The two of them seemed even closer than others. Shi Lian sat and chatted with Sang Wan for a good while before she rose and left.
On this day, everyone in the entire Shi Mansion was joyous, except for two people - Shi Yumei and Ren Zhixian.
Shi Yumei thought it was utterly boring. Her husband was also a scholar and well-versed in literature, known for his poetry throughout Meng County, and even older than Sang Yufei. Yet, he missed the chance to participate in this examination. Seeing Sang Yufei made her particularly uncomfortable. Moreover, since Sang Yufei was Sang Wan’s blood brother, it only added to Shi Yumei’s irritation and jealousy.
Ren Zhixian found it equally dull and felt indignant and resentful, thinking to himself that if he had taken the exam, the title of Xie Yuan would never have gone to him!
"I think mother is really confused! What does it have to do with our Shi family if someone from the Sang family has passed the examination? Why are we fawning over them so much! Even uncle, who usually doesn’t care about these things, joined the fuss! Just look at those Sang siblings reveling in their success! Ha, the nerve of them!"
In the banana garden, Shi Yumei wore a long face, clearly displeased.
Ren Zhixian scoffed sarcastically, "Don’t talk that way about your mother and uncle. After all, the Shi family has never had anyone achieve scholarly honor before. They finally have someone remotely related who did, it’s understandable they want to celebrate a bit, right?"
"It’s just pure foolishness! Our family doesn’t need to borrow face from those destitute folks!" Shi Yumei said, glaring at her husband: "It’s all because of you! If you hadn’t hurt your leg, the title of Xie Yuan would have been yours, not his to show off!"
This struck a chord with Ren Zhixian, who couldn’t help but feel a kinship in bitterness, sighing sourly, "Exactly! Just my bad luck, a life of misfortune! What a pity to have missed this opportunity!"
Shi Yumei looked up and declared, "If there’s no chance this time, there will be another! Next time, you better make me proud and win that Xie Yuan title! Let them, the Sang family, including my mother and uncle, see who truly possesses genuine talent and learning."
Ren Zhixian’s expression briefly faltered, he hummed and hawed noncommittally.
While it was fine to grumble and vent their discontent, when it came to genuine scholarly honor, Ren Zhixian subconsciously felt a bit guilty, knowing his own limitations better than anyone.
"Hey, did you hear me? You need to pull this off!" Shi Yumei glared at him.
"Yeah, yeah!" Ren Zhixian replied impatiently and indistinctly: "How many years could that kid have studied? How much knowledge can he have? I think it’s just good luck, a blind cat finding a dead rat! Otherwise, the exam markers must have been blind! How can he compare to me!"
Shi Yumei’s eyes brightened, and she quickly added, "Do you think he could have bribed someone?" Then she shook her head, "Probably not, the Sang family doesn’t have that kind of spare money!"
Ren Zhixian’s heart stirred, and he said, "That’s hard to say! The Sang family might not have money, but does the Shi family not? The Lady of the Shi Mansion is his biological sister!"
"That’s true!" Shi Yumei nodded, her disdain for Sang Yufei growing stronger while simultaneously hating his good fortune.
Convinced of their speculation, although they wouldn’t baselessly accuse him of bribery to the authorities, they secretly made up their minds: if he could bribe, why couldn’t they? After all, the Shi family didn’t lack money, why let outsiders benefit when their own could?
During the evening banquet, aside from the unmarried young lady who stayed away, everyone else dined together at Mrs. Wang’s place. The dishes were lavish and the wine added to the spirit of the feast, needless to say.
Second Master Shi’s concubines, Aunt Shui and Aunt Fang, also arrived, laughing about wanting to see what Xie Yuanlang looked like, and inevitably praised him, each offering Sang Yufei a wine glass before taking their leave.
Mrs. Wang and Second Master Shi, among others, were very warm in hosting Sang Yufei, and Sang Wan benefited from this attention as well.
This only increased the discontent in Shi Yumei and Ren Zhixian, their faces stiff and their smiles forced, barely hanging on.
Apart from his sister and brother-in-law, everyone at this table counted as his elders, so Sang Yufei did not dare put on airs, and personally expressed his gratitude over drinks. When it came Ren Zhixian’s turn, Ren Zhixian raised his glass and drank with Sang Yufei in one go, patting him on the shoulder in a patronizing manner, saying, "Young man, you must avoid arrogance and rashness and continue to strive! The rural examination is nothing, the true test of genuine talent is in the imperial examination! Many who do well in the rural exam fail in the latter!"
No matter how Sang Yufei heard this, it just didn’t sit right, but he had always disliked quarreling, especially with irrelevant people, so he calmly nodded and responded, "You are absolutely right, brother-in-law! There are many learned and talented individuals in this country, and compared to the truly great scholars, I am but a frog in a well!"
Shi Fenghua had been asked by his mother to return, and being only three years younger than Sang Yufei, they were of similar age and temperament. Before dinner, after meeting and conversing, they felt an instant sense of camaraderie. Hearing Ren Zhixian’s smug yet jealous remarks, Shi Fenghua couldn’t help feeling it was unfair to Sang Yufei, and laughed, "Second Brother Sang is too modest! You are the Xie Yuan of this session, not just with good standing but the first rank! In our Jiangnan region, known for its outstanding individuals and scholars, holding the top rank here is nearly equivalent to being the top in the nation. Passing the imperial exam should be a piece of cake for you, maybe you’ll even become the top scholar!"
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and Second Master Shi, lifting his glass, jokingly toasted to the future top scholar, to which everyone raised their glasses in agreement, and Sang Yufei continued to show modesty, which only served to further frustrate Ren Zhixian.