CHAPTER 218: CHAPTER 110: HE ACTUALLY PASSED

Sang Pingliang was excited all night and didn’t sleep well, tossing and turning as he pondered what kind of concubine to buy. She must have a good figure, a pretty face, and the best skin, soft and smooth like a peeled egg. As for age, sixteen or seventeen would be ideal, but if she’s exceptionally beautiful, eighteen or nineteen could also work.

The most important thing is that she must be cheap—cheaper the better!

Thinking about it, Sang Pingliang couldn’t help but hesitate. The matchmakers in the middleman agency are shrewd as demons; they wouldn’t easily let go of a good girl without a good price. To get one who’s good in all aspects and young, it would cost at least twenty to thirty taels!

Twenty to thirty taels, not two or three taels! Sang Pingliang felt the pain just thinking about it.

He couldn’t help but sigh to himself, thinking it better to let it be. After all, it was for the sake of having a son, what difference does it make if it’s thirty taels or ten taels? Just pick one with a broad butt that can bear children easily!

But then, he thought of the loss! He was already getting old, if he didn’t enjoy life now, he wouldn’t have the chance later. Twenty to thirty taels would be worth spending!

Sang Pingliang made up his mind, determined to spend whatever it takes—though his limit was fifty taels—to bring back a satisfying concubine!

The next morning, Sang Pingliang got up early, ate breakfast, changed into a brand-new brownish-grey robe with dark floral designs, pocketed his silver banknotes, combed his hair smoothly, looking joyful as he stepped out the door.

Mrs. Li stood on the threshold watching him leave, spitting in disdain as she stared at his back, then turned around muttering curses under her breath, venting all her pent-up anger on Sang Rou, beckoning her over to scold her profusely.

As usual, Sang Rou hung her head quietly playing dead as she let her mother rant, but secretly she took delight in the disaster, even more eager than her father for the new concubine to step through the door.

Regardless, the arrival of someone to draw fire would be niether good nor bad for her, but certainly bad for Mrs. Li!

Sang Pingliang hired a bullock cart to town. He only agreed to pay six copper coins, so the owner, thinking him stingy, deliberately slowed the pace, letting the ox meander and graze, basically freeing the ox while ignoring Sang Pingliang’s urging, playing dumb and putting obstacles in the way. By the time Sang Pingliang reached the town, it was nearly noon.

He jumped off the cart displeased, and ended up giving the owner only five copper coins, leaving the bullock cart owner speechless with anger, yet also aware of his miserly nature, knowing he’d never get that sixth coin back, he grudgingly let it go.

"Hey, Xiao Xu, wait for me and give me a ride back this afternoon! You’re going back anyway, right? I’ll give you three more coins!" Sang Pingliang said, thinking himself generous.

The bullock cart owner despised him and snorted coldly: "I can’t earn your money! I still have to rush back to farm. Find another ride!" With that, he whipped his bullock and walked away without looking back, thinking to himself that the Sang family main branch did the right thing breaking ties with him; a family is better off without such an elder! Disgusted with himself for being greedy over those few coins, which were not even worth the aggravation.

"Really! Not knowing how to make money when you can, serves you right to be poor!" Sang Pingliang sneered disdainfully. Hands behind his back, he strolled leisurely onto the bustling market. He planned to have lunch first and then look at potential concubines. Letting the new concubine eat another meal at the middleman’s expense, he’d count that as a win!

Sang Pingliang chose a noodle stall by the main road, ordered a steaming big bowl of meaty noodle soup, and specifically asked for extra green onion and coriander.

Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks to dig in, he heard a rapid succession of gong sounds through the street, "Dang, dang, dang, dang," and a man in his thirties wearing a blackish-brown government uniform, ringing a gong while yelling, "Good news! Good news! Great good news! Our Yangliu Town’s Sihe Village Sang family’s second young master, Sang Yufei, has ranked first in the provincial examination, Xie Yuan! Good news! Good news! Great good news..."

The government official paraded through the streets ringing the gong and shouting out the news. Besides Sang Yufei, Yangliu Town had another person, He Shenzhi, who also passed the examination as a successful candidate. Alternating between calling out these two names, he attracted crowds all following behind, bustling and discussing who Sang Yufei and He Shenzhi were, with expressions of admiration, praise, and envy making the atmosphere lively and noisy.

Sang Pingliang’s chopsticks clattered onto the table, and he sat there stupefied.

By the time he snapped back to reality, the gong-ringing official was already far gone. Sang Pingliang abruptly stood up, grabbed the noodle stall owner by the collar, and demanded, "Who? Who did the officer say just ranked Xie Yuan?"