Chapter 22

Among the people present, apart from the stubborn one who insisted on trying the food, Lao Buyu was the one who vomited the most violently.

In the end, he couldn’t bear it anymore, his face pale as he waved his hand and said, “Madam, please put away this thing. I admit defeat.”

This really put Shen Cui in a dilemma. The stinky tofu produced by the system had to be eaten to get rid of the smell. Otherwise, she really didn’t know how long the smell would linger.

She first put the food away in the kitchen. Then, the others immediately rushed forward to help, closing the kitchen windows and doors. Some even climbed onto the roof to block the chimney.

After all this commotion, the stench in the air dissipated significantly. Although it was still unpleasant, it no longer made people dizzy.

Shen Cui looked apologetically at everyone and then smiled, asking, “Everyone here witnessed it. Lao Buyu just promised verbally. I wonder when Master would be ready to formally accept the apprentice?”

With limited time for the task, Shen Cui naturally hoped that Lao Buyu would accept Mu Er Pang right away.

But in this era, accepting a disciple required following certain rules. They had to pay respects to the esteemed master, present gifts, and some even performed a ceremony of initiation.

Naturally, it couldn’t be done just by speaking.

Lao Buyu had just escaped from the suffocating stench, and now his face no longer showed the previous smile. He simply pursed his lips and said, “We’ve been delayed for quite some time today, and it’s getting late. Besides, the environment here is not convenient. Madam, please take the young master back for now, and come again early tomorrow morning.”

He was sincere about it. The time wasn’t the only issue; the mess made by everyone vomiting would take hours to clean up.

Shen Cui felt a bit embarrassed and asked where the brooms were, wanting to help with the cleaning.

But Lao Buyu seemed a bit nervous at the sight of her. He waved his hand and said, “It’s okay. I’ll ask a few neighbors to lend a hand, and it’ll be done quickly.”

The resentful glances from the others were like arrows aimed at her. Shen Cui didn’t stay any longer and led Mu Er Pang out of Lao’s house.

After they had walked for about fifteen minutes, Mu Er Pang finally could take off the handkerchief and breathe fresh air in big gulps.

Seeing his pale face, Shen Cui sighed and said, “I should have let you go to your grandmother’s house first, instead of insisting you stay with me.”

Mu Er Pang, with his round face, said, “I didn’t expect this batch of stinky tofu made by Mom to be even worse than the last time.”

Last time, he managed to finish a plate despite the smell. But this time, he could only endure it and didn’t vomit like the others.

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Shen Cui noticed that he didn’t seem to be in good spirits, so instead of taking him directly home, she brought him to Tea Pot Alley. She thought he could rest here for a while, and she could also inform Mrs. Zheng about finding a good teacher, so she wouldn’t have to worry about asking around anymore.

When the two returned to Shen’s house, it was almost dusk.

Most of the people working in the city had already returned home, and Shen’s house was bustling with activity.

But this bustle wasn’t a good kind of bustle; it was because Mrs. Zheng was arguing with someone.

The person she was arguing with was none other than the Mrs.Chen.

That morning, Mrs. Zheng had taken Shen Cui and her son to visit Huang Ju.

Chen’s family caught wind of the situation. Even though things didn’t work out, seeing her mother-in-law’s intention to inquire further about others, Mrs. Chen couldn’t sit still anymore.

Since there wasn’t much going on in the afternoon, Mrs.Chen hurried back to her parents’ house and shared the news with her own mother.

Mrs. Chen’s mother was also anxious. Last year, they had sent their eldest son, Chen Danai, to study under a tutor, and at the beginning of this year, he was accepted as a disciple by Huang Ju.

Chen Danai’s initial level of education wasn’t enough to pass Huang Ju’s scrutiny. So, apart from the ten taels of silver they paid for registration, the Chen family also prepared another ten taels of silver as a gift. It took quite a bit of effort and connections, involving many favors and negotiations, to persuade Huang Ju to accept Chen Danai.

They put in so much effort and money, and yet Mu Er Pang’s level wasn’t much different from Chen Danai’s. Despite this, Huang Ju didn’t accept Mu Er Pang, saying they needed to find an even more skilled teacher. How much more money would they have to invest in this pursuit?

Shen’s family had been doing well lately, all thanks to Mrs. Zheng’s foresight in sending her two sons to the city to learn skills.

Setting aside the second son for now, Shen Da’s skills were taught by the Chen family’s old master.

Mrs. Chen felt that her family had contributed to Shen’s family’s prosperity, so naturally, she couldn’t stand by and watch all their money go to waste on Mu Er Pang.

Upon hearing the news, she instructed Chen Shi to return home first and then come over to her daughter and grandson’s house in the name of checking up on them.

Mrs. Zheng was still angry about the morning’s events, and she and Mrs. Chen didn’t get along to begin with. As soon as Mrs. Chen mentioned Mu Er Pang, the two women started arguing.

By the time Shen Cui and Mu Er Pang arrived, the two women had already had a heated argument. The younger ones were busy serving tea and comforting them, finally calming them down enough to talk properly.

But as soon as they arrived, Mrs. Chen’s anger flared up again. Pointing at Shen Cui, she said, “You’ve come at just the right time. I want to ask you, as a daughter-in-law, how dare you let your family exhaust all their efforts to support your grandson’s education. He shouldn’t even be surnamed Mu, he should take the Shen surname instead.”

Before Shen Cui could respond, Mrs. Zheng slammed the table and retorted, “You old busybody! Even though I’m trying to maintain some dignity with the younger ones present, you still dare to insult me in front of my daughter and grandson. You said it yourself, this is the Shen family. I am the head of this household. Even if I want to support my grandson, it’s none of your business. Even if I want to throw all my money into the river, it’s not your place to meddle, Chen!”

“How dare you say it’s none of my son-in-law’s business? He learned his skills from my old man and was recommended by my old man for that petty official position. If your grandson is a fool, I don’t care, but there’s no reason to drag my daughter and son-in-law down that bottomless pit. If you’re so proud, just go ahead and split this family up.”

“If you want to split up, go ahead and talk to my daughter and son-in-law about it.”

Mrs. Chen looked at her daughter, Chen Shi.

Chen Shi was on the verge of tears beside her.

She just wanted her mother to find a way to ruin this situation, never in her wildest dreams did she think about splitting the family.

Of course, it’s not that Chen Shi didn’t want to split the family, but she didn’t dare to think about it.

The rule at this time was that as long as the parents were alive, the family wouldn’t split. If the children insisted on splitting the family while the parents were still alive and well, it would be an absolute joke if word got out. Not only for them.

“The adults feel embarrassed, and the children will be talked about.”

Mrs. Chen, full of frustration, said, “I’m doing this for your own good. Your nephew is studying with Huang Ju. When he achieves something in the future, no one will dare to bring up such matters.”

Before she could finish, Mrs. Zheng snorted heavily. “Then I’ll say when my Mu Er Pang achieves something. When he succeeds, he won’t forget about you, good relatives of ours.”

“Your chubby Mu Er Pang is nothing to boast about!”

“Your Chen Danai, who can’t even memorize his books properly, is even worse!”

Mrs. Chen glared so fiercely that sparks seemed to fly from her eyes.

Seeing this argument escalating and risking the bond between them, Shen Cui couldn’t stay silent any longer.

“Mother, Aunt-in-law, please stop arguing. I have good news. Our Mu Er Pang already has a teacher. Tomorrow, he will perform the ceremony to formally become his disciple. And, even better, you don’t need to worry about spending money. This teacher will teach him for free for three years.”

Upon hearing this, both Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Zheng were stunned into silence.

Mrs. Zheng skeptically said, “Are you sure you’re not being deceived? Where in the world does such good fortune come from?”

Mrs. Chen didn’t care about those doubts; she just smiled and said, “Good, everyone heard it. She said it herself. Her son has a teacher now. Don’t come back to us for money under the guise of education.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Zheng was about to slam the table again, but Shen Cui stopped her and replied, “Yes, it was indeed me who said that. Aunt-in-law, please don’t come to argue with my mother because of this matter anymore. Both of you are getting older; take care of yourselves.”

Satisfied with the response, Mrs. Chen, wary of Mrs. Zheng’s harshness, promptly left.

As she left, the men of the Shen family returned from outside.

Mrs. Zheng, seeing them, snapped, “According to the time, you should have been back already. Are you deliberately avoiding that woman from the Chen family?”

Both Mr. Shen and his sons shrank their necks in response.

Mrs. Zheng wasn’t wrong. They had indeed returned from work separately, but Tea Pot Alley was small, and the sound insulation was poor. When they returned to the doorstep one after the other, they heard the argument between her and Mrs. Chen.

Over the years, Mrs. Zheng and Mrs. Chen had quarreled many times, and just like Mr. Chen, they didn’t intervene.

Because when women quarreled, it was trivial. If the men got involved, Mrs. Chen’s suggestion of splitting the family, said in the heat of the moment, would have to be seriously considered.

Mrs. Zheng naturally understood this, so after saying her piece, she didn’t dwell on the matter further. Instead, she turned her attention to Shen Cui and asked about the teacher Shen Cui had mentioned.

Shen Cui didn’t hide anything and immediately recounted how she had managed to persuade Mr. Lao to accept Mu Er Pang as his disciple.