CHAPTER 226: CHAPTER 114: JUST WAIT AND SEE TOMORROW

"Many thanks, Li Zheng. If there’s nothing else, my brother and I will head back first!" Full of cheer, Sang Yufei smiled and cupped his hands towards Li Zheng as he made his farewells.

"Not at all, you’re too kind! Please, go ahead!" Li Zheng hastily sidestepped with a bow in return, then added, "By the way, if there’s anything you need help with later, just say the word!"

"If it turns out to be true, Li Zheng, we’ll surely need to bother you then!" Sang Yufei courteously replied.

"Heh heh, you’re too polite, too polite!"

Sang Pingliang and Mrs. Li watched on, feeling both ashamed and furious, at a loss for words. After Li Zheng saw the brothers out, he turned to see this couple still dumbstruck in the house, feeling disgusted, he shooed them out with both pushing and shoving.

Sang Pingliang and Mrs. Li were the types who bully the weak but fear the strong. They could bully the orphaned Sang brothers, but didn’t dare challenge Li Zheng, and thus had to leave his residence in a disgraceful state, cursing all the way home.

"Master, what shall we do now!" Mrs. Li anxiously wiped her tears and said, "From now on, they will surely bully us to death! That Mrs. Fang, especially, has a sharper tongue than a knife!"

"Hmph!" Sang Pingliang also wore a dark expression, speaking coldly and grimly, "So what if they don’t get adopted? It’s no big deal! Hmph, but thinking they can disavow me as their uncle? They wish!"

"Master, do you have a plan?" Mrs. Li stopped crying, asking eagerly.

"You’ll know tomorrow!" Sang Pingliang let out a long sigh, expelling the pent-up frustrations in his chest. He refused to believe that in the presence of a whole squad of government officials announcing the good news tomorrow, Sang Yufei would refuse to acknowledge his own uncle! The whole village could testify that he was his uncle. If he dared to deny it, his reputation would be tarnished for good!

The news of a Jieyuan emerging from the village brought glory to Li Zheng’s face, and he couldn’t wait to spread the word. Thus, Sihe Village was abuzz with excitement starting from that evening, with Sang Hong’s household becoming lively.

Because everyone believed that Li Zheng would never lie—if he said it was true, then it must be the case!

Sang Hong and his brothers and Mrs. Fang were busy receiving a steady stream of visitors who came to offer their congratulations: esteemed elders, old women and young wives, as well as male relatives of their generation. Families with children studying under Sang Hong were particularly eager, each leading their children and bringing gifts, hoping to bask in the glory of Sang Jieyuan’s good fortune.

Busy all the way until late at night, Sang Hong and his brothers and Mrs. Fang finally said farewell to the last wave of well-wishers.

Closing the main gate and seeing the house piled with a variety of congratulatory gifts—eggs, noodles, live chickens and ducks, pork, bacon—they all breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions somewhat odd.

"Good thing we know what’s really going on, or else this... would really leave people restless and confused!" Mrs. Fang laughed, capturing everyone’s feelings with her remark.

Sang Hong and Sang Yufei both nodded in agreement.

All three of them were down-to-earth people who wouldn’t believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes. If it weren’t for Sang Yufei’s certainty of his own success, they would not have fully believed Sang Pingliang’s words. Should there be a falsehood, tonight’s jest would be rather grand!

Early the next morning, Sang Wan and Shi Fengju set off from Yangliu Town to Sihe Village. With the news of the Jieyuan having reached the town yesterday, it was customary to go to Sihe Village today to offer congratulations to the Jieyuan, so they made it a point to arrive ahead of others.

Upon reaching Sihe Village, Sang Hong’s household was already bustling. Before Sang Yufei, no one from the village had ever advanced as a candidate in the imperial examinations. This being an unprecedented event, everyone felt honored and actively helped out at Sang family’s home, also waiting to enjoy the spectacle when the announcer arrived.

The arrival of Sang Wan and her husband naturally caused another sensation.

Not to mention anything else, just the spectacle itself captivated the onlookers. Four fine carriages pulled by majestic horses arrived in succession, surrounded by over a dozen handsomely dressed servants on tall horses. This display alone seized everyone’s attention.

Once the carriages stopped, Liu Ya and Xingzhi, two maids wearing bean-green satin embroidered with twisted-branch patterns and adorned with silver hairpins set with gemstones, along with the best silk flower hair accessories, disembarked from the back carriage. They hastened to assist with the carriage ladder, some holding it, some ready to lend a hand, inviting Sang Wan and Shi Fengju to step down as the crowd murmured their admiration, with someone already running to inform Sang Hong’s siblings and Mrs. Fang.

Sang Wan was seen dressed in a wide-sleeved Hunan outer coat of festive red featuring gold-patterned blossoms amidst rich cloud brocade, with two-inch gold and silver embroidered trimmings on the cuffs and edges, a chicken-egg-sized white jade talisman secured at the collar, centered with a pomegranate-sized glistening ruby. She wore a dazzling orange-red Hunan dress spangled with butterflies and flowers, her movements radiant as clouds and sunsets. Her hair was styled in a celebratory peony bun, adorned with jade ornaments and beads, obviously not needing further mention. Not one woman or daughter-in-law present could resist the sight, and they all openly expressed their admiration for the Sang family.