Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could someone as intelligent and wise as Master go back to his old ways? There must be something else going on." Qingwu drove the carriage to the fork in the road. Master had mentioned before that the other road led to Baini Bay.

The road to Baini Bay was difficult to travel, full of potholes and very bumpy. Qingwu drove the carriage very slowly, and the carriage slowly made its way into the village.

The people of Liujia Village were doing well and even received money, while the people of Bainiwan were not. As a result, they harbored resentment towards the Lu family, saying that the Lu family had ruined the village's feng shui and blocked their path to wealth.

When Lu Yunzhou returned from school, he noticed that the villagers were looking at him strangely. He had been studying in town and rarely returned to the village, so he was not very aware of some of the things that happened there. As he walked ahead, the villagers pointed and whispered behind him.

When he got home, he asked his mother, "Mom, when I came back, I felt that the villagers were looking at me strangely, and they were whispering behind my back. Although I don't know what they were saying, I'm sure they were talking about me."

"What happened in the village? Are you hiding it from me again?"

"It's truly a tragedy. That jinx Liu isn't even a member of the Lu family anymore, yet the villagers still vent their anger on us. She's like a persistent ghost, constantly disturbing our peace."

"Mother, you've said so much, but not a single useful word. Can you get to the point?" Lu Yunzhou said, coughing a few times.

"Zhou'er, why are you coughing? Have you seen a doctor?"

"It's nothing serious, just a slight cold, it'll be fine in a couple of days."

Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?

Granny Liu then told us about how Liu Siyue led the village to burn charcoal and distribute the profits. Our village also wanted to burn charcoal, but that wretched woman disagreed, so the villagers vented their anger on us. Tell me, what does this have to do with us?

It seems that Liu has become quite capable after leaving the Lu family and is living a good life. That's good, at least I don't have to feel so guilty.

"Mother, don't pay attention to those people. They're just desperate because they're poor. They can't make a living, so they blame others. It's not like we stopped Liu from teaching them how to make charcoal; it's just that they didn't want to. If they're so capable, let them find it themselves. What does it have to do with us?"

"You're right, those people are just desperate for money."

Lu Yunzhou didn't want to talk about these things with them, so he quickly changed the subject and talked about something happy to cheer them up. "Father, Mother, after the Lantern Festival, I will be going to study at the county academy. The teacher has already written a letter of recommendation for me. The teacher said that with my talent, I am almost certain to pass the county examination next year. If the teacher at the county school gives me some guidance, I might even get a good ranking. You two can just wait to enjoy your retirement from now on."

Grandpa Lu and Granny Liu smiled so much that their wrinkles deepened. Their son was truly promising. Even though the villagers were excited about it now, once their son passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, they would be eager to curry favor with him and claim the good fortune of the God of Literature.

"My son Zhou'er is not only good at studying, but also very filial. What's so great about Liu Shi having a few stinking coins? When you become a high-ranking official in the future, she'll be in for it. I will definitely get back the interest I owe her. I will repay her double for how she beat me and make her kneel in front of me and beg for mercy."

"Mother, so much time has passed, why are you still holding a grudge? Isn't it good that we're living in peace now?"

"Zhou'er, you don't understand. People say that people fight for a breath of air, and Buddhas fight for a stick of incense. I just can't swallow this anger."

"Mother, you will be the matriarch of an official family in the future. You must have composure. Otherwise, if you keep making a scene like this, others will blame us."

"Zhou'er, you are still young and don't understand the tricks of the trade. When you pass the imperial examination, who in the village won't respect us? Who won't want to benefit from our family's success? Not just in the village, but even in the town and county, those gentry and officials will have to give us some face."

By then, our family will be the influential people in the village. Who will dare disobey us? Who will dare complain? Even if they do, they'll have to swallow their anger and bear it.

"Mother, you're overthinking this. Even if your son passes the provincial examination this time, he'll only be a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination). It will be several years before he becomes an official. We can't be too high-profile in the village. We need to be careful about our reputation, otherwise it will be detrimental to our son's career."

If we really offend people, those vengeful ones might spread rumors and ruin my son's future. Mother, please don't offend the villagers. Let's live our lives well and wait for your son to earn a noble title for you."

Granny Liu was overjoyed. After June, she would be the mother of a scholar. Everyone would call her "the scholar's mother" when she went out. That would be a great honor. Everyone would fawn over her and treat her with respect. Just thinking about it made her happy. She was getting closer and closer to becoming a Lady of the Imperial Decree.

"Mom, what are you thinking about? You're laughing so happily. Tell us."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just happy for you. Our family is finally going to get through this difficult time. You passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. Not only will our land be exempt from taxes, but we will also be exempt from corvée labor. If there is any more corvée labor in the future, our family won't have to worry about it."

"Zhou'er, how much money will it cost for you to study at the county school? We need to have a rough idea, lest we run out of money and it delays your studies."

"Mother, you don't need to worry about the money. When Master Zhou from town heard that his son was going to study at the county school, he specially gave him 100 taels of silver and said that once I pass the imperial examination, he will arrange for me to get engaged to Miss Zhou."

"Really, Mr. Zhou is so generous."

"Of course it's true."

As Lu Yunzhou spoke, he took out 100 taels of silver notes from his pocket, "See, would your son lie to you?"

Granny Liu took the silver note and looked at it again and again. Although she couldn't understand it, she knew it was a silver note without a doubt. Old Master Lu also took it in his hand and looked at it again and again. This was a 100-tael silver note. He made a note of it. It wouldn't be surprising to see it again in the future.

"My son is truly capable. It's amazing how Wenqu (a star in Chinese mythology) descended to earth. We don't even have to worry about his tuition fees; people are always eager to pay for them."

"My son, you must be careful about your marriage. Marriage is all about matching social status. Miss Zhou is just the daughter of a landlord. But if you become an official, things will be different; the two families will be worlds apart."

"Mother, I have my own considerations. I will definitely not marry Miss Zhou now. I will postpone the marriage. An engagement is possible, after all, I need their family's financial support to advance further. Only when I truly enter officialdom can marrying a daughter of an official be of help to me. Considering our past relationship, I can offer her the position of a concubine or a secondary wife."

Master Zhou values ​​me only because he sees potential in my career and believes I can help the Zhou family in the future. It's nothing more than mutual exploitation.

"Good, good, good. It's good that my son has a good plan."

"Mother, I'm busy with my studies right now, so please don't bother me unless it's important. Also, I'm going to the county town after the eighth day of the first lunar month. I'm going to visit that teacher beforehand."

I will be staying at the county school to study until the provincial examination is over. Unless there is something particularly important, I will not be going home, so you don't need to worry about me.

"Alright, alright, we'll listen to you. If your mother and father miss you, they'll go to the county school to see you."

Just stay home and focus on your studies. Mom promises not to let anyone bother you.

"Thank you, Father and Mother. Your son will certainly live up to your expectations and bring honor to our Lu family."

The old couple were overjoyed. Their son was the most promising person in Bainiwan. What was the village chief's son? He had taken the imperial examinations for so many years and was still only a junior scholar. He was far inferior to their Zhou'er.

When Lu Yunzhou returned, he stayed in his study every day, focusing solely on reading classic texts and ignoring everything else. His meals were delivered to his study by Granny Liu every day.