novelaction Chapter 1450 Living to Retire After Passing the Imperial Examination
Chapter 1450 Living to Retire After Passing the Imperial Examination
The next day, Sun Shan went to visit Sun Bomin early in the morning and saw him practicing Tai Chi. He looked much better and breathed a sigh of relief.
Sun Bomin waved his hand and said, "Shanzi, your father is fine. You can go to work without worry. Your father will take good care of himself and will definitely not faint again. Go to work quickly. Official duties are busy, so don't let your father delay your work."
Last night, Uncle Sun and Brother De secretly approached Sun Bomin and repeatedly urged him and Madam Su to take good care of themselves and not to get into any trouble.
If anything happens to either of them, Sun Shan will have to go home to observe mourning.
Uncle Sun, abandoning his usual joking demeanor, said in a serious tone, "Brother, you and sister-in-law can't get into trouble. To put it bluntly, if either of you dies, Shanzi's future will be ruined. Our Sun family has finally become a scholarly family, but it will be a fleeting moment, and we'll be back to being farmers."
Sun Bomin was startled and hurriedly asked, "Third brother, tell me in detail about the mourning period."
Uncle Sun only had a vague understanding, but De Ge'er knew better. Having worked at the county school for so long, he was the most knowledgeable about the affairs of scholars.
After explaining all this, Dege'er said with utmost seriousness, "Uncle, you and Aunt are very important to Shanzi. If anything happens to you, Shanzi's official career will come to an end."
"You were supposed to be a good county magistrate, but because of your troubles, Shanzi had to resign and return home to become a farmer. Oh dear, Uncle, our Sun family has finally produced a scholar; we absolutely cannot let his future be ruined."
Sun Bomin said nervously, "Dege, is it really that serious? Can't Shanzi come back to be an official after I finish my funeral? Whether or not we observe mourning doesn't matter. I don't mind."
Dege shook his head like a rattle: "Uncle, how can you decide the affairs of the court, and of course Shanzi can't decide either. That's the rule. If your parents are in trouble, you have to resign as an official."
He paused, then continued, “If it were someone else, resigning from office to observe mourning would be fine, since they have connections in the court and a large family fortune. After three years, they could become a good official again. But Shanzi is different. He’s just a farmer, has no connections in the court, and his family fortune is pitifully small. After the mourning period, it will be difficult for him to become an official again.”
To emphasize the seriousness of the mourning period, Uncle Sun added fuel to the fire, saying, "Brother, official positions are like radishes in a hole, and all those scholars are hoping for one. Shanzi, you'd better not occupy that hole—no, you should be standing in that official hole. If you and your sister-in-law are forced to leave, and you want to go back, someone else will have already taken your place."
He swallowed hard and said, "Brother, think about it. There are only so many official positions in the world, but there are countless scholars. If Shanzi resigns from his post and wants to become an official again, there won't be any positions left."
"Brother, for your sake and for the sake of our Sun family, you must take good care of yourself. Don't faint like you did today; it scared the hell out of us."
Sun Bomin retorted, "Third brother, what are you saying? I don't want to faint either."
Uncle Sun patted Sun Bomin on the shoulder and said, "Brother, relax, be more composed in all matters, and try to live a long life. It would be best if you lived until Shanzi retired from office, so that Shanzi could continue to be an official and wouldn't have to observe mourning for his parents."
He then added, "As for the grandchildren, there's no need for them to resign from their official posts to observe mourning. You can rest assured, elder brother."
Sun Bomin was confused and asked, "Third brother, at what age can Shanzi retire? How many years do I have to live?"
Sun Bomin certainly hoped to live a long and healthy life; he had finally become an old man and was enjoying his retirement...
Dege'er's lips twitched. Shanzi had retired and was six or seven years old. His eldest uncle would probably be a long-lived old monster by then.
She said ambiguously, "Uncle, no matter how old Shanzi is before he stops being an official, you must be healthy and live a long life, like a turtle. Uncle, Aunt isn't worried about you, she's just worried about you."
Uncle Sun agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Brother, Dezai is right. Don't let your short and thin appearance fool you, sister-in-law is incredibly strong. On the contrary, you're always getting dizzy, that won't do."
Compared to Su, Sun Bomin did indeed fall ill more often.
He nodded earnestly: "Yes, I will remember that. I will definitely live to see Shanzi retire from officialdom and my grandson become an official. Only in this way can our Sun family always remain a family of scholars and distinguished descendants."
So Sun Bomin got up early in the morning to practice Tai Chi. He learned it from the movements in the book, which Dege'er had taught him.
They even said that if you practice Tai Chi, you're guaranteed to live to ninety-nine.
After Sun Shan greeted Sun Bomin, Sister Yun brought over Little Fatty to pay her respects.
She smiled and said, "Father, you look much better today."
Sun Bomin hummed in agreement, and was even happier to see the little chubby girl: "Grandpa's Xiaoxiao, have you had breakfast yet?"
The chubby little girl hobbled over to Sun Bomin and said in a soft voice, "Grandpa, Xiaoxiao hasn't eaten yet, she wants to eat with Grandpa."
Sun Bomin was even more delighted: "Good, good, good, I'll eat with you after I finish practicing my long fist."
Seeing that Sun Bomin spoke with a strong voice, Yun Jie'er felt even more at ease, truly afraid that Little Fatty would cause her to fall seriously ill.
She said softly, "Father, after breakfast, let the doctor come and take your pulse, okay?"
In the past, Sun Bomin would definitely have thought it was a waste of money.
After being "coerced and bribed" by Uncle Sun and Brother De last night, he readily agreed: "Okay, let the doctor take a look."
He paused, then added, "Let Xiaoxiao's grandma see it too."
He must live a long life, and so must Mrs. Su; the couple must live until Sun Shan retires.
As soon as Sun Shan entered the yamen, his colleagues swarmed around him, expressing their concern.
Magistrate Wang asked with concern, "Sir, what's wrong with the old master and young lady's health?"
Yesterday, Little Fatty crawled out of the dog hole and kept complaining of a headache. Then, for some reason, Sun Bomin fainted.
Oh dear, misfortunes never come singly; the old and the young have all fallen ill.
Wu, the registrar, stepped forward and asked with concern, "Sir, does the young lady still have a headache? Should we take her to Chenzhou Prefecture to have her checked out? I know a doctor there."
Inspector Liang also seized the opportunity to show his concern, and like Chief Clerk Wu, he kindly provided information on renowned doctors.
Sun Shan cupped his hands in greeting: "Everyone, thank you for your concern. My elderly father and daughter have already seen a doctor and are fine. They were just frightened, but after taking some calming medicine and getting some rest, they'll be alright."
Everyone turned to look at Sun Shan. Why was this different from the information they had received yesterday?
Yesterday, didn't Lord Sun consult all the doctors in the county, and they all said that Miss Sun was beyond cure? Old Master Sun was so heartbroken that he collapsed to the ground and fainted.
How come after one night, Grandpa Sun and Miss Sun are alright?
Everyone looked at Sun Shan suspiciously. Was he intentionally concealing his illness? Or was he feigning composure?
Sun Shan looked at his colleagues speechlessly. He couldn't very well tell them that Little Fatty was faking illness to eat wontons.
What headache? It's just that you're craving something so delicious that you're getting a headache.
Thinking of this, Sun Shan felt a surge of anger, wishing he could run back to the backyard, hang up the chubby girl, and beat her severely.
If he hadn't been so mentally strong, he might have been the one who fainted yesterday.
Sun Shan bowed again and said, "Everyone, it's time to go to work."
After finishing, he turned around, took a step, and left gracefully.
County Magistrate Wang and all the officials: ........
No, we have to sneak into the backyard of the government office and gather information!