Shen Yougen felt too ashamed to enter Chen Yang's house, and equally ashamed to face his own daughter.
He hadn't contributed a single penny to his daughter's education. His wife had pushed the daughter to a point where she had no choice but to sever ties with them. What's worse, she had even pocketed the two hundred yuan his daughter had earned by fishing.
He knew about all this, but there was nothing he could do. Luo Yuzhen was the absolute authority in their home; he had no say in anything.
"Old Boss, don't make fun of Yougen. Everyone knows what kind of woman Yougen's wife is."
"She practically sold her daughter to fund her son. Pan Di already cut ties with them, a pity. If I had a daughter who became the top scholar, I wouldn't force her to break off relations."
"Becoming the top scholar, that's a blessing from ancestral graves smoking with good fortune. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Just as Shen Yougen sighed, another man emerged from Chen Yang's house.
The village wasn't large, and any bit of news could spread for half a month. Everyone in the village was well aware of Shen Pandi's situation.
In this era, severing family ties was a highly significant event.
However, no one had expected Shen Pandi to be so accomplished. Not only had she gotten into university, but she was also the top scholar in the county, and had been accepted into Tsinghua University, the best university in all of China.
The county education bureau leaders themselves had led a procession with gongs and drums to deliver awards. What an honorable occasion, something many people might never experience in their lifetime.
Shen Yougen wanted to retort, but the words died in his throat, turning into a silent sigh.
What else could he do? Was he supposed to fight with these mocking villagers?
Not only was he no match for them, but everything they said was the truth. Their own daughter had been forced out of the family and cut ties with them.
He had no face to argue with anyone!
Shen Yougen simply lowered his head and hurried home. He didn't want to go out for the next few days. He felt that if he stepped outside, a group of gossipy old women would surely follow him.
Seeing Shen Yougen slink away, the onlookers became even more brazen.
"Cowardly weakling! No wonder his wife runs wild at home. Serves him right for handing over his top scholar daughter!"
"Look at Shen Futang. His son-in-law is capable of earning money and studying, and his younger daughter also got into university. He gained a daughter for free, and she's the county's top scholar."
"This fortune, it truly must be from ancestral graves smoking with good fortune."
Rural men had loud voices to begin with. Hearing the undisguised mockery, Shen Yougen lowered his head even further and quickened his pace home.
As soon as he got home, Luo Yuzhen was cradling their son. The brat cried whenever he was put down, spoiled beyond measure.
"What's all this banging of gongs and drums? So much excitement."
Luo Yuzhen was never one to sit still. If it weren't for the baby, she would have gone out to join the commotion long ago.
However, in her wildest dreams, she wouldn't have imagined that the excitement outside was caused by her second daughter, Pandi, whom she so despised.
"Exciting, isn't it? She became the county's top scholar! The county leaders led a procession with gongs and drums to personally deliver the good news to our doorstep."
Shen Yougen, already filled with anger from being mocked by outsiders, naturally spoke with ill temper towards Luo Yuzhen, the main culprit who had driven their daughter away.
"Shen Yougen, stop being passive-aggressive with me. I gave birth to a son for you, and instead of treating me like a queen, you're here spewing nonsense."
"If you want to stay in this house, stay. If not, get out!"
Luo Yuzhen was never a pushover. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had Shen Yougen so firmly under her thumb.
As expected, with her shout, Shen Yougen's anger from being mocked outside dissipated.
"Don't you want to know who the top scholar is?"
Shen Yougen looked at Luo Yuzhen. He really wanted to see his wife's reaction when she heard their daughter had become the county's top scholar.
"Who else could it be? From the south of the village, it must be that old geezer Shen Futang's family. There are only a few high school students in the village, I'm not stupid."
"Could it be that ungrateful brat? A country girl, how could she have the fate of a top scholar? It must be that city boy."
"That kid is inherently sly. Now that he's the top scholar, he'll probably ride over anyone. Don't look at Shen Futang being proud now, just you wait, he'll be crying later."
"Once that kid goes to the city to study, he'll definitely divorce Shen Xue. See what good he gets."
Luo Yuzhen started to curse. She already hated Chen Yang to death from the last incident. If Chen Yang hadn't interfered, she would have married off her daughter already. Things wouldn't be like this now.
However, in her mind, she still subconsciously believed that Chen Yang was the top scholar. After all, Chen Yang was an educated youth sent down to the countryside, a cultured person from the city.
In her ingrained perception, only city folk could become top scholars. Country folk didn't have the destiny of becoming top scholars, let alone her daughter whom she barely cared about.
"You guessed wrong. It's not Chen Yang."
Shen Yougen looked at Luo Yuzhen. Having been utterly humiliated outside, he finally found some psychological comfort from Luo Yuzhen.
"Not Chen Yang, could it be Shen Futang's second daughter?"
"Her, a top scholar?"
"It can't be Pandi, I don't believe that damned girl could be the top scholar. If she became the county's top scholar, then my son must be a celestial scholar descended to earth, and then he'd become the provincial top scholar!"
Luo Yuzhen already looked down on her daughter. If Chen Yang hadn't recently helped the villagers make money and if people weren't now fawning over Shen Futang's family, she wouldn't have paid much attention to Shen Rong.
"You've guessed wrong again."
"It really is our daughter who became the top scholar. Look at you, if you had just given her some money to study back then, it would be our family basking in glory now."
"Now look at this. Our daughter has cut ties with us, and you took that two hundred yuan. How can you live with yourself!"
Shen Yougen, who had been holding back a stomach full of frustration, finally let it all out.
"Shen Yougen, stop spewing nonsense."
"So what if she became the top scholar? She's still a woman. Women are meant to get married. It's better to marry early than late. Having children early is contributing to the nation!"
Luo Yuzhen was stunned for a moment upon hearing that Shen Pandi was the top scholar, but she quickly recovered.
She didn't care about being a top scholar or not. What was face compared to money in hand?
She had to save up enough for her son's future bride price. She was getting old, and by the time her son grew up, she would be too old to earn money.
Other than relying on these daughters, who else could she count on? Therefore, anyone who obstructed her from extracting money from these daughters was hindering her son's future marriage prospects, and she would never agree.
"Keep going, you'll regret it one day!"
Shen Yougen trembled with anger, but he couldn't do anything to this obstinate woman. She was still holding their son, their Shen family's only male heir. What could he do? Divorce her and kick their son out of the house?