Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Difficulties

Translator: 549690339

Zhuang Yuanren had been gone for a while to attend the government exams. Normally, the results should be out by now. Given Zhuang Yuanren’s distressed look, did he not pass the exam?

The grandiose claims and boasts he had previously made in front of others were now about to slap him in the face, turning his face blue and swollen.

Zhuang Ruman was immediately anxious. After hesitating for a while, he finally asked, “Yuanren, your exam this time…”

Zhuang Ruman looked at his eldest son’s face, but in the end, he didn’t ask further.

Zhuang Yuanren, with a displeased look on his face, calmly uttered two words: “Passed.”

“No problem, if you didn’t pass, you can just retake it next year, you’re still young…” Zhuang Ruman wanted to pour out a basket full of words to comfort Zhuang Yuanren, but he stopped abruptly halfway through.

“Passed?”

“Yes.” Zhuang Yuanren nodded.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Zhuang Ruman was suddenly excited and wanted to jump out of bed and turn a circle on the ground.

He passed, he passed!

If the government exam went smoothly, then next year it would be the academy exam. If he passed the academy exam, his family would have a proper scholar, bringing honor to the family and a sense of accomplishment!

Zhuang Ruman was so happy that the corners of his mouth reached his ears. Yet he was extremely puzzled by Zhuang Yuanren’s unhappy expression: “If you passed, shouldn’t that be good news? Why do you still look so unhappy?”

“Father.” Zhuang Yuanren didn’t answer Zhuang Ruman’s question, but just stood by the bed looking at him. After a while, he kneeled down with a thud.

“What are you doing?” Even Mrs. Song, who was sitting next to him, was startled and quickly reached out to help him up: “Your father is not seriously ill. Why are you kneeling?”

Hearing these words, all the color drained from Zhuang Ruman’s face.

Wasn’t the implication that he was not dead yet and hence didn’t deserve to be knelt toward?

This clumsy woman, why couldn’t she articulate words properly?

“Stop that nonsense, listen to what our son has to say.” Zhuang Ruman angrily reprimanded Mrs. Song, then turned to Zhuang Yuanren: “Yuanren, tell me, what do you want to say to your father?”

“I have a question for Father.” Zhuang Yuanren looked up and said.

“Go ahead and ask.”

“I would like to ask Father, how important am I to you, and how important is my future?” Zhuang Yuanren said again. Each word, spoken slowly, was cold yet mixed with a touch of unwilling resignation that sounded like suppressed resentment, carrying a sense of tragic desolation.

Even Zhuang Yuanren’s eyes were tinged with red, which made the spectators feel uncomfortable.

Zhuang Ruman also felt a pang in his heart: “What are you saying? You are my beloved son and your future is much more important than my old life.”

There was no falsehood in his words.

For Zhuang Ruman, no, for the whole family, Zhuang Yuanren’s future was of utmost importance.

“Why are you asking this? Did someone say something upsetting?” Zhuang Ruman immediately thought of Zhuang Qinghe, the useless girl at home: “Don’t listen to Qinghe’s nonsense. She’s just a girl and will get married sooner or later. Don’t take her words seriously.”

“Sister Qinghe hasn’t said anything.”

Zhuang Yuanren sniffed and said, “I just want to tell father that if you value me and my future, you shouldn’t make things difficult for Sisters Qingning and Qingsui.”

“They are both my biological cousins and your nieces. After their parents passed away, they have become pitiful orphans. We should treat them well and certainly should not deliberately make things difficult for them, lest others talk behind our backs.”

Zhuang Ruman felt a chill in his heart, and his face turned gloomy: “What happened? Why are we talking about these two girls?”

It seems that someone had told Zhuang Yuanren, who had gone to the city for the exam, about what had been going on at home. The only person who could have told him this was probably Zhuang Jingye.

Zhuang Jingye had previously come to his home and cursed him, threatening to make things difficult for them. No doubt it was him who went to town and stirred up trouble that eventually led to Zhuang Yuanren’s confrontation.

At this, Zhuang Ruman felt a deep resentment toward Zhuang Jingye.

“Father, it should have been a joyous occasion that I passed the government exam. There were only two other people in the entire school who passed. It should have been a time for me to hold my head high. However, the teacher was far from pleased, and even publicly scolded me.”

“He told me to talk to you about not doing things that disregarded familial affection and humanity, so I wouldn’t become the butt of the joke and bring disgrace to myself.”

“He also reminded my classmates that studying is for self-cultivation. This self-cultivation is not only for oneself, but also for the people around us, especially for siblings and parents, in order to achieve the purpose of education.”

“Despite the teacher’s actions being justified, I was left utterly ashamed. My classmates laughed at me saying that all the sacred texts I’d read were in vain, and even called you ruthless. I fear it will be difficult for me to establish myself in school again.”

“Normally, those who pass the government exam should directly go to the government school in the county to study. But due to your actions, the teacher hesitated and only gave me one month’s time. If I could convince you, it would prove my decency, and only then would he allow me to study at the county government school.”

“Father, Mother.”

Zhuang Yuanren then knelt down and said to Zhuang Ruman and Mrs. Song, “If you really care about me and consider my future important, then please, for my sake, don’t make things difficult for Sisters Qingning and Qingsui anymore.”

Having heard all this, Zhuang Ruman’s face turned paler and paler.

Zhuang Jingye, that old scoundrel, had actually gone to his school to lodge a complaint, and it had actually affected Zhuang Yuanren’s studies at the government school!

Zhuang Ruman, furious and scared, feared Zhuang Jingye would try to trip up Zhuang Yuanren further in the future. If Zhuang Yuanren couldn’t study at the government school, wouldn’t it ruin his life?

Education in the government school was free of charge, and wealthy scholars and businessmen often sponsored students by providing stationery, which could save a significant amount of money compared to the town’s school.

Moreover, the teachers in the government school were accomplished scholars, and even the county magistrate would occasionally teach classes. If Zhuang Yuanren were to study there, not only would he learn better, but he would also make more valuable connections..