The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 151 Convenience

Although they were riding in a separate carriage, they still set out with the convoy. Coincidentally, the team leader was Chen Cui's acquaintance Master Chen, and the driver of her carriage was also an old acquaintance Master Zhou.

Naturally, the two of them did not forget Chen Cui, but they could not help but marvel at her.

Although it has only been more than three years, in the eyes of these two people, Chen Cui has changed a lot.

Let’s start with appearance. Although Chen Cui’s facial features have not changed, her skin is whiter and finer than before, her face is tighter, her hair is black and fluffy, and she looks more than five years younger than before.

In addition, the material of her clothes is also exquisite. Although they are also dark colors, the texture is completely different from what ordinary people wear. You can tell that they are expensive goods when you get closer.

Even though Chen Cui was not wearing any jewelry, her relaxed posture and calm expression made people feel that she had a sense of nobility and did not seem like someone from a humble family.

Just looking at her current appearance, who would have thought that three years ago she was still rambling and dirty, traveling back and forth in the city selling charcoal!

Master Chen and Master Zhou were both filled with sorrow, and they believed the rumor that Mrs. Chen had a close relationship with the county magistrate's wife.

Originally, there were no secrets that could be hidden in this small county. Their carriage and horse company often undertook the task of transporting goods for various businesses and was also a distribution center for information.

It was not the first day that they had heard the rumor about this relationship with Chen Dasao, but because they had no chance to meet her, it was not confirmed until today.

The mother and son arrived at the city after nightfall, and asked for two upper rooms at the Yuelai Inn. They ate something casually, washed up, and went to bed.

The next day, Changping was studying in the inn, while Chen Cui went out to visit Mrs. Zhang and tell her about her arrival.

Zhang Ruomei and her family had just settled down. Because there were many officials in the prefectural government and housing was tight in the backyard, and the Tongzhi was not the chief official and could not get much space, Zhang Ruomei did not intend to put herself in a difficult position and found another house outside to live in.

The house they found was not far from the prefectural yamen. It was a large mansion with three courtyards. It was much more spacious and comfortable to live in than the county yamen, and a hundred times better than the small courtyard allocated to the prefectural yamen.

Zhang Ruomei had someone buy this house years ago, and she decorated it according to her own preferences. Now that she lives here, she finds no dissatisfaction with any of it.

When it comes to things like buying a house or land, Wang Hengzhi never asks too many questions and just lets his wife make the decision. As long as he has a place to live, that's enough for him.

He had a clear understanding of himself. His salary was not enough to support his family, let alone himself. The family expenses were all supported by his wife. He could not help with things like this that required money, and he would not say much.

Although Zhang Ruomei looked a little tired, she was still very happy to see Chen Cui. The two chatted about some trivial matters in life, and then Zhang Ruomei asked housekeeper Zhang to accompany Chen Cui to the dental clinic.

After all, Zhang, the steward, has been in this prefectural city since last year, helping to clean up the house and do shopping. He is also more familiar with the city. Moreover, he is the steward of the prefectural government. With him accompanying Chen Cui, it will save a lot of trouble whether she is buying a house or land.

Sure enough, the people in the dental office had sharp eyes. When they saw Butler Zhang, they immediately recognized his identity and immediately surrounded him with smiles.

"Don't try to be so rude. Today I came here with Madam Chen on the orders of our Madam. Madam Chen is a close friend of our Madam and has a seventh-rank imperial decree. You must serve her well."

The broker took a quick look at Chen Cui and greeted her warmly, "Mrs. Chen, are you looking to buy a house or a piece of land, or maybe someone?"

Chen Cui: I need them all!

Although the brokers were a little surprised, they were even happier. The demand was so good and they could earn more commissions!

Of course, the most urgent thing right now is to buy a house and have a place to stay before you can think of other things.

Chen Cui's requirements for the house are that it must have convenient transportation, but not be too noisy. She doesn't have any big requirements for the area, as long as it is big enough for her family to live in. It would be best if it is close to the school.

"May I ask which school your son is studying in?" the broker asked carefully.

"The eldest has just passed the county exam and is preparing to take the prefectural exam. The second and third are still studying in the county school and haven't decided which school to attend in the prefectural city. I just came to the prefectural city and haven't asked around. Do you know anything about the school?"

Chen Cui was also worried about this matter. She knew that brokers were always well-informed and must have their own information channels as to which school in the city was better.

Sure enough, when the broker saw Chen Cui's sincere request, he immediately introduced with great joy: "Madam, you have asked the right person. If your son can pass the provincial and academy examinations, he will be a scholar and can directly enter the provincial school. As for the other two sons, they have a wide range of choices. Let me tell you, the better schools in our provincial city are all these..."

Chen Cui guessed correctly. There were indeed many schools in the capital city, and there were three or four well-known good schools. Although the agent was a bit long-winded, he finally listed the characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of these schools for Chen Cui to refer to.

As for the admission requirements and registration-related matters, Chen Cui had to find out for herself.

Chen Cui also told the broker her requirements for the land and servants and asked him to find them according to the conditions. These things would take time to find and could not be done overnight, so she would go back and wait for news.

When Chen Cui went back, Changping was still reciting classic articles. The noise in the inn seemed to have no effect on him. The handwriting on the rice paper was neat and the sentences were fluent. It was obvious that it was written in one go.

"Changping, tomorrow you will come with me to visit Mr. Zou, a teacher at the prefectural school. Although he only has the title of scholar, he has been teaching at the prefectural school for many years. He is experienced and patient. Let him tell you the key points of how to deal with the prefectural examination tomorrow."

Chen Cui's visit to Mrs. Zhang today was not in vain, because this Mr. Zou was the one that Zhang Ruomei had asked someone to find out about.

Wang Hengzhi had just taken office and was very busy with affairs, so he had no time to tutor Changping. Moreover, it was not appropriate for him to interfere in the provincial examination since he had just arrived. However, there was no problem in using his name to find someone to consult about the tricks involved.

Although the teachers in Changping School also talked about the things to pay attention to when taking the provincial examination, they were in the county town after all. How could they know the inside story as well as the teachers in the provincial school?

As long as conditions permit, Chen Cui doesn't mind using her advantages to create some conveniences for her child and make his schooling journey smoother.

It is right to study hard, as this is a necessary basic element, but you must also grasp favorable external conditions, which will also have an important impact on the outcome of things.

Mr. Zou could tell them, in addition to the layout of the seats in the examination room and some unknown rules in the room, the requirements for distributing the examination papers, including key information such as the preferences of the question setters.

With this information, candidates can have a clear idea before entering the examination room, avoid taking the exam in the dark, and not offend the examiner when answering the questions, which greatly increases the chances of passing the exam.