving up on the result this year and aim for a better ranking in the next exam! Isn't Sha County where Lu Lin and his family are?"

Tang widened her eyes in shock. She couldn't figure out why would someone give up on such a great result!

"The more I think about it, the more I think that's a rumor," Tang muttered.

Lu Cheng Yu thought to himself, 'It must be true! Ji Yun An's uncle is General Ji in the border patrol camp, and Chen Xiao Mai lives in Sha County. The travelling merchants say they have even seen the engagement banquet, why would they lie! This must be true! Mother is just trying to comfort me.'

Lu Cheng Yu gritted his teeth and he felt a splitting headache. How could Chen Xiao Mai, an idiot, be engaged to a young master from the capital city!

Tang looked at Lu Cheng Yu's expression and comforted him, "This is just an engagement, and it's not a marriage. Even if they got married, I think Chen Xiao Mai would end up being repudiated. Even the young master is willing to marry such an idiot, how about the young master's family?"

Lu Cheng Yu squinted and said, "Maybe the young master suffers some unmentionable disease."

......

In Chen family.

Grandma Chen said sullenly, "Have you heard the news? Is t Chen Xiao Mai really going to marry a young master from the capital city?"

Chen Shou Ren's wife, Zhang Yue Hong, nodded and said, "The travelling merchants brought the news, and now everyone is talking about it!"

Grandma Chen snorted and said, "I don't believe such nonsense. When Lu Cheng Yu married Li Fang Yue, Tang bragged that they were betrothed with some lad from an official's family, and we've all seen how that worked out for them. Li Fang Yue's sister was just a concubine!"

Zhang Yue Hong nodded and said, "Yes, mother, you are right. No official young master is willing to marry a retarded Bio!"

Even though Zhang Yue Hong said so, she wasn't entirely sure, the travelling merchants who just came back from Sha County all said they had seen the engagement banquet.

'But if it were true, Chen Xiao Mai would become a madam! In the capital city!' thought Zhang Yue Hong.

Grandma Chen said angrily, "Chen Xiao Cai is a bastard, so is Chen Xiao Mai."

When Chen Xiao Cai came back to the village with Shen Chi last time, Grandma Chen tried to approach him. However, Chen Xiao Cai didn't want to pay any attention to the old lady. Grandma Chen didn't even get to meet Chen Xiao Cai, the villagers had even told her off and sent her home in case she offended the distinguished guest.

Zhang Yue Hong nodded, "They are so coldhearted! And the villagers are isolating us because of them!"

......

Bucher Zhang was busy in his shop this day.

Two years ago, Zhang Rui came back for a visit, he gave Bucher Zhang a large sum of money. Bucher Zhang opened a butcher's shop in town using that money and his savings.

Many people in Forest Town knew Bucher Zhang's son was working for Lu Lin in Sha County.

People would come to Bucher Zhang's shop to listen to the stories like His Highness Cheng paid a visit to Sha county, some young master paid 80 taels of silver for some dish......

"Butcher Zhang, when is your son coming back?"

Butcher Zhang said, "Hmm, not anytime soon. He is so busy in Sha County, but that's a good thing, he enjoys working for Magistrate Lu."

"Yeah! And he is earing some sweet coins!"

"Butcher Zhang, I heard that your son has met a prince."

Butcher Zhang said smugly, "Not only has my son met the prince, but he has cooked for the prince! Magistrate Lu always entrusts important tasks to my son."

Butcher Zhang was just bragging, the truth was Zhang Rui was very reserved and he didn't want to say the wrong things in Highness Cheng's presence, so he took refuge in Chen Xiao Cai's residence when Highness Cheng stayed in the county yamen.

Bucher Zhang saw those stories as white lies, he saw that as a way to entertain his customers.

"Bucher Zhang, you must be really proud of your son." The customers all enjoyed the stories very much.

Bucher Zhang enjoyed all the attention and praise, but he knew he needed to be modest.

"Guys, honestly, I just feel Rui is very lucky, he is just lucky enough to work for Magistrate Lu!"

The customers all nodded in agreement.

"Butcher Zhang, the travelling merchants say Chen Xiao Mai is engaged to a young master from the capital city? Has Rui mentioned this in his letters?"

Butcher Zhang nodded and said, "It is true. I heard that young master is a general's nephew, and they have known each other for a few years."

"Really? But what has that young master seen in Chen Xiao Cai?"

Butcher Zhang wrapped a piece of pork for a customer and said, "I don't know, Rui didn't mention. But Rui mentioned Xiao Cai was a great chef, and he is very friendly, never has he put on any air as a young master. I also have my own theory, the Chens are very wealthy, I heard Chen Xiao Cai has built a commercial street, so I think they will prepare a handsome dowry for Chen Xiao Mai, but I'm sure that's not the reason why the young master from the capital city is engaged to Chen Xiao Mai."

"Yeah, that young master must be rich himself as well, he doesn't need Chen Xiao Mai's dowry." Said a customer, and other customers nodded in agreement.

Butcher Zhang Chu thought to himself, 'Grandma Chen must be kicking herself right now, she used to abuse the Chen Brothers, but look at them now, they are just so capable!'