Ugly girl only wants to farm

Zhang Xuyang looked at him in astonishment: "You can do that?"

Shen Siheng rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Of course, their meager income is hardly enough to squander."

Meng Jiuhe and Zhang Xuyang were immediately discouraged. They had originally thought that they could be admitted to the university smoothly with their real talents and knowledge, but now they were not so sure.

Seeing their dejected looks, Shen Siheng felt a little sorry for them: "Brother Meng, don't be discouraged. Although the rules for admission are a bit strict, it's not like there's no way to get through it."

"What method? Tell me quickly."

Zhang Xuyang picked up the teapot and smiled, "Young Master Shen, have some tea."

Meng Jiuhe's eyes also became more urgent, but he was more composed than Zhang Xuyang, though his voice still revealed some eagerness.

"What method?"

Seeing that Shen Siheng was ignoring him, Zhang Xuyang was not angry. He poured Meng Jiuhe a bowl of tea and sat down to listen to him.

Shen Siheng: "The number of places available each year is limited, but some will still be reserved, mainly for those with real talent and ability."

Zhang Xuyang breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Shen Siheng with some disdain: "You're making such a fuss and you don't finish what you're saying all at once. It's like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, making people anxious. Are you deliberately keeping people in suspense?"

With a "smack," Shen Siheng slammed the bowl on the table, spilling half a bowl of tea.

"Zhang Xuyang, who are you being sarcastic about? If you're so capable, go find out for yourself instead of asking me."

Meng Jiu interrupted them at this moment: "You two shouldn't argue, this is outside."

If he doesn't say anything, the two of them will probably have another big argument.

Shen Siheng glared at him angrily, her cheeks puffed out like a frog's belly, and she snorted a few times before giving up.

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you. That's just how the rules are. Bright Moon Academy has even higher requirements. You need not only money but also connections."

Zhang Xuyang's mouth started to act cheeky again: "It seems your family is not only rich but also well-connected, Young Master Shen."

Shen Siheng gestured for him to shut up, then gave a self-deprecating smile: "It's just a little money. My father pulled a lot of strings to get a spot, but we still have to take an exam to get in this spring. I'm worried too. The academy is divided into A, B, C, and D, and I don't want to end up at the bottom, where everyone just pays their way in."

Shen Siheng suddenly glanced at Zhang Xuyang several times, a malicious smile appearing on his face, which made Zhang Xuyang feel uneasy and unable to avoid his gaze.

"Shen Siheng, what are you trying to do? Don't look at me like that, it's scary."

Shen Siheng suddenly walked over and sat down next to him, revealing a sly smile: "Zhang Xuyang? Actually, there's a shortcut you can take, why are you looking so gloomy?"

Meng Jiuhe couldn't help but frown; judging from his wicked grin, it wasn't a good thing.

Zhang Xuyang was stunned for a moment before looking at him: "How are you planning to frame me now?"

Shen Siheng looked completely innocent: "How did I frame you? I was just pointing you in the right direction."

Zhang Xuyang said with a disdainful look, "Then why don't you go yourself?"

Shen Siheng slapped him on the shoulder: "We're not going to the same place, it's useless to me."

Meng Jiuhe's expression relaxed a little: "What's the solution?"

Shen Siheng: "Brother Meng, this isn't suitable for you either; it's only suitable for Zhang Xuyang."

The two looked at each other.

Shen Siheng: "You're not bad looking either, and you have a strong scholarly air about you. Qin Zhenzhen likes this type the most. If you go and flirt with her, everything will be easy to talk about."

Zhang Xuyang almost spat tea in his face, but Shen Siheng reacted quickly and shoved a teacup into his mouth, looking disgusted.

"Zhang Xuyang, do you have any shame? What kind of behavior is this, spraying water at the slightest disagreement?"

Meng Jiuhe's lips twitched, but he held it in.

After Zhang Xuyang and his companion had made quite a fuss, they finally quieted down. Several people at the nearby table cast strange glances at them, some even frowning as they put down their coins and left, muttering a few words as they went.

Shen Siheng and the other person then calmed down.

It was rare for Meng Jiuhe to talk to him so much at once, and her tone carried a hint of reproach: "Shen Siheng, stop teasing Xuyang. You know his family situation. He must have taken it seriously just now. Don't play games with him."

Shen Siheng lowered his head in shame, his voice weakening: "I'm sorry I shouldn't have teased you, but what I said makes some sense. You might as well think about it carefully. It's not like I'm asking you to actually seduce her. Just go through the motions. She's the kind of person who's fickle and might get tired of you after a while."

Zhang Xuyang looked like he had swallowed a fly, and strongly resisted: "No way, a good man should have ambitions beyond his hometown, how can he rely on a woman? It would be too embarrassing to say that out loud. You're just trampling on my dignity like this."

Meng Jiuhe also strongly disagreed, and his voice became a little quieter: "We should just rely on our own abilities to achieve our goals, and that will be enough to make up for all the years of hard work we've put in."

Shen Siheng realized he had said the wrong thing and slapped himself on the face: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to belittle you, I was just talking nonsense, don't take it to heart."

Zhang Xuyang, on the other hand, didn't seem to care at all: "What, do you have a grudge against that girl? Why are you messing with me like this?"

Shen Siheng gave an awkward smile: "There is a little bit."

Zhang Xuyang: "Tell me about it, was this girl blind to have fallen for you back then?"

Shen Siheng looked dissatisfied: "Why can't you like me? Besides, I'm not bad looking either."

Meng Jiuhe: "Indeed, it's not bad. So how did they let you off the hook in the end?"

Shen Siheng chuckled: "When my father and elder brother first heard that she was the daughter of a clerk, they were actually quite eager to marry into her family. In addition, they always patronized our family's restaurant whenever they had a banquet. My father was so impulsive that he almost sent someone to propose marriage. Luckily, my sister-in-law once saw her pursuing a scholar relentlessly. She had only heard about her before, so you can imagine how shocked she was to see it with her own eyes."

Zhang Xuyang was good at grasping the key points: "So you agreed to it back then too."

Shen Siheng glanced at him and said irritably, "I had no idea about this. If my sister-in-law hadn't come back and told me, I probably would have only found out after I was engaged. I made a big scene with my father, but it was no use. He was only thinking about currying favor with the magistrate and didn't care about my pleas. He said it didn't matter who I married, and besides, the girl wasn't bad-looking and seemed like she could bear children. When my mother heard this, she immediately said she would go back to prepare the betrothal gifts."

Zhang Xuyang: "Then you two were once engaged, but you weren't meant to be."

Shen Siheng glared at him: "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. If there really is a marriage agreement, I'll run far away from her if I see her."

Meng Jiuhe: "Haven't the betrothal gifts already been prepared?"

"Fortunately, God had eyes. Just when my parents were determined to visit the next day, my sister-in-law caught her having an affair with a man outside. She secretly asked someone to notify me to bring people over. Only then did my parents give up. Otherwise, I don't know how many green hats I would have been wearing."

Xu Chaoyan cut the rested konjac tofu into small pieces with a knife, ladled cold water into a large iron pot, and cooked it directly later. She glanced outside, wondering if the three of them had gone to the pig to get it. It was already this late and they still hadn't returned.

Zhang Yueniang had gone to the courtyard gate several times, looking helpless: "My brother is usually like a rabbit chasing after me when I ask him to go out, but today he's stuck to me like glue."

Xu Chaoyan took out some flour and started mixing the batter, looking relieved: "Alright, it's rare for them to be willing to go out this time, let them walk around a bit more, okay? I'll fry some crispy pork and lotus root slices first. There's still some meat left, so I'll fry some meatballs later. It's been a hard day, so I'll treat myself. I'll try setting up a stall tomorrow."

As the weather gets colder around the end of the year, I'm not worried about the meat I bought spoiling. I'll use the leftover fried pork for hot pot tomorrow.

Xu Chaoyan couldn't bear to look at the chickens outside. She had raised these chickens herself, from tiny little ones to now, and she felt a sense of guilt about eating them. The neighboring families had complained about them several times behind their backs, saying that her chickens were very noisy, some even crowing in the middle of the night, keeping them from sleeping.

That's why she planned to slaughter a rooster to make soup tomorrow, and sell the rest at the market to make up for her tuition next year.