Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 231 - 230: Refusing to Accept Fate

Qin Yao thought he got heatstroke from driving the carriage, but it turned out to be a blow to his self-esteem.

She waved her hand, signaling him to stay aside and keep away from the fire. She sat down by the stove, watching the noodles in the pot as she spoke:

"Look at the map; we’re almost at the Prefecture now. It’s bound to be much larger and more prosperous than a small place like Kaiyang County, with who knows how many noblemen and wealthy merchants living there."

"Above the State Capital, there’s Shuntian Prefecture in the north and Yingtian Prefecture in the south, the two capitals of Sheng Country, where the most prominent aristocrats reside. Throwing a kid from some village in Kaiyang County in there, he might as well be less than a beggar on the street. After all, those people have grown up there, witnessing the luxuries of countless top aristocrats."

When the noodles were ready, Qin Yao signaled Da Lang and the others to take out the bowls. She portioned out enough noodles for each of them according to their appetite, sprinkled some salt, and added a few drops of sauce for good measure.

"Dad, your bowl." Si Niang handed the bowl to Liu Ji, who forced a smile as he accepted it, not daring to trouble Qin Yao and served himself.

Once served, he just held the noodles, not eating.

The leftovers in the pot were all Qin Yao’s. She just picked up the pot and ate directly, speaking while eating, "Where you’re born matters, but it’s not something we get to choose. Born in a small mountain village with scarce resources, there’s nothing we can do."

"Born in the Capital City, even as a beggar, you might occasionally get to eat the delicacies the nobles don’t want."

"But people born in small mountain villages can still choose the path they want to take in the future."

"He can muddle through and inherit the small plot of land from his ancestors, living life as a simple farmer. Or he can strive hard, study, and take imperial exams to leave the village, leave the county, leave the State Capital, and make it to the Capital City."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji gave a wry smile, "But someone like me, born with nothing, has to compete with them in the same exam hall. How can I win?"

He sighed deeply, "Perhaps this is just fate...."

"Hmm, you can accept fate." Qin Yao slurped the last big mouthful of noodles, put down the bowl, stood up, and started calculating on her fingers seriously:

"At the time, I redeemed you for thirty-eight taels of silver from Lin Erbao. Your tuition and miscellaneous fees at the academy were five taels of silver. For over a year, you’ve been living on my expense, from head to toe, I’ll count it as ten taels. Plus, the interest over this time, it’s altogether..."

Liu Ji shivered all over, "I don’t accept fate! I absolutely don’t accept fate!"

Qin Yao glanced at him with a latecomer’s gaze, "Altogether, it’s fifty-five taels of silver. Oh, not to forget your book box and books, cash out and add five more taels, making it a total of sixty taels. If you give me the money, you can go back and wander the world as you wish." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Of course, if you can’t come up with the money, then sorry, you’ll just have to suffer grievances unto death.

The Da Lang Brothers and Sisters, who had been eating noodles, stopped in unison, staring in shock at Liu Ji, who was on the verge of tears, wondering why their father didn’t understand the value of life.

No, he cherishes life very much. He made it back crawling from the border, always struggling.

Just now, Liu Ji’s thinking wasn’t as transparent as the children’s; he got stuck in a rut.

But now, stimulated by Qin Yao, he finally realized that he had never accepted fate since he was born!

"My dear, don’t be mad. I thought wrong. Come, come, you sit down and rest for a bit; I’ll go to the river and wash the bowls clean, and we’ll set off immediately."

Liu Ji gobbled down the noodles in his bowl, gathered up Qin Yao’s and the Da Lang Brothers and Sisters’ bowls and chopsticks, and headed to the river.

"Dad!" Si Niang chased after him angrily, "I haven’t finished my last bite!"

Sanlang followed closely behind his sister, having eaten slowly, he still had a small bowl left. "Wahh, Si Niang, wait for me..."

Qin Yao stood under the shady grass shed, watching the father and sons go to the river. With a raised eyebrow, she found Liu Ji’s on-and-off antics quite amusing.

Unbeknownst to them, Liu Li, having listened to everything, secretly expressed that he had learned something!

They can’t choose their birthplace, but they can choose the path they want to take.

"Ah~" Liu Li sighed regretfully; with Miss Qin’s insight and martial arts, had she been a man, she surely would have achieved great things.

Feeling the intense gaze from behind, Qin Yao had long noticed, she turned back and smiled at Liu Li, who was full of regret, "Get ready to set off."

"Alright!" Liu Li responded loudly, startling Da Zhuang, who was sleeping beside him, "Are we leaving?"

Liu Li nodded with a smile, "Yes."

"Huh? Second Young Master, you’re happy again?" Da Zhuang asked curiously; he was sighing just moments ago.

Liu Li nodded, not only feeling better, but filled with confidence.

He got in the carriage, opened the book box, and continued reading.

Da Zhuang scratched his head, wondering what happened to his vow not to read the whole journey?

Once Liu Ji and his sons returned, they quickly tidied up, and both families resumed their journey.

The rest of the journey, compared to the first day, had a bit less thrill but more excitement of nearing their destination.

They encountered more examinees along the way, and Liu Ji realized that those escorted by horse guards were only about one or two in ten. The remaining majority were people much like them.

In the past, he only focused on the glamorous ones, neglecting the ordinary people who made up the majority.

As the number of examinees increased, there were also more common folks traveling on the road.

However, as they neared the Prefecture, the number noticeably decreased.

Food prices swung from increasingly outrageous to gradually stabilizing at a high level; near the Prefecture, food prices were basically the same, and the environment was relatively stable.

Upon seeing the Prefecture city gate with its rampart, the children simultaneously let out an exclamation of "Wow."

Da Lang marveled, "So the city wall really is three zhang high!"

Si Niang and Sanlang excitedly added, "This place is much, much bigger than the county town."

Second Lang leaned against the carriage window, observing the people coming and going. Each was dressed brightly, completely unlike the drab, white-clad people outside Kaiyang County.

By contrast, in their plain white linen clothes, they appeared even poorer.

The roads in the Prefecture were neat and wide, allowing two carriages to pass and still leaving room for people to set up stalls on either side.

The houses were mostly made of brick and tile, and they saw eight or nine two-story buildings in a row from as soon as they entered the city, which was not surprising at all.

The local accent here was also different from Kaiyang County. Liu Ji got off to ask for directions, and it took quite some time to find out where the Academic Administration Bureau was located.

He and Liu Li need to report to the academic administration first, submit the materials, and go through the procedures.

Foreigners unfamiliar with the area would usually look for an agent.

The agency industry had already formed a stable industrial chain, with people providing tedious procedure-handling services, saving effort and allowing scholars to focus on preparing for the imperial exams.

But there is also the possibility of being scammed, requiring one to discern carefully.

If you don’t find an agent, you can handle it yourself; it’s just more time-consuming.

Upon reaching the city and finding a reasonably priced inn with available rooms, Qin Yao and the children stayed to unpack while Liu Ji and Liu Li quickly took the necessary materials and went out to gather information.

Both of them were clumsy in communicating with the locals, let alone dealing with court officials.

So they planned to jointly find a local agent to assist, so they wouldn’t wander around like headless chickens.