The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 983: Chapter 960: Honor in Troubled Times 28

After the peaceful period, Anning actually inquired about it.

The relationship between the Fifth Branch and the First Branch is really quite bad.

Now, the First, Second, and Fifth Branches live together, and the three families haven’t separated. They eat and mingle together.

The First Branch believes that as the legitimate one and the eldest, they should be the head of the family. Mrs. Zhao constantly maintains the airs of the family mistress, while Mrs. Wei feels that since she has money, she doesn’t entirely respect Mrs. Zhao.

The key point is that the Old Master favors the Second Branch, which makes the First Branch feel oppressed.

The Fifth Branch is now undoubtedly unloved by both parents.

Xiao Fang’s concubine passed away on the way, and the Old Master has never valued him much, resulting in the Fifth Branch suffering a lot.

The three families don’t have many servants. The chores such as cooking and cleaning are done on a rotational basis. Mrs. Zhao avoids work, Mrs. Wei likes to be cunning, and many tasks are pushed onto Ms. Jin.

Ms. Jin works the most every day, eats the worst, and with Xiao Fang also being unkind to her, she harbors grievances and runs over to the Third Branch to vent.

Perhaps Xiao Fang has some ideas as well.

He likely thinks of repairing relations with the Third and Fourth Branches, so he lets Ms. Jin come over to test the waters.

If the Third Branch accommodates Ms. Jin, he will have a reason to cling on; if the Third Branch gets angry with Ms. Jin, he also has a reason to apologize and interact with the Third Branch.

This couple indeed have a good plan, but Anning does not take the bait.

Anning doesn’t take the bait, and neither does Xiao Yuan.

Later on, Xiao Fang came looking, saying that Ms. Jin is a bit crazy and they shouldn’t mind her. Xiao Yuan didn’t say a word and directly sent him off, not really wanting to deal with him.

Xiao Yuan is also quite crafty. When he sent the Fifth off, it was just at the warmest time of midday. As soon as Xiao Fang left, while wandering around the village, people who had seen him talking with Xiao Fang came over to ask, ”What did your Fifth Brother come looking for?”

Xiao Yuan intentionally sighed, ”What else, he came to complain. You see, my mother sides with the Eldest, my father sides with the Second. He feels wronged and came to talk to me about it. He even said the First Branch was a bit too much, always bullying them. He went on and on, and left with red-rimmed eyes, really pitiful. But I’m just a separated member, I can’t manage this. Whether it’s the Eldest or the Second, they’re both my brothers; as a younger brother, I can’t interfere with my elders.”

The villagers also sighed along, ”That’s true, whether it’s your brother or your father over there, what can you do?”

Xiao Yuan smiled bitterly, ”The Fifth is having a rough time, and I’d like to help, but I don’t have money. Alas, we’re all struggling, and there’s really nothing I can do.”

Then Xiao Yuan brought up another matter, ”I’ve tidied up the front courtyard at my home. I’m thinking of setting up a private school in our village. If any child wants to study, they can come to me. We’re from the same village, so we can work out the tuition easily.”

”What, you can teach?”

Many people in the village were astonished when they heard this, ”Weren’t we told your Duke Ping Mansion came from military generals? Earlier when we chatted with your Eldest Brother, we heard that people from your family can’t study well.”

The villagers thought Xiao Yuan was desperate for money, tricking everyone by saying he could teach just to cheat them out of money.

Xiao Yuan, smiling, waved his hand, ”That’s not it. Our family did come from military generals, but that doesn’t mean we can’t teach. You only know one side of things, not the other. You know my wife, right?”

The others shook their heads.

Xiao Yuan sat down and explained in detail, ”Back in the day, my father-in-law was the third place, a top scorer. Do you know ’third place’? That’s third in the imperial examination. In fact, my father-in-law had the ability to be the top scorer, but during the imperial examination, he was the best-looking. The Emperor saw among the top scoring individuals—all of them were in their fifties or sixties, trembling as they walked. Another was tall and rough with a black face, yet another was small and thin, and the others were in their thirties or forties. My father-in-law stood out, being in his twenties, tall, slender, fair, and handsome. The Emperor immediately chose him, so my father-in-law became the third place.”

The villagers were bored, and as Xiao Yuan narrated, the idle adults and children gathered to listen.

”Though my father-in-law got third place, he wasn’t happy. He was aiming for the top scorer but ended up third due to his looks. Would he be content? But since the Emperor selected him, what could he do? He just had to silently bear it. Later, my father-in-law decided that if he couldn’t become a top scorer, then his son would; if not his son, then his daughter-in-law should have the talent. Thus, he diligently taught my wife and brother-in-law. Although my brother-in-law wasn’t as clever as my father-in-law, my wife was even smarter; under his tutelage, she thrived.”

Oh my, everyone in the village was full of exclamations, ”Third Son Xiao, your wife is incredible!”

Xiao Yuan nodded, ”Isn’t she? Her knowledge is really profound, with a stomach full of books. When she reached the right age, my father-in-law thought about finding a scholarly husband for her. If my son couldn’t be the top scorer, at least my son-in-law could pass the exams. After much consideration, he picked me.”

”Oh my, you must be highly educated to be chosen by your father-in-law!”

”Then why didn’t you take the exam to be the top scorer?”

The villagers bombarded him with questions.

Xiao Yuan sighed helplessly, ”Back then, my father-in-law personally examined me on things like the Four Books and Five Classics, mathematics, poetry, and the Six Arts. He said I was talented and smart, and if I took the imperial examination, I would definitely pass. After marrying my wife, I often visited my father-in-law for guidance, aiming for the imperial examinations. Originally, I wanted to do it for my wife, to establish a family legacy for our children. But although I gained a lot of skills, my parents outright refused to let me take the exams. What could I do? How could I bear to see my parents hang themselves before me just for the exams?”

At this point, Xiao Yuan’s eyes reddened, ”I endured and waited. If I couldn’t take it, maybe my son could. I kept teaching him, but before he even turned ten, trouble befell the family. All my skills were wasted... Now my son can’t take the exams either. I’m thinking, in the surrounding ten miles, if there’s a spiritually talented child, I’ll teach him everything I know. If I can’t become a top scorer, teaching one as a disciple would be just as well.”

At this, the villagers also felt sorry for him.

”What a pity.”

”Isn’t it? Your parents were too cruel, stopping you from advancing. If it were my son, I’d definitely let him take the exams.”

”I’ll go back and see about my son. If he’s willing to study, I’ll bring him over to see you.”

”Oh, my boy likes to study too!”

”My grandson is quite bright...”