It seems that human nature can never escape the inclination to "watch the excitent".
Though the people at the village entrance were sowhat anxious and uneasy, with their minds in a flutter, they were all too eager to know whether the "Chen Xu" ntioned by Cui Fu was indeed the very Chen Xu from their village.
Life is always full of oddities and fantasies, beyond what people can imagine.
So, a bizarre scene erged in Xiaowan Village a quarter of an hour later.
A foreign carriage moved slowly at the rear, while a housekeeper dressed like a wealthy gentleman and the aged Master Fang strolled leisurely at the front.
Accompanying them were eight skilled and imposing knife-wielding guards.
A little further away followed the villagers, idlers, children, and elderly won, each with a curious expression on the periphery.
This group was so conspicuous that even those working in the fields on the other side couldn’t help but drop their farming tasks and follow along when they saw the scene.
So would ask, "What’s happening?"
Others would nervously say, "What’s going on? Who are those people?"
Initially, those villagers who had seen the guards display their knives were nervous, but soon, as more people asked and joined, the villagers’ courage grew bit by bit.
Soone couldn’t help but explain, "They ca from Yunjiang Prefecture, saying that it’s a housekeeper from the Cui Family, here to take our village’s Chen Erlang to the Prefecture City for an exam."
"Why does Chen Erlang need soone to pick him up for the exam? If they’re picking him up, why do so many people co?"
"I don’t know, maybe it’s the grand style of a wealthy family. Otherwise, see, isn’t it impressive?"
"Hiss, it truly is impressive..."
And impressive it was.
If the Chen Xu ntioned by the Cui housekeeper was indeed Xiaowan Village’s Chen Xu, then Chen Xu’s na would from this day forward be known throughout the surrounding ten or more miles for at least a decade!
"Oh my, if soone with such a grand deanor ca to pick up, I, I, I... I would go to my ancestors’ graves and kowtow until I broke my head."
"Tsk, what a drear you are, afraid it was your ancestors underground who knocked their heads broken?"
...
The commotion spread like wildfire, almost boiling the entire Xiaowan Village.
The Chen family father and sons were working in the fields, watching as villagers around them couldn’t resist dropping their tasks and heading towards the village.
Chen An was feeling sowhat restless too, and couldn’t help but say, "Father, it seems like sothing big is happening over there. Shouldn’t we go take a look?"
His father, Chen Qianshan, simply hunched over without looking up, saying, "If we don’t plant seedlings in March, we’ll weep over the fields in June, what is there to see?
Can watching a commotion yield rice or gather fruits? Other people’s excitent has nothing to do with us."
Chen An had to reluctantly suppress his restless emotions. However, he still couldn’t help but say, "Father, the Qiu Family is coming to see our family today, and I don’t know if my elder brother’s marriage will work out or if the future sister-in-law will be easy to get along with."
Chen Ping was busy planting seedlings beside them, and upon hearing Chen An ntion his marriage, he couldn’t help but blush slightly on his wheat-colored skin.
But he said nothing, rely quickening his pace at planting.
Both his father and elder brother were reticent, and although Chen An was feeling agitated, he had no choice but to follow along, speeding up his pace in planting seedlings.
As the people passing by increased in number, the bustling noise seed to drift further away.
Chen An was about to calm himself down, having lost the desire to join in on the excitent. Suddenly, he heard a shout from the field ridge: "Goudan! Anzi! Co quickly, sothing has happened at your house!"
What?
The three Chen family mbers raised their heads simultaneously.
They saw a familiar youth on the field ridge anxiously waving his hand: "Anzi, brother Aiping, Uncle, sothing really happened, so noble people from the city ca claiming they’re here to take your brother Chen Erlang to the Prefecture City for an exam!"
Oh, so they’re taking Chen Xu to the Prefecture City for an exam.
What’s so serious about that?
No, wait...
They’re taking Chen Xu to the Prefecture City for an exam!
The faces of the three Chen family mbers simultaneously showed a belated look of shock. Chen An was the first to react, exclaiming, "Tietou, what did you say? Nobles want to take my second brother? My second brother isn’t ho."
Chen Qianshan, however, threw down the seedlings in his hand and imdiately set off running towards the village road.
Chen Ping followed closely behind, and Chen An, who first questioned, was actually the slowest to move, but he hurriedly followed too.
Despite their urgency, they were even more confused.
They felt they could understand every word the youth on the ridge had said, but put together, they couldn’t grasp the aning.
Yet, out of concern and worry for Chen Xu, they rushed out of the fields at their top speed.
Then, they were led by Tietou in a muddled chase towards their ho.
Along the way, Chen An couldn’t help but ask all sorts of questions, but Tietou wasn’t much clearer-headed than they were.
He kept repeating, "It’s just that so nobles said Chen Erlang is especially amazing, so they’re taking Chen Erlang to the Prefecture City for an exam!"
And he added, "Oh, before, when I passed by your house, it seed there was so arguing in the courtyard.
Like an old woman saying Chen Erlang definitely won’t pass the exam, telling aunty not to think about supporting Erlang in his studies anymore, aunty was upset..."
The more the three of them listened, the more anxious they grew. They finally arrived at the doorstep, only to find the entrance crowded with villagers blocking the way.
Thus, the three Chen family mbers reached their own doorstep but surprisingly couldn’t enter their own ho.
They anxiously shouted, "Make way, make way..."
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry erupted from inside.
"What did I say wrong? So people just lack the destiny to pass exams, I rely spoke the truth and you all... ah! Save !"
After crying for help ca a series of:
"Sister-in-law, please ask these good n to spare ?
It’s my fault for having a loose tongue and not knowing how to speak, for being blind and unable to recognize a True Master, I will punish myself, isn’t that enough? I’ll punish myself, boo hoo hoo..."
"Pa!"
Following was the continuous sound of slapping, as if the person was slapping their own face.
At last, a familiar, cold, slow yet decisive voice sounded.
It was the voice of Chen Mother, Luo Shi: "I am neither your sister, nor your in-law. This marriage, it is off, you go!"
You go!
The voice reverberated, echoing in the hearts of the three Chen family mbers.
The villagers crowded at the yard’s entrance finally opened a pathway, and three people erged supportively from inside.
All three covered their faces with their hands, crying as they dared not et anyone’s gaze.
The previously quiet crowd watching the scene finally erupted in huge boos.
Soone even clapped and said, "Serves them right! How dare they suggest that our village’s scholar marry into their village, what big faces, now they’ve been slapped swollen, right?"
Even the children teased, singing: "Big-faced, slapped, whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
The three won ran away with their faces covered, not daring to utter another word.
After only a few dozen steps, they suddenly saw a carriage appear at the street corner; it was unknown when it had arrived.
It was not the luxurious Cui Family carriage but a simple one made of blue cloth.
A person stood beside the carriage.
In a blue robe and plain clothes, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, outstandingly handso.
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