Splendid Twins

Old Man Si put away the two hundred taels of silver and put it in his inner lining. Then he sent his two sons back to their rooms. He sat at the head of the bed and talked to Old Lady Si:

"Look, where would you get the money if you don't do this?"

"Where do you think this bitch hid the money? I didn't find a penny in her room. I even searched her hut..."

Mrs. Si secretly cursed the little bitch for being so cunning. She didn't say that she even cut open the mother and daughter's underwear and turned them all over!

"Is it hidden on your body?"

Old Man Si found it unlikely that anyone would carry several hundred taels of silver with them when they go out.

His eyes darkened and he asked softly, "You didn't say anything about it for the old man, did you?"

Mrs. Si glared and said, "What can I say to her? Just you and your son can make the arrangements."

Old Man Si had a look of satisfaction on his face, with the corners of his mouth raised:

"Then pack up and go to sleep. You guys go to town first tomorrow. I'll burn some incense for our ancestors before I leave."

Mrs. Si went over, blew out the candle, and climbed onto the bed in the dark. Thinking of the future when she would have a good life without having to work and someone to serve her, she smiled, closed her eyes, and fell asleep...

After breakfast the next day, Mrs. Si led Wang and her two sons to the town, carrying large and small bags. The ox cart of Old Zhao was occupied by Mr. Si for money. When she met people on the road, Mrs. Si shouted:

"His aunt is going to the fields, and I will go to the town with my son to wait for my brother Yao's admission to the list. He will definitely pass the exam this time."

"I will go to the capital to enjoy my life soon. My son and grandson are filial to me."

"People still have to raise their sons. The rest of their lives depend on their children and grandchildren."

When people on the street heard this, some showed envious expressions, some just smiled perfunctorily, and those who gave birth to girls turned their faces away and quickened their pace to leave.

Old Man Si looked around his house, locked the door, and went to the entrance of the village ancestral hall, waiting for the village chief and several respected elders of the Si family.

Si Yao had a good sleep and looked around but didn't see anyone. She washed her face, tied her hair up and went to the new house at the end of the village.

When I got there, I found that Liu Niang was working nearby. The whole house had been built and all that was left was to install tiles on the roof. She told Wang Dahu to lay blue bricks around the door to avoid inconvenience in going in and out on rainy days.

Si Yao didn't disturb Liu Niang and turned to walk up the mountain. She planned to set up a spirit gathering array in the deep mountains to collect spiritual energy, so that when winter comes, she won't have to go up the mountain again.

Lu Yuan ate roe deer meat cooked by Liu Niang in the thatched cottage last night. Today, he worked very hard. He was standing on the roof helping the craftsmen pass tiles. He turned around and saw a familiar figure on the opposite hillside. He was silent for a moment, threw down the tile in his hand, turned around and jumped off the eaves, startling everyone and exclaiming:

"Lu Yuan?"

"Crazy Lu..."

Seeing Lu Yuan jump down like a monkey in the mountains and not only escape unscathed but also run flexibly, the workers just laughed and thought to themselves that the madman just didn't know how to take advantage. Where can he find a job that pays twenty cents a day...

After Old Man Si and Old Second Si knelt down to pay respect to their ancestors and left the ancestral hall, Old Second Si spoke softly with a sad face:

"father……"

"Shut up! I'm not your real father. Don't call me like that anymore."

Old Man Si scolded Old Second Si with a cold face. He felt disgusted when he saw that Old Second Si's eyes and eyebrows were somewhat like that of the dead woman!

On the way to escape famine, she let a man touch her body just for a bite of food. Why couldn't he do that when it was his turn? He couldn't stand the look of disgust from the bottom of his heart. When she was struggling frantically, he accidentally smothered her to death. Her body was still soft after she died, and he couldn't help but...

If that bitch hadn't appeared frequently in his dreams recently and scared him, at least he wouldn't kick the farmhand out now. His daughter is also a powerful little bitch, with means, strength and money. It's a pity that he can't bet on Yao Ge'er's future!

Si Lao Er knew that he didn't like him, so he just whispered before leaving: "Take care of yourself."

Old Man Si looked expressionlessly at the most luxurious house in the entire village. The new house, which towered above all the houses in Sijia Village, was so beautiful that there were two stone pigeons placed on the roof, which not only symbolized auspiciousness but also looked noble.

He stared at Shi Gezi with envy and desire, and a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes. When he went to Shangjing, he would ask Yao Ge'er to buy him a more luxurious and wealthy house with three entrances and three exits...

At this time, someone in the inner house of the Zhenguo Mansion also mentioned Si Yao. Today, the Zhenguo Duke accompanied the old lady in the mansion to have lunch. After wiping her mouth, the old lady looked at her eldest son who looked a little tired and said distressedly:

"You've worked hard as an invigilator these past few days. Drink some ginseng soup to replenish yourself later."

"It's the son's fault that he made his mother suffer so much."

Zhenguo Gong was the official in charge of supervising the provincial examination. He had not returned home for several days. When he came back, he heard that the old lady was in a bad mood recently, so he changed his clothes and came to accompany her for dinner.

Zhou Wan, who was standing beside him, had been carefully trained by the Duke's wife over the past few days. Her manners and demeanor had become somewhat like those of a noble lady. She stretched out her fair and tender hand and handed the Duke a cup of tea:

"Dad, please have some tea."

Now she enjoyed things that she had never dared to imagine before. For example, her hands had to be soaked in fresh milk for half an hour every night. After drying them, the maid would carefully apply a layer of nectar on them and massage them before she could go to sleep. When she looked at people, she would unconsciously reveal a haughty expression. The most senior old lady saw this and then looked away...

The Duke of Zhenguo took it with a calm expression, as if he had thought of something and spoke to her:

"Do you know a student named Si Yao? He's from Sijia Village, Yongning Town."

Zhou Wan was startled when she heard this, and seeing that there were other people at the table, she quickly spoke:

"Reporting to Father, that is my eldest cousin from my adoptive parents' family. You mentioned him..."

"He stole the show in this provincial examination."

The Duke of Zhenguo said this expressionlessly and took a sip of the tea.

In addition to the Zhenguo family, the second and third wives were all in the room. Zhou Wan saw her cousins ​​looking at her with an arrogant look on their faces and said:

"My eldest cousin has excellent handwriting and writes beautiful essays. I'm sure he will be admitted to the university this time..."

The Duke of Zhenguo glanced at Zhou Wan with a strange expression, and when he thought of the truth he had learned, he couldn't help but speak:

"Heh, while other students were writing furiously, he only wrote a few words on the first page and then fell asleep on the table. The supervisor couldn't stand it and reminded him but he scolded him."

"puff……"

For a moment, everyone in the room secretly looked at Zhou Wan's face, even the old lady's eyes flashed with a hint of ridicule, this granddaughter is really...

"Ah? Could this be a mistake? My eldest cousin..."

"Sister Wan didn't see it with her own eyes, so how could she say that it was a mistake? Could it be that Uncle was telling us a joke to fool us?"

When Zhou Wan was about to say a few words in defense of Si Yao, Zhou Ying, the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the family, who was sitting next to her, spoke sarcastically. When Zhou Yao was around, they sisters were polite to each other, but this country bumpkin went against her as soon as she came. Besides being jealous, she also bullied the second branch of the family in some subtle ways.

"This is our eldest family's business."

Zhou Wan rolled her eyes and secretly cursed Zhou Ying for meddling in other people's business. She thought her expression was very concealed, but she didn't expect that the people sitting here were not ordinary people. At that moment, the head lady of the second house looked at the Duke's wife and said politely with a smile on her face:

"I have spoiled Ying to no end, sister-in-law, please don't laugh at me for not knowing how to raise a daughter."

The Duke's wife only smiled awkwardly and added: "Second brother's wife, you are too kind. I think our sister Ying is fine like this."

Seeing that the people from the second and third rooms were watching the fun, the Duke's wife could only continue to ask:

"How was it handled?"

The Duke of Zhenguo put down his tea, pinched his nose and said in a deep voice:

"He has been disqualified from the provincial examination for openly contradicting the supervisor in the examination room. He only retains his title of scholar and is not allowed to take the imperial examination again in the future."

After these words were spoken, Zhou Ying looked at Zhou Wan, whose face was pale, with a gloating look, and a hint of disgust flashed in her eyes...

Zhou Wan wished she could leave at this moment. She never expected Si Yao to end up like this. The mocking gazes of the crowd left her nowhere to hide.