Chapter 8: Where there is a son, there must be a father
"Take a knife and kill me, out of sight, out of mind. Why don't you kill me?" The old lady cried uncontrollably, while Wang Liangxun blushed to the roots of his neck but continued to argue.
A full one hundred guan, the Wang family is not what it used to be, where could they possibly come up with that!
Great-grandmother, assuming two dogs are racing, there must be one winner and one loser. The so-called expert's results will certainly show one dog on one half and the other dog on the other half. Suppose eighty people were deceived by him; after the first round, only forty remain correct. After the second round, there are twenty left, and after the third round, only ten remain. At this point, he suddenly makes a bold move, asking these ten people to pay for the result of the fourth round. Having been correct three times in a row, they naturally believe him without doubt and give their money to this so-called expert. As a result, he randomly writes down a result, and they inevitably lose all their money, thoroughly deceived!
Xu, who usually refrains from even swatting mosquitoes while practicing Buddhism and being vegetarian, today spoke to his own son with both a stern tone and fierce expression
Get up, let's go out for a stroll with your brother, you must not turn into a little chubby one
Wang Ning'an, not understanding the situation, did not dare to be negligent. He took hold of the two little ones and ran to the ancestral hall. As soon as they entered, they saw a middle-aged man in his thirties kneeling on the ground, repeatedly bowing his head.
From now on, you will follow your brother, and I guarantee that you will have meat to eat at every meal
Wang Ning'an was taken aback; hadn't he just been there once? Why did he have to go again
"Beast, do you think you can still become a successful candidate? Our Wang family will eventually perish at your hands!" The more he spoke, the angrier he became, his body swayed, and he collapsed weakly to the ground
Wang Liangxun's brows twitched, yet his eyes remained tightly shut. Old Lady Wang shook her head with a bitter smile, "Instead of thinking about other things, you should consider how to repay the debt! One hundred guan, with interest compounding, will turn into five hundred guan or even one thousand guan in less than half a year! Second son, you have sold our entire family!"
"Er Lang, the old lady called everyone to the ancestral hall"
"How do you know that?" Second Uncle exclaimed in surprise. Wang Ning'an's words seemed as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes; indeed, that was what they said. If it weren't for the fact that he had guessed correctly three times in a row, he wouldn't have invested so much!
Speak, how did you come to owe this one hundred guan of money
That evening, Wang Ning'an personally went to Uncle Wu's house next door. Compared to before, he was much more generous, buying a bag of millet, a few steamed buns, and an old hen from Aunt Wu, spending only 50 wen in total, which was enough to last for quite a few days!
Old Lady Wang's eyes blazed with fury, her whole body trembled with anger, but fortunately, she had not yet lost her reason
Grandmother, it is truly not the grandson's folly. That master was indeed remarkable, having been correct three times in a row. There is a first and a second, but there is no third or fourth. How could the grandson not believe? Who would have thought that in the last instance, he would actually make a mistake? Who could have anticipated that?" Wang Liangxun appeared deeply aggrieved and filled with righteous indignation.
"How could that be?" Second Uncle was still unconvinced, "If he is a fraud, how could he have been right in the first three instances? I even won money from it."
"Master, you must not die. If you die, how can I possibly live?" Cui wept bitterly, heartbroken.
Uncle walked briskly, fearing he might miss the good show
Old Lady Wang, seeing that he still would not admit his mistake, was so angry that she rolled her eyes again
After speaking, he leaned back and fainted from anger
Old Lady Wang had lost even the strength to hit someone and fainted directly. Everyone rushed to help and managed to bring her back to consciousness, with tears streaming down the elderly woman's face
Wang Liangxun could not pretend to be dead, so he could only lie on the ground and cry, "Mother, I have good intentions; I am doing this for our family! This time, no matter what, you must not abandon me. Just wait until I pass the imperial examination, and our family will rise to greatness..."
It is the second uncle
Uncle suppressed his laughter and mocked, "Don't ask anymore, anyway, the second one has had his fun, let him be proud. Now that he has taken a big fall, he still has the face to say he is a scholar, as if he has read himself silly!"
He leaned closer to his uncle and curiously asked, "What is the matter?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Liangxun pondered for a moment, his face filled with sorrow and a sense of grievance as he said, "Grandmother, this matter is truly not my fault. I had good intentions, wanting to repay the money owed. I heard that someone has an accurate prediction for the results of dog fighting competitions. I followed his predictions and placed bets three times in a row, all of which were profitable. This last time, there are eight fighting dogs participating in the finals. If I win the bet, not only can I repay the money, but I can also earn two to three hundred guan..."
When was the last time I had meat
Suddenly, Old Lady Wang sighed and said, "Unfilial child!"
Wang Liangxun cast a glance at him and scolded, "What do you know, you little child?"
Wang Liangxun appeared to be completely drained, dazedly muttering, "How could this be, how could this be..." As he stepped back, he lost his footing and fell to the ground, hitting the back of his head directly against the floor, causing him to faint immediately. Cui Shi, terrified, embraced her husband and wept bitterly.
The strong-willed Old Lady Wang burst into tears, while Grandma Xu, who had been silently standing by, slowly got up, walked in front of Wang Liangxun, and raised her hand, striking him left and right. In just a few moments, she had turned Wang Liangxun's face into a swollen mess.
I dare say that when he initially provided the results, it was certainly offered for free, and he also informed you that it might not be accurate, merely for amusement. If the calculations are incorrect, do not trouble him, and do not speak of it outside; otherwise, the spell will lose its efficacy.
Although they are relatives, Wang Ning'an is truly at a loss with his second uncle's family. As long as he can take good care of the two little ones, he can be at peace with his conscience
It is not surprising that Wang Ning'an is so cunning; it is simply that he lacks confidence in his heart
Of course I understand, the one selling you the results is a big fraud! Wang Ning'an has seen through it; no wonder Wang Ninghong is so unreliable, it turns out his father is even worse than he is! They haven't split the family yet, allowing these two idiots to stir things up. It won't be long before the Wang family is doomed.
Lying in bed, Wang Ning'an kept pondering that the Wang family was indeed in trouble. One hundred guan, it was feared that properties and fields would all have to be put up. The old lady had just nodded, allowing him to attend the private school, but it seemed that was also out of the question.
Grandmother, please save your grandson!
Upon arriving in his own room, he contemplated for a moment, took out the money he had saved, and stuffed it into the foul-smelling shoes, ensuring that even if a thief were to see it, they would certainly not touch it
Two elderly ladies fainted one after the other, causing great distress to the Wang family. They had no choice but to urgently call for a doctor, hoping that nothing serious would happen.
In the end, one still has to rely on oneself and find ways to earn money
Cousin Wang Ninghong was only prepared to stake 5 guan, but was caught by Wang Ning'an. However, second uncle Wang Liangxun made a significant move, staking 40 guan at once. Not only did the money go down the drain, but he also incurred a huge debt
When Old Lady Wang saw her daughter-in-law collapse, she also felt darkness before her eyes and could no longer hold on
Han the Frog was uncertain about that line; if he could sell a few more scripts, he would have dozens of guan, and then he would fear nothing. Wang Ning'an kept calculating...
Wang Ning'an explained it three times in a row, and the people present finally understood. It was not a spell at all, nor was there the slightest hint of the miraculous; it was merely a bit of mathematical knowledge that had completely deceived the second uncle.
Pah
The two little ones nodded vigorously. The next day, Wang Ning'an cooked millet porridge. He had saved a piece of chicken breast from yesterday, which he just happened to cut into the porridge, enjoying it with salted duck eggs, and had a delightful meal. Wang Ningze and Wang Luoxiang's little bellies had become like balls.
Wang Ning'an had not walked far with the two little ones when his uncle came chasing after him, panting heavily
What a sin
... ...
Wang Ning'an came out of the ancestral hall with his younger brother and sister
Do not speak nonsense, why did you borrow so much
Wang Liangxun continued to speak, only to find that everyone in the room had a strange expression on their faces. His elder brother, Wang Lianggui, wanted to laugh but dared not do so, while his wife turned her head away, and the other younger relatives were trying hard to suppress their laughter
It has been at least two or three months, and the two little ones have forgotten the taste of meat. They surround Wang Ning'an, clapping their hands incessantly, laughing and jumping, as if celebrating the New Year. It is truly unexpected that having a meal of meat could bring such happiness
Tell great-grandmother how the deception is carried out
Wang Liangxun shuddered and said in a low voice: "Among these, twenty guan have been borrowed by my grandson over the past two to three years, with interest compounding, like a donkey rolling over, and now it has reached sixty guan."
Uncle Er and Cousin unexpectedly fell into the same predicament, leaving Wang Ning'an at a loss for words
What about those forty guan
Old Lady Wang observed this and merely snorted, "Stop playing dead, I am too old to deal with you all, nor can I manage you."
Wang Ning'an sat in a chair near the door, stealing glances. He saw that his second aunt, Cui, had a face full of tear stains, her eyelids red and swollen, resembling two large steamed buns. It seemed that the matter was serious.
Then Wang Liangxun was seen kneeling on the ground, lamenting: "Grandmother, over the years, I have been studying diligently and striving for progress, seeking to associate with distinguished scholars and refine my knowledge. This inevitably requires spending money. When discussing poetry and philosophy together, it is not proper to always let others bear the expenses, as it is quite undignified!"
This is not difficult at all. Having heard the words of the two uncles, Wang Ning'an finally thought of the other party's method
Second uncle owes so much money, it will definitely be counted against the Wang family. If he cannot repay it, the Wang family might not be able to protect themselves. Those who dare to lend money are all ruthless characters, capable of doing anything. In times like this, if one does not keep some private savings, be careful of ending up on the streets with nothing to eat.
Old Lady Wang did not care about anything else and reached out to call Wang Ning'an to her side
"Second Uncle, you have been deceived!" Wang Ning'an, who had been silent, could no longer hold back.
As soon as Old Lady Wang opened her mouth, Wang Ning'an was startled into wide-eyed astonishment. Goodness, this second uncle really knows how to spend money!
Wang Ning'an used a small stove to boil water and simmered a large pot of chicken soup. The home-raised hen was delicious, with firm and fragrant meat, especially the layer of golden chicken fat, which drove the two little ones, who had not seen any meat, crazy. Drinking the soup and eating the meat, more than half of the hen ended up in the little bellies of Wang Ningze and Wang Luoxiang