CHAPTER 598: CHAPTER 598: ANOTHER WAY OUT

He Dacang felt pity for his younger brother, unable to bear the mistreatment he suffered from the cloth shop owner. He wanted his father to plead with Gu Jinli about opening a shop in the county city to sell spices.

Village Chief He also felt pity for his second son, but said, "Today, with the incident at the Du Family, and remembering how the Gu Family was bullied when they first came to the village, we need to hurry away to avoid angering that girl. If she sees us, not only will your brother’s request for spices be denied, but our family’s livelihood could be cut off by her."

What kind of person is Gu Jinli? The kind that could wipe out your whole family when angered, and Village Chief He was afraid of that.

He Dacang had no choice but to follow his father.

He Jinseng had already become friends with Gu Jin’an, and wanted to say goodbye before leaving: "Grandpa, father, I’ll go tell Good Brother An, and we’ll meet at the entrance of the restaurant later."

Village Chief He immediately responded, "Yes, yes, go and keep a good relationship with Good Brother An."

He then urged He Tongsheng, "You go too, why just stand here? You don’t understand etiquette at all."

He Tongsheng had no choice but to follow his older brother to bid farewell to Gu Jin’an.

When Gu Jin’an saw He Jinseng looking unhappy, he asked, "Brother Jin Sheng, are you facing some difficulties?"

He Tongsheng, who couldn’t keep his mouth shut, blurted out the issue with their second uncle: "The cloth shop manager is terrible, and his son too. Seeing our brother Yinsheng doing well in his studies, they always bully him. One time, Brother Yinsheng’s hand was swollen from a beating by that fat pig, but he still had to hide it from our uncle and aunt."

Driven to anger, He Tongsheng wanted to take revenge on that fat pig, but Brother Yinsheng forbade it, saying their family relied on the cloth shop owner and offending his son would lead to his father losing his job and the whole family having to endure hardship.

He Tongsheng had no choice but to endure, yet he thought to himself: Why are my real brother and cousin so cowardly? Are they really like what the villagers say, just like our grandfather?

Because of the mistreatment his second uncle’s family faced at the hands of the cloth shop manager, he had little desire to visit his uncle’s house.

After listening, Gu Jin’an looked at He Jinseng and asked, "Brother Jin Sheng, does your second uncle want to open a shop? He’s an accountant, somewhat of a scholar, does he have the capability to run a shop?"

He Jinseng felt somewhat ashamed, and He Tongsheng quickly said, "Not at all, our second uncle is just a bookworm, the sorts that would bore someone to death, only good at dealing with ledgers. If he opened a shop, it would likely close the next day."

Hearing this, He Jinseng scolded, "Tongsheng, shut your mouth. How can you speak ill of your elder like that?"

He Tongsheng retorted, "I’m just telling the truth."

Gu Jin’an responded, "Since He family’s second uncle is not suitable for running a shop, why does Village Chief He keep suggesting it? Is there really no other way out?"

Is it good to be stuck in the mindset of running a shop?

Having learnt from Gu Jin’an for a while, He Jinseng was no longer naive and asked, "Good Brother An, do you have any good ideas?"

Gu Jin’an said, "Your second uncle isn’t suitable for running a shop, but he would be well-suited for the government office. County Magistrate Xu has recently purged a group of corrupt clerks, and Tianfu County is now in need of clerks. The examination for clerks does not require a scholar’s official position, just a scholar’s recommendation to take the exam. If you pass, you can work as a clerk in the government office. They are hiring the last batch before the end of the year, so if your second uncle is interested, he should quickly find a scholar to sponsor him for the exam."

The clerks of Great Chu inherited the system from the former dynasty; it’s not a lowly position, and the monthly salary is as high as three taels of silver.

Brightening up, He Jinseng exclaimed, "That is indeed a good idea!"

Quick to act, He Tongsheng thanked Gu Jin’an and immediately ran to find his grandfather to convey what Gu Jin’an had suggested.

Village Chief He almost jumped up when he heard it, hitting his own head and said, "Look at my brain, as dumb as a pig, why didn’t I think of letting my second son become a clerk?"

Today, they even met the son of County Magistrate Xu and two stewards. With this connection, the chances of his second son entering the government office have increased significantly.

Village Chief He could not wait any longer; for his second son, he immediately said to He Dacang: "Go to the county in the cart now, find your younger brother, and tell him about this. Ask him to review his books and take the clerk examination at the government office."

He Tongsheng: "Grandpa, isn’t dad coming home for the festival?"

Even with a mule cart, by the time they get home, it would be dark already, and today is Dongzhi.

With a slap, Village Chief He hit He Tongsheng and angrily said: "Always thinking about the festival, every year we have Dongzhi, what’s the big deal if we miss it once, your uncle has suffered for over a decade, it’s time for him to turn his life around."

He Tongsheng felt wronged by the slap, regretting having rushed to tell his grandfather; he should have waited for his elder brother, and have both brothers come together.

He Dacang nodded: "Dad, I’ll head to the county now, but you’ll have to walk home, sorry."

Village Chief He said, "What’s there to feel sorry about? It’s not the first time walking home. Hurry up, or it’ll be dark by the time you reach the county."

"Okay." After hearing this, He Dacang bowed to Third Grandpa, immediately left the Yanfu Building, and drove their family mule cart to the county.

Village Chief He found Gu Jin’an and thanked him, then carefully said: "Good Brother An, you are Scholar Shang’s student. While he’s still in the restaurant, can you introduce us to him and perhaps have him vouch for us?"

Scholar Shang is the son-in-law of County Captain Jiang and having him as a guarantor would greatly increase the chance for his second son to pass the clerk examination.

Gu Jin’an agreed and took the three generations back to the private room to find Scholar Shang.

After hearing Gu Jin’an’s request, Scholar Shang took out paper and pen, and wrote a letter of recommendation for Village Chief He: "Take this, I hope your son passes the clerk examination."

The county indeed needed clerks, and Village Chief He’s second son, having endured the shopkeeper’s mistreatment for years without retaliation, clearly showed he was straightforward. Such a person suited the task of copying records, as he would not be tempted by greed.

Village Chief He, with tears in his eyes from excitement, continuously thanked Scholar Shang, saying all the good things he could think of, before happily leading his grandson and carrying the return gift from Third Grandpa home.

After they left, Village Chief Yuan and his family arrived by mule cart, bringing many congratulatory gifts, even Village Chief Yuan’s wife came.

Gu Jinli raised an eyebrow, wondering what the Yuan Family intended.

Qi Kangle, aware of the Yuan family’s arrival, deliberately avoided showing up. However, Village Chief Yuan’s wife, being straightforward, not seeing Qi Kangle, smiled and asked Gu Jinli: "I heard the restaurant is jointly opened by you, your female cousin, and male cousin? Where are the other two? Call them over, let your aunt have a look, shall we?"

Gu Jinli: "..."

Are you here to inspect for a potential daughter-in-law?

Chang Errui, hearing this, was anxious and quickly said: "Mom, we’re just here to deliver congratulatory gifts. We need to rush home for ancestral worship and the festival. If you want to meet the Qi Family’s elder brother, come next time, let’s leave it for today."

He had not wanted to bring his mother, but she was too clever and seemed to have noticed something. She insisted on coming, even wanting to meet Sister Le. What if his mother scares Sister Le away?