Ugly girl only wants to farm

The atmosphere between the Zhang and Meng families was tense for the past three days, and no one dared to mention the exam. Originally, Xu Chaoyan was supposed to accompany Meng Jiuhe to check the results on the third day, but she was delayed by making tofu pudding and did not go with them.

In the past few days, the streets have become increasingly crowded, and with the enrollment of students at the county school, she thought that each of them could set up a stall selling tofu pudding, roasted sweet potatoes, and oden—all hot foods. It would be nice for the students to come out and grab a bite to eat after school. However, this wasn't a long-term business, and she estimated that once they set up their stalls, many people would start imitating them.

To make her business last at the county school gate, she needed to be both economical and ensure quality and reputation. Before the exams, she sold sweet fermented rice balls and oden. These past two days, she happened to see someone imitating her by making sweet fermented rice balls.

But those people only cooked clear broth, unlike her who was generous with the ingredients. It looked unappetizing, but some people still bought a bowl because it was cheap.

With a creak, the courtyard gate was pushed open. Xu Chaoyan put down the vegetable basket in her hand and looked up. She saw Shen Siheng pushing open the door with a happy expression.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, what wonderful news! Little Xia, quickly get your brother a drink of water. I ran back to tell you the good news."

Aunt Zhang looked at him anxiously: "Hey, Xiao Shen, how did my son do on the exam? Is he on the list?"

Seeing that Meng Jiuxia was standing there without moving, Shen Siheng started shouting to himself again, "Little Xia, hurry up and get me some hot soup to soothe my throat, it's practically burning up."

Meng Jiuxia stared at him unmoved: "Why don't you speak first? Your throat is burning and you've said so much. Did my brother pass the exam or not?"

Everyone in the courtyard stared at him nervously. Shen Siheng sighed and then slowly said, "Of course, my brother Meng can easily pass the county school with his talent. You don't need to worry. They will be back in a while. I came here first to reassure you and save you from worrying."

Xu Chaoyan was also slightly startled. The chickens were chirping and clucking around her, and she had forgotten to feed them vegetable leaves. Although it was just a small county school exam, she was still very nervous.

Shen Siheng stamped his feet anxiously: "Hey, Xia Xia, don't run away! Where's my water? Remember to add some honey to it. My throat is so dry, and I've eaten a lot of dust on my way here."

Aunt Zhang poured him a bowl of water from the kettle beside her: "Little Shen, make do with this. I've cooked a few dishes today, so please don't mind the trouble you've gone to all this way."

Shen Siheng: "Thank you, Auntie. I'd like to eat stuffed tofu."

Meng Jiuxia secretly rolled her eyes and thought to herself, "What a spoiled brat."

Fifteen minutes later, Meng Jiuhe and Zhang Xuyang returned. Upon seeing Shen Siheng, they both said in unison, "You're such a show-off."

Zhang Xuyang continued, "You ran faster than a rabbit and shouted so loudly that people on several streets could hear you. It's not a big deal, just an entrance exam, yet you made such a fuss. People who don't know the situation might think my family produced a top scholar."

Shen Siheng picked up the bowl of warm water and drank it down in one gulp. He looked at Zhang Xuyang with a smug expression and said, "Of course. My brother Meng is definitely a pillar of the nation. Becoming the top scholar is a piece of cake for him. As for you, if you work hard, you might be able to pass the imperial examination or something. But compared to me, you are definitely far inferior."

When the two of them got together, they were bound to argue incessantly. Meng Jiuhe was too lazy to continue the conversation with them and went to help Xu Chaoyan with her work.

When Xu Chaoyan saw him coming, she quickly stopped him: "Husband, you don't need to do these chores. Be careful not to get your clothes dirty. Go and tidy up the books and bags. I bought some more cloth and won't be back. I'll make you two more sets of clothes later."

Meng Jiuhe looked disapproving: "Wife, I have enough clothes." When he turned around, his wife was already gone.

Xu Chaoyan's heart finally settled down, but she didn't tell Meng Jiuhe about Qin Zhenzhen sending the maid to deliver the message. She didn't want to put pressure on him; with his talent, an entrance exam would be very easy, and she had great confidence in Meng Jiuhe.

If the two of them can successfully enter the county school, their future lives will be on track. She just went to discuss with the Zhang family that the two families would open a tofu shop together. One family would provide the capital and the other would provide the skills. However, they are not short of money right now, so they can only put this idea aside for now and wait until they have enough money.

She had previously learned how to make tofu pudding from the Zhang family, but Xu Chaoyan always felt that her version was not as good as her aunt's, and even inferior to Zhang Yueniang's.

The Zhang family was already under a lot of pressure, and now there were two more people in the family, so Xu Chaoyan thought about doing some small business to help them out.

Uncle Zhang was busy throughout the Spring Festival. He carried a small gong, wore clothes similar to those of the God of Wealth, and carried a stack of red papers printed with "Wishing you prosperity and good fortune" to spread the word. Business people generally like to have good luck, so they would say some auspicious words, strike the gong a few times, and paste a "good fortune" paper. They would usually give him a few coins as a reward.

Throughout the entire Lunar New Year holiday, Uncle Zhang made a small profit, but it was a very tiring job, as he was busy from the 20th of the twelfth lunar month until after the Lantern Festival.

Zhang Yueniang had invited him to stay home and not worry about money several times, but Uncle Zhang refused each time. He said that he had learned this skill from his elders, but he was too proud to admit it when he was young, so he put it aside. Now that he had come to the county, he happened to see someone performing a lion dance for good luck, so he thought of going to talk to Chun.

Seeing that Uncle Zhang's smile was becoming more and more confident, Xu Chaoyan whispered a few words to her sister, saying that she should let Uncle Zhang do what he wanted. He was bored at home all day, and if he could go out and meet more people, his mood would be much better.

Their courtyard wasn't too far from the county school; it was just a few streets away. Xu Chaoyan would prepare all the vegetables the night before and keep a pot of soup warm in the stove with a few embers.

Meng Jiu would take her to the street when she left in the morning. Around noon, Xu Chaoyan would push the cart toward the county school. Fortunately, they had brought the wheelbarrow with them, which saved them a lot of effort.

Xu Chaoyan and her sister-in-law pushed the wheelbarrow with some difficulty, while Zhang Yueniang carried a stove on her back in a basket and helped them push the wheelbarrow with one hand. The wheelbarrow was piled with a lot of things, making it difficult to push.

Xu Chaoyan wondered if she should get a handcart or something similar. It was still quite a struggle for her and her sister-in-law to move the tables, chairs, benches, and stove around.

When they come to the county school, they set up two tables, a few benches, and a charcoal fire. Even though it's the first month of the lunar calendar, the biting cold wind still stings their faces and their legs are frozen like popsicles.

Qin Zhenzhen happened to be bringing lunch to her elder brother with her maid today. She was holding a hand warmer in her hands while sitting in the carriage, but the biting cold wind still managed to get in through the gaps, making her shiver a couple of times.

The maidservant had been waiting outside the carriage the whole time. Her cheeks were red from the cold, her nose was running, and she couldn't help but rub her hands together several times.

“Miss, we’ve arrived. The young master is probably still at the academy. Why don’t you wait in the carriage and I’ll take you there? It’s freezing cold today, so be careful not to catch a cold.”

Qin Zhenzhen had originally planned to do the same. Today, she regretted not staying indoors in such cold weather. She had to come out and join the fun. It was only because one of her friends told her to strike while the iron was hot and leave a good impression that she braved the terrible weather to go out.

When the maid lifted the curtain, she suddenly saw that ugly woman setting up her stall again. Oh right, she almost forgot that the Meng family scholar also had an ugly woman; she needed to find a way to get rid of her.

She flung down the curtain and ordered her maid, "Go and buy some food for that person later."