The Zheng Family

He was resting for a bit when the shopkeeper called him away again.

The position of County Magistrate in Xinfeng County might not mean much to people in the Capital City, but for scholars from humble backgrounds without any official position, it was a rare opportunity.

When they found out that Zheng Shanci got the position, they were not happy about it.

But the words Zheng Shanci had warned Fang Jue with that day echoed in their ears. If they caused trouble, not only would they gain nothing, but they might also earn the resentment of Zheng Shanci and the officials from the Ministry of Personnel.

Fang Jue said, “Our words carry little weight; we can’t fight them.”

Several scholars from humble backgrounds nodded, all looking like they were blaming the heavens and others, feeling that Zheng Shanci had used improper means to snatch the position.

They believed the entire officialdom was about protecting each other, unable to see true talent.

They had a grudge in their hearts, and when participating in some literary gatherings, they would deliberately say bad things about Zheng Shanci in a sarcastic manner.

Chen Wu knew about this and regretted it even more. He had gone to the Pei Mansion with Zheng Shanci, but the good fortune just happened to fall on Zheng Shanci. Otherwise, a small position like County Magistrate would have been easy to obtain.

Zheng Shanci, however, was unaware that the scholars from humble backgrounds were still sour about him. He thought about the amount of money Yu Lanyi spent and sighed, realizing that even ten of him couldn’t afford it.

After leaving the Jin Yi Pavilion, he didn’t go home but instead went to the market to buy cabbage and tofu.

Tonight, he planned to make cabbage and tofu soup.

“Buy a pound of cabbage and a block of tofu.”

The vegetable vendor lady responded, “Young Master, here’s the produce you wanted.”

Zheng Shanci thought about it and went to check out the pork shop nearby. By now, the fresh pork was almost sold out, so Zheng Shanci bought some ribs.

Back home, Zheng Shanci scooped out some rice to steam, washed the vegetables, marinated the ribs, and prepared the seasonings. Only then did he go to sort through his belongings.

He didn’t have much, only three sets of clothes. Two of them were still in good condition, but one had been washed so much that the fabric had turned white. The other two outfits were for appearances when going out, and the wedding clothes stood out among them.

In the kitchen, there was a small jar of dried radish, which Zheng Shanci liked to eat as a side dish. Because of the long journey, the Zheng family didn’t let him bring too much.

The letter he wrote to the Zheng family would only arrive after he and Yu Lanyi got married, and by then, he would take Yu Lanyi to Xinfeng County.

As he thought aimlessly, Zheng Shanci changed into old clothes. The original work didn’t describe the Zheng family much, but Zheng Shanci remembered that the Zheng family always supported the original protagonist. Zheng Shancheng, the elder brother, married early and always took care of family matters. During the busy farming season, he worked in the fields, and to earn more money, he would do odd jobs for others. During the off-season, he would find work in town.

Once, Zheng Shancheng was carrying sandbags at the dock and got whipped by the overseer for heatstroke, fainting completely. When Father Zheng brought him back, Zheng Shancheng was utterly exhausted.

The original protagonist, however, looked down on them, thinking he was already a scholar and different from these laborers. Zheng Shancheng carrying sandbags at the dock was an embarrassment to him.

Zheng Shancheng hadn’t rested long before being hired as a servant by the steward of a wealthy family in town. Zheng Shancheng didn’t sign a contract of servitude, and the treatment was decent. Although they were farmers, they knew that selling their own son to a wealthy family as a servant, with life and death out of their control, was a degrading thing. Signing a contract of servitude meant entering the slave registry.

He didn’t have to be hired by a wealthy family, but to gather enough money for Zheng Shanci, he had to endure some hardships. A family helps each other, but only when Zheng Shanci achieved fame would the family help him. Until then, only family support was available.

Zheng Shancheng also brought money back home, but a few months later, he was accused of theft, and the kind-hearted master only broke Zheng Shancheng’s leg. Zheng Shancheng became a cripple.

Zheng Shanci finished making the cabbage and tofu, and cooked the ribs.

The original protagonist still felt embarrassed, especially after Zheng Shancheng became crippled and brought back a servant, who was the Ge’er Zheng Shancheng wanted to marry. Zheng Shancheng married a servant as his husband.

This made the original protagonist very indignant. Having a crippled brother was bad enough, but also having a sister-in-law who had been a servant was too much. His pride and dignity were trampled. The original protagonist smashed a bowl and didn’t attend Zheng Shancheng’s wedding banquet, treating his sister-in-law with indifference.

The father and dad of the Zheng family had given a lot for the original protagonist, and besides them, Zheng Shancheng had given the most. Unfortunately, Zheng Shancheng could never hold his head high in front of his brother. As soon as the original protagonist saw him, he would treat him with hostility and speak harshly.

Marrying Yu Lanyi without family by his side was actually the original protagonist’s hope.

Zheng Shanci understood that this person was selfish and ungrateful. According to the original work, after he and Yu Lanyi were caught in public, the original protagonist admitted to his affair with Yu Lanyi, implying that Yu Lanyi was no longer pure.

He would even hang out with Chen Wu and other playboys, boasting proudly, while pretending to be a gentleman in public.

Zheng Shanci washed the dishes and didn’t think about anything else.

…

Qingxiang Village

Every household had lit candles, and dogs howled a few times at the village entrance before running back home on their agile legs. The curling smoke hung straight in the sky, accompanied by the crisp laughter of children and the sound of cooking.

Father Zheng poured a cup of turbid wine.

Zheng Fulang was busy in the kitchen, and Lin Ge’er was helping him cook. Today, they were making pancakes. After going to the market, they bought some pork, which Zheng Fulang chopped into paste. He kneaded the dough, while Lin Ge’er added firewood to the stove and worked the bellows to get the fire going.

“Father, let me help too.”

Lin Ge’er was diligent, and Zheng Fulang treated him as a proper son, responding with a “yes.”

“Smells so good.” Zheng Shancheng came back carrying pig feed. He was robust and handsome, with a smile in his eyes. Beside him was the family’s youngest, Zheng Qingyin. Zheng Qingyin was a young Ge’er with rosy cheeks, moist eyes, and fair skin. He tugged on Zheng Shancheng’s sleeve, “Big Brother, I’ll go feed the pigs first.”

“Go ahead.”

Zheng Qingyin was quiet and shy by nature, a beauty since childhood. Fortunately, both Zheng Shancheng and Zheng Shanci were tall and strong. Especially Zheng Shancheng, who had beaten up all the young men in the village with ill intentions towards Zheng Qingyin. If anyone tried to abduct his brother, Zheng Shancheng would use his fists.

Zheng Qingyin relied heavily on Zheng Shancheng and was somewhat afraid of his second brother.

The whole family ate together, and Zheng Fulang sighed, thinking about their second son still in the Capital City, “I wonder how Shanci is doing in the Capital?”

Father Zheng frowned with worry, “Once we’re done with this busy period, we’ll go to town to find some work. We can’t help Shanci in the Capital, but we can send him more money.”

Zheng Shancheng nodded in agreement. He was most proud of his two younger brothers, and thinking about the hardships his second brother might face in the Capital made his heart ache.

He silently ate his pancake, thinking about earning more money.

Whenever the family talked about Zheng Shanci, the atmosphere became a bit tense.

At night, Zheng Shancheng took a bath, and Lin Ge’er sat on the edge of the bed. As they lay down, Lin Ge’er said, “Husband, all the family’s savings have gone to Second Brother. What if something happens at home?”

Lin Ge’er felt that the family was too focused on Zheng Shanci. He used to be meek and submissive, but now, after being in the Zheng family for a while, he realized that none of the family’s money was in his hands, and there was no family wealth.

Zheng Shanci was a scholar; would he still need this little money? They were eagerly sending it to him, yet Zheng Shanci despised them. It was self-defeating.

“We’re all family. If Second Brother does well, the family will do well too.” Zheng Shancheng hugged Lin Ge’er, breathing into his ear, “Don’t you think so? After all, he calls you sister-in-law. If Second Brother becomes an official, won’t you benefit too?”

Lin Ge’er hummed and didn’t say anything.

“Let’s sleep. We have to keep working tomorrow,” Zheng Shancheng said sleepily.

Lin Ge’er stared at the ceiling, reaching out to touch Zheng Shancheng’s broken leg. Every time he thought about it, his heart ached, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Zheng Shanci had a dream where after marrying Yu Lanyi, Yu Lanyi beat him up. He woke up in a cold sweat, seeing that it was still dark outside.

He lay back down, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He thought about all sorts of things, making it even harder to fall asleep.

At the crack of dawn, Zheng Shanci went out. He wanted to take a walk and then go to Jin Yi Pavilion. Being a man, he had a big appetite, so he bought two buns at a bun shop.

Taking a bite, his cheeks puffed up.

Official sedan chairs were being carried, and carriages were on the road. When Zheng Shanci looked up, he saw many people heading towards the Imperial City, all officials from the Capital.

Zheng Shanci quietly walked to the side, eating his bun.

Ye Yunchu lifted the curtain of his carriage and saw Zheng Shanci. He withdrew his gaze and lowered the curtain, not giving Zheng Shanci a second thought.

“Zheng Shanci, what are you doing here?” Yu Changxing, a military officer, was riding a horse and looked at Zheng Shanci, who was standing there like a mushroom.

The mushroom looked up in confusion.