Wu Zhuangzi glanced at Jin Shanyao with disdain, "Shameless, she even cheats children out of their money..."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, "How did I lie to him? Is it that one plus two doesn't equal three, or two plus one doesn't equal three? I do business with integrity; I can't just turn away customers who come to my door."
Wu Zhuangzi's expression was as ugly as if he had eaten shit. Shameless... utterly shameless! He decided to fight Jin Shanyao to the death and never allow a second victim to appear.
As night fell, the gates of the examination hall opened, and the candidates dragged their weary bodies out. Following the wooden hairpin's sensory input, the Jin Shanyao quickly located Meng Anci's position.
" Anci... this..."
Meng Anci hurried over, "Auntie, Sister... why didn't you come home to wait for me?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "Because we're going to fight together..."
"Hmph..." Wu Zhuangzi snorted and walked past her, his eyes practically rolling to the sky, when suddenly his collar was Jin Shanyao.
Wu Zhuangzi shouted, "You unscrupulous merchant... what are you trying to do?"
Meng Anci surprised. The gatekeepers always greeted them with smiles; what was wrong with them today?
Jin Shanyao and said, "Don't you like humming? I'll take you to Su Wenqian's place to hum to your heart's content..." With that, she pulled him toward the government office.
Wu Zhuangzi begged for mercy repeatedly, " Shopkeeper Jin, I was wrong... I was really wrong."
Jin Shanyao paused, "Can I set up a stall during the August re-examination?"
"You can... arrange it however you want, I won't stop you." Wu Zhuangzi smiled ingratiatingly.
Jin Shanyao was just teasing him; she wouldn't actually take him to see the officials. So, feigning seriousness, she waved her hand, "I hope you keep your word... Let's go."
"Hey... Alright, Shopkeeper Jin," Wu Zhuangzi mimicked the shop assistant's movements as he stepped back, only to Constable Wang as soon as he entered the yamen.
Thank you so much for today...
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Did they catch the pervert who was taking off his clothes all over the street?"
"Don't even mention it... We only found out after the interrogation that we arrested the wrong person," Constable Wang said, about to leave, when Wu Zhuangzi called out to him, "Brother Wang... My grandfather's birthday is during the second round of exams."
"I see... Oh, by the way, did Jin Shanyao cause any trouble today?"
"Don't even mention it..." Wu Zhuangzi got angry just thinking about it. "She seemed like a really nice person, but I never imagined she would cheat a baby out of a single penny."
"When I was a kid, even a single penny was a fortune," Constable Wang interrupted him. "Alright, I'll find a way to deal with her during the re-examination."
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhuangzi chuckled twice, "Alright... whichever Brother Wang I'm going first."
Jin Shanyao returned to the Anzhi Hall with her two children. From afar, she saw a young man carrying medicinal herbs into the shop, who didn't look like one of her own.
She stepped forward, puzzled. "Who are you, young man?"
Yu Mancang looked up with a beaming smile, "The boss is back. I'm Miao Dou's son..."
Miao Dou was the village cook. When she was fourteen, her parents married her off to Yu Manzi the same village, for two sacks of grain. For the first two years, Yu Manzi.
After his son Yu Mancang was born, he became like a beast unleashed, completely unruly. He did no work in the fields, spending his days gambling or drinking, and taking out his frustrations on Miao Dou whenever he was unhappy.
He endured this for more than a decade until the turning point came last spring when Meng Anzhi came to the village to provide free medical care. She saw that Miao Dou's body was covered in bruises, with new wounds covering old ones.
It just so happened that the estate needed a cook, so they hired her to help out. She was paid Five Hundred Wen a month and was allowed to live and eat on the estate and not go home. Yu Manzi heard that he could get money, he didn't care whether Miao Dou went home or not and immediately signed a three-year employment contract.
Miao Dou has finally escaped the mire, though Yu Manzi still takes most of her monthly wages on time. At least she is no longer beaten or starving, and her life is finally starting to look like a normal person again.
Fan Er came out of the shop and saw Jin Shanyao returning. He greeted her with a simple smile, then picked up the medicinal herbs and carried them into the shop.
Jin Shanyao Yu Mancang wanted to help, but stopped him, saying, "Let Fan Er carry it."
"The herbs aren't too heavy, it'll be quick for two people to unload them..." Yu Mancang said as he carried the herbs into the house.
Yu Mancang wiped his sweat and said with a smile, "Boss... I have to go now."
"Sigh..." Jin Shanyao called out to him, taking out fifty coins. "It's hot... I'll buy a cup of cool tea."
Yu Mancang hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no... Master, you've already done me a great favor by stopping my mother's suffering. How can I accept money?"
Before he could finish speaking, he hurriedly ran away.
Meng Anzhi, "I heard from the villagers that Yu Mancang isn't much better off than his mother; he does all the housework by himself now."
The Jin Shanyao, "Every family has its own troubles, and you're not a living saint; you can't save everyone..."
The trees on the farm told her that Miao Dou would always secretly take steamed buns out and give them to a boy. That boy must be Yu Mancang.
Fan Er walked out with a steamed bun in his mouth, calling out "Master" before leaving.
"What's the story behind Fan Er... Yu Mancang?"
Fan Er paused in his eating of the steamed bun, and said innocently, "He... went to the village to see Sister Miao, and happened to run into me delivering goods, so he insisted on coming along."
He stuffed the whole bun into his mouth. "The child is a good child, just unlucky to have a good father... Master, is there anything else? If not, I should go back; there's still a lot of work to be done on the estate."
Jin Shanyao pondered, " Yu Mancang isn't one of our people, we can't use him for free... You'll have to deliver him yourself next time."
Fan Er secretly observed his master's expression. Oh no, his master must be complaining that he eats too much and does too little. Just then, Zhou Xiaosi came out with half a plate of steamed buns.
"Brother Fan..."
Fan Er kept waving at him, signaling him to go inside quickly and not to offend his master. Unexpectedly, this dimwit actually came over carrying steamed buns.
He shoved the steamed buns in front of Fan Er, saying, "Didn't you say you haven't eaten since noon? Hmm, take a few more to eat on the way."
Fan Er swallowed hard, his expression awkward, and said, "Master... I'm not hungry..."
Zhou Xiaosi was puzzled. When did Fan Er become so cautious? Could it be that he was scolded by his master? As he was thinking this, the plate was taken away by Jin Shanyao.
She shoved it into Fan Er, "Eat..."
Fan Er held the plate and said naively, "Hey... hey, I can carry a big bag when I'm full."
Jin Shanyao her lips, a smile involuntarily playing on them.
There is a three-day interval between the main examination and the re-examination.
The second-round examination is the most important, as it directly determines whether you can participate in the provincial examination.
Inside the examination hall, Meng Anci was fighting alone.
Outside the examination hall, Jin Shanyao and Constable Wang stared at each other.
"Where's Wu Zhuangzi? He said I could set up a stall here?"
Constable Wang ignorance, "Is that so? Zhuangzi didn't tell me. What a mess! Why don't you go to the village and ask him? It just so happens that Wu Zhuangzi's grandfather is having a big birthday celebration, and you might even be able to attend the feast."
Jin Shanyao a deep breath, closed her eyes, and realized she had been careless...
She pointed to the old man sitting at her feet and asked Constable Wang, "Who is he? What do you mean by this?"
Constable Wang glanced at the old man and chuckled, "He's my grandfather... You can just call him Grandpa."
"What do you want me to call you...?" Jin Shanyao's expression twisted into a ferocious grin as she Constable Wang by the collar and yanked him close to her. "Are you trying to provoke me? Are you trying to cause trouble?"
Old Wang cried out, his hands on the ground, and he shakily tried to get up... calling out, "Child... have fun, don't fight."