The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

The next day, Sun Shan took a rest.

In fact, it made no difference whether he took a vacation or not. He ate, lived, slept and worked in the yamen. Besides, Sun Shan was a stay-at-home type and usually only stayed in the yamen.

Things are different after the family comes.

Today, I even hosted a banquet for my cousin Chen to express my gratitude.

In the private room of Yuanlu No. 1 Restaurant, Sun Shan raised his glass.

He toasted Uncle Chen: "Uncle, thank you again. Thanks to you, my father and mother were able to arrive in Yuanlu County so smoothly. I have caused you a lot of trouble along the way. Please forgive me."

Uncle Chen cheerfully raised his glass, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Don't be polite. I'm Yunjie's uncle, and yours as well. This is as it should be."

Uncle Sun San also raised his glass and toasted Uncle Chen: "Uncle, there are so many things that should be done in this world. We must thank you very much for being able to find Shanzi safely this time. If you hadn't led the way, I would have walked alone for ten or eight years and still wouldn't have reached Yuanlu County and would never have seen Shanzi."

Such exaggerated words made everyone laugh.

De Ge'er also raised his glass and toasted Uncle Chen cheerfully: "Uncle, this trip with you is something I will never forget. Especially your heroic manner in negotiating when doing business. I could never learn to do that in my lifetime. Thanks to being with you, I have learned a lot from you. Uncle, let me toast you."

After saying this, he drank it all in one gulp, showing how generous he was.

Uncle Chen likes De Ge'er the most. Not only is he handsome, but he is also good-natured and knows how to flatter people. It is especially pleasant to talk to him.

He laughed and said, "No, no. Hahaha, Dezi, if you can really learn something, I will be happy too, hahaha."

De Ge'er refilled Uncle Chen's drink.

He said with a smile: "Uncle, if there is another chance next time, I will definitely stay by your side and continue to learn. Uncle, to be honest, I have learned more in the past ten or twenty days of traveling with you than in all these years in the county school. Oh, if only I had met you earlier, it would have been great. It's such a pity."

He shook his head and lamented that he was born at the wrong time.

Uncle Chen burst into laughter at De Ge'er's strange behavior.

Sun Bomin was the most honest person in the room. He raised his glass behind him and said cheerfully, "Uncle, eat more, drink more, don't be polite, we're family, haha."

Hu Ming, who was standing next to Sun Bomin, raised his glass like a grown-up, toasting Uncle Chen, and drank it all in one gulp, imitating him. However, the glass was filled with juice, so he wasn't worried about getting drunk.

Hu Ming said crisply, "Uncle, I'd like to toast you, too. Thank you for bringing me to Yuanlu County."

Uncle Chen was very supportive and toasted Hu Ming back: "Good boy, study hard and learn from your adoptive father. You will become a high official in the future."

Mr. Zhang also toasted Uncle Chen and said with a smile, "I really admire a businessman like you who has traveled far and wide, seen the world and can accomplish great things. Hey, Brother Chen, let me toast you."

Uncle Chen and Master Zhang are both from Guangzhou, so when fellow villagers meet, they naturally have tears in their eyes.

Besides, Master Zhang was from the pawnbroking industry, a close business man, and these past few days, he and Uncle Chen had been chatting very well. His accent was especially familiar to everyone.

Uncle Chen took a sip of his wine, shook his head, and said, "Brother Zhang, I envy you. You're able to work with the government. You're incredibly capable. Come, Brother Zhang, let's have some tea. If there's anything you need to take home, just let me know. Our two families live so close, we should visit more often, hahaha."

Master Zhang returned the toast and said happily, "Sure, sure."

Sun Shan silently took a sip of wine and could not eat any more.

However, De Ge'er and Uncle Sun were toasting desperately.

I don’t know whether they were just drinking too much or wanted to get Uncle Chen drunk.

It was obvious that Uncle Chen was also a wine lover. Even with so many people toasting him with one glass after another, he didn't seem drunk at all.

A businessman is a businessman, he can drink a lot.

Sun Shan served his cousin Chen some food and asked, "Uncle, are you returning to Chenzhou Prefecture in a few days? Why don't you stay a few days longer and let me show you my hospitality. I've been busy with official duties these days, so please forgive me if I haven't been able to provide you with a good reception."

Uncle Chen shook his head repeatedly. "Don't say that. Your hospitality is so thoughtful. I feel like I'm at home here. Hahaha, my sister Yun has found a good husband. I'll be sure to tell your parents-in-law about it when I get back."

Sun Shan said shamelessly, "Uncle, that's what I've been waiting for. That's really great! When you go back, remember to say a few nice words for me. Hahaha, thank you very much, uncle."

Seeing Sun Shan start joking, Uncle Chen said cheerfully, "Don't worry, I will definitely speak up for you."

When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter.

De Ge'er jumped in again and said, "Uncle, our Shanzi is the best. You must praise him well. Hahaha, let our Shanzi leave a good impression in front of his parents-in-law."

Uncle Sun agreed again and again: "Of course, Xiaoxiao's mother is also very good. Hehe, the two of them are simply a perfect match, a match made in heaven."

Uncle Chen took a sip of his wine and said with a grin, "Of course, our Yun Jie'er is also good, hahahaha, A Shan is also good, hahahaha, Xiao Xiao is even better, hahahaha. I think Hu Ming's kid is just as good, hahahaha."

At a banquet, everyone is chatting, both the host and the invited. The whole banquet is filled with laughter and joy.

Behind the screen, Su, Yun Jie'er, Zhang's wife, and Li Jinhua were also enjoying the banquet.

Especially Sister Yun, who had been locked up in the yamen for so long and was finally able to come out to eat and drink, was in a very good mood.

Sister Yun was just about to eat the pork trotter in front of her when Nanny He, who was serving the little fat girl, coughed lightly.

It seemed to say silently: Miss, don't be greedy, you have to lose weight. If you don't lose weight, your son-in-law will dislike you.

Sister Yun felt a chill on her back. She turned around and met Nanny He's cold eyes, and her body trembled.

The chopsticks holding the pig's feet paused for a moment. He wanted to put it in his own bowl, but it was instantly transferred to Su's bowl.

She acted like a good daughter-in-law serving her wicked mother-in-law, gentle and courteous, lowering her brows and saying pleasantly, "Mother, have some pig's feet. They're well stewed and have lots of meat, perfect for your taste."

Su was gnawing on the tip of the chicken wing, because the little fat girl only liked to eat the middle part of the wing and not the tip, so she had no choice but to gnaw it herself.

Seeing the big pig's trotter that Yun Jie'er brought over, she curled her lips and said, "Okay, I like pig's trotters the most. Xiaoxiao's mother is really filial."

I rarely pick up food for myself on weekdays, but today I picked it up out of a guilty conscience. There must be something fishy going on.

But Su soon understood that Uncle Chen was in front of the screen, and Sister Yun was pretending to be filial.

Humph, I really want to expose Sister Yun’s fake filial piety, but Shanzi is here, and it’s not good to let outsiders see the disharmony in the inner courtyard.

Su had no choice but to secretly curse Yun Jie'er and silently started to gnaw on the pig's feet.