novelaction Chapter 679 Becoming a Page
Chapter 679 Becoming a Page
Led by Huang Jiayu, Lin Ping arrived at the main hall, which was also the most spacious and magnificent room in the entire Meng family mansion.
Upon entering the hall, there is a huge illustrated screen, all painted with landscape scrolls. Below the screen is a desk with the Four Treasures of the Study on it, which sets the tone for the entire main hall.
Behind the screen was a sandalwood dining table, laden with various dishes, while a thin young boy stood beside it, gazing longingly with drooling eyes.
The room was bathed in a pale yellow light from the candlelight, making it fairly bright.
With the help of the light, Lin Ping could see the faces of the two people beside the food table.
The middle-aged man was stern and unsmiling, his expression gloomy and uncertain.
The young man was thin, but had delicate features, and his wide eyes kept darting around.
"This is your uncle and Qingge's younger brother," Huang Jiayu introduced with a smile.
She knew Lin Ping was intelligent and could guess the identities of the two people even without an introduction.
"Nephew Lin Wuqing greets Uncle." Lin Ping bowed respectfully, displaying a scholarly demeanor.
Meng Yuanping glanced at Lin Ping, then simply nodded slightly, his already gloomy face furrowing even more.
He knew Huang Jiayu's intention in bringing Lin Ping here; he was already not optimistic about the marriage, and now he was even more disgusted.
Although Lin Ping was handsome, his shabby appearance was undeniable, and even his bowing was learned, making him incomparable to a true scholar.
In his eyes, Lin Ping was just an ordinary commoner who was only able to move in because of his ancestors' good fortune, and he had no right to marry his daughter.
"Mother, is dinner ready?" Meng Qingfan asked anxiously, scratching his head and reaching for the large amount of fish and meat on the table.
Lin Ping was a little curious. This guy loved to eat fish, so why was he so thin?
It must be because they are picky.
Huang Jiayu glanced at Lin Ping first, and then said, "Your eldest sister is busy with work today and probably won't be back until late at night. Let's eat first."
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Qingfan had already started wolfing down his food, completely ignoring Lin Ping's presence.
"Husband, Lin'er grew up in the countryside and has never been to school. I'm afraid he'll suffer in the future. Why don't we let him go to Baiyue Academy with Fan'er? That way, the two of them can look after each other." Huang Jiayu's voice was very soft, with a hint of pleading.
Lin Ping's heart tightened; he hadn't expected Huang Jiayu to be so considerate of him in every way.
In Huang Jiayu's eyes, if Lin Ping wanted to marry Meng Qingge openly and legitimately, he needed to have certain resources, and entering the academy to study and then pass the imperial examinations was the only way.
She didn't expect Lin Ping to become the top scholar in the imperial examination, but she would have helped him even if he was just a scholar. She was just afraid that he was illiterate.
Meng Yuanping, who was eating, suddenly put down his chopsticks, his face fell, and he said in a low voice, "Baiyue Academy is not run by my Meng family. How much effort and money did we spend to let Fan'er study? Even if I am willing to help him, Baiyue Academy may not accept him."
That's true. Baiyue Academy is an aristocratic academy, filled with scions of first- and second-tier noble families.
Even though the Meng family had already risen to the ranks of second-rate families, they were still looked down upon by the academy. In the end, they spent a lot of money to pull strings and finally managed to secure a spot for Meng Qingfan.
Lin Ping is just a poor boy from the countryside. Even if Meng Yuanping is willing to put in the effort, Baiyue Academy may not give him any face.
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table lowered their heads and remained silent, even Meng Qingfan, who had been wolfing down his food, let out a burp.
The atmosphere that Huang Jiayu had tried so hard to create suddenly became somewhat awkward.
“Husband, Lin’er is at the prime of his life, how can he neglect his studies? Please help him think of a way.” Huang Jiayu lowered her voice even further.
“Since he is Qing’er’s child, I, as his uncle, cannot stand idly by. Why not let him be Fan’er’s page, accompanying him in his studies every day? As long as he puts in the effort, he can learn something,” Meng Yuanping said with a troubled expression.
“A pageboy? I don’t need a pageboy. Awen keeps me company every day, which is fine.”
Upon hearing that he was to be given a new page, Meng Qingfan immediately became unhappy, slammed his bowl and chopsticks on the table, and angrily glared at Lin Ping.
"Shut up! This is your father's decision, and you have no say in it," Huang Jiayu glared at Meng Qingfan and said sternly.
Of all the people in the Meng family, only she truly cared for Lin Ping, not only wanting to find him a good future but also protecting his self-esteem.
At the same time, she glanced at Lin Ping's expression out of the corner of her eye, afraid that the boy, with his strong sense of self-esteem, would feel wronged after hearing these words.
It was indeed unpleasant to live under someone else's roof, but Lin Ping didn't care.
In his view, Meng Qingyuan and others were nothing more than ants, and to haggle with an ant would only lower his own status.
Moreover, Huang Jiayu was genuinely looking out for him, so he couldn't be ungrateful and retaliate against the Meng family.
"It's settled then. Tomorrow morning, Lin'er will accompany you to the academy," Huang Jiayu said, leaving no room for argument.
"actually……"
Watching Huang Jiayu yelling and shouting at Meng Qingfan for his sake, Lin Ping really wanted to add, "Actually, I really don't want to go to that damn academy. I am the dean of the most prestigious Huiwen Academy."
This is something he can't say out loud, and even if he did, no one would believe him; they'd probably accuse him of spouting nonsense.
"Don't worry, Lin'er. If this boy dares to make things difficult for you, your aunt will break his legs."
Perhaps guessing what Lin Ping wanted to say, Huang Jiayu quickly reassured him.
Meng Qingfan indeed became obedient, lowering his head and leaving dejectedly.
"Lin'er, you should rest early too. You must have suffered a lot these past few days. You have to get up early to study tomorrow," Huang Jiayu said with a smile.
She was always so kind to Lin Ping, just like a biological mother, which warmed Lin Ping's heart.
After bidding farewell, Lin Ping slowly left, as he needed to begin learning about the Meng family's situation.
Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. To complete his mission as quickly as possible, he needed to figure out the situation at the Meng residence.
"Jiayu, you don't really want our Qingge to marry this poor boy, do you?" Meng Yuanping finally blurted out after holding back for so long.
“Our Qingge is not only beautiful, but also knowledgeable and good at business. She’s not the same kind of person as this boy. Don’t let a promise from back then ruin your daughter’s life.” Meng Yuanping said angrily.
This is absolutely true. Meng Qingge is a famous beauty in Rizhongfang and even the entire capital. Matchmakers who want to propose marriage have been knocking on her door.
"Lin'er is a clever and quick-witted child; she might even pass the imperial examination and become a scholar," Huang Jiayu said in a low voice.
Ultimately, even she felt that Lin Ping was not good enough for Meng Qingge.
"Clever and quick-witted? He's already this age and still illiterate. Even if he passes the imperial examination, so what? There are at least eighty or a hundred people who admire Qingge. Besides, who knows when that will be? Qingge is already past the age of sixteen. If she doesn't get married soon, people will inevitably gossip about her."
Meng Yuanping spoke loudly, unaware that Lin Ping was right outside the door.