The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 978: Chapter 955: Glory Amidst Chaos 23

The people of the first branch endured tremendous hardships on their journey, nearly losing their lives halfway.

They did not arrive in the Southern Yi unscathed.

Along the way, the Old Master’s concubines all perished, and the Old Madam was gravely ill, barely hanging on.

Additionally, Xiao Lian from the first branch was kidnapped midway, Ms. Jin from the fifth branch was violated, and a concubine of Xiao Su from the second branch was sold by Mrs. Wei for grain and water.

By the time they reached Jingtian Village, they truly resembled refugees, with worn-out clothes and emaciated faces. Once they arrived, the Old Master brought Xiao Jue to find Xiao Yuan and his three brothers.

Xiao Yuan and Anning had just moved their furniture into the house, made new quilts, and procured some kitchenware, tidying up both inside and outside the home. The Old Master came right after.

Since the elder had arrived, he had to be entertained.

Even though the family branches had been divided, this was still the father of Xiao Yuan’s current persona, and the relationship could not be severed.

Thus, Xiao Yuan invited the Old Master and Xiao Jue into the house.

Seeing the Old Master enter, Anning smiled and greeted him with a bow, ”You’re here.”

The Old Master wanted to smile but couldn’t.

He had also suffered hunger along the way, now reduced to skin and bones, with more pronounced wrinkles on his face. When he tried to smile, it looked more like he was crying, which was rather unsettling: ”Here I am.”

Xiao Yuan led the two into the house and said to Anning, ”Hurry and serve tea to Father and Brother.”

Anning laughed, ”Alright, I’ll go boil some water in the kitchen.”

Xiao Fu and Xiao Yin quickly followed Anning into the kitchen.

Once inside, Xiao Yin whispered, ”Mother, why are Grandpa and Uncle here? Are they thinking of staying with us? I’ll say it now; I’m not letting anyone stay in my room.”

Xiao Fu was also unwilling for the Old Master and people from the first branch to come over.

They always had conflicts with the first branch. Furthermore, back when Anning and Xiao Yuan were gravely ill at the Ministry of Justice, the Liu family did not offer Silver, and the first branch, knowing that the third branch had no support, only thought about dividing the family and cared nothing for the third branch’s fate. This made the children completely lose faith in the first branch.

”We don’t know their purpose yet, but we’ll try to prevent them from staying over.”

Anning, while boiling water, said to Xiao Yin, ”Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone into your sisters’ rooms.”

”If Ke’er wants to stay, I wouldn’t mind, but anyone else can forget about it.” Xiao Yin had become somewhat domineering; she wouldn’t let anyone else touch her things. If it were a relative, that’d be fine, but if it were someone she didn’t like, she’d rather throw it away than give it to them.

As Anning boiled water, she took some low-grade tea leaves from the cupboard, placing them in a rough porcelain teapot, and took out several chipped cups.

”Mother? Why are you using those tea leaves?”

Xiao Fu didn’t understand.

Anning smiled, ”Your father is probably lamenting about being poor to the Old Master right now. If we serve them good tea, it’d make it seem like your father is lying.”

She patted Xiao Fu with a smile, ”Go, take the tea inside.”

Xiao Fu nodded, carrying the tea inside.

Xiao Yuan and his family had been falling ill ever since they arrived in the Southern Yi. They built a house, worked the land, gathered supplies, and managed various connections. Even though they were eating better, their bodies remained weak and thin from the hardships they faced, clearly having endured much suffering.

Seeing the state of Xiao Yuan’s family, the Old Master thought to himself that they must not have any money, otherwise they wouldn’t be so destitute.

Upon entering the house, the Old Master was about to speak when Xiao Yuan said, ”Father, I’ve divided the family with Brother, and I won’t ask him for a loan. I only have one request: Father, do you have any money? If you do, could you lend some to your son? I’m really struggling to make ends meet here.”

Xiao Jue sneered, ”Third, don’t play poor with us. With this brick-and-tile house you’ve built, you claim to have no money? Who’s going to believe you?”

Xiao Yuan forced a smile of bitterness, ”Brother, you know my circumstances better than anyone. When I was released from prison, the Zhao family and the Wei family gave money, but what about us? The Liu family didn’t even show their faces, let alone offer money. We set out nearly penniless, facing countless hardships along the way. Where were we supposed to find money? Even this house was built with a little money borrowed from Lao Si and by selling a bracelet my wife had hidden away. This exhausted all our money. If you hadn’t come, I’d have to go to town to copy letters for money, or do some laborious work, because I have to earn a living somehow.”

What Xiao Yuan said was undeniable; everyone knew it in their hearts.

The Liu family indeed didn’t make any appearances; the third branch was the poorest of them all. If Xiao Jue had any idea about Xiao Yuan’s financial situation, he wouldn’t believe he had any wealth.

The Old Master, with a sullen face, hadn’t mentioned anything about lending money.

Xiao Jue looked around, ”Third, you’ve built a nice house. Let’s do this; let us all move in. We’ve just arrived and don’t have a place to stay...”

Xiao Yuan looked at the Old Master, ”Father, what do you mean?”

The Old Master spoke quietly, ”You have plenty of rooms, let us stay, after all...”

Xiao Yuan smiled bitterly, ”Will there be rent?”

”What are you saying?” Xiao Jue’s eyes widened, ”What do you mean by that? You’re telling me Father and Mother have to pay rent to live in your house? Third, aren’t you afraid of being scolded for saying such things?”

Xiao Yuan shook his head, ”It’s natural for Father and Mother to stay, and I won’t ask for money. But Brother and Second Brother, you should pay if you stay. After all, we’ve divided the family; you can’t stay for free. You see this house seems big, but I have plans for it. I have no money at all. We’re almost out of food. I’m thinking of tidying up the front yard to open a school and teach some students to read.”

”You’re going to teach?”

Xiao Jue jumped up, ”Third, you must be joking. Do you have any qualifications? Have you ever passed the examination for a Scholar or Scholar? You’re teaching?”

The Old Master also shook his head, ”Third, you can’t even make sense of what’s in the books yourself, yet you want to teach others. That’s misleading!”

Xiao Yuan looked at the Old Master with disappointment, ”Father, anyone else can say this about me, but you, my own father! How can you say that? Haven’t I studied before? When I wanted to take the imperial examination, who said it wasn’t necessary? My teacher always praised my studies then, saying if I took the exam, I’d surely succeed, but you all didn’t allow it... When I sought my wife’s hand, her father even tested me, boasting that if I took the rural examination, I’d certainly pass. I was so young back then. Since then, I’ve never stopped studying. My abilities are assured, though I haven’t taken the imperial exams.”

”Boasting, aren’t you?”

Xiao Jue completely didn’t believe it.

Xiao Yuan felt utterly helpless, ”Father, you were there when Imperial Censor Liu praised me, weren’t you? I didn’t lie; it’s all true.”

The Old Master recalled this might indeed be the case.

He nodded slightly, ”He was just being polite.”

”Father, it’s genuine. If I had no talent, would he let me marry his daughter? Imperial Censor Liu appreciated scholars the most. If I weren’t good at reading, even if our home was a Duke Mansion, they wouldn’t have married their daughter to me.”

Xiao Yuan’s words made the Old Master pause for a moment, furrowing his brow, still somewhat doubting if his third son truly possessed scholarly talents.

Xiao Yuan continued, ”And my wife, who’s always been said to come from a rural place, just farming the land. But don’t forget my father-in-law’s background. Born to a poor family, he consecutively passed five rounds in the imperial examinations. It was only during the imperial exam that his writing didn’t quite please the Holy Emperor, along with his good looks, that led to him being appointed as third place. Otherwise, he’d have been the first Six Elements top scorer of Da Qi. Can my wife, with such a father, be ordinary? Certainly not. She’s not just about farming. My wife is well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics. Back then, my father-in-law even privately praised her possibilities of being a top scorer.”

What?

The Old Master and Xiao Jue were dumbfounded upon hearing this.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Xiao Yuan, with deep sadness, addressed the Old Master, ”Father, I’ve fathered five children. For you as my father, not to comprehend who I am even now, just shows how little attention you’ve paid to me all along. My heart feels utterly crushed. You’ve merely spoken ill of me, of my wife. What’s wrong with her? She possesses knowledge and skill, no less than my elder and second sisters-in-law. On our journey here to the Southern Yi, if it weren’t for her, we’d have all died on the road without her finding water or guiding the way.”

At this point, Xiao Yuan broke down, ”I’m honest, and my wife is genuine, yet you look down on our family. Back in the mansion, we bore the worst accommodations, and I didn’t complain because I’m Father’s son. If Father decides so, that’s how it is. But now, when I wish to earn a living, to teach some students, you criticize as if any small merit I have obstructs you. Father, I’m your son; if I possess skill and can live well, shouldn’t you rejoice?”