Chapter 46: Agreement

Shen Li shook his head. "Uncle Zhong might know. After buying our things, let's ask him. Knowing our enemy will help the master prepare."

Zhou Qing nodded. "Alright."

There was nothing else to be done but wait for the competition tomorrow.

Once Zhou Qing and Shen Li left, the shopkeeper immediately sent his brother-in-law away.

After the brother-in-law left, the shop assistant poured tea for the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, how did you know Miss Zhou came to ask for a spot?"

The shopkeeper downed the tea in one go and heavily placed the cup on the counter.

"Her father wants to take the exam but isn’t a student of the academy. If she’s here now, it must be for the spot!"

Thinking about his good-for-nothing brother-in-law, the shopkeeper sighed in frustration.

"But to be honest, even if it was a donkey that walked in, I would have asked the same thing!"

A donkey would be better than his brother-in-law!

Giving the spot to a donkey would be better than letting his brother-in-law waste it.

Despite his anger, the shopkeeper had his own plans. 

He had three spots in total, two of which were already given out. The last one was reserved for Zhou Qing.

He hoped to get a poem out of it.

Good poems were hard to come by, but... what if?

His brother-in-law's interference meant that Miss Zhou’s father would participate in the competition tomorrow, and perhaps he could get a good poem from the event.

He didn't care about the copyright of the poem, as long as it made it into his Yunhai Bookstore's poetry collection.

Miss Zhou's "father"... was it the young man accompanying her?

Meanwhile, Zhou Qing and Shen Li bought a whole cartload of items.

They had made a good amount of money selling character, extorted some silver from Wang Qiang, and received ten taels from the shopkeeper's brother-in-law. Zhou Qing spared no expense.

After all, what's the point of having money if you don’t spend it?

Once they finished shopping, they headed back to the Calligraphy Shop.

"Does the shopkeeper of Yunhai Bookstore have a brother-in-law?"

Settling in the shop, Shen Li took a sip of tea and asked Zhong.

Zhong cast a resentful look at him.

Shen Li had discreetly sent word to the secret guards after leaving Yunhai Bookstore.

The guards, rushing over, thought Shen Li was in danger, only to find out they had to investigate the shopkeeper's brother-in-law!

He expected all the information within half an hour.

Did he think he was some kind of overbearing prince?!

"His name is Zhao Dacheng. He comes from a well-off family but lacks ambition, spending his days indulging in food, drink, and play. 16 years ago, he married Xu Feng's sister, Xu Keying. They are a loving couple with no concubines, and they have a fifteen-year-old daughter named Zhao Xi, who is waiting to be married.

Although he is a dandy, he never visits brothels. He spends his days gambling on cockfighting and cricket fighting. He studied in his early years but gave up after failing the exams three times. Recently, a bet made him decide to take the exam again. He planned to buy a spot from the county office but missed the chance because he was out catching crickets."

Zhou Qing's eye twitched.

This character seemed quite familiar.

"The shopkeeper of Yunhai Bookstore seems knowledgeable. How did his sister marry such a person?" Zhou Qing was puzzled.

Zhong explained, "Years ago, Xu Keying went to a temple to burn incense and encountered bandits on the way. Zhao Dacheng saved her, almost losing an arm in the process. She married him out of gratitude."

He added, "Despite his lack of ambition, Zhao Dacheng dotes on his wife and daughter. His family has a prosperous business, so they live comfortably."

Zhong finished, and Shen Li looked at Zhou Qing.

"If Zhao Dacheng is a dandy, Master has a good chance of winning."

Zhou Qing...

Heh.

If the contest was about being a dandy, her father would win hands down.

If it's about knowledge...

Hmm, maybe her father would still win.

"My father has memorized the Four Books and Five Classics. His calligraphy is excellent. Since Xu Feng is organizing the competition, he likely doesn’t want to give the spot to Zhao Dacheng."

Shen Li...

You're so confident, what can I say to that?

Looking at Zhou Qing with affection, Shen Li smiled, "Exactly."

Zhou Qing took a sip of tea. "Alright then. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll think of something else."

Zhong glanced at Shen Li.

Didn’t you buy a spot from the county office a few days ago?

Didn't tell her?

Shen Li...

He moved his lips but said nothing, only looking at Zhou Qing with a gentle, smiling gaze.

She liked striving for herself, so he would support her. If she couldn’t do it, he would back her up.

After resting for a bit, they drove back to the village.

As they entered the village, a few elderly women were chatting at the entrance.

Seeing Zhou Qing return, one of them immediately shrieked, "Oh, Qing is doing well, buying so many things for your grandmother!"

Another one winked and laughed, "I heard Qing moved into his house. Tsk, tsk, such a cartful of things, must be expensive. City folks sure have money. Qing, take it easy, don’t get pregnant before marriage."

Zhou Qing's grandmother, Sun, stood among them, coldly eyeing Zhou Qing.

"Don't ruin your reputation and drag Yuan down with you. Our Zhou family has no place for shameless people."

Shen Li’s eyes turned cold upon hearing this.

Zhou Qing raised an eyebrow, her face adorned with a triumphant smile as she looked at the old women.

"Grandma, you were just saying yesterday that Granny Wang was unlucky for not having sons, so why are you chatting with her today? Didn’t you say her bad luck might rub off on Big Brother?"

Among them, Granny Wang’s face turned ashen, glaring at Sun.

"Oh, Granny Zhao, you’re here too. Whether I get pregnant or not is one thing, but didn’t grandma say your eldest grandson hangs out with Wang Qiang at brothels? Shouldn’t you keep an eye on him?"

Granny Zhao nearly spat blood, turning to look at Sun.

Sun immediately snapped at Zhou Qing, "I never said that."

Zhou Qing then turned to another old woman.

"Granny Song, my grandma said you abuse your daughters-in-law every day. Your eldest daughter-in-law nearly threw herself into a well because of you. Is that true?"

Granny Song jumped up and grabbed Sun by the hair.

"You old witch! I never thought you’d talk behind my back like this. No wonder your sons have left you. Serves you right!"

Sun couldn’t dodge and got her hair yanked, screaming in pain.

"You little wench! When did I say that? Come down here and explain yourself!"

Sun roared at Zhou Qing, struggling to break free from Granny Song.

Zhou Qing ignored her, flicked her whip, and drove the mule cart away.

She had planted the seeds with her words. They would take root.

The mule trotted happily, and Zhou Qing hummed a tune.

Hotpot for dinner!

Seeing that Zhou Qing's face showed no anger, Shen Li's cold expression softened a bit, "You're not angry?"

Zhou Qing laughed. "Why? They only spoke like that out of jealousy. Being envied means we’re doing well, showing we're capable!"

Shen Li smiled, wanting to reach out and ruffle Zhou Qing’s hair.