Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 41: Chapter 042 Qiao Yuanzhen’s Cunning_1 Chapter 41: Chapter 042 Qiao Yuanzhen’s Cunning_1 Muniang quietly listened to Qiao Dazhi spew that long stream of nonsense before she finally said, “So, what do you mean by not wasting money?”

Seeing that Muniang didn’t object, Qiao Dazhi thought she had taken his words to heart and felt relieved. He then spoke earnestly, “In a few days, your fourth uncle is going to take part in the magistrate exams. The Master said your fourth uncle has potential and intelligence. He’s certain to ace the child student level this time. After that, it’s the academy exams, the county exams, climbing up step by step. Who knows, he might even become the Number One Scholar. As they say, ‘When one man attains the Tao, even his poultry and dogs ascend to heaven.’ No matter what, you are ultimately flesh and blood of the Qiao family. By then, your family will certainly rise to prominence as well.”

“Oh?” Muniang played with her nails, curious to hear what kind of scheme Qiao Dazhi was really plotting.

“It’s just, as you know, this entire examination journey actually requires a good amount of Silver Coin. The examiners need their share, the officials involved need to be treated, and then there’s travel expenses, accommodation fees, all of it costs money. He is, after all, your fourth uncle. You could help front the costs for now, and when he earns his official rank, you’ll reap benefits too. You do realize that once someone becomes an official, their status is completely different, right?”

Muniang’s expression cooled, “So, according to you, not wasting money means giving it to you?”

Qiao Dazhi’s face stiffened, but he still put on an affable look, “Muniang, I know you have grievances against me. The decision to have you and your mother live separately was made out of necessity. Your mother’s reputation had become what it was, and people in the village were all talking, weren’t they? I don’t mind about my own face, but your fourth uncle is different. He mustn’t be tainted by any bad reputation. I was considering his future. Besides, you’ve not been doing badly since you moved out, have you?”

“Ha! Moved out? What a nice term. Anyone not in the know might think that my mother and I received a share of the family assets. What now? Since I’m doing well, do you also want to claim that all I have today is thanks to you driving me out?”

Muniang sneered. The people of the Qiao family were truly one of a kind. In her memories, although this grandfather was hot-tempered, he wasn’t as mean as Mrs. Ji or Madam Zhao. Besides fear, the original owner of her body had no other bad impression of him. Yet, she had never expected him to be so shameless!

Qiao Dazhi said coldly, “No matter the past, I’m offering you an opportunity now. If Yuanzhen passes the exam and earns a title, that would be instant success. What use is having so much money to you? Among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants have the least status. Do you think you can become someone of great importance? Don’t be ungrateful when offered a chance to bask in Yuanzhen’s glory; consider it your good fortune!”

“Indeed, no status. What’s the point of having money? Your future Number One Scholar is so impressive,” Muniang said, taking out a stack of silver notes from her bosom and counting them carefully.

Qiao Dazhi’s eyes were glued to the notes as if they were stuck there, not shifting away in the slightest.

A playful smile curled the corners of Muniang’s mouth, “But at least, this money has made you come to me, begging.”

After speaking, she handed the silver notes to Er Liang, instructing, “Husband, lock the money away securely. Be sure not to let those with thieving intentions steal it. Otherwise, what would we have to squander, right?”

Er Liang accepted the money, grinning, “Right, we can play around with the money. It’s not for any future Number One Scholar.”

Qiao Dazhi’s face turned ashen, and finally, he could not hold back any longer and bellowed, “Qiao Muniang!”

He slammed his hand on the table; the already battered piece of furniture wobbled several times, nearly falling apart.

Muniang’s gaze turned icy, cutting across Qiao Dazhi’s figure like a knife, “Get out, my family’s money, burned to ashes, is still not for you.”

Qiao Dazhi was so angry he felt like hitting someone, but Er Liang stepped in front of Muniang, a look on his face that said he was ready to fight to the death if Qiao Dazhi dared to make a move. This infuriated Qiao Dazhi so much he nearly choked on his own rage.

Looking at Er Liang’s size, Qiao Dazhi didn’t dare to act rashly. He was an old man; how could he be a match for Er Liang? Besides, the man was a fool; if a fight broke out, he wouldn’t care for another’s life. What would happen if Er Liang killed him?

“You just wait!” Qiao Dazhi glared viciously at Muniang and Er Liang before storming out in a rage.

Muniang counted the silver in her hands, a total of six thousand taels. In such a poverty-stricken place, it was no wonder that it made others green with envy. It seemed the silver needed to be spent quickly; otherwise, being constantly harassed by this group of shameless relatives was intolerably annoying.

Fortunately, the village head had handled the issue of the barren hill properly, and the records had been duly filed with the government office, so Muniang hurried to settle the matter.

The village head brought the draft contract for Muniang to review.

“The barren hill totals two thousand and one hundred acres. Since it’s wasteland, the price isn’t steep, merely one silver tael per acre. But in total, that’s two thousand silver taels of fine snowflake silver. Muniang, are you sure you don’t want to think it over again? After all, producing such a large sum is no trivial matter,” the village head seemed to still want to persuade her.

But Muniang was adamant, only smiling and saying, “Rest assured, I’ve thought it through very clearly.”

The village head shook his head helplessly, “Well then, as you see fit.”

The process was quite simple. The contract had already been stamped with the official seal. Muniang just made her handprint on it, and with two copies made, she handed over two thousand one hundred silver taels to secure the deed to the land.

Without delay, Muniang and Er Liang went straight to the mountain for a look.

Seeing the overgrown weeds and sparse fruit trees on the mountain, Er Liang couldn’t help but frown, “Mistress, how shall we plant trees on this mountain? Look at these fruit trees; they’re pitifully few, and the fruits they bear are dreadfully unpalatable.”

Muniang, with bright eyes, curved her lips slightly, “There will be a way. Husband, what do you think about digging a fish pond here? We can also transport some saplings and plant rows of fruit trees. If we’re developing this mountain, naturally, we need to put in a lot of effort!”

“A lot of effort? What else is there?”

“This year, we’re only preparing to do this much. Other projects we can wait until next year, otherwise, we won’t have time to build our house. What will we do when winter comes? Husband, we’re going to make a fortune!”

Er Liang didn’t quite understand, but seeing Muniang so confident and happy, he also felt cheerful and laughed heartily.

Qiao Dazhi didn’t get a dime from Muniang, and naturally, his anger was extreme. But despite his rage, the matter of money was still unresolved! Seeing that Qiao Yuanzhen’s examination at the prefectural level was fast approaching, Qiao Dazhi was truly anxious.

The last time, for the county examination, he spent a full ten silver taels bribing the County Chief, who only recognized silver and not people. This time, for the prefectural examination, he certainly couldn’t neglect the Governor. But the remaining silver at home was just twenty or thirty taels. They still needed to keep the pot boiling at home, and how could such a small amount of money suffice for everything along the way?!

This situation truly turned Qiao Dazhi’s hair white with worry.

Qiao Yuanzhen had always focused only on his studies, but now that he was aware of the family’s plight, he could not ignore it any longer. After all, his future hinged on this, knowing that once the examination papers were submitted, it wasn’t just about excellence; it depended also on the examiner’s disposition.

Pacing in the room, hesitating for a long time, Qiao Yuanzhen suddenly thought of Qian Yuan. Though Qian Yuan was a ne’er-do-well, his family was wealthy. Qiao Yuanzhen was normally aloof and did not associate with him, but now with urgent circumstances, he couldn’t afford to be so particular. If Qian Yuan could give him silver…

Qiao Yuanzhen’s eyes lit up, and he stepped out the door, heading straight to Li Qinghe’s house.