The Transmigrated Farm Girl's Journey to Wealth

The only place where we need to work is the Fang family's old house.

The old man was discussing the important autumn harvest with his sons in the main room. Aside from the old couple and their youngest son and his wife, the children didn't have to work; everyone else, including the youngest sons and daughters, had to participate.

He and his wife are not idle either; they cook the meals at home.

Fang Laosan was furious. It was harvest time, and he still had to serve these two old men? Why should he? They harvested the crops, and the money from the sales went to his tuition; he didn't have to lift a finger. Where in the world is there such a good deal? "Father, this arrangement isn't right. There's so much work to do, everyone's busy, even you and Mother haven't had a break."

"What, can't the fourth brother and his wife move around? Are they made of gold?"

"Your fourth brother wants to go to school!" the old man refused without even thinking.

"Studying can be delayed for more than ten days, right? Didn't Fourth Brother say that he already knows everything? Not going to the county school is a waste of time. Since it's a waste of time, it's okay to help with the chores around the house, right?"

"For so many years, we've lived off our family, so why can't we work? And what about my fourth sister-in-law? Does she need to go to school? Or is she unable to walk properly? Our parents have to cook and fetch water, and she's just sitting at home enjoying the cool air. How can she be so shameless?"

Fang Laosi was so angry he wanted to explode. How could a mere scholar do such lowly things? And his wife was the same; she acted like a country bumpkin. How could he ever show her off to anyone again?

His wife's good clothes and accessories are a matter of his pride.

How can I get out of bed?

Grandpa Fang remained silent, taking one puff after another of his pipe. His fourth wife, smelling the smoke, frowned in disgust.

She would never do any manual labor. Having worked alongside the head of the household, she never even considered lifting a finger.

"Fourth son's wife, after the autumn harvest, you'll be in charge of cooking, cleaning, and delivering water. From now on, all the housework will be divided equally among the three wives. How to divide it is up to you three to discuss."

"Third brother, your fourth brother can't work. His hands are for holding pens. You're not allowed to cause any more trouble. His wife will do his work." The old man stared at Fang Laosan, his eyes filled with warning.

Fang Laosan was used to being afraid of his father, so he lowered his head guiltily, not daring to meet his gaze. He figured he'd do what he could for now.

The fourth son's wife couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was going to have to do housework too? Had the old man gone mad? How could she possibly do any work?

"father!"

"It's settled then. Fourth brother, either you go to the fields, or your wife cooks. You choose one."

Fang Laosi didn't even need to think about it; his wife would definitely cook. What woman doesn't do housework? She should really learn from her.

"I'll listen to Dad."

His wife's face turned as white as paper; once this started, there would be no way to avoid it later.

He didn't want his son to do any work, so he pushed his daughter-in-law out. What a heartless old man.

Fang Laosi stopped nagging. He still needed money for the family and couldn't afford to really fall out with his two older brothers.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, there are government officials here! They say they're here to arrest your fourth son!"

Arrest the fourth brother?

How can it be!

They must be here to see his fourth son. Seriously, does someone who's only a junior scholar (童生) already qualify to work for the government?

The family members all thought the villagers had misheard.

"Everyone straightened their clothes and prepared to receive the officials."

"Yes".

The fourth son's wife swayed her hips, trying to get her to work, but even God wouldn't allow it. Look, quite a few helpers have come along! If the head of the household catches the eye of the county magistrate, she can enjoy a life of luxury along with him.

The villager scratched his head, wondering if he had really misheard.

Well, Fang Laosi is a student who has only passed the imperial examinations, how could he have committed a crime? He really is...

The Fang family members, dressed neatly, waited for the yamen runners.

Here, after the yamen runners explained the situation to the village chief, they asked the village chief to lead the way to arrest the person.

The village chief's face was ashen. Their Zaoshu Village had been clean all their lives, how could they have produced such a despicable person as Fang Laosi?

If he's incompetent and can't pass the exam, he'll resort to underhanded methods, like buying exam questions. How dare he do that?

Cheating in the imperial examinations was a serious crime.

He led the constables towards the Fang family's old residence, giving them a wink along the way, hoping they would inform Fang Lao Si so he could prepare. After all, they were from the same village, and Fang Lao Si was Feng Zi's in-laws; he was willing to lend a hand if he could.

I never dreamed that the Fang family was too careless, no, too trusting of Fang Lao Si, to the point that the messenger was so tricked by the Fang family that he also thought he had misunderstood.

The villagers were confused. When they saw the village chief with his constables, one serious and in handcuffs, and the other with a dark expression, they didn't dare to ask any questions. They could only follow behind them, hoping to find out who in the village had committed a crime.

How could anyone in their village commit a crime? Even if there are a few scoundrels, they'll only cause trouble in the village at most.

[PS: Hey everyone! The Year of the Snake (2015) is here! Thank you all for following along this past year. Wishing you all a prosperous and joyful New Year, and may we continue our reading adventure!]