They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 97: I wasn't happy even though I won.
Liang Lizheng felt his heart pounding so hard he could hardly breathe. He stared intently at his son and daughter-in-law, his voice trembling with excitement: "What...what did you say? Say it again?"

"Oh, their family is really dishonest. They made us wait all day for nothing. Next time, I won't let them hitch a ride with me."

"No, not that! You mean Mingxiang also passed?"

"what."

"Did I win or not?"

"You won!"

"You guys can't even speak clearly! Good, good, good, this is wonderful! Our Willow Bay Village is going to prosper! Hahaha!"

Liang Li was overjoyed and hurriedly went out to Uncle Liang's house.

Today I was so focused on Mingxuan that I completely forgot to ask Mingxiang a single question. And that Zhang Shi, she used to be such a chatterbox, gossiping about everyone in the village as if she knew everything. She'd chatter on and on, and in the past she loved spreading rumors, only stopping after being reprimanded several times. She always loved to boast about her youngest son, so why is she silent now that he's passed the imperial examination?
If she had used even half of her usual gossipy nature after returning from the city today, the whole village would have known by now.

It's really crazy.

Liang Li was wondering if Zhang Shi had gone mad with joy.

In fact, Liang Mingxiang and his parents were very unhappy because they were outdone by Liang Mingxuan. The three of them wandered around the city listlessly and aimlessly for a while before renting an oxcart to return to the village.

Ironically, they were so secretive that they didn't dare to run into anyone and rushed home.

Seeing them like this, Liang Minghua, Mao Shi, and Liang Mingguang were disappointed that their third son hadn't passed the exam, and their mood quickly plummeted.

In particular, the news that Liang Mingxuan had achieved third place had spread like wildfire throughout the village, making his younger brother's failure to pass the exam seem even more tragic.

Liang Minghua: "It's alright, Mingxiang is still young, he'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."

Liang Mingguang: "That's right, Mingxiang is so smart, he'll definitely win."

Mao said, "Yes, yes, Mingxiang, don't be discouraged, hehe. Don't let others influence you."

The three of them tried to comfort him, but none of them noticed that Liang Mingxiang's expression was getting worse and worse.

"Shut up, all of you! If you can't speak, then don't speak at all. Nobody thinks you're mute!" Uncle Liang's face darkened. He absolutely refused to admit that this was bad luck. "Mingxiang passed the exam! Mingxiang is now a student of the first level! What do you know!"

The three of them froze in surprise: "Huh?"

"It's...it's successful?"

"What?" Liang Mingxiang's already raging anger was instantly fueled, and the flames shot up three feet high. He sneered, "Big brother, sister-in-law, second brother, do you think it's strange that I passed the exam? Do you think I'm that stupid?"

The three of them were startled.

"No, no, that's not it!"

"Humph!"

Liang Mingxiang stormed off, his face dark with anger, and went back to his room.

Liang Minghua and Liang Mingguang looked at each other in bewilderment.

Ms. Mao was filled with frustration and grievance: No, how can you blame them for misunderstanding? Her parents-in-law and brother-in-law all looked unhappy. Who could have guessed that her brother-in-law had passed the exam?

but--

On second thought, her brother-in-law had passed the imperial examination and become a student, making her the eldest sister-in-law of a student! How prestigious! She could brag about it when she returned to her parents' home.

Mao immediately became delighted again.

"Dad, Mom, this is a joyous occasion! Shouldn't we host a banquet and invite our relatives and friends to celebrate?" She couldn't wait to show off to her family and friends.

Zhang's eyes lit up: "Yes, yes—"

"What team?" Uncle Liang's face darkened. He glared at Zhang Shi and then said to Mao Shi, "Don't mention this again. Don't brag about it outside, do you hear me? If I find out you're so frivolous and unreliable, you'll be in for a lesson!"

What's there to celebrate when you're completely overshadowed by Liang Mingxuan?
If we were to hold a banquet to celebrate, Liang Mingxuan would steal all the limelight, so it would be better not to hold the banquet at all.

He couldn't afford to lose face like this.

Especially when he recalled how his stupid wife had been making a fuss all over the village, saying that Xuan had stopped studying and didn't even go to school, Uncle Liang felt even more ashamed.

It's outrageous that someone can get such good grades without going to school, and is even younger than my son.

Zhang and Mao, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were stunned for a moment, not thinking so much about it.

Zhang: "But father, this is a joyous occasion—"

"Alright! Keep it low-key! This is nothing. You wouldn't understand even if I told you, so why ask so many questions? As long as Mingxiang is successful, what does it matter whether we hold a banquet or not? There will be plenty of opportunities to hold one in the future."

Uncle Liang's statement was unquestionable, but he offered no explanation.

The main problem is that he can't bring himself to explain. If he did, wouldn't it boost the other side's morale and diminish his own? He's quite embarrassed about it.

Fortunately, his authority as the patriarch was still quite strong, and Zhang and Mao dared not disobey him.

Hearing him say "in the future," Zhang became happy again and said proudly, "Yes, yes, our Mingxiang is very smart. He will definitely pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar, a provincial graduate, or even the top scholar. We'll hold a banquet then. At that time, let's see who can compete with us!"

Mao suddenly realized what was going on and felt a sense of awe: "He truly is my father-in-law; he always thinks long-term!"
Although we can't show off right now, it'll be more respectable in the future, which is good too.
Zhang said cautiously, "Then we should at least cook something nice tonight."

Uncle Liang snorted and said coldly, "Do you even need to ask me? Don't you know how hard Mingxiang studies? Hurry up and kill the chicken!"

"Hey!"

It's frustrating, really. They wandered around the county town in a daze for ages, and couldn't even think of buying some meat. Now they have no meat at all at home.

Uncle Liang was upset and forcibly suppressed his "bad luck" feeling. He turned around, went out, and walked towards Xu Zhichun's house.

Xu Zhichun had originally planned to kill the big fat duck tonight, but the villagers were so enthusiastic that by the time they left after offering their congratulations it was already late, and there wasn't enough time to kill the big fat duck.

"I bought pork ribs and pork belly today. Shall we make sweet and sour pork ribs and stir-fried pork belly slices with green peppers tonight? We'll kill a duck tomorrow. Hmm, we'll invite Uncle Village Head, your sister-in-law Xiaoyan, and Aunt Zhuer to dinner in a few days."

"Yes, I'll do whatever my sister-in-law says."

The ribs were simmered in the pot for a while, Xu Zhichun prepared to slice the pork belly into thin slices, and Liang Mingxuan helped wash the green peppers, garlic sprouts, and lettuce. The uncle and sister-in-law had a clear division of labor.

I had just started stewing the pork ribs when Uncle Liang showed up unexpectedly.

"Great uncle."

"Great uncle."

The two greeted each other politely, but there was no real enthusiasm between them. After all, Uncle Liang wasn't exactly warm towards them either; for example, he had a long face when he stepped in.

Xu Zhichun was in a good mood today and didn't want to argue with him.

It's best not to let your own child's good mood be affected.

Xu Zhichun smiled: "Is there anything I can help you with, Uncle?"

(End of this chapter)