Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 130 - 130 131 Look Down on_1

?Chapter 130: Chapter 131 Look Down on_1 Chapter 130: Chapter 131 Look Down on_1 Muniang looked up in surprise, “What? Where did this news come from?”

Qingya took a long breath before she said, “It’s spread all over the village, they say that a government officer has come to the Qiao family’s door to deliver the good news, now their house is so packed it’s bursting at the seams.”

Indeed, Tupo Village was desperately poor, and few could afford to study, let alone produce a Mr. Scholar like Qiao Yuanzhen. Naturally, it caused a sensation.

However, Muniang couldn’t muster any joy for the Qiao family. She didn’t wish to meddle in their affairs, but now Qiao Yuanzhen was tied to Li Qinghe´s happiness. Privately, she hoped Qiao Yuanzhen wouldn’t amount to much, for she had seen through his type: arrogant even when penniless; now with money, he probably wouldn’t spare his legal wife, Li Qinghe, a second glance.

With these thoughts, Muniang couldn’t help feeling worried.

“My, I heard your youngest son became a Scholar, the very first in our village. From now on, when we step out, others will have to address him respectfully as Mr. Scholar,” someone said.

“Indeed, I’ve always known that Qiao Yuanzhen was someone who would make something of himself. And see, at such a young age, he has become a Scholar. His future is boundless. When he becomes a government official one day, he must remember to look out for us,” another voiced.

“That’s also because you two old folks are blessed to have such a promising son. If it were someone else, they would never get this fortune in their lifetime!” another added.

The Qiao family’s home was packed with a bustling crowd, all there to offer flattery and congratulations after hearing the news. Seeing that the Qiao family had a Scholar now, they were green with envy, but they still had to suck up, saying all sorts of pleasant things to make Qiao Yuanshan and Madam Zhao happy.

Qiao Yuanshan’s face beamed with pleasure, clearly satisfied with the villagers’ flattery. “Of course, have you not seen whose son he is?” He acted as if he himself had become the Scholar.

For years he had rested his hopes on this son’s success. Now that he had become a Scholar, he was naturally overjoyed. Having a Scholar in the family was a lifetime of glory; not only could his grain taxes be halved, but the Qiao family’s status in the village was now exceptional. People would respectfully greet him as Mr. Scholar. So, among the four classes of society—scholars, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants—if one joined the scholars, their status changed dramatically. Even a mere Scholar in this barren Tupo Village could elevate the status of the entire clan.

“Eh, it’s been so long, why haven’t we seen Mr. Scholar yet?” a village woman suddenly asked.

Madam Zhao cleared her throat twice and replied, “He has not been feeling well these past few days and is resting in his room. Let’s not disturb him.”

The crowd cast her odd glances. Everyone had come to offer their well-wishes, but the guest of honor hadn’t shown himself, which was indeed impolite. But they held back from commenting further.

Inside the house, Yuanzhen was flipping through a book listlessly. He seemed extremely impatient with the noise outside, furrowing his brows slightly. Qinghe entered and poured him a glass of water. “Husband, the villagers are saying they haven’t seen Mr. Scholar and want to offer their congratulations. Won’t you go out to meet them?”

Yuanzhen replied irritably, “A bunch of ignorant villagers, so uncouth. I’m not in the mood to see them. You, on the other hand, seem to have too much free time to be concerned about these people.”

Qinghe wanted to say that they shouldn’t offend people too much, and that avoiding them was really impolite, but she pursed her lips and remained silent. Yuanzhen had been growing more and more bad-tempered, quick to anger.

Once the Qiao family had finally sent away all the villagers who had come to offer their congratulations, Madam Zhao hurried to Yuanzhen’s room to check on her son. “Yuanzhen, why didn’t you go out to help entertain? Everyone was here for you, all wanting to see Mr. Scholar—”
“I forgot, I’m going to read now,” Qiao Yuanzhen directly interrupted Madam Zhao, unable to bear the old lady’s nagging any longer.

Madam Zhao wanted to say more, but seeing Qiao Yuanzhen’s impatience, she didn’t dare to continue. She awkwardly turned to leave and, seeing Li Qinghe standing by, took out all her anger on her, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know there are so many guests at home today? Didn’t you think to remind Yuanzhen? Standing around all day like a block of wood!”

Li Qinghe’s face was full of grievance, “I, I did say something—”
“Don’t argue with me! You marrying into our family was already reaching for the stars. With your hunter’s family background, now that you’re married to Mr. Scholar, you should count your blessings. And yet, you wear a bitter face all day long; who are you showing it to? I always said Yuanzhen shouldn’t have married you, a country bumpkin. With his current status as Mr. Scholar, he should have married a lady from the city at the very least!” Madam Zhao said with malice. She had never liked this marriage from the start, and now that Yuanzhen had earned the title of Scholar, her disdain for Li Qinghe grew even more.

Li Qinghe’s face turned pale, and she glanced in Qiao Yuanzhen’s direction, but he did not even lift his head, obviously not intending to intervene at all. Her heart grew even sadder, her eyes reddening as she lowered her head without speaking. If she talked back, Madam Zhao would surely skin her alive.

Madam Zhao cursed for a long while before finally leaving, huffing with anger. She dared not take her rage out on her son, so she took it out on her daughter-in-law instead.

Recently, Muniang had been experimenting with new dishes, and the day to deliver new menu items to Dongxing Building was approaching. She was busy in the kitchen all day, until Qingya came in to tell her that Qinghe had arrived, prompting Muniang to promptly wipe her hands and rush out.

Qinghe was already in the inner room. When Muniang entered, she laughed, “What’s this? The Scholar’s Wife has time to spare today, coming to see me. I thought you’d be so busy for the next ten days that you wouldn’t have time to see me.”

Although this was said in jest, it was also meant as a congratulations.

But Li Qinghe didn’t joke around with Muniang as usual. When she looked up, Muniang saw those swollen red eyes.

Muniang frowned, “What’s happened to you?”

Qinghe’s tears fell thick and fast, and she suddenly threw herself into Muniang’s arms, sobbing, “Muniang, how am I supposed to go on with my life?”

“Take it easy, tell me, did Qiao Yuanzhen mistreat you?”

Li Qinghe sobbed several times before she managed to speak of the matter. She had always been treated with cold indifference in the Qiao family, but up till now, she had always endured in silence. Today, her emotions had overflowed, and she sought solace with Muniang.

Muniang sighed, “Why do this to yourself? Qiao Yuanzhen is heartless by nature; how could he truly care for a woman? In his eyes, apart from his fame, everyone is beneath him.”

Li Qinghe wiped her tears, “I don’t regret it, though. I chose this path myself, and I’ll have to see it through even if I have to crawl. It’s just that it’s hard to bear all this bottled-up frustration.”

Muniang tapped Qinghe’s head, “You’re being silly. Don’t think you have to follow the same dark path forever. If it really becomes unbearable, it’s not the end of the world to seek a divorce. Your brother truly cares for you; even if you get divorced and your reputation suffers, he won’t look down on you one bit. You’re suffering so much now— if your brother knew, it would break his heart.”