The Formidable Lady of the Poor Scholar’s Household

Chapter 33: Scholar Shi Defeated by Silver

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

When Blind Li and Li Kui appeared outside the Shi family’s gate, Blind Li began to observe the environment with his one good eye.

Li Kui thought to himself, ‘Having one eye is indeed different! He feels mysterious even though he’s just looking at things. He’s probably a really awesome person!’

“Mother, I’ve brought him here.”

Li Kui stepped through the threshold and saw Shi Jinhua standing alone in the courtyard like a fool.

“Master Scholar, I’ve found Blind Li for you!” Li Kui imitated the person who sang opera and raised his voice to speak. He also acted like a servant and bowed to Shi Jinhua.

The latter didn’t know how to respond.

Could he be more normal? It was so embarrassing that one could get cancer from watching him.

“Speak nicely, Li Kui!”

When Auntie Wan and Qian Sishui walked in from behind, they saw Li Kui acting as though he was performing an opera show.

“Aiyo, I’m just teasing him.” This kid was not fun at all. He had still been fun when he was younger. Once he was teased, he immediately became like an angry hen!

Shi Jinhua didn’t know what to say.

‘You’re the hen. Your whole family are hens!’ he thought to himself.

Auntie Wan was speechless.

“Blind Li, this is the person I told you about—our village’s newly minted Elementary Scholar. It’s even fresher than freshly baked buns.” As he spoke, he raised his thumb. “Do you know what the first place means? Take a good look. It won’t be a loss to you. If there’s a top scholar in the future, you’ll have bragging rights when you go out!”

Blind Li silently took a few steps away from Li Kui. It was because Li Kui liked to pat his shoulder when he was excited.

Any more and he probably wouldn’t be able to pick up the bowls and chopsticks for dinner today.

“Scholar Shi.” Blind Li cupped his hands.

“Uh…” The younger man was at a loss.

‘What should I call him? Blind Li? That doesn’t seem very respectful. How should I address him? But no matter what, I can’t call him Blind Li. I am an educated scholar after all,’ Shi Jinhua thought.

“Scholar Shi, you can just call me Mr. Li. I don’t care about these things.”

It meant that he could call him Blind Li. If the other dared to call him that, he would answer anyway. Of course, there was no way Shi Jinhua would do so.

“Mr. Li, this way please. Sorry for troubling you,” Shi Jinhua said.

Blind Lee couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. ‘Ha! These scholars are really timid!’

“Please give me the birth characters of the masters of the house,” Blind Li requested as he wandered around.

Shi Jinhua did not even consider letting Qian Sishui get it because his wife did not care about this at all. Shi Jinhua was the one who washed the clothes at home. He was also the one who did the housework. Even when he was lying in bed, he did not let Qian Sishui move.

Of course, it wasn’t because his heart ached for Qian Sishui. No, it was because his heart ached for the things that Qian Sishui destroyed when she cleaned up the house. His heart ached for the holes that Qian Sishui made every time she washed their clothes.

But Qian Sishui was innocent. In the past, she used to have washing machines to do that job, but now? Knocking the clothes with a wooden stick? A woman who could kill a wild boar would definitely ruin her clothes along with the stone slab for laundry.

Shi Jinhua could only look at Qian Sishui with a disappointed expression. ‘What use do you have? As a woman, you know nothing but to be a prodigal! Oh, no, except to be a woman when you’re embroidering and making clothes! Other times you’re like a hunter in the mountains!’

Shi Jinhua thought about it as he walked and couldn’t help but sigh. He had to accept his fate.

After Blind Li took Shi Jinhua and Qian Sishui’s birth characters, he made a round around the foundations of the house.

His fingers were quite agile, and Li Kui and Auntie Wan watched on in admiration.

“Mother, Blind Li has some skills!” Li Kui looked at Blind Li. “Look at him. He only has one eye to begin with, but he can still squint! What an expert!”

Auntie Wan looked at her son as if he was a fool. “You can’t squint? Do you have any common sense?”

In order to show that he really couldn’t squint his eyes, Li Kui tried his best to adjust his facial muscles! “Mother, I really can’t do it.”

Auntie Wan was shocked. Was he paralyzed?

“When did you realize that you can’t squint?” Auntie Wan asked. She was also thinking about it.

Li Kui looked at his mother resentfully. “I’ve been like this since I was young!”

Li Kui thought to himself, ‘Don’t say that you’re my mother! My child is already almost grown, yet you don’t know the situation of your child! Boohoo…’

When Auntie Wan heard this, she slapped him. “How can I not know? I asked on purpose!”

Qian Sishui smirked. ‘You just don’t know, do you?’

‘You might have a point, but you don’t have to raise your voice.’ Li Kui eyed his mother.

Just like his wife, Shi Jinhua thought that Auntie Wan’s explanation was simply a cover-up.

But Auntie Wan was never going to admit to it. She’d lie through her teeth if she had to.

Blind Lee couldn’t help but feel that the noise was overwhelming him. It was truly tiresome!

“Scholar Shi, there’s nothing wrong with the foundation. It’s just that you have to change the direction of your door.”

He quickly finished reading the fengshui, collected his money, and left. These people were too lame!

“Which direction should they change it to?” Li Kui only wanted to leave his mother for a while.

“Southwest. There aren’t any mountains to cover it, so there’s a clear view with the back facing the mountains. I’ll come again when you build the house.”

‘You won’t understand even if I tell you. I might as well make another trip,’ the master thought to himself.

“Then, Mr. Li, when should we start work?” Shi Jinhua followed Blind Li.

Blind Li stood still, looking at the sky then the ground, and then stomping his feet.

“The sixth day of this month! If you miss it, there aren’t any more auspicious dates for the year.” Blind Li waved the compass in his hand.

“Hey! Blind Li, when I send you back later, I’ll go to town to inform Master Xu. He said that he’ll only wait for five days. How many days has it been since then?”

Li Kui had forgotten about this matter! He had accidentally beaten up their newly-minted scholar. In all the excitement, he had forgotten all about this!

In the end, Blind Li left with Li Kui. Shi Jinhua could not stay any longer and carried his hoe to the fields to look at the soybeans.

Seeing that she was alone in the house, Qian Sishui thought for a while before carrying her basket into the mountains.

By the time Shi Jinhua returned, the sun was already setting. Before he reached his doorstep, he saw the old village chief, Auntie Wan, Li Kui’s father, and Li Baoquan squatting on the stone stool at the door.

When the three of them saw Shi Jinhua from afar, their eyes were like a ravenous wolf that suddenly saw a little lamb.

Shi Jinhua’s footsteps became clumsy under their gazes.

“Hurry up, kid!” Auntie Wan shouted.

Shi Jinhua had a premonition that he might have to spend money again. This feeling was very strong. That woman must have done something again.

“Auntie, Old Village Chief, Uncle Li.”

Shi Jinhua’s heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife, but his expression was calm.

‘Why should I be ranked third? I understand being ranked after the village chief, but to say that I’m ranked behind my own wife? How ridiculous! Men should be in front of women!’ Li Baoquan thought to himself.

Auntie Wan eyed her husband from the corner of her eye.

He couldn’t help but smile guiltily. Actually, a man’s dignity was not that important.

“Previously, we said that we would throw a banquet when you came back. But you were injured after coming back. Seeing that you’ve recovered, I came to discuss what to do with this banquet.”

“Little Qian has already agreed. Do you think we should set up eight or six tables?” Father Li asked.

‘This wastrel! She’s going to hell!’ Shi Jinhua grumbled.

Shi Jinhua wanted to say, “Six tables will do, but it would be even better if we didn’t have the banquet at all!”

However, the three people in front of him looked at him with an expression that said, “If you dare to say it, you’re dead!”

The corners of his mouth trembled for a long time. “E-eight tables!”

‘My heart hurts! It’s bleeding! This will make this already poor family even poorer!’

“Sigh! That’s true. You have to set up eight tables! Otherwise, you will be looked down upon by the villagers!” The old village chief was very gratified.

“Don’t worry, everyone in the village is here to help. Last time, when we said we were going to hold the banquet, Little Qian gave me five taels of silver. That’s enough. Tomorrow, I’ll get Old Yang from the village to drive his oxcart to the town to buy groceries.” The old village chief mentioned five taels of silver.

Shi Jinhua felt as if he had been shot in the chest!

“The last time the announcement came, Little Qian tipped the officials five taels, so we discussed it amongst ourselves. Tomorrow, we’ll buy meat and vegetables with the five taels. As for the other dishes, our village will pick two baskets of them. It’s enough!”

Shi Jinhua could no longer hear what the other party was saying! He thought about how he had also given five taels of silver to the officials.

At this moment, his whole mind was filled only with the multiple five taels of silver that had been given out!

Shi Jinhua, who had only managed to pull himself back to life after a long time, looked as if he had been punched by someone. “Do as you see fit. I don’t understand. Sigh…”

In the eyes of the three elders, this child had to be suffering because he didn’t understand what was going on. A child without parents was pitiful!

For a moment, the three of them looked at the young man with loving eyes.

“Don’t worry, we’re here.”

Auntie Wan sighed in her heart. Why were his parents not around?

‘Fifteen taels of silver! I’m a saint! I won’t be able to get past this hurdle for a long time,’ Shi Jinhua thought to himself.

Qian Sishui looked from afar and could tell from what her husband was thinking from his furrowed brows.

‘Hmph! This darned man is mourning his lost silver again! This miserly man looks like this every time he spends money. Pfft! How useless!’