Chapter 102: You Deserve to Be Honored in the Village Ancestral Hall

“Good news!”

The village head’s face was filled with excitement.

He then took Ye Xin Ran’s cane. “Come on, let’s talk at your house.”

Ye Xin Ran was puzzled.

What good news had this old man so excited?

The old man remained calm, not revealing anything until they entered the courtyard.

Once inside the yard, the village head motioned for a few children to follow them into Xiao Huai’an’s room.

There were no stools in the room, so the children squatted by the bed as Ye Xin Ran and the village head stood aside.

The village head cleared his throat and spoke, “Guess who came to find me today?”

“Can’t guess. Don’t tease us,” Ye Xin Ran replied lazily.

She had been guessing the whole way, and none of her guesses were correct.

“You can’t guess, so let others try!” The village head looked at the three children with hope.

“Aunt doesn’t guess, I won’t either!” Chang An shook his head.

“Right, I won’t guess either!” Chang Ping also shook his head.

Only Chang Sheng tentatively asked, “Could it be someone from the academy?”

“Correct!”

The village head reached out and patted Chang Sheng’s head.

“Looks like it’s little Chang Sheng who’s got a future in studying.”

“The academy has contacted us?” Ye Xin Ran was surprised.

“Is Madam Leng not fully recovered yet, and Master Wei has already started arranging this?”

The village head smiled at Ye Xin Ran. “It’s all thanks to you, niece! You deserve to be honored in our Yun Bian village’s ancestral hall!”

“No, no!” Ye Xin Ran quickly waved her hands. “I’m not really particular about this!”

“You may not like it, but what about Huai’an? You outsiders, once you’re honored in the ancestral hall, you’ll enjoy the incense offerings from Yun Bian forever!”

Xiao Huai’an said, “Madam is right. We don’t need it.”

The village head said, “This is a great honor. Others would beg for it and can’t even get it, but you…”

The village head was about to persuade them further when Ye Xin Ran quickly changed the subject. “What did Master Wei say? Is he allowing the village children to attend their academy?”

“The academy is out of the question.”

The village head was distracted, “The children in the academy have already studied the Four Books and Five Classics, they have a foundation. Our village children, apart from Chang Sheng, don’t even know many characters!”

“Then what did he say?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

The village head smiled broadly, “Although we can’t enter the academy, Master Wei has arranged for a teacher to come to our village. As long as we have a place to hold classes, the teacher can come at any time.”

“A teacher is coming to the village!”

When the three children heard the news, they all jumped three feet high.

“Does this mean I can study with big brother now?” Chang An asked, tilting his head.

“Yes, and your second brother too! All of you will go together!”

The village head waved his hand.

Xiao Huai’an quietly listened, and seeing the children’s joy, he smiled as well.

The village head continued, “As for the school, I plan to start it at the ancestral hall. It’s big enough to accommodate more than thirty children.”

“Then where will the teacher stay?” Ye Xin Ran asked, pointing at the roof.

“The teacher won’t stay here!”

The village head shook his head. “I was thinking of tidying up the old yard next to the ancestral hall, and while we’re at it, replacing the roof tiles of the ancestral hall. Also, we need to get some desks for the classes. It all costs money, and I recently paid back the silver I owed the county magistrate. I’m afraid if I go to him for more, he might be unhappy…”

Seeing the village head’s awkward expression, Ye Xin Ran blurted out, “Uncle, just tell me how much you need!”

“You guessed it before I even said it?” The village head acted surprised.

“I’ve calculated, and we still need 10 taels of silver. Can you lend me that for now? I’ll pay you back once I collect the silver.”

This was his main purpose for today.

He had hesitated for a while, feeling a little embarrassed to ask.

But right now, the only family in the village with any money was the Xiao family.

“Alright, I’ll go get it for you!”

Ye Xin Ran didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed.

The village head said, “Niece, how can you agree so quickly? Don’t you want to discuss it with Huai’an first?”

Ye Xin Ran realized she had overlooked that detail.

She turned to Xiao Huai’an. Before she could speak, he said, “We’ll do as Madam says.”

“Alright!”

The village head gave Ye Xin Ran a knowing smile and secretly gave her a thumbs-up.

He had not misjudged him. Xiao Huai’an may appear strong, but it turned out he was quite a devoted husband.

Ye Xin Ran went to her room to get the silver, had the children escort the village head home, and then handed the cane she had bought to Xiao Huai’an.

“You said you wanted to try walking with it. Do you want to give it a try?”

“Alright!”

Xiao Huai’an had been eager to try it out, so he took the cane from Ye Xin Ran and tried to get up.

But in the end, he had overestimated his current physical condition.

After his feet hit the ground, it felt as though he were stepping on clouds, a dizziness shot straight to his head. Due to the uneven pressure, his body swayed and he nearly toppled over.

“Be careful!”

Ye Xin Ran had been watching closely. Seeing him almost fall, she quickly stepped forward and used her shoulder to block his body.

But she had overestimated her strength.

Xiao Huai’an was tall and strong, and when he lost his balance, it was impossible for her, a small woman, to stop him.

Luckily, Xiao Huai’an reacted quickly. One of his arms wrapped around Ye Xin Ran’s waist, using her support to try to shift his falling direction.

In one swift move, the two of them fell onto the bed together.

“Niece, we’re sending the village head back home…”

The three children ran back and stopped abruptly at the door.

Chang An, running behind, didn’t expect his two older brothers to stop suddenly. He bumped into Chang Ping’s back with a thud.

Seeing that his brothers weren’t moving, he had no choice but to lean his head forward to peek inside.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

After seeing the situation in the room, Chang An asked, “Aunt, Second Uncle, are you already resting? You haven’t had dinner yet.”

“Dinner? All you think about is eating!”

Chang Sheng quickly covered Chang An’s mouth and pulled him out.

Chang Ping followed behind, muttering softly, “How can you lie down on the bed if you’re not going to sleep?”

Ye Xin Ran’s face turned a mixture of red and white.

On the one hand, she had been startled by the sudden fall earlier.

On the other hand, how could these ambiguous positions be seen by the three children?

It was so embarrassing.

She propped herself up, trying to stand.

But Xiao Huai’an’s arm was draped over her, and she couldn’t move at all.

“The kids are watching!”

Ye Xin Ran pushed at Xiao Huai’an.

But for some reason, Xiao Huai’an didn’t budge, lying there motionless.

“If you don’t move, I’ll be angry!”

Ye Xin Ran placed her hands on Xiao Huai’an’s abdomen and tried to get up again.

But to her surprise, the man beneath her inhaled sharply and murmured, “It hurts!”