The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Shen Cao immediately stood up to help introduce him, "This is Young Master Shen."

She then pointed to the village chief, "This is the village chief of our Stone Village."

Shen Yu'an remembered the village chief, who was the only one who had spoken up for the Shen family before, and was a rare person who understood things.

He greeted the village chief, saying, "Just pretend I don't exist. I'm just here to freeload a meal."

After saying that, to prove the credibility of his statement, he reached for the braised pork he had been craving and put it in his mouth.

It melted in his mouth; he was right, Shen Cao was a good cook.

Everyone was stunned as they watched Shen Yu'an eat the braised pork with elegance and without any politeness.

Is this young nobleman so approachable?

Seeing that Shen Yu'an was indeed focused on eating, Shen's father quickly invited the village chief to eat as well.

The village chief's family looked at each other, especially the village chief's wife. She hadn't wanted to come today; the Shen family was dirt poor, so what good food could they possibly offer them?

But her husband insisted on coming, saying that since the Shen family had spoken, they must have something important to tell her.

Moreover, since the other party said their whole family would be coming, he felt compelled to come, fearing he might neglect them.

She didn't know why her husband treated the Shen family with such courtesy; they were just a poor family who had settled in their village.

She arrived at the Shen family's house reluctantly. She had witnessed the scene at the door; when her husband tried to help, she tried to stop him but failed.

At first, she also thought Shen Cao and the others were talking nonsense. A scholar? Her brother had taken the exam for seven or eight years and was almost thirty years old when he finally passed last year.

His eldest son was barely sixteen; it was no wonder he couldn't pass the exam.

To everyone's surprise, they actually passed the exam.

Still at the top of the list, she felt a pang of jealousy. She glanced at her good-for-nothing eldest son and gave him a big sinus.

After the matter was over, she was about to leave when her husband stopped her.

Looking at the dilapidated house of the Shen family, she felt some sympathy for them. She wondered where they came from, and how they had lived in the village for several years, yet they were still dirt poor.

But she also admired Mr. and Mrs. Shen, who were willing to support their eldest son's education even under such circumstances.

She had heard from her brother that all other pursuits were inferior, only studying was superior.

Once a person has read books, they are different from ordinary people, but she doesn't know exactly how they are different; they are just different.

She entered the main room with disdain, but she didn't see any dilapidated scene. Everything in sight was clean and tidy. Although the things were broken, they were all well arranged.

You can tell at a glance that this family is very clean.

She glanced again at the dishes on the eight-immortal table in the center of the main room, her eyes widening.

Good heavens, the Shen family really went all out to treat her husband to a meal; they're really going to ruin this life.

She counted them, and apart from one or two vegetarian dishes, the rest were all meat dishes, and all of them were large portions of meat.

Her two sons' eyes practically popped into the food, while the Shen family's children remained calm, showing no sign of greed.

This must mean she eats this all the time, or it's something she told her husband: the Shen family are no ordinary people.

This time, it seems she really did misjudge.

The village chief, seeing his wife's expression, knew what she was thinking. He gave her a warning look and then turned to chat with Shen's father.

The meal was a great success, with both hosts and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves. The host barely ate anything, while the guests were all stuffed.

Shen Yu'an, in particular, was so full that after finishing his meal he told Shen Cao that he was going out for a walk to digest his food and that she didn't need to worry about him.

After dinner, Shen Qing and Shen Wan went to the kitchen to clean up, while Shen's father, mother, Shen Chen, Shen Cao, and the village chief's family sat at the table.

Mr. Shen spoke first, “Village Chief, the reason I called you here today is to say goodbye.”

The village chief was shocked, but also felt that this was the only right thing to do.

Why so suddenly?

Shen Cao slowly said, "Uncle Village Chief, it's not really that sudden. My father thought about this for a long time but didn't know how to bring it up with you."

“Over the years, we would not have been able to survive in the village without your help.”

The village chief felt somewhat ashamed. "Ah, you've all suffered these years too."

"It's my fault for not doing a good job as the village chief."

Upon hearing the village chief's words, Shen's father hurriedly said, "Village chief, you've already done enough."

"Our Shen family is truly grateful for what you have done."

“We all know that you have your own difficulties.”

The village chief knew that the Shen family were polite and reasonable people.

But he still couldn't bear to leave the Shen family. "Do we really have to move?"

Seeing that her parents were too embarrassed to speak, Shen Cao stepped forward.

“Uncle Village Chief, you saw what happened today. We haven’t done anything, but people keep throwing mud at us.”

"My eldest brother is a scholar, so in the future..."

Shen Cao did not continue speaking.

Listening to the eldest daughter of the Shen family, how could the village chief not know what she wanted to say? This eldest son of the Shen family was clearly no ordinary person.

If their nonsense in the village affects my future, it would truly be a case of losing more than I gain.

The village chief, who valued talent, nodded and said, "Shen girl, your concerns are understandable."

He knew he couldn't persuade the Shen family anymore, and he felt a little regretful. He had thought that his Stone Village would finally produce someone of note, but he never expected that a bunch of ignorant people would drive them away.

"Hey, I get it."

He considered the Shen family's situation for a moment, "Where are you planning to move to? Do you have the money to cover the expenses? I still have some spare money, how about..."

Shen's father declined the village chief's offer, telling him that everything at home had been arranged and he would be moving out the next day.

The village chief sighed again, "It's so fast."

Shen Chen, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "Village Chief, my household registration before the provincial examination was in Stone Village."

Upon hearing Shen Chen's words, the village chief showed a rare hint of joy. Indeed, no matter what, the spot for the scholar had fallen into their Stone Village.

Shen Chen continued, "Village Chief, I, Shen Chen, will remember your help to us over the years."

Upon hearing this, the village chief was surprised that Shen Jia Dalang would make such a promise.

He waved his hand dismissively, knowing that his small place couldn't keep the Shen family.

Therefore, it would be better to part ways amicably.

"Our Stone Village is just unlucky."

Mr. Shen took out the house deed and land deed and handed them to the village chief.

When the village chief saw that the house deeds and land deeds had been brought out, his eyes reddened. What had driven this person to such a state that they had even considered never returning?

He pushed the house and land deeds to Shen's father, "Brother Shen, what do you mean by this? You're not planning to come back in the future?"

“Village chief, you’ve misunderstood. We are going to hand over this house and land to you for you to dispose of as you see fit.”

"If you don't mind, it would be even better if you accepted it."

"If you don't want it, then keep it for someone who needs it in the future."

The village chief felt a little sad after hearing his words. He knew how difficult things were for the Shen family, but he still had to support his family and could only do his part.

The Shen family not only didn't blame him, but also treated him with such courtesy, which made him feel guilty.