Not Cut Out to Be an Official

Su Li's words left Mrs. Sun speechless. She choked for a while, opened her mouth but couldn't find any words to refute. She just sat down with a sigh, saying, "Alas, it's just that the two men in my family are too honest, not cut out to be officials!"

"Honest folks have their own virtues," Su Li patted Mrs. Sun's hand reassuringly.

Mrs. Sun was frustrated but only because of her husband and son's honest nature. She said, "A Li, if I were a man, do you think I'd be qualified to be the village chief?"

Su Li immediately put on a serious face, sized Mrs. Sun up from head to toe, and said, "Of course! If you were a man, I'd definitely nominate you as village chief here."

Receiving Su Li's praise, Mrs. Sun felt much better inside. She smiled shyly and said, "Actually, I know my men are too honest and not very suitable, but I was thinking about the village chief position—after all, it's a small official role. I just wanted to give it a try. Don't laugh at me for being unrealistic; I just want to make life better."

"How could I laugh at you? Everyone wants to rise higher, that's right," Su Li said with a smile.

Mrs. Sun's displeasure vanished completely. Su Li said, "Auntie, our family hasn't gathered in a long time. I'll have someone invite Uncle and the younger siblings to come over for dinner at my place."

Mrs. Sun happily said, "Oh, that's so kind of you."

"No problem. It's been a while since we've gathered. I also want to ask about Shiyong's business outside," Su Li smiled and told Bailu to add more dishes to tonight's kitchen and to send someone to invite a few people from Uncle's house.

Mrs. Chen stood up and said, "I'll go tell your Fourth Uncle to come back early this afternoon to pick up Jindou."

Mrs. Sun looked envious and said, "Jindou can study at Wutong Academy, that's really great. He’s bound to have a bright future."

Su Li smiled, "Yes, Jindou is smart and eager to learn. I heard from Fourth Aunt that the teachers at the academy even praised him."

Mrs. Sun sighed enviously, "Alas, my Shiyong is a blockhead, not cut out for studying. When his uncle wanted to send him to school, he would doze off just looking at books. It was so frustrating. Otherwise, when our village school opens, I would have wanted Shiyong to study."

Su Shiyong really wasn't suited for the academic path. Su Li said, "There are many trades, and every trade can produce masters. I think Shiyong doing business with his uncles outside is just fine."

Mrs. Sun nodded and said, "That's right, everyone has their own fate. If Jindou is suited for studying, let him go to school. Shiyong is good at business, so let him stick to that. Forcing someone into an unsuitable path isn't good."

"Auntie, although Jindou's surname is Yuan, he's also Shiyong's cousin. When Jindou succeeds in his studies, we'll all benefit," Su Li smiled.

Mrs. Sun realized this was true. Although the Yuan family didn't recognize their parents and the main branch, they still acknowledged the third branch! Jindou and Su Shiyong were legitimate cousins, so when Jindou succeeds, their family would benefit too.

Mrs. Sun then grew interested in Jindou. When Mrs. Chen returned, she pulled her aside and asked about Jindou's situation at school.

Mrs. Chen proudly said, "Jindou is now called Yuan Ling at school, a name given by his teacher. At home, we just call him Jindou. The teacher said Jindou has a good talent for studying and is diligent. When he turns ten, he'll be allowed to take the Tongsheng exam."

"Oh my, taking the Tongsheng exam at ten years old, that's incredible!" Mrs. Sun exclaimed.

Mrs. Chen smiled with her eyes curved in pride, "He's just going to try; he might not pass."

Although Mrs. Chen spoke modestly, her tone was full of pride because Jindou was truly outstanding. Among their classmates, he always scored first, bringing great honor to the family and making Mrs. Chen extremely proud.