The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 411: Chapter 404: I’m Just a Sucker for Good Looks 46

Yue Zhong did not take part in this rural examination.

The reason was that his mind was somewhat unclear.

Ever since Anning removed the nightmare charm from him, he became somewhat muddled upon waking.

Things he used to remember after reading once now escape him no matter how many times he reads them, and he has also forgotten much of what he’d learned before.

With such circumstances, participating in the rural examination would only cause him suffering, as there would be no chance of passing.

Yue Zhong was deeply distressed by this, which even led to a quarrel with Wang Chunhua.

But Wang Chunhua was quite pleased.

Since she had married Yue Zhong, during this lengthy time, she had come to understand the true nature of the Yue Family.

Both Yue Zhong and his mother were not the type to share weal and woe with others.

Now that the Yue Family was not faring well, they wanted to live off Wang Chunhua’s dowry, hence they treated her reasonably well. However, neither of them was truly sincere to Wang Chunhua.

Wang Chunhua knew that once Yue Zhong achieved greatness, he would certainly turn his back on her.

If that was the case, it was better if he did not pass at all.

After all, he was a Scholar, and the Wang family was not lacking in money; they could just drag this out.

Moreover, Wang Chunhua was now pregnant, and she placed her hopes on her unborn child.

She thought of raising the child well when it was born, which was at least much more reliable than Yue Zhong, this heartless and ungrateful person.

Anning did not see Yue Zhong when she was sending Xiao Yuan to the examination hall, so she knew what was going on.

However, Anning did see Cui Zhiren and that Young Master Qian who had framed Xiao Yuan before.

For these two people, Anning had also laid a trap; if they believed the rumors, they were certainly not going to pass this rural examination.

After casting a glance at those two, Anning exchanged a few words with Xiao Yuan before watching him enter the exam hall.

After three days of exams, Xiao Yuan looked considerably worn out when he came out.

Anning picked him up to go home, and as soon as Xiao Yuan entered the carriage, she could smell the sour odor on him.

It was natural, after staying in the exam hall for three consecutive days without the chance to bathe or even wash his face, and wearing the same clothes, how could there not be an odor.

Xiao Yuan had stayed in the exam hall for three days, and everyone around him was emitting odors; his own sense of smell had become a bit numb, so naturally, he couldn’t smell himself.

As soon as he got into the carriage, he fell asleep, evidently exhausted.

Upon arriving home, Anning, not at all put off by Xiao Yuan’s state, saw him sleeping so soundly and carried him back to the room to let him continue sleeping.

Xiao Yuan slept for an entire day and night.

When he woke up and his sense of smell had returned, smelling the odor on himself, he quickly called for someone to prepare hot water for him to bathe and change clothes.

After a good sleep, a bath, and putting on clean clothes, Xiao Yuan had a hearty meal, and his spirit was finally revived.

Mrs. Xiao had already been extremely worried and couldn’t help saying: ”This imperial examination is truly torturous, had we known it would be like this, we might as well have not taken it...”

Mr. Xiao grunted disapprovingly, and she hurriedly stopped talking.

Mr. Xiao said in a solemn voice: ”One must endure the greatest hardship to rise above others. You say the imperial examination is torturous, then isn’t running a business exhausting? No matter what profession one is in, hardship is inevitable unless he wants to be a prodigal.”

Mrs. Xiao bowed her head and said nothing more.

Anning quickly smiled and said: ”Mother is just fond of and caring for my husband, and actually, she truly hopes that he can make progress. She was so happy when my husband passed the Scholar exam, and this time she’s also hoping for him to score high. It’s just that seeing him so exhausted coming out of the exam hall, it’s inevitable that she feels distressed.”

With these words, the atmosphere in the room eased a lot.

Mrs. Xiao wiped away her tears: ”Exactly, Yuan is a part of me, and naturally, I dearly care for him.”

Mr. Xiao did not continue to talk about Xiao Yuan, but instead turned his head to ask Anning: ”I want to make a trip to the Capital. First, I intend to sell some of the Jade our family has opened up, and secondly, I want to see if I can extend our business there. Additionally, if Yuan passes as a scholar, he will definitely need to go to the Capital to continue with the exams, so I was thinking of buying a house there in advance to avoid a last-minute rush.”

Anning knew why Mr. Xiao said this; he simply wanted her to see whether his trip would go smoothly and whether he could accomplish his objectives.

Anning looked carefully at Mr. Xiao and said: ”You won’t encounter any major dangers on this trip, but you should beware of women, especially those who sell themselves to bury their fathers. Also, if you’re buying a house, it’s best to buy one in the East City. No matter how good the houses in the West City seem, do not purchase them.”

Mr. Xiao did not know why Anning said this, but he took these words to heart.

On the contrary, Mrs. Xiao was a bit anxious: ”Ningning, is your father likely to face some love disaster or something?”

She had taken a liking to reading all sorts of bizarre, supernatural stories. Upon hearing Anning telling Mr. Xiao to beware of women, her heart was raised, and she couldn’t help but overthink.

Anning laughed lightly: ”It’s not really a love disaster, just a bit troublesome.”

After thinking for a bit, Anning added: ”Father, when buying a house, if the broker introduces you to a particularly cheap house in the East City, just buy it. Others might not dare, but we do. Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems.”

Mr. Xiao nodded firmly.

After Anning and Xiao Yuan retired to their room, Xiao Yuan naturally enveloped her in a prolonged and tender embrace until they fell asleep exhausted, and by then it was already midnight.

In the following days, Xiao Yuan spent his time at home, accompanying Anning daily, while Mr. Xiao packed up and went to the Capital.

Not many days after Mr. Xiao’s departure, the day of the results announcement arrived.

Mrs. Xiao sent someone early to the exam hall to wait and check the results.

She was restless and extremely nervous.

Anning and Xiao Yuan, however, ate and drank as usual.

It was only nearing mid-morning that the servants ran back home, their faces beaming with joy, and on entering, they shouted: ”Madam, young madam, the young master has scored high, the young master has become the top scorer...”

Mrs. Xiao was overjoyed and quickly went out to stand under the veranda and ordered the servants: ”Quickly set off the firecrackers, and also, this month’s monthly salary will be doubled...”

Anning and Xiao Yuan also came out, and Xiao Yuan too seemed very pleased.

Yet, he did not show excessive excitement.

”Being top scorer is nothing, I’m still waiting to become the top scorer in the imperial examination.”

”Yes, my son is so clever, he will definitely become the top scorer, definitely...”

Anning smiled secretly; when she looked at Xiao Yuan again, she noticed a brighter aura around him, a clear sign that his career in the future would be very promising.

Soon, those bringing congratulations arrived at the Xiao family’s doorstep.

Xiao Yuan accepted the good news and had the servants hand out silver to the two officials, and Mrs. Xiao went so far as to have someone fill a bamboo basket with copper coins and scatter them at the door for the children to scramble for.

And on this day, it was joy for some families and sorrow for others.

Both sons of Magistrate He’s house failed.

Cui Zhiren was sidelined, and that Young Master Qian also failed.

On the contrary, several of the honest companions who Cui Zhiren had deceived actually made it onto the list and passed as scholars.

A number of students who had failed gathered around them to ask how they wrote their essays, to which these few gratefully pointed at Cui Zhiren and said: ”It’s all thanks to Brother Cui. He told us that the examiners this time really like simple essays, ones with substance that are not too tedious. We read many such essays and wrote in the same style during the exam, and it turned out we really passed.”

Cui Zhiren just so happened to hear this and felt so depressed that he could vomit two liters of blood.