The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 399: To Have Such a Dream (4)_1

Chapter 399: Chapter 399: To Have Such a Dream (4)_1

Mo Heng remained silent, looking at her. His gaze inadvertently swept over her lips, the desire deep within him becoming more distinct, more intense.

"What’s the matter? Why the silence?" Pei Qin stepped forward, sat down on the chair in front of his desk with her legs crossed, in a grand and careless manner. Standing, she was much shorter than Mo Heng, and although sitting down lessened her imposing presence, she looked more like the head honcho!

Mo Heng took out a sheet of paper and began to write upon it, laying out which books should be read during which period, which topics to focus on, all the way from initiation through to the spring examination, the county examination, and the provincial examination. A full page, filled with much detail.

Pei Qin, seeing such detailed instructions on the paper, almost like an exam-taking talisman, outlining key points, finally felt a breath of relief. She took the scroll and left leisurely. Before leaving, she said to Mo Heng, "If you’re really short of silver, you can stay on for a while. Landlord Chang has already said that he’ll help you publish a character dictionary. You could earn at least... a hundred and eighty taels once it’s printed!"

Mo Heng watched her leave, then smiled softly to himself.

Zhang Gengshan came in holding a cup of tea, clearly worried. The young master was such a refined person; surely, he couldn’t truly fancy someone as crass and rude as the country girl Pei Qin! Anxiously, he asked again, "Young Master! When are we leaving?"

"Just get ready!" was all Mo Heng said.

Zhang Gengshan and Feng Wei decided to pack their luggage in advance, ready to leave at any moment.

But before they knew it, the fifteenth had passed, and Mo Heng was still preparing without any mention of leaving.

Pei Qin wondered if Mo Heng really was out of money. The last time, the foolish male prostitute who nearly killed her and Lu Hai likely offered him silver, which he scorned and did not accept. That’s probably why he’s now penniless! No! Make that three of them! The three of them need to cover food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and twenty taels of silver wouldn’t go very far. She decided not to give it to them, saving herself twenty taels of silver, which would be enough for her family’s livelihood for two or three months!

After fifteenth, Pei Qin started her stall again, selling sesame paste biscuits and soy sauce.

Since the new year had just passed and everyone had had their fill of rich food, business wasn’t too good in general. But since it had been a while since she last had her stall out, her sesame paste biscuits sold rather well. By the end of the market day, she’d earned over a hundred copper coins more than she had at the previous market gathering.

The gossip about Feng Wei’s reward had also dwindled in town. Over the course of the year, not just in the surrounding villages of Taiping Town but likely the whole of Yuanyang County knew about it. The Old Pei’s House had become famous once again.

People at Old Pei’s House were all keeping their heads down, silent. Pei Wenli was studying hard, aiming to participate in next year’s county examination to achieve the title of Graduate. Even without taking the provincial examination, with a Graduate title, he could donate a sum for an official post. And with the award of growing sweet potatoes at the house, donating for an official post would be easier.

Pei Zongli, however, no longer aimed to continue his studies for higher examinations. It was already commendable that he had managed to restore his Scholar status. It wasn’t easy to pass the county examination without years of dedicated study, and he hadn’t. But with the status of a Scholar and the family’s award, doing business would offer many conveniences.

Qian Wanxiu had hoped he would lock himself away to study and also partake in the county examination. Otherwise, that award falling into the second branch of the family meant that if Pei Wenli passed the county examination, all the substantial benefits would go to them!

After so many years, Pei Zongli no longer had the ambition or drive for the scholarly examinations but instead placed his hopes on his two sons, urging them to study diligently for official titles. If Pei Wenli passed the county examination and secured an official position, a few years down the line, when his sons were ready for the examinations, he could support them.

Seeing that he truly had no intention of studying for the examinations, Qian Wanxiu felt annoyed but was powerless to force him. As a result, Wanxiu was determined not to allow Pei Qin to marry into an aristocratic family, for even a concubine would be able to influence his decisions. The Zhao family was not known for their benevolence; marrying Pei Qin off to them would be giving her too easy a ride. She would marry her off first, then find a way to deal with her!

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