’If only he could have stopped First Uncle from splitting the family, and Second Uncle from marrying into another family... With those two around, she couldn’t even imagine what a wonderful life her family would be living now.’

’But it was too late to think about all that now. Eight hundred years too late.’

Someone bumped hard against her leg. It was Shou’an. He sniffled, sucking back the snot that was about to drip into his mouth, and wiped his muddy hands on her clothes.

In his other hand, he held a fat, squealing field mouse that was struggling for its life.

After a whole autumn of feasting, the field mice were too fat to run. Her family, on the other hand, had food for today’s meal, but no idea where tomorrow’s would come from.

Shou’an said, "Sis, where are Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma? Why is no one home? I’m starving! Sis, let’s hurry home and eat. I was fast today and caught a field mouse. We can have Grandma cook it later, and we’ll eat it together."

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating! When Zhao Jing was your age, he had already read through the Four Books and Five Classics!"

The sudden mention of Zhao Jing startled Chen Wanyue. ’Why did I bring him up?’

’Was she envious of Zhao Jing?’

’Yes, she was.’

’She envied his natural talent for studying.’

’If either Li’an or Shou’an had even a fraction of Zhao Jing’s talent, they would have passed the exam to become a Scholar, bringing her glory and giving her someone to rely on.’

’But in reality, both of her younger brothers were more useless than the last.’

’Li’an was dead set on marrying Chunyue, but their mother refused. The two of them were at loggerheads, and in the end, Li’an didn’t get to marry Chunyue, and their mother never got to be the mother of a Scholar.’

’Shou’an loved to eat and play—he was an expert at both. But the moment studying was mentioned, he’d get a headache and a stomachache, unable to read a single word.’

’Just before she died, Shou’an had followed in their second uncle’s footsteps, marrying into the family of a steamed bun seller in the county and becoming an in-marrying husband...’

Shou’an shot back sarcastically, "What damn good is studying? In the end, don’t you still fail to earn a title? ’Failing to earn a title is just a waste of time’—weren’t you and Grandma the ones who said that? I’m not cut out for studying, so I’m not going to waste the money. You don’t want this field mouse, right? Fine, I’ll eat it myself."

Shou’an tucked the field mouse away and ran off, probably to find one of his friends.

His small figure disappeared into the twilight, leaving Chen Wanyue standing all alone on the path, which was dotted with the last vestiges of light.

Chen Wanyue remembered her father borrowing from a loan shark. The reason she hadn’t thought to change things was that in her last life, her first uncle had stepped in and sorted it all out.

With her first uncle’s reputation on the line, it would never have escalated into a major incident. Afterward, her mother would get the courtyard back from the young widow.

Chen Wanyue was eyeing that courtyard.

She didn’t want her grandparents to sell the courtyard to pay off the debt. She wanted to keep it as part of her dowry.

Now that her uncle had been promoted, Mr. Li, who was already dissatisfied with her, would surely become even more critical. But if she had her own courtyard, she would have the confidence to stand up to Mr. Li. Better yet, she might even be able to persuade Li Cun to split from his family...

"Tomorrow is Mrs. Wang’s birthday. Dad, did you get an invitation too? Are you going?"

Chen Wanqing’s voice drifted over from a distance. Chen Wanyue flinched and, for reasons unknown, quickly hid behind a nearby stack of firewood.

She thought her movement was subtle, but the moonlight was bright tonight. Who wouldn’t see a person standing on a country path?

However, Chen Wanqing’s family had recognized her by her silhouette and simply chose to ignore her.

Tomorrow was Mrs. Wang’s birthday. Because Chen Song had been promoted to County Magistrate’s Assistant, the Wang Family had also sent him an invitation.

But Chen Song didn’t plan on going. "I’m just a country bumpkin. I wouldn’t know what to say if I showed up, so I’d better not go."

The key thing was, the invitation asked him to attend with his family. But his wife and daughter were busy making Silver off the host’s wife and granddaughter, which made Chen Song feel awkward.

Even though his wife and daughter earned the money through their own skills, and the whole affair was a case of one side being willing to dish it out and the other willing to take it, it was still, as they say, unseemly once money was involved.

Chen Song’s refusal was exactly what the mother and daughter had expected.

Xu Su Ying said, "It’s better not to go anyway. If you go the moment someone invites you, it looks like you’re desperately trying to climb into their social circle. But they know our background inside and out. Who knows how they’re secretly looking down on us..."

Chen Song’s promotion had indeed been almost too simple. He had performed a great service, and he himself was an outstanding man. For instance, he had a commanding presence and was skilled in martial arts. He was steady and just, winning the hearts of the people. He was even literate and could handle accounting.

Even without an official title, this was already quite remarkable.

But at the end of the day, he was "self-taught," having never formally studied under a master. And he came from a "muddy-legged" peasant background. It was hard to expect others not to look down on him.