Chapter 568 - 290: About_3
Upon entering the side room of the main house, they saw Old man Qian and Old woman Qian present as well. Qian Sangui was lying slanted on the kang bed, with the elderly couple sitting beside him, inquiring about Lady Wu’s attendance at the plum appreciation banquet the day before. Lady Wu and some of the older folks hadn’t gone to the triple courtyard after the noon banquet; instead, they went to watch the opera. She was animatedly describing the grandeur of the Eldest Princess Mansion, how imposing the Eldest Princess and the Former Consort were, how attractive the famous actors of the capital city were, and how they were different from the Red Cloud Troupe...
The doors and windows were tightly closed, and two basins of charcoal kept the room very warm. Qian Yixiu and Pan Yue took off their capes, and the children also removed their thick cotton coats from outside.
Grandfather Sangui and Grandma Wu asked Qian Yixiu why she didn’t go to dinner the night before, and Yixiu fended them off with the excuse of being tired once again.
Lady Wu then laughed and said, "Yesterday, Yixiu won the first prize in the talent show, come on, what was the poem you did?" She still didn’t know about the prank played on Yixiu.
The elderly couple had heard the news yesterday and only then had they learned that Mr. Yu was not only a Graduate but also a Graduate, and had even served as a Libationer at the Imperial College, a well-renowned scholar of the Great Qian Kingdom. At first, Old man Qian was happy for his granddaughter, but later, he felt a bit of heartache. No matter how good a girl is, she eventually belongs to another family. If only Shan Wa had taken Mr. Yu as a mentor, he surely would have passed the Graduate exam. In that case, the whole family would have risen to prominence and could have come to the capital city to enjoy their blessings.
Old man Qian was extremely robust, going out every day, even in such cold weather, looking for good business opportunities that could allow the first, second, and fourth households to come to the capital city to enjoy their blessings earlier. Even though Qian Sangui advised him that it was tough to make it in the capital city, and their family hadn’t even settled in properly, if the brothers came, they wouldn’t have good days faring either. But the old man wouldn’t listen and still went out every day.
Qian Yixiu felt that this old man was the type with a strong sense of vanity, knowing that living in the capital city might not be as comfortable as the countryside, but still eager for others to see his descendants relocating to the capital city, to let the ancestors know he had the ability to transform the Qian family from country folk to citizens of the capital.
The old man couldn’t help expressing his sorrow and said, "People always say that a woman with no talent is a virtuous one. A girl isn’t the same as a boy, what use is there for her to be so talented? She isn’t going to compete for the top scholar position. If only Shan Wa had taken Mr. Yu as a mentor, how wonderful that would be, as a great master produces great students, and Shan Wa definitely could have passed as a Graduate. Alas, it’s a waste."
Qian Yixiu glanced at Old man Qian and snorted coldly in her heart; the old man really couldn’t show his affection in an endearing way.