I am a Big Villain

Except for the second room and his family, no one knows what was said in the house of Yan Changxi and his wife that night.

Anyway, I don’t know whether it was the effect of the conversation that night or whether it was the fact that their son could study that gave the couple confidence and motivation. Otherwise, not all the money saved by the family would be handed over if it was not a busy time for farming.

For example, sisters Li Qiuyue and Yan Meihua called three dozen tubes and reported eight out of ten. In this way, they earned two extra tubes of wages. Yan Changxi went to pick up odd jobs and occasionally bought steamed buns on the pretext of being hungry. And so on, every time he deducted a penny or two, and after more than a few times, the second wife finally had a little money on hand, so that sometimes the daughter would not have to buy a red headband or a silk hair flower. Mrs. He Yan took the money.

In the past, encouraging parents to do such a thing would never have been successful.

Old Man Yan and Mrs. Yan Jiang may not have known about this move of the second room, but they both chose to turn a blind eye and missed it. Compared with the 500 yuan that the first room could handle on its own, the second room did this. Very aggrieved.

They didn't resist at first, so the old couple didn't mention it. Now that the second wife does this, it shows that they have their own little thoughts in mind. Excessive suppression will only arouse their greater sense of resistance.

Old Man Yan and Old Mrs. Yan are very smart. They know that when they get older, they have to be filial to the honest second child and his family if they want to take care of themselves in old age. Therefore, they never thought about forcing this child to be unfilial from the beginning. Therefore, this It wasn't too much of an act. The two old men didn't ask anything and just pretended they didn't know.

Yan Chu went to school more smoothly than the original person. You must know that in the previous life, the original person did not show his outstanding talent for reading that day. In order to allow his younger brother to study, Yan Meihua almost went to school with her aunt Yan Mudan and her uncle's family. The state of being torn apart.

If Yan Changxue hadn't been worried about his reputation, he knew that Yan Meihua wouldn't be able to study if she went out and talked about how her family bullied their second wife.

But even though the original person, like Yan Yu, had become a freshman in family studies in the second year, the life of the second wife of the Yan family became more and more difficult, especially the second sister Yan Meihua, who offended her uncle and sister-in-law, and together with Old Man Yan and Old Mrs. Yan also felt angry that her granddaughter had offended her authority. When it came time to talk about her husband's family, Yan Meihua's marriage was not very good.

The man she married had some extravagant wealth in his family, and the bride price was high, but that man was honest and honest on the outside, and beat his wife secretly. Yan Meihua's life was difficult, and it wasn't until she was admitted as a scholar that the man didn't dare to go too far. Hit her, but it's a small fight, but it's unavoidable.

Logically, he was the one who should help his eldest sister the most, but he felt that the reputation of a harmonious sister was not good. After becoming famous, he gave Yan Meihua a lot of money, but begged her to live a good life with her brother-in-law for the sake of his reputation.

From that time on, no matter how difficult her life was, Yan Meihua never visited the Yan family. She thought that her brother was dead when he said those words.

This life is different. Old Man Yan and others saw the potential in Yan Chu, and they were no longer so resistant to letting him study. And the threats that Yan Meihua said in the previous life to ensure that his brother could study, this time Yan Meihua also Without saying anything, in the eyes of the Yan family, she was still their favorite among their granddaughters.

*****

In the blink of an eye, four years have passed. Yan Chu went to school at the age of six and is now nine years old.

These days, many strangers come in and out of the house during the day. Most of them are matchmakers from nearby villages and towns. They are either arranging marriages for Yan Chunhua and Yan Meihua, or helping other people's daughters to find out about the eldest daughter of the Yan family.

Yan Pei is already seventeen this year. Over the years, he has repeatedly failed in the college examinations and has always been a child student. However, he is still young. There are many people who were admitted as scholars in their twenties and thirties. At the beginning, he was able to pass the examination with nine Becoming a child at the tender age of 18 means that he has a talent for reading, and many people are willing to bet on his future.

Furthermore, the Yan family has dozens of acres of fertile farmland. As the eldest son of the eldest son, if the family is divided in the future, most of the land here should belong to him. No matter what, his life will be better than that of ordinary farm families. Therefore, Many girls from other families are willing to marry into the Yan family, but most of those girls are looked down upon by the Yan family.

"Mom, I think the daughter of Huang Xiucai's family is pretty good. She has a fair appearance and a virtuous and gentle temperament. She is also the daughter of a scholar, and she is not afraid of being unable to talk to her child."

Liu Fuchun took a red paper list and said to Yan Jiang that this was the only one she was satisfied with among the many girls she had seen these days.

However, it doesn’t matter how satisfied she is. In Liu Fuchun’s opinion, her son’s talent was not recognized because the grading officials had no vision. Otherwise, with her son’s talent, he would have been admitted to the Juren Examination long ago, and he would be the number one scholar, and he would be worthy of being a princess. have to.

It's just that now Yan Ying is just a child, and he has reached the age of marriage in his grade. She doesn't like the peasant girl, and the prefect and county girl doesn't like him, so they settle for the next best thing. Liu Fuchun can only hold his nose and admit it. Among the girls who are interested in marrying the Yan family, she is the most outstanding scholar's daughter.

"The girls in Huang Xiucai's family are really good, but the bride price that family wants is too high, a full thirty taels, which is enough to buy a small courtyard in the town. No matter how good the girls in his family are, they still can't be struck with gold."

Mrs. Yan Jiang shook her head. She loved her eldest grandson, but she really didn't think it was necessary to spend so much money to marry a daughter-in-law. As a woman, it doesn't take long for her to have children, as long as she is not too brash or weird.

"Mom, I'm not just interested in that girl, I'm more interested in Huang Xiucai."

Liu Fuchun had already guessed the possible reaction of the old lady. She whispered something into the old lady's ear. The old lady's face was tangled with joy. It took a while before she spoke.

"My son's third uncle is also a scholar. If he really has a trick, why won't he tell us?"

Old Mrs. Yan felt that her daughter-in-law's words were too unreliable. If there was really any shortcut to the exam, then wouldn't all the Jin Dynasty be scholars? Besides, if Huang Xiucai really had the ability to teach, he wouldn't be almost selling out now. My daughter is asking for money to the extreme.

"Mom, think about it, my third cousin's uncle's family is the direct branch of the family. They wish that none of us from the side branch can make a difference so that we can rely on him to live our lives. If you think about it carefully, after so many years, is it the main branch that has the highest chance of producing a talented person? ? That means there is indeed a shortcut to this exam."

Liu Fuchun asked the old lady to figure out for herself how many of the many talented people who came out of the Yan family were direct descendants at that time.

Yan Jiang thought for a while, and it seemed to be the case, but if he thought about it carefully, it was because only the main branch at that time had the energy and financial resources to raise children in the family. How much money can an average farm family have to support how many children?

"Our family has long been distant relatives who are several houses away from the patriarch. People may not tell us such news, but Huang Xiucai is different. If Bao'er becomes his son-in-law, he can still take such an important matter. Hidden from him? It’s not a bad deal to buy a daughter-in-law with the title of scholar for thirty taels.”

Liu Fuchun's words were very tempting and tempting. Being able to have a scholar in their family was something they thought about day and night.

But the old lady couldn't completely make the decision regarding her grandson, and marrying a daughter from Huang Xiucai's family would cost too much, so she had to discuss the matter with her old man.

Seeing that the old lady was tempted, Liu Fuchun gave up half of his thoughts.

Yan Chu stood outside the door of his grandmother's room. Originally, he came to tell his grandma that his third uncle planned to let him take part in this year's county examination. Unexpectedly, he heard the conversation between his eldest aunt and his grandma, and then he suddenly realized Well, it turned out that the days passed so fast, and in a blink of an eye, it was almost the day when Fu Zhenzhen came to the house.

*****

"Old madam, buy a maid and go home. This girl has a small appetite and can't eat much food. Moreover, she is eight years old this year. In a few years, she will be able to give birth to sons for the young men in the family."

Because of the eldest son and his wife's persuasion, and because the younger daughter also thought the marriage was a good one, Old Man Yan and Old Mrs. Yan finally agreed to their eldest grandson marrying the daughter of Huang Xiucai's family.

Today the old lady took her eldest daughter-in-law to the county to buy things needed for the wedding. Because there were a lot of things to buy, she even drove the family's ox cart here.

A few days ago, there seemed to be a disaster in the north. A lot of refugees came to their area. Fortunately, the number was not large and not large-scale. In addition, rich people outside the county town had already started giving porridge and fasting, which did not affect the lives of the local people. What an impact.

There were also those whose families were in trouble, and in order to settle down in a new place as soon as possible, they began to buy and sell their young sons and daughters. Scenes like this were more common during this period. Those people did not dare to go to the county town for fear of being caught by the officials, so they often They stay on the trails leading into the city, waiting for wealthy country people or people from the county who leave the city.

Today we came to the county town to do some shopping. Mrs. Yan and Liu Fuchun were both well-dressed. The woman with a skinny little girl by her side took a fancy to them at first sight and stopped in front of the bullock cart without thinking.

"Our family is just an ordinary farmer. We are not that rich and don't buy maids."

Yan Jiang waved her hand at the woman and told her to get out of the way as she had to go shopping in the county town.

"If you don't want a maid, then buy a child bride. I want a bag of grain. The men and children in the family are starving to death. That bag of grain is life-saving. Madam, please do me a favor and buy our daughter."

The woman pulled the little girl next to her and knelt down to the old lady, kowtowing her head and begging.

This is the daughter of her husband's brother. Her brother-in-law and his wife were unlucky and died of illness on the way to escape. The only son said he was going to find food for his sister. If he never came back, they couldn't wait for him where he was. We can only follow the fleeing people southward until we reach this small and relatively wealthy county.

To be fair, this woman is not the kind of really cruel person. Otherwise, her niece looks pretty good. If she sells it to Goulan Courtyard, she can get one or twenty taels of silver, which is enough to buy dozens of bags of grain. But she After all, he wasn't so greedy.

She just saw that this family was well-dressed and had a bullock cart at home. Even if they were from the countryside, their family was well off. In this day and age, she didn't want to have another mouth to eat in the family, so she sold this little girl to those A prosperous farmer, her future fortune depends on her own fate.

Upon hearing the words "child bride", the other party only asked for a bag of grain. Liu Fuchun raised his eyebrows and grabbed the old lady who refused.

"Mom, why don't we buy this little girl." She whispered into the old lady's ear.

"You're crazy. How can your family get enough spare money to feed an extra mouth?" Yan Jiangshi shook her head without thinking.

"Mom, listen to me."

Liu Fuchun grabbed the old lady: "In order to find a wife for Bin'er, the family has spent almost all the money. Bin'er and Xiaobao are already nine years old this year. In six or seven years, they will be old enough to get married. By then, The two children asked me about my wife, where does the money come from? "

With her mouth, she could talk about life and death. Although she didn't know what kind of medicine she was selling, it was true that the old lady's attention was attracted by her words.

"It's not expensive to buy a child bride with a bag of grain. Even if the little girl eats it, how much grain can she eat? The most important thing is that we raised the child ourselves, so we don't have to worry about any outsiders. When the time comes, Chen'er and Xiaobao If you can pass the exam to be a scholar, then the conditions for choosing a marriage are different. If you can't pass the exam, no matter who marries this little girl, he will at least live a peaceful life if he knows everything about her. "

Liu Fuchun has already asked his son. No surprise, his younger son Yan Yi will definitely be able to pass the boy examination. In recent years, Yan Chu has not shown much of his reading talent in the book school. In Liu Fuchun's opinion, he was able to memorize thousands of books by heart. Zi Wen, I don’t know how much hard work he has put in behind the scenes. In terms of talent, he is definitely not as good as his son.

If the little girl in front of me was to be married, it would be Yan Chu who would marry her, which would save the family a fortune.

Liu Fuchun's abacus made a snap, but it touched the old lady's heart.

In the village, child brides are not a rare thing. They pay money to take a daughter-in-law from her family since she was a child. She is a member of the family whether she lives or dies. Judging from her stature, she can work with Mei Hua and the others. It just so happens that Mei Hua has reached the age of marriage, so she bought This little girl came back and arrived just in time.

As the eldest daughter-in-law said, how much food can a baby girl eat? When the grandson has no future, marrying this little girl can save a lot of money as a gift. When the time comes to marry her off, he will be able to earn a betrothal gift to supplement the expenses he has spent on her over the years.

Yan Jiang's position was very unsteady. Liu Fuchun persuaded him in just a few words, and he took a bag of newly beaten millet in Jinqiu that he originally planned to bring to his little girl. Because it was fine grain, the bag of rice was A little half of it was poured out.

Fu Zhenzhen was sold by her aunt for the price of half a bag of new rice.

"From now on, in this old lady's house, you have to be obedient, eat less and do more, don't make trouble for others, you know?" The woman happily carried the half bag of food, looked at the man and child who had been guarding not far away, and felt sad in her heart. Very confident.

Just looking at the little girl who didn't say a word from beginning to end, and quietly got on the Yan family's oxcart after being sold, a trace of guilt flashed in her heart, and she said a few words to her.

The little girl hadn't had a full meal in an unknown amount of time. She was so thin that she lost her shape. Her eyes were so big that it made people panic.

The woman avoided looking at her. After saying that, she gritted her teeth and ran towards the men who had been guarding the side with red eyes.

"What's your name?"

The food was given and the people got on the bullock cart. At this time, Yan Jiang felt that he had done something ridiculous, but the woman who had just sold the child had already run away with the food, and now she regretted it. It's too late.

"Zhenzhen, my name is Fu Zhenzhen."

The little girl's throat was dry and she had no strength to speak.

"From now on, you will be a member of our Yan family. When you go home, be good, you know?"

Yan Jiang took out the kettle he had brought with him and handed it to her a sesame cake to pad her belly on the road.

"Thank you, madam."

Fu Zhenzhen took the kettle, and some of them drank several sips anxiously. When their mouths were no longer so dry, they ate the sesame cake in their hands, taking small sips, picking up any small crumbs that fell on them, and eating them. After finishing the palm-sized pancake, she touched her belly with satisfaction and smiled. From the yellow and thin face, the old lady actually saw a bit of delicate beauty. In terms of appearance, she seemed to be better than the daughter of Huang Xiucai's family. Up a few points.

It doesn't seem like a loss to buy such a granddaughter-in-law.

*****

"What are you thinking about? You are a scholar. How could I find you a little girl I bought from who knows where to be your child bride? This is too bullying."

Yan Taohua sat on the edge of the Kang in her younger brother's room and said to her younger brother who was holding a water-soaked brush and writing on the paper.

At this time, Fu Zhenzhen had been at home for three or four days. Originally, the Yan family thought that the old lady was kind-hearted and bought a little girl who was in trouble in her hometown. The little girl was quite well-behaved and sensible, and she rushed to do the work at home. Now and Yan Taohua and her sisters lived in the same room and had some feelings for each other.

But I don’t know since when, rumors suddenly spread in the village that the little girl newly bought by the Yan family was a child bride for Yan Chu, and there was also a rumor that she had a nose and eyes, as if they had all seen the scene where Mrs. Yan bought someone. .

She couldn't get angry at Fu Zhenzhen's already pitiful little girl Yan Taohua, so she could only express her complaints and confusion to her younger brother.

In fact, rumors can spread so fast, and Yan Chu will not believe them without the help of someone who is willing to do so. However, Liu Fuchun is indeed a very smart person. I am afraid that even the old lady can't figure out who is the one who made such a fuss and ruined Fu Zhenzhen's original life. She must have revealed that she bought her as a child bride.

Listening to the third sister's complaints, Yan Chu did not stop moving his hands.

If you want to take the imperial examination, it is not enough just to be able to write well. How well you write is also a very important scoring item in the eyes of the marking officials.

Paper and ink cost money, so Yan Chu used water instead of ink to practice calligraphy. Only when he got hold of me did he grind the inkstone and really start writing. Therefore, in the past few years, even though he was also enlightened in the calligraphy school, Yan Chu's expenses were not enough. Only two-thirds of Yan Yu's.

Old Man Yan and Old Mrs. Yan also saw his actions, and they also loved this grandson who they didn't pay much attention to before. Not to mention that he was not as good as his first cousin, but compared to his second cousin. , his grandparents still favored him.

Therefore, Yan Chu was basically sure that even if it was a child bride this time, it was not certain who the old lady originally intended to buy the child bride for. The rumors were so widespread and she was so steadfast in her vows that it was obvious who had done it.

"Third sister, the most important thing for me right now is to prepare for the county exam. I'll talk about other things later."

Yan Chu has not yet decided how to deal with his relationship with Fu Zhenzhen, so he does not plan to have too much contact with Fu Zhenzhen before the county examination is over.

"Yes, if you had become a child, your grandma would not have allowed you to marry Zhen Zhen."

It was because of her brother's words that Yan Taohua thought that she could get rid of the troubles of her child bride and sister-in-law. She didn't dare to disturb Yan Chu's study anymore, covered her mouth and left quickly. She had to watch these days, and she must not let Zhen Zhen and her brother There are too many contacts.

Because of Yan Taohua's determination, Yan Chu actually had no chance of personal contact with Fu Zhenzhen before the county examination.

On the day of the county examination, Yan Changxue and Yan Changxi drove their two children to the county seat in their family's ox cart for reference. The two of them stayed outside during the entire examination. They ate solid food when they were hungry, drank some water when they were thirsty, and went to the toilet. The two took turns.

Because the master in the school said that sometimes there will be accidents in exams. After all, people will always get sick if they eat whole grains. The county exams are not as strict as the rural exams in the future. The supervision is not so strict. If you get sick during the exam, you will directly After being carried out, family members will need to take the person back.

Yan Changxue and Yan Changxi were afraid that their son would be the unlucky one, so they naturally stayed outside the examination room.

Originally it was just to be sure, but unexpectedly, less than an hour after the exam started, Yan Yi, who had just entered and was fine, turned pale and was carried out by the officials with sweating.

Yan Changxue was so anxious that today's exam would decide whether his son or the nephew of his second wife could continue studying. How could it be that by accident, his son suddenly fell seriously ill?

"Yan Chu" also didn't understand. Wasn't he sentenced to exile for bullying the emperor? Why was he actually appearing in the county examination room at this moment?