Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 117 is so dark, it's really too dark.
The old man stroked his beard and said, "As long as Jinbang becomes my son, that's fine."

He only had one son, who was mentally challenged. He didn't expect Chen Jinbang to become the top scholar in the imperial examination; he felt that Chen Jinbang wasn't destined for it.

Even if Chen Jinbang could do it, he couldn't wait that long.

Now, all he hopes for is someone to smash a basin for him after he dies, and also to take care of his mentally challenged son.

This request wasn't unreasonable, but Chen Bingxiao refused to agree.

"Be your son? Then I'd be family!"

Then why is he still busy trying to raise tuition fees? Even if his grandson gets into high school, it won't matter to him anymore.

This old man wasn't trying to help at all; he clearly just wanted to steal his grandson.

The old man explained, "The adoption is just a formality. Jinbang is still your grandson and will live in your family. It's just that after I die..."

"I disagree," Chen Jinbang said before he could finish speaking.

He didn't want to serve an old man; such hard work wasn't something a scholar like him should do.

Chen Jinbang's face was long and drawn, and seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, everyone had no choice but to give up and leave dejectedly.

One of the clan elders had an upset stomach and went to the Chen family's backyard.

But as soon as he went in, he clutched his stomach and rushed out again.

My goodness, it's so dirty and smelly, there's practically nowhere to step!

He couldn't help but ask, "Old Chen, how long has it been since you emptied your outhouse?"

Chenjia Village has dry toilets, which work by digging a large hole in the ground and cleaning it periodically.

The excrement that is removed is usually used to make compost, which is then diluted and carried to the fields or used to irrigate one's own vegetable garden.

Farmers will not waste the precious fertilizer.

But no one ever emptied the Chen family's outhouse.

Chen Bingxiao took a puff of his pipe and said irritably, "Mind your own business, hurry up and go."

Don't even think about staying at his house for a meal; he doesn't have any surplus food.

After seeing everyone off, Chen Bingxiao quietly asked Chen Jinbang, "Didn't you say you had a rich classmate? What was his name again? Oh, right, his surname is Chu, and I think he's the headmaster's son."

Why don't you borrow some money from him? No, ask him for some. Rich people don't care about a few coins.

Why don't you ask for more? Treat your family to some meat too.

Chen Jinbang said with a dark face, "Grandpa, rich people aren't stupid. They won't just throw money around."

"I didn't tell him to sprinkle it anywhere, I just sprinkled a little for you."

"I'll figure it out myself."

Frustrated, Chen Jinbang locked himself in his room.

He had tried to contact Chu Yu; the night before last, he didn't go home because he went to see him.

Chu Yu readily agreed, but then led him to the gambling den.

"Sit down and gamble a few rounds with me. If I win, you'll definitely get a tip."

Chen Jinbang stayed with him like a fool, and was ordered around by him like a servant.

After a busy night, Chu Yu won a lot of money, but only gave him 10 coins.

"Take this money and pay your tuition."

Then, buy some good food for my family, and get myself a few nice outfits. The rest, I'll get married.

Chen Jinbang felt his blood rush to his head, and he was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.

Can these things be done for just 10 coins? Each of these items would cost at least several taels of silver.

Was Chu Yu giving him money? He was clearly humiliating him.

Chu Yu put his arm around Chen Jinbang's shoulder, seemingly very intimate, but in reality, he didn't treat Chen Jinbang like a human being at all.

They even looked down on him, otherwise they wouldn't have humiliated him like that.

As dawn broke, Chen Jinbang, his face dark with anger, prepared to go home.

Chu Yu was clearly not done playing yet, so he took him to the money exchange.

He pushed Chen Jinbang to the counter and said to Manager Qian, "Manager, he wants to borrow money to study, support his family, and get married."

Shopkeeper Qian smiled at Chu Yu, but turned to Chen Jinbang and said coldly, "Borrow one tael and return one tael and five mace."

Chen Jinbang chuckled awkwardly and asked, "When will you return it?"

Mr. Qian said irritably, "One month."

Good heavens, if you borrow one tael of silver and have to repay one tael and five mace a month later, the monthly interest rate will be 50%.

Chen Jinbang wasn't sure if the money exchange treated people differently based on their social status, but he felt that the place was incredibly corrupt.

It was a darkness beyond his imagination! He had originally regarded the money shop as his last resort, but now, that resort was completely blocked.

His family would definitely not agree to him borrowing money for his studies, and even if they did, he wouldn't be able to pay it back.

If things go wrong, I might have to sell myself, going from a good class to a slave, and becoming a complete servant.

With nowhere else to turn, Chen Jinbang had no choice but to pick up a brush and choose a path that poor students often take—copying books.

The copied books will be bought by the bookstores in the county town, and you can earn about 200 coins for each book.

He only needs to copy 5 books to raise enough money for tuition.

Thinking of this, he immediately became motivated.

But his enthusiasm probably only lasted for about half an incense stick's time. He didn't know how hard it was to copy books until he started.

There must be no typos, and the handwriting must be clear and neat. If there is even the slightest imperfection, it must be redone.

Copying books requires immense patience, which Chen Jinbang clearly lacked.

He copied it half-heartedly, sometimes playing with the brush, sometimes picking at his fingers.

I only managed to copy two pages all afternoon, and then I fell asleep on the table.

Li Ruru's home.

After the family finished lunch, the boys continued smoking meat.

Yinyin was still playing with Qiqi, while Chaochao and Peipei were helping Li Ruru make a lining.

This is one of the steps in making cloth shoes.

Cook the flour into a paste of suitable consistency and spread it on a wooden board.

Old, worn-out clothes are cut into small pieces, pieced together, and pasted onto a wooden board, layering them three to five times.

After the woven cloth has been dried in the sun for two or three days, it can be lifted off the wooden board and made stiff.

New fabric can be attached to the surface of the lining to make shoe soles and uppers.

"Alright, let's finish the rest tomorrow," Li Ruru said.

Actually, she wanted to take it back to her room that night and do it herself. People in Chenjia Village usually wear straw sandals in the summer and cloth shoes in the winter.

The cloth shoes they make have soles with only a thin layer, mainly because the fabric is of high quality.

Li Ruru wants to add a layer of rubber to the middle of the shoe sole, so that it will be comfortable to wear, less likely to rub against the feet, and can also raise the sole.

When it rains, your shoes won't get wet from just one step.

After finishing all that, Chaochao and Peipei made several large buckets of wood ash water.

Li Ruru drove the oxcart to her third aunt's house, and Pan Dayan happened to bring over ground konjac.

The Hai family home was bustling with activity today, with all three daughters-in-law helping out.

Five large pots were set up in the huge courtyard, the water was almost boiling, and they were just waiting to cook the konjac tofu.

Upon seeing Li Ruru arrive, everyone rushed to help unload the things.

Li Ruru pointed to the wood ash water mixed with spinach and amaranth juice: "Third Aunt, when you're cooking konjac, add this in and stir it. Once it becomes a paste, turn off the heat and let it cool."

Once it solidifies, add cold water, cut it into small pieces, and continue simmering for another half hour.

She had already told her third aunt about the procedure yesterday, and seeing that everyone was there today, she simply told her again.

The three daughters-in-law of the Hai family never expected that Li Ruru would not hide anything from them and would openly reveal her methods.

Shocked and a little confused, she asked, "Ruru, aren't you afraid we'll learn how to steal your business?"

Pan Dayan interjected, "How could that be? My younger sister's secret recipe is all in these red and green waters."

Pan Dayan didn't know it was plant ash water; she only knew it was a secret recipe.

Everyone suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

Before leaving, Li Ruru added, "If you've cooked anything, please keep some for your family to eat tonight."

When Pan Dayan and Hai Shi saw that she was about to leave, they tacitly stopped her and started gossiping.

Today's gossip has something to do with Li Ruru.

Hai said, "I heard from the village head that an outsider has come to our village."

Li Ruru thought to herself, "So what if they come? What does it have to do with her? What's there to gossip about?"

Pan Dayan said, "I heard that man is an old scholar who likes to travel around."

As they talked, they finally got to the point.

Hai nudged Li Ruru and said, "The village head said there are no empty houses in the village, only an empty plot of land next to your house, and that person is planning to build a house there."

"What? He's going to live next door to me?" Li Ruru exclaimed in surprise.

(End of this chapter)