The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 527 The Man in a Bad Mood (3)_1

Chapter 527: Chapter 527 The Man in a Bad Mood (3)_1

"You still dare say you eat little? You never skimp on snacks, and every day, all that’s left in the bowls, you’re the one who cleans them out!" Lady Yu felt a pain in her liver from the anger.

Fang Fang pouted, "I’ve never had a full meal every day, and yet I still get scolded for picking up some leftovers."

Pei Qin, looking on, couldn’t help but remind Lady Yu, "Don’t let her clean the bowls anymore, what’s left is all oil, and eating that will only make her fatter."

In the past two years, with the extra income from the Pickled Bamboo Workshop, the family’s living conditions had improved a bit, and they regularly had meat to cut and eat, never running out of chicken, duck, or goose eggs. Fang Fang was being managed to lose weight, but the richness of her diet had increased compared to before, yet she never seemed to lose much weight.

"After this New Year, who knows how much more she’ll have gained! I bet she’s gained back whatever she had lost before!" Lady Yu sighed.

"Not everyone likes thin people," Pei Qin said with a smile.

Pei Qian secretly sneered and muttered to Pei Yuan under her breath, "It’s just laziness, she does too little work. We eat no worse than her, and we practice martial arts and work every day – even if we wanted to, we couldn’t get fat!" Anyways, she looked down on Fang Fang, who did nothing but eat and would make a fuss over the slightest bit of work.

Pei Yuan glared at her, making a mental note to let the eldest sister know later.

Lady Yu was genuinely worried; she hadn’t been this worried even when her eldest son was preparing for his exams or getting married. Having one daughter and seeing her situation, the prospects of finding a suitable family for her to marry into seemed slim, and the older she got, the more Lady Yu worried.

Fang Hui chuckled on the side, "Once Liuming passes the Spring Examinations and earns a title, there’ll likely be many coming to ask for her hand in marriage."

Lady Yu was hopeful too; if her eldest son scored well on his exams, he could bring a slightly better marriage proposal for her daughter. She didn’t expect much, just something a little better, something passable would be fine.

So, even during the New Year break at home, Fang Liuming had to read and practice his calligraphy every day.

After the New Year’s relatives visits had ended, he packed his things and went to town, as Mo Heng had told him to find him after the New Year for some tutoring.

Fang Liuming saw Mo Heng was even more strict and asked quietly, "Cousin-in-law, is this because of the County Magistrate change?"

"Not entirely." Mo Heng glanced at him.

Fang Liuming nodded, understanding that was one of the reasons. He steadied his heart and earnestly followed Mo Heng’s teachings but found the lessons becoming increasingly profound, some of which he barely understood. After two days, he couldn’t help asking, "My cousin previously said one must have a solid foundation, but Cousin-in-law, what you’re teaching now seems a bit abstruse, doesn’t it?" He didn’t dare question Mo Heng’s scholarship, but his immediate goal was to pass the Spring Examinations and achieve the Scholar title, which was a very tough hurdle to clear.

"You’ll understand after the Provincial Examinations," Mo Heng replied without lifting his head, his pen dancing across the paper.

Fang Liuming’s eyes widened in amazement, and he became uneasy, "Provincial Examinations? I... I haven’t yet passed the Spring Examinations!" His uncle wasn’t even certain about passing the Provincial Examinations.

Mo Heng continued to practice his calligraphy, not looking up.

Seeing that he didn’t get a response, Fang Liuming’s gaze fell on the paper. After his right hand was injured, he thought he’d never be able to write again, but his left hand turned out to be just as skilled. The beautiful Guan Geti script made him feel both admiration and shame, which is why he set aside an hour every day to practice his calligraphy, diligently working on his writing.

When he finished a sheet of paper, Mo Heng finally stopped writing and looked up, "Aim for the Provincial Examinations, and you’ll be able to pass the Spring Examinations." He had regarded the Provincial Examinations as the Metropolitan Examinations when he took them and came out as the top scholar.

Fang Liuming suddenly felt pressured.

"Do you not believe in me, or do you not believe in yourself?" Mo Heng asked. In fact, these past few days, he had lacked the inclination to teach.

Fang Liuming’s face stiffened; he didn’t believe in himself. But with a cousin-in-law who had become Jie Yuanlang at a young age as his teacher, he needed to be more confident; if not in himself, then in him!

Seeing his expression gradually become resolute, Mo Heng continued teaching.

When talking to Pei Wendong in the evening, Pei Wendong reminded him, "The eldest brother-in-law has seemed to be in a poor mood these last few days; you’d better not provoke him!"