Shen Yijia heard the villagers discussing when she went to the mountain to gather firewood. They said that Song Maolin had returned and did not manage to become a High Scholar.

Song Jingchen raised his eyebrows. He thought that Shen Yijia wouldn’t be able to guess who the scholar Feng Laoliu was talking about was. Seeing her mysterious look, he asked in amusement, “What do you want to do?”

Shen Yijia pursed her lips. “Beat him up, of course.”

She had been thinking about it this whole time. However, Song Maolin had gone out for an exam and hadn’t returned. She couldn’t blame his family for this.

She was not that kind of person.

Song Jingchen was silent for a moment. “As long as you’re happy.”

Shen Yijia smiled and kissed Song Jingchen’s cheek. “I knew you were the best, Hubby.”

Song Jingchen was stunned.

Although it wasn’t the first time, he still wasn’t used to it. Besides, there were so many people around.

Shen Yijia came back to her senses. When she turned around, she met five pairs of sparkling eyes. They almost blinded her.

“I didn’t see anything!” Sister Huan covered her eyes and said.

“Yes, I didn’t see anything. You can continue.” Brother Hao stuck out his tongue.

Lin Miaomiao followed suit and said weakly, “Then, I didn’t see it either.”

Lin Shao said, “I’m writing seriously.”

Bruiser was the oldest among them, so he wasn’t bothered at all. He smiled mischievously and said, “We all saw it. Sister, you kissed Brother-in-law.”

He didn’t manage to say anything else because Shen Yijia kicked him out in anger.

The remaining people burst into laughter. Song Jingchen couldn’t help but smile.

The Song family’s old residence had been shrouded in dark clouds since Song Maolin returned.

When Song Erlin’s wife, Madam Chen, gave birth to a daughter a few days ago, Madam Liu started to pick on her.

She did not even allow her to celebrate the child’s first month. She just threw more laundry to her to wash.

It was winter. Song Erlin’s heart ached for his wife, but he couldn’t disobey his mother, so he could only help her secretly.

The family was already in a mess. Song Maolin came back in the middle of the night.

Song Maolin’s did have some talent. He was able to pass the county-level examination in his teens, and the teachers in the academy thought highly of him. Logically speaking, he should have been able to pass the exam.

The problem was that Song Maolin was unlucky.

Perhaps to show his superiority, he did not travel with the other students. Instead, he rented a carriage alone.

In the end, he encountered bandits blocking his way. Not only did they rob him of all his silver, but they also did not let go of his carriage.

As a result, he was forced to return before he could enter the examination hall. The villagers did not know the truth and only thought that he had failed.

Madam Liu’s heart ached when she thought about how she had almost thrown her precious son out as a beggar that night. She kept putting food into Song Maolin’s bowl. “Third Son, don’t be discouraged. You can take the exam again next time.”

As soon as Madam Liu said this, the others at the table paused. It was easy to suggest supporting Song Maolin for the next exam, but they didn’t want to keep eating bland food in order to save money on his behalf.

Song Dajiang didn’t seem to see his other two sons’ reactions and comforted Song Maolin. “Your mother is right. This matter isn’t your fault. You can take the exam next time.”

Song Maolin took a bite of his rice and glanced at his two brothers. A smug look flashed across his eyes, but in the next second, he put on a troubled expression. “Why don’t we forget about it? Not to mention wasting money, I might not even be able to pass the exam. Many of my classmates have gone to the county school. They can learn more than me while they’re there. I definitely won’t be able to catch up to them.”