Chapter 103: Xiao Cai is Unimpressed

In Sino Commercial House.

Chen Xiao Cai walked down from the mule-carriage. Two years ago, Lu Lin bought another mule-carriage for Chen Xiao Cai so he could travel between Willow Town and Forest Town.

"Big Brother," Chen Xiao Cai went to see Chen Xiao Mi first after he returned to Sino Commercial House.

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Chen Xiao Cai and said, "You're back, Cai! Look at you how come I feel you are taller than the last time I saw you."

Chen Xiao Cai was fourteen years old. In this era, he could be considered an adult.

Chen Xiao Cai smiled shyly and said, "Big Brother, you are flattering me."

Lu Lin walked in and Chen Xiao Cai greeted Lu Lin.

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Cai and felt that Chen Xiao Cai had an air of successful businessman.

Back then, Lu Lin had no one else that he trusted except Cai, so he sent Cai to Willow Town regardless of his age to be the shopkeeper there. In the past few years, Chen Xiao Cai seemed to have in become more and more in his element. Chen Xiao Cai seemed to have developed his social circle in Willow Town, he was now friends with some big shots in Willow Town.

"How's Granny Shen," Lu Lin asked.

Granny Shen worked at the store in Forest Town for a long time. But Lu Lin sent her to Willow Town to reunite with Shen Chi considering the workers in the store had mastered the skills thanks to Granny Shen's training.

With Granny Shen in Willow Town, she could cook and take care of the boys. Lu Lin didn't have to worry whether they had been looking after themselves. Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi tended to be too busy to eat sometimes.

"Granny Shen is very well, she is getting old, but she is hale and hearty."

" Lin Ge, I heard that Lu Cheng Yu is a Xiucai now, is sthat true," Chen Xiao Cai asked.

Lu Lin nodded, "Yeah! It has been many years since he first attended the exam, the Lu family has spent a lot on him, it's high time that he should pass the exam and cheer up the family."

"Actually, Xiucai doesn't mean anything."

When Chen Xiao Cai was back in the village, he was green and inexperienced, he had the highest respect for a Xiucai. However, he had been working in town in recent years and had seen many big shots. He was no longer the innocent village boy, and he was unimpressed by the title of Xiucai.

Xiucais were not that rare in towns where educational standards were higher.

Over the years, Chen Xiao Cai had seen many poor Xiucais.

Lu Lin glanced at Chen Xiao Cai and thought to himself, 'Cai really is something else. In Lu Lin's opinion, a Xiucai is equivalent to a graduate from a prestigious university, that's not easy to achieve. In modern society, graduates of those unis have a great advantage when looking for a job. But look at Cai now, he seems so unimpressed.'

However, graduating from a prestigious university didn't necessarily guarantee anyone a bright future.

......

In Chen family.

Chen Jing was badly upset by the news that Lu Cheng Yu had now passed the exam.

Ever since Chen Jing borrowed usury a few years ago, he was forced to quit school. In the past few years, he worked hard in the field and now he looked haggard.

When he heard that Lu Cheng Yu was a Xiucai now, Chen Jing couldn't help but think that he might also be able to pass the exam and become a Xiucai if he wasn't forced to quit school.

Thinking of this, Chen Jing felt deeply grieved, he wished he could have an opportunity.

Grandma Chen was also unconvinced. Grandma Chen was anxious to outdo others, so she didn't get along with Grandma Lu. When Chen Jing had that scandal back then, Grandma Lu often laughed at Chen Jing. And Grandma Chen paid it back when Lu Cheng Yu didn't pass the exam later.

Grandma Chen kept sighing and groaning at home after she heard that Lu Cheng Yu had passed the exam. She couldn't help but wonder if they should have had supported Chen Jing all along. If Chen Jing had passed the exam, she was going to the one who enjoyed all the flattering from the villagers. Grandma Chen had always thought that her grandson was more capable than Lu Cheng Yu.

Grandma Chen recalled the situation at home and felt more discouraged. The trouble that Chen Jing had brought for their family was too big. Although it had been a few years, the Chen family still hadn't fully recovered.

"I heard that Zhang Rui is engaged!" Chen Chun'er was married far away and the two families didn't interact much. The old lady didn't pay much attention to this grandson until she found out that Zhang Rui was working for Lu Lin.

Grandma Chen was very curious about how much money Chen Xiao Mi and Chen Xiao Cai could make. People who often went to town always mentioned it to Grandma Chen that the Chen Brothers all looked like rich young masters in big families.

Grandma Chen couldn't reach Chen Xiao Mi, so she went to ask Zhang Rui. Although Zhang Rui was not too shrewd, he knew quite a bit about the grudge between Chen Xiao Mi and the Chen family. He knew it very well that he shouldn't be talking about Chen Xiao Mi's private matters with anyone, especially with Grandma Chen, so he just shook his head and said he had no idea when Grandma Chen asked him. In fact, Zhang Rui was not lying, all he knew was Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin were the actual managers of the store.

"Mother, no one seems to know many details, right?" Chen Shou Xin said.

Grandma Chen pouted and said, "I think Zhang Rui knows it very well, he just chose to take their said and keep it from me! So unfilial!"

Grandma Chen didn't get any information from Zhang Rui, so she regarded Zhang Rui as an enemy just like Chen Xiao Mi.

......

In Lu family.

"Alright, alright, I can finally hold my head high when I walk in the village," Grandma Lu sighed with emotion.

Grandma Lu had been feeling very aggrieved for the past few years. She deliberately took a long walk around the village after Lu Cheng Yu passed the exam.

Many people in the village went up to praise Grandma Lu and made Grandma Lu smug.

"Mom! I told you that Cheng Yu will make us proud," Tang said.

Grandma Lu nodded and said, "I have every faith in our Cheng Yu, unlike that Lu Lin who is working for a businessman, Our Cheng Yu has a lot of potential, he is destined to become an official."

Tang smiled smugly and said, "Mother, you got that right."

As Tang said this, she was still envious of Lu Lin's wealth. She couldn't help but that that mountain peoples Qin Yi who just bought a property in town! Qin Yi used to be penniless, but he now bought a huge property after he worked for Lu Lin for a couple of years. Qin Yi's two sons who were working for Lu Lin were both doing great as well.

'They must have made a lot of money!' thought Tang.

Zhang Rui, Chen Xiao Mi's cousin, was just an ordinary village boy. His father was a butcher, no one was willing to betrothed with him before he worked for Lu Lin. It was said that Zhang Rui could make more than a dozen of silver per year now, and he was about to get married soon.

Lu Lin's employees all seemed to be doing great, Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi themselves were doing even better.

Tang was very satisfied with what Lu Cheng Yu had achieved in the exam. But the title of Xiucai wouldn't bring them any tangible benefits, they would get some tax exemption, but what Tang wanted was some immediate benefits.

......

In Butcher Zhang's house.

Seeing Zhang Rui coming back home, his little sister Zhang Qin grinned.

"Big Brother, you're back!"

Chen Chun'er was also very happy when she saw Zhang Rui, "Rui, you're back! How many days can you stay home for this time?"

"Lin Ge has given me ten days off, he said congratulations to me. I don't have to rush back," Zhang Rui scratched his head and said with a reserved smile.

Chen Chun'er couldn't help but say, " Lin is too considerate."

Chen Chun'er secretly let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want her son to lose his job, nor did she want to slight the in-laws by rushing the wedding ceremony. Her son was turning eighteen this year, and he seemed to enjoy his work a lot. But she also wanted to have a proper wedding ceremony for her son and daughter-in-law, she had met her soon-to-be daughter-in-law and she was satisfied to the utmost degree.

Zhang Rui had worked in the Sino Commercial House for a long time. At first, he got paid 1 tale of silver per month, then 1.5 tales since a year ago. In addition to his wages, Zhang Rui would get some bonus money from time to time.

Zhang Rui nodded, "He is the best."

His job was so coveted by all the villagers. In Zhang Rui's opinion, he did enjoy his work, but what he enjoyed even more was the food!

"How's work?" asked Chen Chun'er.

Zhang Rui nodded, "Very good. Business in the commercial house is always good."

Zhang Rui scratched his head and thought to himself, 'The products sold in the commercial house are so expensive though. Although I have some savings now, there are not many things in the store I can afford easily. However, I'm an employee and I enjoy some discount. Shall I buy a pair of matching dolls for my wedding?'

Lu Lin had launched matching dolls for happy events like weddings and anniversaries at one point, and it was a hit.

Chen Chun'er looked at Zhang Rui and said happily, "Work hard and don't let us down, son."

Chen Chun'er couldn't help but look at her son with a big smile on her face. Her baby boy was getting married soon, then she recalled how the villagers used to laugh at her son for blood phobia.

Some villagers even held Zhang Rui up to ridicule, saying that he was not a real man. Some villagers went so far as to say that this was bad karma for his father being a butcher......

In Willow Town.

Chen Xiao Cai hurried to the gate to meet Shen Chi and Granny Shen, "You're back, how did everything go?"

Shen Chi and Granny Shen went back to the village to pay respects to Shen Chi's father at his tomb two days ago.

Shen Chi nodded and said, "Yes, it went well, we offered sacrifices to father and cleaned his tomb."

When Shen Chi returned to the village, many people followed Shen Chi around and asked him about his recent situation. There were also many people who told Shen Chi that Lu Cheng Yu was now a Xiucai.

Someone told Shen Chi that Lu Cheng Yu was aspiring to become an official one day. Lu Lin should come round and patch things up with Lu Cheng Yu, because chances were Lu Cheng Yu was able to help Lu Lin out in the future. After all, blood was thicker than water, they were cousins and they should bury the hatchet.

Shen Chi told Chen Xiao Cai what he heard in the village.

Chen Xiao Cai's face darkened and he said, "That's such a lousy idea! To bury the hatchet with the Lu Family?"

In Chen Xiao Cai's opinion, Lu Cheng Yu was a hypocrite who didn't blink an eye when Grandma Lu sold Lu Lin for money, who stood by with folded arms when his mother married his younger sister to a widower for money, who married a girl in town in the hope of taking shortcuts!

Shen Chi shook his head, "Everyone in the village looks at Lu Cheng Yu with admiration now."

"He has just passed the exam on the county level, not the provincial level!"

Two years ago, Lu Lin hired a private tutor teach Xiao Cai and Shen Chi to read and write. The two had read a lot of books now, they didn't revere Lu Cheng Yu like the villagers who were completely illiterate.