Goldfield
Chapter 188: Being Shy Unknowing

Madam Zhang's expression changed. Old Zhao was awarded the title of second rank general and his son Hunter Zhao also got the position of fourth rank military official. So, their entire family is a high-ranking official now. If he continued to fabricate lies and ended up angering the Zhao Family, they might punish him for framing an official appointed by the imperial court, which meant he had to go to jail.

After all, Madam Zhang had gained a thick complexion from her practice and experience. Even after his lie was revealed, he still remained calm. He even rolled his eyes as he said, “All the money at home is given to your younger uncle as a fee for the county check !! Your oldest grandfather and uncle haven't been able to catch fish lately, so there's almost nothing to eat at home right now !! There is so much white silver shining in your money box. Give me one to two hundred taels to use ah! ”

Yu Xiaocao was so angry at his robber-like robbery that he ended up feeling amused, “Grandmother, you made an excessive request ah! One to two hundred taels! Are you ready to drink bird nests and eat shark fins? We won't even give you ten to twenty taels, let alone one to two hundred taels !! ”

Madam Zhang was afraid of Xiaocao's godfather, who was an official, so she didn't dare to do anything to him. But, after so many years, he already had a thorough understanding of Yu Hai's character. So, controlling him shouldn't be a problem for him. He pushed Yu Xiaocao aside and rushed towards Yu Hai.

Seeing his fierce expression, Yu Hai subconsciously tilted to the side. It was unknown where she got her strength from, but Madam Zhang took a few steps and rushed towards Yu Hai. He tightly grasped Yu Hai's arm and forcefully shook it several times. With the strength he used to grab his arm, if not for the fact that Yu Hai had thick and rough skin, there would definitely be a hint of bruising!

“Second Son, I've been raising you into adulthood since you were eight or nine years old, and I'm also getting a good wife for you. After all these years, even if I don't have the reward, I still have to earn praise for my hard work! Yes, you've separated from the family, but you're still your father's son and your brother's older brother Ah! Our family is going through a difficult time right now, so you can't just watch on the side in a cold-blooded ah! ” As if she had thought of something, Madam Zhang was overwhelmed by grief and tears streaming down her old face. His face was filled with snot and tears.

Over the years, Madam Zhang had placed all her hopes on her younger son. Every coin he kept in the house was used for his younger son. To ensure that he could study more comfortably, he had rented a house in the city for him. His younger son could eat delicious grains, which the family was reluctant to eat, for almost all of his meals. No matter how stingy and frugal he was at home, he still could not bear to let his younger son suffer even a little. He only hoped that he would bring honor to her and become an official.

This spring, his youngest son, Yu Bo, took the district exam in February and successfully passed the exam. Madam Zhang was overjoyed by this and became very hopeful that her younger son would pass the examination as a county official. She, who was usually very stingy, held an all-day banquet in the village to celebrate her son's graduation in the district exam.

However, he became happy too early ah! There are three sections in the district level exam: the district exam, the prefecture exam, and the county exam. District exams are just the beginning. In April, Mrs Zhang personally drove her son to the prefectural city with high hopes. He encouraged her to pass all three exams at once and return as a county official.

But the higher one's expectations, the greater their disappointment. Yu Bo failed the prefectural examination, and the entire house was overwhelmed by the tense and depressed atmosphere. Madam Zhang even quietly cried out in her own sorrow.

However, Yu Bo blamed his failure on the academy where he studied, saying that it was not good enough. For the Rongxuan Academy city, eighteen students participated in the district level examination and they all passed the prefectural examination as expected. Moreover, they all ranked high. Now, they were all just waiting for the examination of the area! It was no wonder even if they reached the official rank of a county official !!

Shortly after the prefectural examination, Yu Bo came to the village to tell his mother that, if he could enter Rongxuan Academy, he could, he would definitely get an official rank as a county official for his mother within two years. He had no chance in the past, but he had an amazing friend who could help him get into Rongxuan Academy. However, it takes a little cost.

Madam Zhang was instantly interested in the idea! Even an illiterate fisherwoman like her had heard of the great reputation of Rongxuan Academy. Rongxuan Academy has produced several first and second rank scholars from the imperial examination !! If his son could enter Rongxuan Academy and be taught by a famous teacher, the day that he passed the examination would soon arrive! Haha, she will soon become the mother of an official !!

However, he was hesitant to hear the small fee his son mentioned. To an ordinary fishing family, five hundred taels was truly an astronomical number. Even with Madam Zhang's frugal and stingy behavior and Hunter Zhao's compensation of three hundred taels, the family's savings were still only around four hundred taels! Even if they gave up everything they had, they would still not be able to obtain five hundred taels !!

Just when she was confused, Madam Li sneaked into her room last night and told her about the news that the watermelon planted by the Yu Hai family could be sold for five taels each. After hearing this, Madam Zhang, who was cornered by money, found a new light source — For the sake of her younger son, she had to earn money for him even if she had to lose her face !!

He came to the city early in the morning and hid in a corner to quietly observe Yu Hai's watermelon shop. The watermelon shop business is great. There seemed to be an endless stream of customers from morning to evening. Every customer who walks into the store will come out with one or two watermelons. He calculated it in his mind that, if watermelons cost five taels each, this little melon shop could actually earn several hundred taels a day. With this discovery, Madam Zhang became increasingly convinced that she could earn money from Yu Hai.

Why did he only appear at this time? Of course, there's a reason. After their previous interaction, Madam Zhang sensed Yu Xiaocao's strength. The boy also had a powerful and influential godfather, so he could not be scolded or beaten. Yu Hai, on the other hand, was much easier to handle. As long as he emphasized filial piety, there was no way Yu Hai would refuse his request!

Unable to break away from his tight grasp, Yu Hai was so anxious that his head was sweating. She stuttered, “You... What are you doing? If you want to talk, talk! You can be sure that I will not refuse to help if it is something I can do !! ”

Yu Hai was no longer a person who could be intimidated and controlled by Madam Zhang at will. In the face of Madam Zhang's bitter plea, she had left a hint of leeway in her words.

Madam Zhang wiped her tears with her sleeves, sniffed hard on her nose, and spoke in a tone as if someone owed her something, saying, “Who doesn't know that your family's watermelon is selling well in the city and you get a few hundred taels in one day? Isn't five hundred taels just a trivial matter to you? ”

After hearing that, the spectators were stunned in their hearts! All the merchants and customers on this street were people who had some money in their families. When this old woman pleaded with the melon shop owner for help, they did not think that this peasant woman, who was wearing worn out clothes and seemed to have a difficult life, was, I will ask for something excessive.

No one expected that he would directly demand five hundred taels. Five hundred taels is not a small amount of money ah! There were not many shops in the vicinity that could produce more than five hundred taels each month. For what reason did a poor old woman directly ask for five hundred taels?

Yu Hai also furrowed his brows, feeling uneasy. The first thing he thought about was what kind of problem his younger brother caused so they needed five hundred taels to solve.

“Grandma, the first thing you ask when you open your mouth is five hundred taels! Didn't you know that most people won't be able to make so much money even after working hard all their lives? I really want to know, what exactly do you need these five hundred taels for? !! ” Yu Xiaocao, who was previously unprepared, was pushed by Madam Zhang and nearly fell down. Fortunately, the nimble Linglong quickly supported him, otherwise, his skin and flesh would have to suffer!

Madam Zhang stared intently at Yu Xiaocao with her ferocious wolf-like eyes, but her pupils suddenly contracted when she saw the beautiful woman behind Xiaocao. She had heard from Madam Li that Xiaocao's godmother was coming from the capital. Ignoring Xiaocao's godmother's attitude towards Xiaocao, in front of her godmother, she stiffly swallowed back the evil speech that was about to come out of her mouth.

“You don't have to know what I need it for. Second Son, just tell me whether you will give me money or not! ” Madam Zhang continues to choose the easier victim and asks in a threatening manner.

However, Yu Hai did not obediently agree to it as he thought. Instead, he asked the same question, “Cao’er was correct. Five hundred taels is not a small number. What lawsuit does Xiaobo involve that you need large amounts of money? He didn't fall into the trap of the bad guys, did he? ”

“You are the one who was sued !! My Xiao life has been blessed by the gods, so he will become a high official in the future !! The reason he did not perform well this time was because the teachers in his academy were not good enough !! After he entered Rongxuan Academy, he would definitely pass the examination to become a regional official in the coming year !! At that time, as his elder brother, didn't you also benefit? ” When she spoke of her younger son, Madam Zhang had a face full of pride, as if she would definitely become a county official.

Xiaocao captured the important details in his words and asked doubtfully, “Wait! Did you just say that Young Uncle is about to enter Rongxuan Academy? Isn't the entrance exam of Rongxuan Academy in the first month of every year? Isn't the time for the exam over? Shitou never mentioned that there will be additional exam time this year ah? ”

Madam Zhang revealed a proud expression and wanted to tell them the truth, but she remembered that her son had warned her not to talk about the matter casually so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. He swallowed back the words that would come out of his mouth and faintly said, “You guys don't have to worry about that. As long as you take out five hundred taels, entering Rongxuan Academy won't be a problem! ”

It seemed like someone had harnessed the desire of the student, who had failed the test, to achieve both achievement and fame. But, to demand directly five hundred taels was simply too much ah! Yu Xiaocao, who had guessed the truth a little, kindly reminded him, saying,

“Grandma, did someone tell you that they would let Young Uncle study at Rongxuan Academy if you gave them five hundred taels? If people could enter Rongxuan Academy just by spending money, would we get a chance? Many wealthy businessmen wanted to use their wealth to earn a place in Rongxuan Academy for their son, but none of them succeeded. Yet you think that only five hundred taels will work ?? Grandma, you and Young Uncle might meet with a con man, right? ”

Even though Madam Zhang's body was old, she could actually jump three feet high. With one hand on his waist and the other pointing to Yu Xiaocao's nose, he shouted while spitting, as if he was a thief cursing in the streets, “Is there a nephew like you? It is difficult for your younger uncle to get this chance to enter Rongxuan Academy, which is not something that just anyone can get. It's OK if you don't want to help, but you still have to curse him to be fooled !! Your youngest uncle treats you very well in vain. Is your conscience eaten by a dog? I've never seen such an evil little girl. Let's see who will be willing to marry you, this curse and black thing, in the future.